Michael Jackson`s death probed at doctor`s trial
Baku, September 28 (AZERTAC). Michael Jackson`s doctor had been trying to wean the singer off using a powerful sedative as his go-to sleep-inducing agent, defence attorneys said in a Los Angeles court Tuesday, as the trial of Conrad Murray got underway.
Murray is charged with involuntary manslaughter in the 2009 death of Jackson, who at the time was in rehearsals for an upcoming series of concerts in London, England. If convicted, Murray faces up to four years in prison and the loss of his medical licence.
In his opening statement on Tuesday, defence attorney Edward Chernoff painted the King of Pop as a man fully aware and completely in charge of his life and forthcoming concert series — a faded pop icon desperate to achieve a massive comeback.
Chernoff said it was Jackson, anxious about the upcoming concerts, who proposed using the drug propofol to get some rest — a practice he had reportedly tested out on previous tours, the singer told Murray. Still, at the time of Jackson`s death, the doctor was attempting to wean him off propofol in hopes of treating the singer`s dramatic insomnia through other methods, the lawyer said.
He also emphasized Murray`s expertise as a cardiologist and said he would introduce witnesses who would testify to the physician`s good character and professionalism — contrary to the portrait the prosecution had painted earlier in the day of a doctor who violated "every standard of care."
Dr. Conrad Murray, centre, Michael Jackson`s personal physician, sits with his lawyers Edward Chernoff, left, and Michael Flanagan during his arraignment on a charge of involuntary manslaughter. Irfan Khan/Reuters
"You need to hear the full story about him," Chernoff said, with Murray seen at times wiping his eyes with a tissue. According to defence attorneys, Jackson`s inability to induce sleep was a byproduct of his longtime use of other drugs, like the pain reliever Demerol.
It was the singer`s own decision to ingest a fatal mix of drugs (the anti-anxiety drug lorazepam as well as propofol) while Murray was absent from the room that caused a "perfect storm in his body" that led to the singer`s death on June 25, 2009, Chernoff said.
Chernoff`s statement — during which he pledged to focus on scientific testimony concerning propofol — contrasted with the prosecution`s opening, which included a shocking audio recording of a drugged Michael Jackson, his distinctive voice nearly unrecognizable.
Deputy District Attorney David Walgren outlined the prosecution`s case against Murray, claiming that the doctor administered a lethal dose of the powerful sedative to Jackson, that he failed to monitor the singer, and that he delayed a potentially life-saving call to 911. Authorities contend that Murray lacked the proper life-saving equipment to revive Jackson.
Jackson trusted Murray as his physician, Walgren said. "That misplaced trust in Conrad Murray cost Michael Jackson his life."
Along with showing photo slides of Jackson`s body slumped on his bed at home and on a gurney in a California hospital, Walgren played several audio recordings — including a startling one Murray had captured on his cellphone in May 2009.
The famed singer`s speech is slurred as he speaks about wanting to impress fans with his forthcoming concert series.
"When people leave this show, when people leave my show, I want them to say, `I`ve never seen nothing like this in my life. Go. Go. I`ve never seen nothing like this. Go. It`s amazing. He`s the greatest entertainer in the world," Jackson says on the recording.
However, the voice known from blockbuster hit songs like Thriller, Billie Jean and Beat It is weak and almost unrecognizable as he was "highly under the influence of the propofol," according to Walgren.
The prosecution also outlined details of Jackson`s final days, Murray`s phone and email records, the doctor`s actions and his interview with authorities, and the massive amount of propofol and other sedative agents Murray purchased while caring for Jackson. He also blasted the doctor for withholding information to everyone from Jackson`s staffers, paramedics, emergency room medical staff and police after the singer`s death.
"Conrad Murray, as the doctor on scene, had a legal duty of care to use his best medical judgment to do no harm to Michael Jackson. Conrad Murray, with his eyes on an anticipated $150,000-a-month lucrative contract, instead agreed to provide Michael with massive amounts of propofol on a regular basis [which defies] all standards of medical care," Walgren said.
On the day of the singer`s death, Murray "literally and figuratively abandoned Michael Jackson," left him full of drugs and "with no medical monitoring equipment, no resuscitation equipment, to fend for himself. It violates not only every standard of care, but decency from one human being to another."
Michael Jackson`s brother Jermaine Jackson arrives to court for the trial of Conrad Murray in Los Angeles on Tuesday. Jason Redmond/Associated Press
The Jackson family was in attendance at the courthouse, including father Joseph, mother Katherine, sisters LaToya and Janet, and brothers Jermaine, Randy and Tito. The family also believes Murray was responsible for the singer`s death.
"All Michael wanted to do was sleep. He didn`t want to die," said his older brother, Jermaine Jackson.
The case will enter a crucial final act in a packed courtroom with opening statements and the start of testimony. Worldwide media and audiences are expected to tune into the trial, as proceedings will be televised and broadcast online. Early Tuesday morning, both Jackson fans and the doctor`s supporters had gathered outside the courtroom alongside a crush of international media.
The trial will reveal new information and provide a detailed record of the singer`s final hours in June 2009.
Murray`s trial is expected to be the first time that the public hears — in the defendant`s own words — his account of what happened in the bedroom of Jackson`s rented mansion.
The trial is expected to last about a month.
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