The investigation of the death of 'The Bodyguard' star Whitney Houston could see several doctors and pharmacies being subpoenaed especially if the police decides that the prescription drugs found in Houston's hotel room had anything to do with her death.
Doctors are expected to act in the best interest of their patients but Houston's fans believe the singer's doctors could have given her the tools to destroy her life - prescription drugs - instead of steering her to rehab.
"Subpoena power is one of the wonderful tools an investigator uses to get information from pharmacies and doctors," LATimes.com quoted Dave Campbell, a retired captain from the Los Angeles County Cononer's Office as saying. "You're primarily seeking documents, not the persons who treated or prescribed, because you are doing a death investigation, not a criminal investigation."
Campbell said Houston's death is reminiscent of the death of pop icon Michael Jackson, whose sudden death in 2009 turned the investigation's focus on prescription drugs and the doctors who supplied the singer with them. In the case of Jackson's death, prosecutors had successfully charged his doctor, Conrad Murray with abeting the star's death.
According to defense attorney Ellyn Garofalo, who successfully defended a physician charged with over-prescribing drugs to Anna Nicole Smith, said investigators will look at Houston's medical history to see whether the drugs prescribed and dispensed would throw up any red flag.
A doctor found prescribing especially high amounts of medication to Houston would come under suspicion, Garofalo said.
