Michael Jackson's death gets murkier

Pop legend Michael Jackson's siblings are convinced that he was murdered. While sister La Toya says she knows the group who "killed" her superstar sibling, brother Tito claims that Jacko's personal doctor is prominent among the list of suspects.

Tito, 55, said Jackson could still be alive today had Conrad Murray called for help as soon as he realised the stricken singer was in serious trouble.

"My opinion is that he panicked when my brother didn't wake up. I think the doctor probably figured there could be trouble, he tried to revive Michael. He did have a pulse but he couldn't bring him back," thesun.co.uk quoted Tito as saying.

"I don't know what the time lapse was between the doctor finding him and when he called paramedics. I believe if he had immediately called for help we might still have my brother here today - he would definitely still be alive. I think he (Murray) is a suspect. But suspected of exactly what? I don't know," he added.

Tito, who performed with Michael in the Jackson 5, said he found it strange that the medic tried to revive Jackson, who died on June 25, on an unsuitable soft bed.

"That's one of the things I noticed that was very strange and odd. I don't know very much about the doctor. I don't know his practice, his capabilities, anything like that -- apart from the fact he was Michael's personal doctor at the time. He has passed the whole thing on to his lawyers. I imagine he is protecting himself," said Tito who was speaking to a Spanish TV show after jetting to Alicante for a concert.

Asked if he thought it was possible his brother was murdered, Tito said: "Anything is possible."

Jackson's sibling alleges a number of people apart from Murray took advantage of the singer and killed him to gain control of his music publishing catalogue, which La Toya claims is worth more than $1 billion, reported contactmusic.com.

La Toya has already informed the authorities of who she believes is responsible and she has promised to reveal the culprits to the world.

"If justice is not served in the courts, I will name them myself. I have made it clear to the police who is responsible. They must ensure, for Michael's sake, that the outcome is right," she said.

After autopsy reports showed that the King of Pop died from an overdose of heavy-duty painkiller Diprivan, police may also bring a charge of murder.

Police have told Jackson's family that they will press charges against one or more people within a few days and that there will be a criminal trial.

The development was revealed in an interview by Terry Harvey, a long-time friend of the Jackson family.

"The autopsy shows that Michael died of a drug overdose with Diprivan and a range of pills in his stomach. He had needle marks on his neck and all over his body. The authorities have told the family the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) are pushing for a criminal charge," said Harvey.

"It is likely to be second-degree murder, due to the actions which led to his death. They have been assured that someone, or maybe more than one person, will be brought to trial. The family is working with the DEA and Los Angeles Police Department to work out which doctor prescribed Michael these drugs and how far back this serious problem runs," he added.

Jackson's personal doctor Murray, who has been questioned twice by police, is reported to be in Houston, Texas, where he has a medical practice.

Murray's lawyer Ed Chernoff said: "Dr. Murray didn't administer anything that should have killed Jackson."

Indo-Asian News Service