Dr. Conrad Murray arrives at his clinic in Houston, Nov. 23, 2009. (AP / Pat Sullivan)
Michael Jackson's personal physician will present himself at a Los Angeles courtroom Friday in an attempt to force prosecutors to lay a criminal complaint against him, so that he can begin the process of defending himself.
Dr. Conrad Murray fell under scrutiny in the aftermath of Jackson's death, after telling police that he gave the pop singer a powerful anesthetic and other sedatives that were blamed on his death.
Since then, Murray has stayed largely out of public view and his lawyers have said little about his actions.
The district attorney's office has yet to comment on when or if he will be charged.
But more than seven months after Jackson's untimely death, Murray's legal team now says enough time has passed for police to make their case -- one they believe will inevitably result in a criminal charge that is undeserved.
"We are going to be at the courthouse at 1:30 (p.m.) for his surrender," said Miranda Sevcik, spokeswoman for Murray's legal team. "We see no reason to perpetuate the arbitrary situation any longer."
It is not clear if Murray and his legal team will be able to force authorities to challenge the doctor in court, though his legal team insists their client is innocent and should begin defending himself.
"We know he's going to be charged with involuntary manslaughter and we are ready with a counterargument," Sevcik said. "He's not guilty -- that's our argument."
The pop singer's former lawyer, Brian Oxman, said it is doubtful that prosecutors will be swayed by the tactics being used by the doctor's legal team.
"It doesn't appear that the prosecutors want to charge him today, but he is going to be showing up in a courtroom demanding that he be arrested," he told CTV's Canada AM during an interview from Los Angeles on Friday morning.
"I don't think the prosecutors are going to buy it, they're going to move at their own pace as they see fit. They don't want to turn this into a circus," he added.
Oxman said the Jackson family is appalled at the idea of having Murray charged with involuntary manslaughter -- the likely charge to be laid against the doctor -- and supports a more serious charge being laid.
"We think that the conduct here on the part of the doctor was absolutely reckless," Oxman said.
"It raises to the level of just a reckless endangerment of life, a lack of care for human life."
Oxman said that the doctor was not properly equpped to be administering such heavy drugs to Jackson in a household setting.
"When Michael Jackson went into distress, the doctor didn't even know it," he said.
"This is reckless endangerment of human life, that raises to the level of second-degree murder."
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