Support for LAist comes from
Become a sponsor
Made of L.A.
Donate
Stay Connected

LAist is part of Southern California Public Radio, a member-supported public media network. For the latest national news from NPR and our live radio broadcast, visit LAist.com/radio

Keep up with our local independent news

The Top 5 newsletter catches you up with LA’s top 5 stories in just 3 minutes.
Donate

Share This

This is an archival story that predates current editorial management.

This archival content was written, edited, and published prior to LAist's acquisition by its current owner, Southern California Public Radio ("SCPR"). Content, such as language choice and subject matter, in archival articles therefore may not align with SCPR's current editorial standards. To learn more about those standards and why we make this distinction, please click here.

News

Doc Ordered Alarming 255 Vials Of Propofol Before MJ Death

By  Lisa Brenner
Published Jan 9, 2011 11:00 PM
Our June member drive is live: protect this resource!
Right now, we need your help during our short June member drive to keep the local news you read here every day going. This has been a challenging year, but with your help, we can get one step closer to closing our budget gap. Today, put a dollar value on the trustworthy reporting you rely on all year long. We can't hold those in power accountable and uplift voices from the community without your partnership.

In testimony on Monday, pharmacist Tim Lopez, the owner of a specialty pharmacy in Las Vegas, revealed that he sent large quantities of the surgical anesthetic 'propofol' to Dr. Conrad Murray in the three months before Michael Jackson died of an overdose.

According to the L.A. Times, "Lopez said Murray never mentioned the pop star was his only patient at the time, and instead led him to believe the 255 vials of propofol he requested were being used for patients at a Los Angeles clinic."

The shipments were delivered to a Santa Monica apartment where Murray's mistress and infant son were residing. Lopez reportedly once volunteered to hand deliver an order during a trip to Los Angeles, and Murray requested he Fed Ex the package as usual.

Murray has acknowledged "using the drug as a sleep aid for his famous patient, a chronic insomniac," notes the L.A. Times, and defense lawyers have suggested that the amount of propofol administered by Murray was not enough to cause death.

Most Read
Best of LAist