Trial for Michael Jackson's drug death delayed

LOS ANGELES — The long-awaited trial of the doctor charged in Michael Jackson's drug death was delayed Monday for four months, with a judge saying defense lawyers needed additional preparation time to effectively represent their client.  Murray, who had insisted on a speedy trial, waived that right and agreed to start jury selection anew on Sept. 8. Lawyers estimated opening statements would begin Sept. 20.  Superior Court Judge Michael Pastor said he was more concerned with justice for Dr. Conrad Murray than with the speed of the proceedings.  Attorneys for Murray filed a motion Sunday complaining about the last-minute addition of expert witnesses to the prosecution case and saying they needed at least two weeks to find experts of their own and have them prepare reports.  They also are trying to get raw footage from Jackson's posthumous concert movie, "This Is It." Prosecutors plan to use clips to show Jackson was in good health just before he died.  Pastor said he did not think two weeks was sufficient for the defense to accomplish its goals.    

Prospective jurors who filled out questionnaires and were to return to court Tuesday will be thanked and told their services are no longer needed, the judge said.  

"The court is very mindful of judicial efficiency and the expense that has occurred in this case," Pastor said. "But first and foremost is justice ... The continuance in this case is absolutely essential."  

Pastor said he didn't like the idea of picking a new jury but said it was "preferable to having this continuing drama."  

Deputy District Attorney David Walgren said he had no objection to a delay. He had been urging a later start date all along.  

Murray has pleaded not guilty to involuntary manslaughter. He is accused of negligence in administering the hospital anesthetic propofol to Jackson in his home. The superstar singer died June 25, 2009, of an overdose of propofol coupled with other sedatives.  

The Murray defense has posed the theory that Jackson, who was desperate for sleep, swallowed more propofol than the doctor gave him. The drug normally is administered intravenously.  

The prosecution presented new reports last week from two experts who say it's impossible to overdose by taking the drug orally because it would not be absorbed into the intestines.  

Murray, who had been adamant about wanting a trial within 60 days of his preliminary hearing, was asked by the judge if he was giving up that right to allow his lawyers to effectively represent him.  

"Yes," Murray said. "I believe it's in the best interest of all parties."  

"But do you feel it is in your best interest?" asked the judge.  

"Yes," said the defendant.  

Pastor said he planned to keep the case "on a short leash" and set a progress hearing on June 3.

Coronor Investigator in Michael Jackson case: 12 anesthetic bottles in Jackson home

A coroner's investigator testified Friday that she found 12 bottles of a powerful anesthetic that contributed to the death of Michael Jackson in the singer's bedroom and closet after he died.

Investigator Elissa Fleak said nine of the bottles were found in a bag labeled "Baby Essentials" in the closet. Other medications and syringes were discovered during searches of Jackson's rented mansion after his June 25, 2009, death and again four days later..
Fleak was the first investigator to describe in detail the items authorities recovered from Jackson's bedroom..
She took the witness stand on the fourth day of a preliminary hearing to determine if there is enough evidence for Dr. Conrad Murray to stand trial for involuntary manslaughter. He has pleaded not guilty..
Authorities contend Jackson died after Murray gave him a lethal dose of propofol and other sedatives in the bedroom then delayed calling 911 while he collected and bagged medications..
Fleak said she found six vials of the painkiller lidocaine, as well as other prescription medications and syringes, including two found next to Jackson's bed..
During cross-examination by the defense, Fleak was asked whether some of the items would have been within reach from the bed by someone of Jackson's height and build..
A judge didn't allow the investigator to answer that question, but Fleak did say several of the items, including a used bottle of propofol and syringe, were within two feet of the bed..
Murray's attorney, J. Michael Flanagan, asked Fleak whether she checked to see how much liquid remained in each of the vials..
"There were so many vials, I don't remember which ones were more full or less full," Fleak said..
Fleak was told to search the room after police detectives interviewed Murray and he disclosed that he gave the singer propofol injections and several other medications before the singer's death, court records state..
Earlier in the day, a former girlfriend of Murray testified that he had been distracted when he called her on the morning of the singer's death, and she heard commotion in the background..
Witness Sade Anding said she realized at one point that Murray wasn't paying attention to her. She heard coughing and mumbling but didn't recognize the voice as Murray, she said..
"I heard commotion as if the phone was in a pocket or something," Anding said..
The testimony added details to a timeline being developed by prosecutors at the hearing..
Prosecutors said Anding was one of three women whom Murray either called or received a call from around the time Jackson died..
"It shows a distinct pattern by Dr. Murray of whether he is making the phone call or receiving the phone call, that he carries on personal, social business when his attention should be on his patient Michael Jackson," Deputy District Attorney David Walgren told the judge in a conference, according to a transcript obtained by The Associated Press..
Phone records show Murray called Anding at 11:51 a.m. She said she stayed on the line for five to six minutes, but Murray never got back on the phone..
The records indicate 911 was dialed at 12:21 p.m..
Walgren said Anding's call was particularly important "because it highlights the priorities Dr. Murray was placing at the time," according to the transcript. "His focus should have been on his patient when instead at 11:51, the evidence will show he is making a phone call to this cocktail waitress in Houston.".
Prosecutors also called Murray's current girlfriend, Nicole Alvarez, and asked about shipments the doctor had sent to her apartment by a Las Vegas pharmacy..
Alvarez acknowledged receiving several packages for Murray but said she never looked inside and didn't know the contents..
Authorities have said in court documents they believe Murray was having shipments of propofol and other medications used by Jackson sent to Alvarez..
It's unusual to send propofol to a private residence but not illegal..
The phone records show Murray called Alvarez from the ambulance that transported Jackson to a hospital, but prosecutors did not ask her about the call that lasted two minutes..
Prosecutors said a third woman called Murray but did not speak to him..
The hearing will resume Monday..

Dr. Cnrad Murray Will Fight Joe Jackson Wrongful Death LawSuit

Courtesy of TMZ.com

Dr. Conrad Murray is making it clear -- he will fight Joe Jackson tooth and nail in the Michael Jackson wrongful death lawsuit.
In new legal documents -- obtained by TMZ -- Dr. Murray's lawyer, Charles Peckham, is asking the judge to throw out statements attributed to Michael Jackson ... that Katherine Jackson was acting as an agent -- a go-between -- in funneling support money to Joe.

Peckham says the claims that Katherine was Michael's agent -- made by Joe's lawyer, Brian Oxman, and Leonard Rowe, the self-proclaimed former MJ advisor, are nothing but rank hearsay.
For example, Oxman said in legal papers filed last week, "[Michael Jackson] supported his father, Joseph Jackson, by making payments to his mother, Katherine Jackson, on a monthly basis." Peckham calls Oxman an "incompetent legal expert."
Peckham also claims there is no proof Rowe ever served as Michael's advisor.

"Michael Was Alive at UCLA" says Dr. Conrad Murray

Sources say doctors who worked on Michael Jackson at the UCLA Medical Center ran two EKGs on the singer, and at least one doctor who interpreted the results claims there was heart rhythmic activity both times.

More sources say Dr. Conrad Murray insists he was able to restart Jackson's heart at the singer's home before paramedics arrived and then maintained heart activity in the ambulance.
Dr. Murray's evaluation contradicts paramedics at the scene who wanted to take Jackson to the morgue, not UCLA, because they believed he was dead.
It also contradicts Joe Jackson's lawyer, Brian Oxman, who told TMZ he believes Jackson was dead even before paramedics arrived at the house. Oxman says the weak pulse detected at UCLA was in reaction to resuscitation efforts.

Cover - Up - Michael Jackson Death Case?

Michael Jackson received the fatal dose of Propofol through an IV in his leg, and law enforcement believes Dr. Conrad Murray may have tried covering it up according to law enforcement sources and an anesthesiologist who reviewed the case.
Dr. Murray told cops he administered only a very small amount of Propofol, 2.5ml shortly before Jackson died. But Dr. John Dombrowski, a noted anesthesiologist and member of the board of the American Society of Anesthesiologists who reviewed the file, told TMZ that 2.5ml couldn't put Jackson to sleep, much less kill him. The Coroner's report notes the level of Propofol found in Jackson's body was equivalent to that found during "general anesthesia for major surgery."
A small, empty, 20ml bottle of Propofol was found in the bedroom, however there was a secret compartment in a nearby closet that could be the key to the prosecution's case. Several days after Jackson's death, law enforcement found numerous bottles of Propofol in that closet, including a large, empty, 100ml bottle with a large tear in the rubber stopper.
Stay tuned, this case keeps unraveling.....

Comedian Eddie Griffin "Went Off" about Dr. Murray's Low Bail

 Eddie Griffin thinks Dr. Conrad Murray is gettin' away with murder because he thinks the Doc's bail was set WAY too low for someone "we know injected Michael and killed him."
Griffin, who was so very close with Michael,  he actually attended the famous 2004 molestation trial in Santa Maria, had dinner with La Toya in Hollywood last night.  On his way out, spouted off about the bail situation.
The comedian was not really correct with his numbers (Murray's bail was set at $75k  not $25k as Griffin insists), but he's clearly really teed off that a man like Murray got such a low bail, "but a regular little motherf**ker from the streets of Compton ... gets a million dollar bail."
Just a note:  The judge in the Murray case actually departed upward from the standard bail rate in an involuntary manslaughter case ... it's usually set at $25k.

Dr. Murray As 'Inspirational' as Michael Jackson Says His Attorney

One of the members of Dr. Conrad Murray's legal team says he's not concerned about the possibility of a downtown L.A. jury dominated by African Americans, because "Dr. Murray is as much of an inspiration as Michael Jackson was."


J. Michael Flanagan told TMZ Dr. Murray is a man of "humble means who became very successful" and a jury will appreciate that.

Flanagan also told TMZ the defense team has received a summary of the official investigation, but he says the L.A. County District Attorney's Office has informed Murray's lawyers it will take several weeks before the D.A. gives them a copy of the full file.

Breaking News - Dr.Conrad Murray Pleads Not Guilty in Michael Jackson Case

Posted Feb 8th 2010 6:04PM
Dr. Conrad Murray was arraigned today and pled not guilty to involuntary manslaughter charges in the death of Michael Jackson. He was taken into custody for booking and bail was set at $75,000.


Jackson's parents and several of his siblings were front and center for the 25-minute hearing. The judge ruled as a condition to bail, Murray cannot be in possession of (or prescribe) anesthetics and specifically mentioned Propofol. At one point the judge said, "I do not want you sedating people."


Murray had to surrender his passport.

Murray will be in court again on April 5.