... copy-and-pasted from... from... www.theguardian.com/music/2011/jun/23/ ...

Michael Jackson was murdered, says his sister La Toya This article is more than 10 years old La Toya Jackson believes there was a conspiracy to kill her brother, and his former doctor is just a fall guy La Toya and Michael Jackson La Toya Jackson believes her brother Michael was murdered in a conspiracy plot. Photograph: Ed Souza-Pool/Getty Images Sean Michaels Thu 23 Jun 2011 10.32 BST 11 Michael Jackson's sister La Toya has said there was a conspiracy to murder her brother. "People come into your life, wiggle their way in, control you, manipulate, control your funds, your finances, everything that you have," she told Piers Morgan on CNN this week. She said her brother knew he was going to be killed, and claimed he told her shortly before his death: "La Toya, I'm going to be murdered for my music publishing catalogue and my estate." La Toya has been making similar allegations since Michael's death. But her new memoir, out this week, goes further and offers more detail of who she thinks wanted Michael dead – and how much the singer knew about the plot. "Michael told me that they were going to murder him," she told Morgan. "He was afraid. He was afraid for his life." She added: "I believe that when Michael walked in that house that night, whatever it was that greeted him, he knew that his end was upon him. And as soon as he had passed, some of the very people he had expressed suspicions about now controlled his estate." She also says Michael's children were also worried about him, sensing something was about to happen. Advertisement While La Toya does not accuse anyone of masterminding the murder, she condemns the behaviour of Dr Tohme Tohme, who managed Michael's affairs towards the end of his life. "As soon as [Tohme] began acting as Michael's business adviser, he fired key people who had been close to Michael for years," she said. "Once Tohme shut out the rest of the world, he would be able to steer Michael toward business ventures that were profitable for Tohme and his friends." On searching Michael's bedroom after his death, La Toya says she found notes scattered everywhere, including written pleas to help get "these people out of my life". Michael was in the last stages of rehearsals for his mammoth comeback residency at London's O2, and La Toya blames "everyone that surrounded that and was involved in that" for the singer's death. Athough Michael's private physician, Conrad Murray, is due to stand trial for the singer's death, La Toya suggests he was far from the centre of the conspiracy. "I truly feel Dr Murray was simply the fall guy," she told the US TV show Extra. "I think it's too easy to blame him. I think the investigation needs to go … further." Although the Jackson family has presented no evidence of a murder conspiracy, La Toya's allegations echo comments by Jermaine Jackson in 2010: "This is bullshit," he told reporters. "Murray's the fall guy." Saturday will mark the second anniversary of Michael Jackson's death. … as you're joining us today from Canada, we have a small favour to ask. Tens of millions have placed their trust in the Guardian’s high-impact journalism since we started publishing 200 years ago, turning to us in moments of crisis, uncertainty, solidarity and hope. More than 1.5 million readers, from 180 countries, have recently taken the step to support us financially – keeping us open to all, and fiercely independent. With no shareholders or billionaire owner, we can set our own agenda and provide trustworthy journalism that’s free from commercial and political influence, offering a counterweight to the spread of misinformation. When it’s never mattered more, we can investigate and challenge without fear or favour. Unlike many others, Guardian journalism is available for everyone to read, regardless of what they can afford to pay. We do this because we believe in information equality. Greater numbers of people can keep track of global events, understand their impact on people and communities, and become inspired to take meaningful action. We aim to offer readers a comprehensive, international perspective on critical events shaping our world – from the Black Lives Matter movement, to the new American administration, Brexit, and the world's slow emergence from a global pandemic. We are committed to upholding our reputation for urgent, powerful reporting on the climate emergency, and made the decision to reject advertising from fossil fuel companies, divest from the oil and gas industries, and set a course to achieve net zero emissions by 2030. If there were ever a time to join us, it is now. Every contribution, however big or small, powers our journalism and sustains our future. Support the Guardian from as little as CA$1 – it only takes a minute. If you can, please consider supporting us with a regular amount each month. Thank you.