When Dr. Conrad Murray's defense team delivers their opening statements in his manslaughter trial today, they'll likely try to shift the focus to the actions of Murray's famous patient, the late pop star Michael Jackson.
The courtroom is expected to be packed with the king of pop's family members today as jurors and Jackson fans learn more about Jackson's last hours. Murray, 58, is charged with involuntary manslaughter and could face four years in prison and lose his medical license.
Jackson died over two years ago at 50 after overdosing on the powerful anesthetic, propofol. The defense will contend that it was Jackson who self-administered the last dose of the anesthesia that ultimately was his death potion. Defense attorneys Edward Chernoff and Nareg Gourjian are expected to argue that Jackson gave himself the dose after Murray left Jackson's bedroom.
"It is not at all implausible in my opinion that he could have pushed an injection into that port and inadvertently killed himself," said Vesna Maras, a former medical prosecutor for the Los Angeles district attorney's office.
Propofol is typically administered in an operating room and is commonly referred to as "milk" among addicts. Murray's defense attorneys claim that their client was trying to wean Jackson off the drug.
Ifran Khan/AFP/Getty Images
Will Michael Jackson's Kids Take the Stand?
Watch Video Trial of Michael Jackson's Doctor: Jury Seated
Watch Video "I think if they were going to handle this in a way that makes the most sense, they're not going to try and vilify Michael Jackson...they're going to cast...Dr. Murray as someone who wanted to wean him off, do what he could to minister him literally," said veteran defense attorney Mark Geragos.
Prosecutors David Walgren and Deborah Brazil are expected to argue that Murray was reckless in administering the drug and should have never left Jackson unattended.
Prosecution Won't Call Jackson Kids to Witness Stand
One thing prosecutors won't do is call any of Jackson's three kids to the witness stand. However, legal experts said that it doesn't mean the kids might not testify on behalf of defense lawyers.
"I think if the prosecution doesn't call one of the kids, then the defense probably will...I don't think it would be a surprise to me to see one or more of those kids testify," said Geragos.
On Monday, Judge Michael Pastor dealt a blow to the defense by barring video of Michael Jackson announcing his 50-city comeback tour dubbed This Is It. The defense hoped to show the video to argue that Jackson was hung over and had passed out just before taking the stage to announce the tour. Geragos said that because the defense can't use the video, they might have to use the testimony of Jackson's older children, Paris and Prince, to provide the same type of information.
The first witness to be called by prosecutors will be Jackson friend and choreographer, Kenny Ortega. Ortega was working with Jackson on his This Is It Tour.
"The prosecutors it seems are going to go chronologically. They are going to start with Ortega who claimed he had warned Murray weeks beforehand that Jackson wasn't well...prosecutors want to show that this was reckless, Murray's conduct, that he behaved in a way that an ordinary person, an ordinary doctor shouldn't behave," said ABC News' legal analyst Dan Abrams.
Abrams said that he thinks there's a good chance that Murray will take the stand in his own defense.
"No one is questioning that Dr. Murray administered certain drugs that are extremely controversial...it's not a who done it, it's this technical, legal standard of recklessness...The defense might have to call Dr. Murray in the end," Abrams said.
沒有留言:
張貼留言