Jackson's doc may soon be charged with manslaughter

Prosecutors investigating Michael Jackson's death plan to file a criminal complaint charging the singer's doctor with involuntary manslaughter rather than seek a grand jury indictment, The Associated Press learned yesterday, a strategy shift that will give an eager public an earlier look at evidence.

While there is no public timetable for charges to be filed against Dr. Conrad Murray, there are strong indications the move is imminent. Murray and lawyer Edward Chernoff have traveled to Los Angeles from Houston, where Murray practices, and the attorney said his client is prepared to turn himself in.

"If they tell him to surrender in 10 minutes, he'll go surrender," Chernoff said. "He's never hidden, he's always been available." David Walgren, the deputy Los Angeles County district attorney handling the case, declined to comment.

Jackson hired Murray to be his personal physician as he prepared for a strenuous series of comeback performances in London. His June 25 death in Los Angeles came after Murray, tending to Jackson in the star's rented mansion, administered the powerful anesthetic propofol and two other sedatives to get the chronic insomniac to sleep, according to the Los Angeles County coroner's office, which ruled the death a homicide.

Propofol is only supposed to be administered by an anesthesia professional in a medical setting. The patient requires constant monitoring because the drug depresses breathing and heart rate while also lowering blood pressure, a potentially deadly combination.