Michael Jackson's former personal physician, Conrad Murray, was charged Monday with involuntary manslaughter for his role in the June 25, 2009, death of the pop superstar, dpa reported.
According to the charge sheet released by the Los Angeles district attorney's office, Murray "did unlawfully, and without malice, kill Michael Joseph Jackson ... in the commission of an unlawful act ... and in the commission of a lawful act which might have produced death, in an unlawful manner, and without due caution and circumspection."
Murray faces a maximum term of four months in jail, and was due in court later in the day to enter a plea.
The charges come after a six-month investigation by authorities. They set in motion what is certain to be one of the most closely watched trials in the United States since Jackson himself was in the dock on child sex charges in 2005. Hundreds of journalists waited outside the courtroom close to the Los Angeles airport in advance of the hearing.
Murray has acknowledged giving Jackson the hospital anaesthetic Propofol as a sleeping aid shortly before he suffered a massive cardiac arrest that led to his death at the age of 50, as he was due to begin a widely anticipated comeback tour.
Jackson's family has called for a second-degree murder charge to be filed against Murray, arguing that he should have known that his actions could have led to Jackson's death.
"Michael Jackson was someone who we knew was in danger of being brought to his knees, brought to his death, by the use of these medications," Jackson family attorney Brian Oxman said last week.
Michael Jackson's doctor charged with involuntary manslaughter
