Image courtesy of rap-up.com

The Los Angeles coroner’s office has finally released its findings on Michael Jackson’s death, and the results were shocking.  It classifies the singer’s death as a homicide, which means that someone–in this case Jackson’s personal physician–knowingly caused him harm leading to his death.

The news is shocking because while  fans have been decrying Dr. Conrad Murray’s role in Jackson’s death all summer, I think we all thought it was more of a moral culpability than a truly literal, legal one.  But this is the guy who gave his troubled patient a deadly combination of drugs, including propofil, which was the likely cause of Jackson’s death.  At least he should be considered criminally negligent.

Murray, of course, says he did nothing wrong…a strange claim made by someone who lied to both police and doctors about what exactly he’d given his famous patient.  And just because he might be responsible for Jackson’s death doesn’t mean a crime was committed.  LA  police have asked the coroner’s office not to release the full text of the report or any further details while they complete their investigation.