October 11, 2011 16:42

Conrad Murray blames another doctor for fueling Michael Jackson's painkiller addiction

Doctor's interview with police is played to jurors during his trial

Photo Gallery: Michael Jackson
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Dr. Conrad Murray has accused another doctor of fueling Michael Jackson's addiction to prescription painkillers in the days leading up to his death.

Murray, who is currently on trial for involuntary manslaughter over the singer's death, will not testify at the trial, but an interview he gave to police was played yesterday (October 10) for the trial's jurors, reports CNN.

Asked about Jackson's medication habits, Murray said he was treating the singer with several sedatives, including the notoriously powerful propofol. He also outlined that though the singer had told him he wasn't visiting any other doctors to obtain other painkillers, he was aware that the Jackson was visiting "A Dr. Klein" who prescribed him the power painkiller Demerol.

He said in his interview:

I was not aware of any other medications that he was taking, but I heard that he was seeing a Dr. Klein three times a week in Beverly Hills clinic in the weeks before his death. His production team had said to me that his worst days in the set is when he had gone to Dr. Klein's office, which is about three times a week and when he came back, he was basically wasted and required at least 24 hours for recovery.

Murray also said that he was trying to wean the singer off propofol and blamed the singer's use of Demorol for his inability to sleep, an inability that led to him demanding to be given more sedatives on the night of his death.

On the night he died, Jackson had taken doses of valium, lorazepam and midazolam and was still unable to sleep, telling Murray he desperately needed propofol, which he called his "milk". Murray said he eventually gave him a dose and after he briefly left the room, he came back to find the singer unconscious. He was unable to resucitate Jackson.

Asked why he hadn't called the emergency services sooner than he did, Murray explained he expected answering the emergency operator's questions would have taken too much time away from the resuscitation efforts.

The trial continues.

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