03 October 2011

Second Week of Testimony to Begin in Trial of Michael Jackson Doctor

The emergency room doctor who signed off on pronouncing Michael Jackson dead will resume testimony Monday in the trial of Dr. Conrad Murray after a week in which paramedics and members of the pop star's staff described the frantic scene inside the King of Pop's bedroom on the day he died.

Testimony Timeline | Coroner's Report | Live Video Available When Court Resumes

Dr. Richelle Cooper, one of two emergency room doctors at UCLA Medical Center when Jackson arrived, will be on the stand at the start of the second week of testimony in the involuntary manslaughter trial. Cooper and two paramedics who responded to a 911 call from Jackson's security guard testified Friday that Jackson was dead by the time the medical team arrived at the rented Holmby Hills mansion on June 25, 2009.

Cooper was on the phone with paramedics when she advised them to pronounce Jackson dead, about 30 minutes after paramedics began life-saving efforts. Paramedics testified that Murray demanded Jackson be transported to the hospital.

Cooper and paramedics testified last week about their interactions with Murray, who was described as "frantic" and "flustered."

"I asked what other medical problems Mr. Jackson had, if he had any cardiac history, if he had ever had a blood clot, a history of drug use," Cooper said.

When asked what Dr. Murray said in response, Cooper said, "No, to all of them."

Richard Senneff was the first paramedic to arrive at the mansion. He repeatedly asked Murray, "What's his underlying health condition?"

The doctor responded, "There is none," Senneff said, before detailing the medical equipment he saw in the superstar's bedroom.

"That did not add up to me," said Senneff. "Doctor's in the house. IV pole, IV hooked up to the patient -- it didn't seem normal."

Eventually, Murray told the paramedics Jackson was being treated for exhaustion and dehydration, Senneff said. The only drug Murray mentioned was the sedative lorazepam, and the doctor never indicated he was administering propofol, he added.

Prosecutors have attempted to prove that Murray gave Jackson a lethal dose of the anesthetic propofol, then failed to properly monitor his patient. A medical equipment company executive testified last week that the equipment used to monitor Jackson was not adequate.

But Murray's attorneys argue that Jackson self-administered the fatal dose when Murray left the room. In their opening statement, they claimed Jackson created "a perfect storm" inside his own body.

The first week of the trial included testimony from two members of the team that promoted Jacksons upcoming "This Is It" concerts, a former patient of Murray's and several of Jackson's staff members, including the first security guard who responded to Jackson's bedroom. One of the prosecution's most important witnesses,  Alberto Alvarez, testified that Murray told him to call 911 after he asked him to hide several bottles of drugs and remove Jackson's eldest children from the room.

"There's always a tendency to rush to judgement when listening to impressive district attorney arguments, but there's a long way to go," said NBC4 legal analyst Royal Oakes. "There's a lot of scientific evidence that the defense has promised to establish that whatever happened to Michael Jackson's life it really wasn't Dr. Murray's actions that caused his death."

Jurors also heard a recording of Jackson, his speech slow and slurred, in which told Murray of his dedication to the upcoming series of London concerts and his goal of building a children's hospital. The message was recorded on Murray's phone about a month before Jackson's death.

Phone records played a key role in the prosecution's case. During a preliminary hearing, prosecutors showed that Murray was engaged in three phone calls in the hour before he emerged from the bedroom and asked a chef to seek help.

Prosecutors are expected to detail the other phone calls and emails Murray received and made on the day Jackson died. One of Murray's former patients, Robert Russell, said he called the doctor's office with answers about his care on the day Jackson died.  Murray returned the call at 11:49 a.m., about 15 minutes before telling chef Kai Chase to call security.

The order of upcoming witnesses remains unclear. Judge Michael Pastor prohibited attorneys and staff members from speaking about the case outside court last week after a defense team spokesman conducted a live television interview.

Murray, 58, faces four years in prison and the loss of his medical license if convicted.

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