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Nancy Grace

Another Doctor Says Jackson Asked for Propofol

Aired July 31, 2009 - 20:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

JEAN CASAREZ, GUEST HOST: We begin tonight with breaking news in the sudden death of music superstar Michael Jackson, more information coming from those search warrants executed in Las Vegas. We are learning that Michael Jackson asked a Los Angeles doctor about the powerful drug propofol months before he died. That doctor said, No way. We will speak with his attorney live. Investigators are, however, closing in on Jack`s private doctor, Conrad Murray. Sources confirm he is the focus of a federal investigation.

And also tonight, we learn exactly what police were searching for during the Los Angeles raids on the doctor`s home and office. The search warrants suggest investigators believe Michael Jackson was an addict. It is revealed that numerous prescription drugs were seized from Michael Jackson`s home. Sources also confirm the records of multiple doctors connected to the music superstar have been subpoenaed. And also tonight, as the legal battle races on over Jackson`s billion-dollar empire, grandmother Katherine Jackson and bio mom Debbie Rowe reach a custody deal over Jackson`s children.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CHERILYN LEE, MICHAEL JACKSON`S FORMER NURSE: He really wanted to get a good night`s sleep. And he had gone through everything in the past, really didn`t help him to sleep. And he wanted the Diprivan.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Search warrants seem to imply investigators think Michael Jackson was an addict.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The warrant states it`s looking for evidence of, quote, "demonstrating crimes of excess, prescribing and prescribing to an addict and manslaughter."

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This warrant suggests that Michael Jackson has an immensely complicated pharmaceutical history and was, in fact, an addict.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Sources close to the investigation tell CNN Jackson used 19 different aliases when he wanted prescription drugs.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They were looking for prescriptions written in all of those names, which include the name of his personal chef, Kai Chase, and even his own son, Prince Jackson.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And the third day I was there, when he came back, he had told me, you know, They`re killing me, they`re killing me because I`m working too much.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CASAREZ: Also, breaking news in the case of a missing 8-year-old Idaho boy, the search growing more desperate as police announce suspicious circumstances surrounding the disappearance of Robert Manwill. New evidence is emerging tonight. What happened to 8-year-old Robert?

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Eight-year-old Robert Manwill missing for a week now from his Boise, Idaho apartment.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The desperate search goes on for this 8-year-old Idaho boy who vanished without a trace. Cops have been looking through the boy`s apartment complex, his mom`s place last night.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Investigators from the Boise Police Department, with the assistance of the FBI, have located evidence that may -- may -- bring us closer to finding out what happened to Robert. The evidence we`ve uncovered shows that there are suspicious circumstances regarding Robert`s disappearance.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And we`re learning more about an alleged family history of abuse, as well. Citing court papers, "The Idaho Statesman" actually says that Robert`s mom is on probation for fracturing his infant half-brother`s skull. Also, the mom`s boyfriend has a criminal record, including burglary and battery.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: At a news conference today, police disclosed they think the boy is hurt, but they didn`t elaborate.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Robert is maybe injured. But again, Robert is still missing. It`s very important that we locate Robert.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We want everyone not to give up hope, to continue on everything that we have done, the searching, the looking. Please help us to bring Robert home!

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CASAREZ: Good evening. I`m Jean Casarez of the legal network In Session, in for Nancy Grace. Thank you so much for joining us tonight. The investigation into the sudden death of music superstar Michael Jackson intensifies.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We see in the warrants, in writing, that authorities are looking for evidence related to propofol or Diprivan. We know from a source that Dr. Murray gave him that drug within 24 hours of his death.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The warrants say there`s probable cause to think that searches of the home and office of Dr. Murray would uncover evidence of, quote, "crimes of excess, specifically, excessive prescribing, prescribing to or treating an addict, and manslaughter."

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The addict in this case, apparently Michael Jackson. The key piece of evidence is a CD with the name Omar Arnold on it. Detectives seized that. And I confirmed with a source close to the investigation that Jackson used the name Omar Arnold as an alias to obtain prescription drugs and to get procedures done without anyone knowing.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The fact that they are essentially saying Michael Jackson was an addict makes the prosecution of anybody harder because it suggests that Jackson himself was the big initiator of getting all these drugs.

LEE: It was April of 2009 that he asked me for the drug. One drop hits my vein with the IV, he said, I go to sleep right away. I`m knocked out and I`m asleep.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CASAREZ: Let`s go straight out to Tom O`Neil, senior editor of "In Touch Weekly." You know, Tom, we`re learning more about the search warrants that were executed in Las Vegas, actually three search warrants. They always say the devil is in the details. What more can you tell us?

TOM O`NEIL, "IN TOUCH WEEKLY": Well, what`s fascinating is when you compare these search warrants to the ones last week that were involved in Houston. Last week, we had one doctor cited. We had Dr. Murray. We had one possible criminal charge, and that was manslaughter. No propofol was mentioned. This time, we have propofol mentioned, seven doctors are named, one nurse. We have mention of the 19 aliases. We have mention of Michael Jackson as an addict. And we have six possible crimes cited here.

CASAREZ: All right. To Kelly Zink, host of Celebtv.com. There are so many aliases here that they have probable cause, believe that could have been involved in the commission of a crime, that evidence could have been at these locations in Las Vegas. List for us some of these aliases.

KELLY ZINK, CELEBTV.COM: You`ve got Jack London. You`ve got Omar Arnold. You`ve got his chef, Kai Chase, and one of his sons, Prince.

CASAREZ: OK. And many, many more. I mean, Paul Farance, Paul Thorance (ph), Brian Singleton, Mike Jackson, Mic Jackson -- Mic Jackson meaning microphone Jackson, M-I-C, and Jack London, the famous author. It goes on and on.

To Ellie Jostad, Nancy Grace producer. There`s so much that they were looking for, but there appears to be just a limited amount of things that were actually on the return, or what they collected during the search warrant. Explain.

ELLIE JOSTAD, NANCY GRACE PRODUCER (via telephone): Right. Well, we know that they served -- that they seized images of hard drives from the office, also a CD that had the name Omar Arnold on it, a green binder with some invoices, medical information. It`s unclear what all that paperwork is and whether or not it will reveal any information regarding propofol -- if it was being shipped, if it was being purchased, if it was being prescribed to Michael Jackson.

CASAREZ: A lot of things for investigators to go through at this point. I want to welcome a very special guest tonight. He is a nationally renowned defense attorney out of Los Angeles, California, having represented Robert Blake, Roseanne Barr, Chris Farley, Steven Seagal. Also represented Elizabeth Taylor`s physician, at one point, in an over- prescribing case.

Mr. Harland Braun, thank you so much for joining us. Your client, one of the doctors in this case, Dr. Allan Metzger, is listed and named in this search warrant. But first of all, what I want to talk about is that your client actually went to Michael Jackson`s home several months ago.

HARLAND BRAUN, ATTORNEY FOR ALLAN METZGER (VIA TELEPHONE): That`s correct. He visited Michael on April 18th for a social visit. He had been his doctor up to about 2003 and visited Michael and the children for about an hour-and-a-half.

CASAREZ: And during that visit, you have said that Michael Jackson discussed propofol.

BRAUN: Yes. That`s correct. He inquired about it, and Dr. Metzger told him it was dangerous and life-threatening and it should not be given outside of a hospital. And that was all. Dr. Metzger prescribed some very mild sleeping pills to help Mr. Jackson, and that was all.

CASAREZ: You know, the timing of this is interesting because at that point in time, the tour was being planned, AEG was going to allow Michael Jackson to have a physician. Do you feel at all that Michael Jackson was maybe interviewing a good friend of his, but also a physician, for that position?

BRAUN: Possibly. I mean, he was obviously looking for someone who would give him this particular drug, and so apparently, he was shopping around. He hadn`t actually seen Dr. Metzger for -- since 2003, and Dr. Metzger just sort of viewed it as a social acquaintance and visiting his home. So he may have been looking around for a physician at that point. Dr. Metzger does not know Dr. Murray, never heard of Dr. Murray, never communicated with Dr. Murray.

CASAREZ: But I think what we can establish is that Michael Jackson knew about the drug at that time and was making inquiries about it.

BRAUN: Absolutely. And he knew it was dangerous and he knew the circumstances, which -- you know, which creates another issue in terms of the case, in terms of Michael Jackson being the prime mover in this whole tragedy.

CASAREZ: Now, is it true that the coroner`s office subpoenaed records from your client, Dr. Metzger?

BREMNER: Yes. Basically, they just faxed him the subpoena, you know, about a month ago. I talked -- I have all the medical records. I talked to the coroner`s office. I told them what we had. And all they wanted was us to fax five pages to them, basically showing this visit, a couple of earlier phone calls, and the last visit where he was actually examining Michael, which was 2003.

CASAREZ: Why do you think your client was listed on the search warrant as far as alias names and in conjunction with correspondence with one of the seven doctors?

BRAUN: I think what they did is they were looking for any kind of communications between the doctors, and the search warrant listed any possible combination of doctors, which makes a lot of sense. So they won`t find any communications between Dr. Murray and Dr. Metzger, but they certainly had a right to look for them.

CASAREZ: And your thoughts just on the investigation so far, the death investigation? Dr. Conrad Murray, five search warrants now executed. With your experience, what are your thoughts?

BRAUN: It`s hard to know because the point was made -- they`re going to have to prove causation. They`re going to have to prove recklessness of some kind. And because it`s Michael Jackson, they`re doing as thorough a job as humanly possible.

CASAREZ: All right, Dr. -- Mr. Harland Braun -- made you a doctor. You are a juris doctor. Thank you so much for joining us.

BRAUN: Thank you.

CASAREZ: Thank you.

BRAUN: OK. Bye.

CASAREZ: To Smokey Fontaine. This was a very close friend of many in this case, but he had one of the most emotional interviews he says he`s ever had in his career for Newsone.com. He interviewed Joe Jackson. Take a listen to this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SMOKEY FONTAINE, NEWSONE.COM: If you were in Michael`s life, would he still be alive today?

JOE JACKSON, MICHAEL JACKSON`S FATHER: Of course. Of course. I had told some people, some friends, that if I don`t get to Michael, he ain`t going to be here long. I said that, He won`t be us with long. And I called (ph) the shots (ph) if he -- exactly what had happened. I just didn`t like to see him -- as a matter of fact, I wouldn`t go and see him laying in the casket because I did not -- I didn`t want to remember him like that. I wanted to remember him alive and dancing on stage.

FONTAINE: He was your boy.

JACKSON: He was my son.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CASAREZ: To Smokey Fontaine, chief content editor of Newsone.com. You just got this interview with Joe Jackson. You`ve done many interviews. We`re going to talk to you after the break. But first, your thoughts, your summary thoughts on that interview?

FONTAINE: It was one of the most emotional I`ve ever had because I didn`t go in there with any expectations that Joe Jackson would let his guard down, and he did with me. It was a two-hour interview. My harder questions came at the end of our two-hour session. And I met a remorseful father. I met a man who was in pain, who was really trying his best to come to grips with losing his son. I think we`ve -- many of us have underestimated the role Joe Jackson`s played in Michael`s life and the family`s life in a positive way. We`ve talked about many of the kind of dramas and some of the negative allegations, but this is a man who lost his son that he invested and almost sacrificed his whole life for, and that was the man that I saw in my interview.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hot off the presses, the search warrant and return for the raid on the Las Vegas home and office of Dr. Conrad Murray - - that, of course, the doctor who was with Michael Jackson the day he died.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The warrants say there`s probable cause to believe searches of the office and home of Dr. Conrad Murray, Jackson`s personal doctor, would uncover evidence of, quote, "crimes of excess, specifically excessive prescribing, prescribing to or treating an addict, and manslaughter."

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: At least this search warrant gives us a few facts and a few significant phrases, like they were looking for evidence that -- of finding drugs that had been used or given to an addict.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The warrants say investigators were specifically looking for shipping orders, records relating to the purchase, transfer, receiving, ordering, delivery and storage of Diprivan.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The key thing to remember about Dr. Murray is that he was only Michael Jackson`s doctor for about two months.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don`t know what his experience has been with Diprivan. I don`t know how many people he`s given it to, how he`s administered it. But they`re going to say that Conrad Murray injected him and it was gross negligence for him to do that, and there`s the manslaughter charge.

FONTAINE: What is the legacy of the Jacksons? What does it mean to be a Jackson?

JACKSON: To me, to be a Jackson, it`s the Jackson name, you know, because my father -- my father carried the name. You know, we was the only one had an A-model Ford way back there in the -- in I think in `28 or something like that. Our father was a professor, school professor. And we were the only family that had a car because everybody else had those horses and mules pulling wagons and stuff. We had an A-model Ford, my father did, called him Professor Jackson. So it means something to be a Jackson.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CASAREZ: Jean Casarez of the legal network In Session, in for Nancy Grace tonight. More information coming out on these search warrants executed in Las Vegas. Do you realize that actually three search warrants were executed on Tuesday? One at the office of Dr. Conrad Murray, one at the home of Dr. Conrad Murray, and one later in the day at a storage unit in Las Vegas. They didn`t find anything in the storage unit, but yet some time had passed, which is interesting.

I want to go back out to Smokey Fontaine. He is the chief content editor at Newsone.com, interviewed Joe Jackson just days ago. Quite an interview you got. I want to ask you about Omer Bhatti. He is the young man that was sitting in the front row at the funeral service. Many believe he could be a son of Michael Jackson. He has said he is not, but what did Joe Jackson say?

FONTAINE: Joe Jackson said unequivocally that Omer Bhatti is Michael Jackson`s son. It was the last question I asked him after two hours of conversation, and this is what he admitted. This is what Joe Jackson believes to be true. He looked me in my eye. I believe him. I don`t think Mr. Jackson has any reason to be dishonest, and I think this is a guarded secret that is only now coming to light.

CASAREZ: OK, a lot of people are saying, though, that there`s a motive here, that he wants him to be his son because he has musical talent. We`ve seen him dance. He was in a talent contest. That`s allegedly how Michael Jackson found him, if he wasn`t his biological son. What does your gut tell you?

FONTAINE: I mean, I think my gut says that, you know, Joe Jackson being motivated by turning this boy into a star is unfair. I mean, Joe Jackson is one of the most legendary fathers and managers we`ve ever had, and he needs to be given respect for that. I`ve witnessed, as we all have, some of his gratuitous comments about his record label and different plans post Michael`s death, but that wasn`t the man that I met. And he`s not excited about the fact that he can turn Omer Bhatti into a star. I think he`s excited about the fact that the Jackson legacy will live on and is proud of the fact that this is a grandson that deserves to be admired.

CASAREZ: Well, let`s go out to the attorneys right, Eleanor Dixon, prosecutor out of Atlanta, Peter Odom, defense attorney out of Atlanta, and Alex Sanchez, defense attorney out of the New York jurisdiction.

I`ve been studying the will and the will specifically states that Michael Jackson says, I have no other children, living or deceased. It also says, I have intentionally omitted to provide for my heirs that are not delineated in my trust document. To Eleanor Dixon. What if this would be a biological child? Can he inherit?

ELEANOR DIXON, PROSECUTOR: Well, I say yes. You know, as the lawyers like to say, you can always sue. And if he is the biological child, he is an heir, and I think he can assert that privilege and lay claim to some of the estate.

CASAREZ: All right. Alex Sanchez, you agree?

ALEX SANCHEZ, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: That issue can be resolved one, two, three with a DNA test. And if he is a child, he`ll be splitting whatever money was left to the children.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I knew that Mr. Jackson was rehearsing, so I figured he was -- that he was there -- he was employed, he was there to take care of him. I would see Dr. Murray carrying the oxygen tanks down in the morning. I don`t know what to make of it. I know that what -- you know, the situation with, you know, the oxygen tanks and the doctor -- you know, the doctor, you know, was there, I thought, to do his job as his physician.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CASAREZ: I`m Jean Casarez of the legal network In Session, in for Nancy Grace tonight. Do you realize that on the return for the search warrant in Las Vegas from the office, they took a number of things, but one of the things they took was a CD with the name of Omar Arnold on it, and that`s one of the aliases. That is the alias that allegedly, Michael Jackson used for medical tests and even allegedly prescriptions. How much information would be on that?/

Let`s go to a caller. Sandy in South Carolina. Hi, Sandy. Good evening.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hi. First, I want to say that HLN has the best coverage of all subjects of all the news channels, of all the channels, period. I just love HLN. I have a two-part -- I had a one question, two- parter. I first wanted to know when Dr. Murray called for Prince, do you think Prince would be asked to testify as to what he saw and what Dr. Murray was doing at that time?

And the second part is, in that three-hour gap that they said they don`t know if Michael Jackson had died earlier or not, is it possible a security camera could have picked up what Dr. Murray was doing and it`s possible that he took the money and the jewels that are missing?

CASAREZ: All right, a lot of good questions. You know, Sandy, when I woke up this morning, I said to myself, I want to put together a timeline because we know some things at this point. Let`s go to a timeline. First of all, 10:00 to 10:30 in the morning, Jackson`s chef, Kai Chase, says Dr. Murray would normally come down, getting Michael Jackson`s breakfast for him and taking it back up. The day he died, he didn`t do that, says the chef.

From 12:00 to about 12:10, the chef, Kai Chase, says that Dr. Murray came running downstairs, calling for Prince, Michael`s son. Shortly after, Dr. Murray reportedly tried to resuscitate Jackson using CPR. At 12:21, the 911 call was made. At 12:26, paramedics arrive and treat Jackson for 42 minutes before transporting him to nearby Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center. At 1:14, Jackson arrives at the hospital. And finally, at 2:26, Jackson was pronounced dead.

Let`s go to Dr. Joshua Perper, chief medical examiner, Broward County and author of "When to Call the Doctor." When you look at that timeline, Doctor, what do you say?

DR. JOSHUA PERPER, BROWARD COUNTY CHIEF MEDICAL EXAMINER: Well, the first thing which I say is that propofol was given for as a sleeping pill, and this is in the middle of the day. Doesn`t seem that at that time, it would be used for sleeping. It would be more used like for use, misuse, or addiction.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOHN ROBERTS, CNN ANCHOR: New developments in the investigation of Michael Jackson`s death. We are getting the clearest indication yet that Jackson`s personal physician, Dr. Conrad Murray, is the sole target of the criminal investigation.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Now we know that other doctors` records have been subpoenaed, but clearly now, with three search warrants now served on Dr. Conrad Murray`s property, he has become the central focus.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No one who was being treated that way by the police is merely a witness. Now that doesn`t mean this person is going to be charged or is guilty of anything, but he is clearly the last doctor who had access to Michael Jackson, who was with him on the day he died, at the time he died.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: His lawyers say they don`t think an arrest is imminent, because they haven`t seen any proof or an autopsy report. But there are new details about his drastic money troubles. He`s deeply in debt, and reports say his Las Vegas estate could face foreclosure.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That is true. He owes about $15,000 on it. In January, he didn`t make that payment. He`s been racking up debt ever since.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The state of his financial affairs is highly relevant. And it does reflect, I think, on the quality of his medical care that he could provide to Michael Jackson. I mean, this is Michael Jackson. Why does he have this doctor? That`s the question I have.

KAI CHASE, MICHAEL JACKSON`S PERSONAL CHEF: The daughter, Paris, she starts screaming, "Daddy, daddy, daddy." We all started, you know, crying. Something was wrong. And she`s screaming, Daddy, and starts crying, and we started crying, and we all come together in unity, in a circle, and we started holding hands and we started praying.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

JEAN CASAREZ, GUEST HOST: I`m Jean Casarez of the legal network "In Session" in for Nancy Grace tonight.

Kai Chase, who was the chef of Michael Jackson, has said publicly that every morning at 10:00 to 10:15, Dr. Conrad Murray would come down the stairs to get breakfast for Michael Jackson and would take it back up. But on the morning he died, she said he never came down.

Let`s go to Detective Lieutenant Steven Rogers from the Nutley, the New Jersey Police Department. Let`s look at this timeline again, Detective Lieutenant. And when you look at this time line, what would you be thinking about, from morning to afternoon, until 2:26 when he was pronounced dead, what would you do with that timeline?

DET. LT. STEVEN ROGERS, NUTLEY, NJ POLICE DEPARTMENT, FMR. MEMBER, FBI JOINT TERRORISM TASK FORCE: Well, I`d actually go way before that timeline. I`d like to know what that doctor was doing, what type of communications was going on, was there any interaction with other doctors? That`s what I would be focusing in on right now.

CASAREZ: All right. To Dr. Joshua Perper, chief medical examiner of Broward County. I just want to ask you a couple of questions here. If at 12:00 to 12:10, the chef is saying that the doctor came down the stairs, yelling and screaming for Prince, that is the son, of course, and then not until 12:21 is 911 called, isn`t that valuable time right there that allegedly one could say was being wasted?

DR. JOSHUA PERPER, MEDICAL EXAMINER, AUTHOR OF "WHEN TO CALL THE DOCTOR": Absolutely. I think that the moment when they found Jackson unconscious, then they should have immediately called the medics and should have started resuscitation and had the proper equipment to provide it, especially that she was given a (INAUDIBLE) propofol.

CASAREZ: Why would paramedics work on him for 42 minutes at the home before taking him in an ambulance?

PERPER: There`s no question that the early medical treatment of resuscitation is effective, and if provided promptly, the more likely the chance the individual would surprise.

CASAREZ: All right. To Kay in Illinois, caller Kay. Good evening. What`s your question?

KAY, CALLER FROM ILLINOIS: Yes, good evening. This question does not pertain to Diprivan, but since Michael Jackson got several prescription -- or had several prescription aliases from different pharmacies, how are these prescriptions retrieved from the pharmacy?

Would those people or any that may have assisted him be charged with any crime, or is it strictly Dr. Murray?

CASAREZ: That`s an excellent question, and I think it is more doctors that they`re looking at, and that is evidenced from the legal search warrant that we got from Las Vegas.

Let`s go out to the attorneys, Eleanor Dixon, prosecutor, Peter Odom, defense attorney, both out of Atlanta, Georgia, and Alex Sanchez, defense attorney out of New York.

First of all, to Peter Odom, defense attorney, there are seven physicians listed on this search warrant.

PETER ODOM, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: Right.

CASAREZ: And there are also some alleged probable cause charges from the California Business and Professions Code. In and of itself, these are not felonies, excessive prescribing, prescribing to an addict, excessive treatment or prescribing, but if a conspiracy is found among these doctors, that would be felony charges, correct?

ODOM: Well, very unlikely that a felony charge among all these physicians would lie. I mean, a lot of people had their hands in the death of Michael Jackson and none of them intended that this man die. They might have been negligent, they might have been professionally subpar, but nobody here intended to commit a crime. And I don`t think the letter proves that.

CASAREZ: But to Eleanor Dixon, prosecutor, when you look at the California Business and Professions Code, with what I just cited, it is not that the decedent or any -- the addict is taking the pills, it`s the fact that the doctors are writing the prescriptions, pharmacy shopping, giving them to someone they know have knowledge is an addict. And if they do it together, that`s a conspiracy.

ELEANOR DIXON, PROSECUTOR: Exactly. It`s just your old party to a crime. And of course, you know the defense is going to say something different. But that`s why the investigators are looking in these, getting the search warrants, and trying to make a link between the doctors, the pharmacies, the aliases, and everything. And that will tell the story, Jean.

CASAREZ: To Alex Sanchez, defense attorney, I think there`s two levels they`re looking at. They`re looking at someone that may have caused the death, they`re looking at that issue. They`re also looking at some sub-issues, not directly related to the death of Michael Jackson.

ALEX SANCHEZ, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: I mean, I would be concerned if I was any one of those doctors, because any one of those doctors could have had an arrangement, let`s say, somebody at the pharmacy. Would write out a phony prescription in someone else`s name, just make sure you fulfill that prescription.

And so if I were those doctors, I would be very concerned at this point.

CASAREZ: But the fact is, Michael Jackson wanted these medications. He was, by his own words, addicted to substances. To Alex Sanchez, can`t that be a defense in this case?

SANCHEZ: You know something, I think it is a defense. Because something happened in Michael Jackson`s life where he descended to the point where he was basically using people, he was using his son`s name, he was ensnaring other people, involved in the criminal justice system by using their name for the purpose of getting prescription drugs.

So he is the main architect of his own demise in this case. And that`s a factor that`s going to be brought up if this case ever goes to trial.

CASAREZ: To Christine in Massachusetts, hi, Christine. What`s your question?

CHRISTINE, CALLER FROM MASSACHUSETTS: My question is, did he have a picture ID to go with all of these aliases? Because I know here in Massachusetts, if you go to pick up a controlled substance from a pharmacy, you need a picture identification.

CASAREZ: Good question. Dr. Joshua Perper, we don`t want to teach people how to do this, all right? But how does somebody get away with something like this?

PERPER: Well, in a number of other places, there`s no requirement for identification when you go to a pharmacy. And in this particular case, the pharmacies most likely probably knew that those are prescription for Jackson or were told by the physician for whom they were intended. That`s still illegal.

CASAREZ: So it`s the doctor, it`s the doctor in writing the prescription that performs the act that is illegal? Correct?

PERPER: Absolutely.

CASAREZ: All right. Absolutely. To Jeff Gardere. If, in fact, his son, Prince, was in the room, as the chef believes may have happened when resuscitation efforts were going on or when Michael Jackson was already deceased, that can have a profound impact. That`s just not fair, is it?

JEFF GARDERE, PSYCHOLOGIST, AUTHOR OF "LOVE PRESCRIPTION": It`s not fair. And I don`t know why he called his 12-year-old up. The doctor called a 12-year-old up to be there. He was going through shock, through disbelief, disorientation, grief, fear, and it`s something that`s going to stay with him the rest of his life. It was traumatic.

CASAREZ: All right. Before we go to break, we want to wish Reginald Carter from Macon, Georgia a happy 18th birthday. Reginald is the valedictorian of his graduating class of 2009 at Northeast Health Science Magnum High School. He never misses a show.

Congratulations on behalf of Nancy, Reginald, and happy birthday.

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We`ll be right back.

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It`s about a prosecutor who tries her best to give up criminal law and start a new life. But when her friends are murdered, one by one, the NYPD hones in on her.

It took me years to write this book. I started when I first left felony prosecution. And I missed it so much. Since then I wrote another book and published it. Launched this show with my producer, Dean. Got married. Got pregnant. Gave birth. Nearly died. Didn`t. And finished the book.

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JANE VELEZ-MITCHELL, HOST, ISSUES WITH JANE VELEZ-MITCHELL: Look at that precious boy. He is missing tonight in Boise, Idaho.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Police in Boise, Idaho say there are suspicious circumstances in the disappearance of 8-year-old Robert Manwill.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Police and hundreds of volunteers are in the middle of their most exhaustive search yet for Robert.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The evidence we`ve uncovered shows that there are suspicious circumstances regarding Robert`s disappearance.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It isn`t clear what they found or what they were looking for.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This is Robert`s bear that has always been close to his heart. And our family would love to reunite them together. Please do what you can to help.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It`s the response from this community, Robert`s family, and the shy smile of that little boy on the missing poster that keeps us investigators going.

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CASAREZ: I`m Jean Casarez of the legal network "In Session," in for Nancy Grace tonight. There is some brand-new news coming out of Idaho in the case of a missing 8-year-old, precious Robert Manwill.

Let`s go straight out to Greg Hahn, editor of the "Idaho Statesman." Greg, what happened in the last 24 hours?

GREG HAHN, EDITOR, IDAHO STATESMAN; COVERING STORY (via phone): Well, more than 2,000 volunteers scoured the part of town where Robert went missing. The police did announce a pretty significant change in what they`ve been saying. They said, for the first time, they found some evidence that showed there was some suspicious circumstances, they said, around his disappearance, and they said that -- I`m quoting here, he may be the victim of a tragic event.

And they told the searchers to kind of expand their ideas beyond looking for a hiding boy and into looking for things that might lead them to more than that, and perhaps not the happy ending that everybody was looking for.

Meanwhile, even going on tonight, police are, kind of cordoned off a section of the landfill where the trash from Saturday morning, the day of the morning after Robert disappeared has been held, and they haven`t really sifted through that yet, but they`re keeping it there to the case.

And tonight they`re at a house that is -- no one`s 100 percent sure how it`s connected to it, but they`re searching a house in another part of town, looking for evidence that may be relate there had.

CASAREZ: So you`re saying they`re conducting a search right now as we speak of a home?

HAHN: Yes. It`s in, like I say, a different part of a neighborhood. We did talk to the people who own that home, and she says her renters do know the Manwills, so there is at least some connection there.

CASAREZ: Well, you know, to execute a search, you have to have probable cause, so you don`t know anything else about what they believe is in that home?

HAHN: Well, nothing that the police have told us. The land -- the owner of the house says that there is, you know, there was a truck that was stolen and then returned from there and she`s not sure how that tied in, but it`s the only kind of unusual thing that she`s know has happened there lately.

But the police are still not kind of, like, you know, as they said, you know, they`ve been kind of tight-lipped this whole time and tonight is no different.

CASAREZ: Sure, but you do know a little bit more about a search that was done a little less than 24 hours ago at the mother of Robert`s mom, about -- just about 24 hours ago tonight, right?

HAHN: Exactly. They went in about 8:00 our time, which is about 10:00 Eastern Time, into the apartment. The apartment where he disappeared from, the boy lives with his father in a rural town outside of Boise, but his mother has visitation rights.

She and her boyfriend live in this apartment in town. And police did go in there last night. They did get, you know, they pulled stuff out of there. We don`t know what. They did grab some cars that were there, we`re not even 100 percent sure whose cars they are, but they took them from that apartment complex.

And they went back there this morning. They cordoned it off again. So they`ve been back to that apartment at least twice in the last 24 hours.

CASAREZ: To Marc Klaas, president and founder of KlaasKids Foundation. You know this started out as a missing child who was playing in his yard in his apartment complex and wandered off because he wanted to go to a party. Things are turning around, aren`t they, Marc?

MARC KLAAS, PRESIDENT AND FOUNDER, KLAASKIDS FOUNDATION (via phone): Well, things are turning around in some pretty awful ways, Jean, there`s no question about that. A couple things that stand out for me, is number one, despite the fact that this is taking a sour turn, over 2,000 people responded to law enforcement`s call for volunteers to come out.

I don`t -- in my experience, I don`t think law enforcement ever asks for civilian volunteers to do something like this, so I think it`s a testament to the spirit of volunteerism and the good work that volunteers can do in these kinds of searches that law enforcement understands this and they`re taking advantage of it.

Secondly, as I read through this and I see what this mother has done, that she cracked another child`s skull, like a walnut, and that the court records said that she did willfully inflict that injury, yet she was only charged with a misdemeanor, 29 days of work release, and fined $75.50.

My goodness! If you`re going to commit a crime against a child, I guess Boise, Idaho is the place to do it.

CASAREZ: She is not a suspect in her son`s disappearance, but to Detective Lieutenant Steven Rogers, Nutley, New Jersey. If investigators are out at a landfill right now, they might be calling it a missing child investigation, but is that truly the case?

ROGERS: I don`t think so. Look, they have to investigate every lead, but these investigations begin at ground zero, the victim`s home. Don`t be surprised if it ends at ground zero, the victim`s home.

CASAREZ: To Eleanor Dixon, prosecutor out of Atlanta. Your thoughts on what we`re hearing tonight.

DIXON: Well, this doesn`t surprise me, because oftentimes in missing children`s cases, you`re going to look at the people who are closest to the child and the person who last saw them. And I`m wondering whether or not the mother and her boyfriend have offered to take a polygraph to see if they can shed some light on this and perhaps show where they were and what they know. I`d like to see some of that done as well in this investigation.

CASAREZ: To Greg Hahn from the "Idaho Statesman," do we know if any lie detector tests have been taken?

HAHN: Yes, we don`t know that. Again, the police have been real quiet about everything. The family has been quiet. They have a spokeswoman who really just shows up at press conferences and we can`t even get to her outside of that. It`s an aunt of Robert`s. We did talk to a neighbor today who said that he`d talked to the boyfriend.

CASAREZ: All right.

HAHN: . of the mom earlier.

CASAREZ: And we will keep giving some updates on this case and let us hope for the best.

Now, "CNN Heroes."

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ANNOUNCER: This is CNN Heroes.

BRAD BLAUSER, CHAMPIONING CHILDREN: Disabled children, they`re really the forgotten ones in this war. They`re in the backrooms, often not seen in society.

I came to Iraq as a civilian contractor. There were a lot of children that either dragged themselves on the ground, or had to be carried. There were so many kids out there with a need and so many people willing to reach out and touch the lives of these kids.

In 30 days we had 31 pediatric wheelchairs that had hit the ground.

My name is Brad Blauser. I bring pediatric wheelchairs to Iraqi children in need. People donate on my Web site, the wheelchairs are brought over, and I distribute them to the different military units, and help fit these children into the wheelchairs.

The experience for me on the first distribution was awesome. To see the smile come across their face and look over at the mothers and the fathers, they`ve definitely been changed.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (Through Translator): It`s all about humanity. We wanted Iraqis to feel that there is humanity in America. It makes us happy to see such a thing.

BLAUSER: There`s no paycheck. It`s not really safe here, but this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, knowing that you`ve done something for someone that nobody else has done before.

I made a difference in the life of these families. Definitely, the sacrifice has been worth it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANNOUNCER: CNN Heroes is sponsored by.

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CASAREZ: And now a look back at the stories makes headlines this week.

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LOU DOBBS, CNN ANCHOR: A source close to the Jackson family says Jackson`s personal doctor administered a powerful drug that authorities believe killed him.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A source with knowledge of the investigation, this is someone close to the family, says that Dr. Conrad Murray did, indeed, administer this drug to Michael Jackson within 24 hours of his death.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: In Las Vegas, authorities are searching both the home and office of Michael Jackson`s personal doctor. Dr. Conrad Murray was with the singer when he died last month in Los Angeles.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That search warrant at the house only lasted about three hours and all they took was one computer hard drive, according to Murray`s attorney, and some cell phones.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A woman, about eight months pregnant, has been found dead wrapped in a bedding inside a closet at her apartment in Massachusetts. Police say her fetus was cut out of her womb. They`re looking for whoever killed 23-year-old Darlene Haynes and for the newborn.

Investigators say the baby might have survived and would need immediate medical attention to stay alive.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Robert`s an 8-year-old little guy who needs our help.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: According to police, the family last saw the 8- year-old around 9:30 p.m. Friday night. Police say they`ve conducted several interviews, and still have no leads.

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CASAREZ: Tonight, let us stop to remember Army Sergeant First Class Edward Kramer, 39 years old, from Wilmington, North Carolina. On a second tour in Iraq, he was awarded the Bronze Star and the Purple Heart.

A former Marine, he also served during the first Gulf War. A firefighter back at home, he was passionate about helping others, his family, and his friends. He leaves behind his parents, Donald and Mary Ann, two brothers, two sisters, his widow Vicky, and two little girls, Megan and Erica.

Edward Kramer, an American hero.

Thank you to all of our guests and to you at home for being with us. See you tomorrow night, 8:00 sharp Eastern, until then, good night, everybody.

END