London, July 19 (IANS):  Michael Jackson's death is to be treated as a murder and would be investigated as such after an autopsy has shown that the King of Pop died from an overdose of heavy-duty painkiller Diprivan, police said.

Police have told Jackson's family that they will press charges against one or more people within a few days and that there will be a criminal trial. According to thesun.co.uk, the astonishing development was revealed in an interview by Terry Harvey, a long-time friend of the Jackson family.

"The autopsy shows that Michael died of a drug overdose with Diprivan and a range of pills in his stomach. He had needle marks on his neck and all over his body. The authorities have told the family the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) are pushing for a criminal charge," said Harvey.

"It is likely to be second-degree murder, due to the actions which led to his death. They have been assured that someone, or maybe more than one person, will be brought to trial. The family is working with the DEA and Los Angeles Police Department to work out which doctor prescribed Michael these drugs and how far back this serious problem runs," he added.

Last week La Toya Jackson told the News of the World she knew who had murdered her brother.

Jackson died in Los Angeles June 25. He was 50.