Ankita
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Murder by propofol
It seems several Gainesville, Florida residents are watching the Murray trial with more than just a passing interest. A 2005 Gainesville case involving the death of a young woman who was given the drug propofol was the first time someone had been tried for killing a person with the hospital anesthetic.
In 2008, Oliver Travis O'Quinn was convicted and sentenced to life in prison for the death of Michelle Herndon, 24, a university of Florida student.
O'Quinn, a former nurse, met Herndon a few months before her death after he became a roommate of one of her good friends. He was reportedly desparate to date her and began giving her medicine to treat her headaches.
"Within 48 hours of Michael Jackson's death, we were contacted by the Los Angeles Police Department asking for information about our case," said Spencer Mann, spokesman for the State Attorney's Office. "They were interested in what our circumstances were with propofol with our defendant and our victim."
O'Quinn had been a nurse at Shands at the University of Florida and got the drug there, authorities said.
Assistant State Attorney James Colaw, who then was with the 8th Circuit in Gainesville and prosecuted O'Quinn, said the Herndon case is still the only instance of someone being tried for murder by the use of propofol.
Colaw said that initially he viewed the use of propofol in the case as unusual but, he became shocked by it as he slowly learned more about the drug.
"It is still not a controlled substance, so if Oliver O'Quinn had been caught with vials of propofol in his jacket, there is nothing illegal about that," Colaw said. "It became apparent that, although largely unreported, the drug was being abused by doctors and people in the medical profession. Nobody knew to what extent."
When he heard that propofol was a factor in Michael Jackson's death, Colaw said he couldn't believe that a doctor could be so incredibly negligent to administer it in someone's bedroom as a sleep aid.
Bruce Goldberger, a University of Florida professor and director of toxicology at the William R. Maples Center for Forensic Medicine, was involved in the Herndon case and was also contacted by authorities regarding the Murray-Jackson case. Goldberger's lab has conducted research on propofol.
Goldberger said he was surprised when he learned Jackson was being given propofol for sleep because being under anesthesia is a different level of consciousness than being asleep.
"It's really absurd that a physician would use that drug to induce sleep. I was very surprised as well as very disturbed," Goldberger said. "I've been following the case very carefully ... I think the case is absolutely very simple — it's clear Michael died from propofol intoxication."
Source: gainesville.com
It seems several Gainesville, Florida residents are watching the Murray trial with more than just a passing interest. A 2005 Gainesville case involving the death of a young woman who was given the drug propofol was the first time someone had been tried for killing a person with the hospital anesthetic.
In 2008, Oliver Travis O'Quinn was convicted and sentenced to life in prison for the death of Michelle Herndon, 24, a university of Florida student.
O'Quinn, a former nurse, met Herndon a few months before her death after he became a roommate of one of her good friends. He was reportedly desparate to date her and began giving her medicine to treat her headaches.
"Within 48 hours of Michael Jackson's death, we were contacted by the Los Angeles Police Department asking for information about our case," said Spencer Mann, spokesman for the State Attorney's Office. "They were interested in what our circumstances were with propofol with our defendant and our victim."
O'Quinn had been a nurse at Shands at the University of Florida and got the drug there, authorities said.
Assistant State Attorney James Colaw, who then was with the 8th Circuit in Gainesville and prosecuted O'Quinn, said the Herndon case is still the only instance of someone being tried for murder by the use of propofol.
Colaw said that initially he viewed the use of propofol in the case as unusual but, he became shocked by it as he slowly learned more about the drug.
"It is still not a controlled substance, so if Oliver O'Quinn had been caught with vials of propofol in his jacket, there is nothing illegal about that," Colaw said. "It became apparent that, although largely unreported, the drug was being abused by doctors and people in the medical profession. Nobody knew to what extent."
When he heard that propofol was a factor in Michael Jackson's death, Colaw said he couldn't believe that a doctor could be so incredibly negligent to administer it in someone's bedroom as a sleep aid.
Bruce Goldberger, a University of Florida professor and director of toxicology at the William R. Maples Center for Forensic Medicine, was involved in the Herndon case and was also contacted by authorities regarding the Murray-Jackson case. Goldberger's lab has conducted research on propofol.
Goldberger said he was surprised when he learned Jackson was being given propofol for sleep because being under anesthesia is a different level of consciousness than being asleep.
"It's really absurd that a physician would use that drug to induce sleep. I was very surprised as well as very disturbed," Goldberger said. "I've been following the case very carefully ... I think the case is absolutely very simple — it's clear Michael died from propofol intoxication."
Source: gainesville.com