Michael Jackson’s mother Katherine hit the roof after a report claimed the singer’s personal doctor interrupted CPR on her dying son and delayed calling 911 to stash drugs from paramedics.
Katherine, 79, is now demanding that the single charge of involuntary manslaughter against Dr. Conrad Murray be upgraded to that of a second degree murder following the new allegations.
"Mrs. Jackson never doubted that this man murdered her son, and these new revelations, if true, mean we need additional charges to fit the severity of his crimes," the New York Daily News quoted her attorney Adam Streisand as saying.
"Second degree murder requires malice aforethought, which can be implied by the conduct of the defendant. The actions alleged suggest that Dr. Murray abandoned his duties as a physician or an ordinary human being to save himself rather than his patient," he added.
Murray’s legal team has rejected the claims, arguing the leaked account by witness Alberto Alvarez, Jackson’s logistics director, was inconsistent.
Murray, has denied the charge and pleaded not guilty to involuntary manslaughter. He admitted administering Propofol to help Jackson sleep hours before his death but said he gave him nothing to cause his death.
Jackson died aged 50 on June 25 last year at his home in Los Angeles. Coroners ruled the case as homicide mainly caused by an overdose of the anesthetic Propofol.
The next hearing has been set for April 5.