Tuesday 29 November 2011

Dr. Conrad Murray was sentenced Tuesday to four years in prison, the maximum sentence allowed, in the involuntary manslaughter case involving singer Michael Jackson. It will likely be cut at least in half due to jail overcrowding. A request for probation by the doctor’s attorneys was denied.

Prior to sentencing, an attorney for Jackson’s family told Superior Court Judge Michael Pastor that the family was not seeking revenge but wants a stiff sentence that serves as a warning to opportunistic doctors.

“The Bible reminds us that men cannot do justice, they can only seek justice,” the family said in a statement read by attorney Brian Panish. “That is all we can ask as a family, and that is all we ask for here.”

The statement went on to say, “We are not here to seek revenge. There is nothing you can do today that will bring Michael back.”

Panish said the cardiologist should be punished in a way that reminds physicians that they cannot sell their services to the highest bidder.

Murray was convicted of involuntary manslaughter after a six-week trial that presented the most detailed account yet of Jackson’s final hours but left many questions about Murray’s treatment of the superstar with an operating-room anesthetic as he battled chronic insomnia.

Several members of Jackson’s family, including mother Katherine and siblings LaToya, Jermaine, Randy and Rebbie, attended the proceedings.

Murray stared straight ahead as Deputy District Attorney David Walgren told the judge that Murray lacked remorse throughout the case.

Jackson’s death in June 2009 stunned the world, as did the ensuing investigation that led to Murray being charged in February 2010.

Murray told detectives he had been giving the singer nightly doses of propofol to help him sleep as he prepared for a series of comeback concerts. Propofol is supposed to be used in hospital settings and has never been approved for sleep treatments, yet Murray acknowledged giving it to Jackson then leaving the room on the day the singer died.

Murray declined to testify during his trial but did opt to participate in a documentary in which he said he didn’t consider himself guilty of any crime and blamed Jackson for entrapping him into administering the propofol doses. His attorneys contended throughout the case that Jackson must have given himself the fatal dose when Murray left the singer’s bedside.

In their sentencing memorandum, prosecutors cited Murray’s statements to advocate that he receive the maximum term. They also want him to pay restitution to the singer’s three children — Prince, Paris and Blanket.

It’s unlikely that Murray can pay any sizable sum, including the $1.8 million cost of his funeral. He was deeply in debt when he agreed to serve as Jackson’s personal physician for $150,000 a month, and the singer died before Murray received any money.

During Murray’s trial, a jury heard a slurred recording of Jackson found on Murray’s cellphone. The doctor or his attorneys never explained in court why he recorded the impaired singer six weeks before his death, but it revealed the ambition of the entertainer who burst on the scene as a baby-faced member of the Jackson Five in the 1970s.

“We have to be phenomenal,” he was heard saying about his “This Is It” concerts in London. “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’s comeback attempt came after he had been pushed into obscurity. Despite his acquittal of child molestation in 2005, Jackson went into seclusion, leaving his lavish manor Neverland Ranch and moving to the Middle East and Las Vegas, where he first met Murray.

Prosecutors said the men’s relationship was corrupted by greed. Murray left his practices to serve as Jackson’s doctor and look out for his well-being, but instead acted as an employee catering to the singer’s desire to receive propofol to put him to sleep, prosecutors said.

“The defendant has displayed a complete lack of remorse for causing Michael Jackson’s death,” prosecutors wrote in a filing last week. “Even worse than failing to accept even the slightest level of responsibility, (Murray) has placed blame on everyone else, including the one person no longer here to defend himself, Michael Jackson.”

Murray’s attorneys are relying largely on 34 letters from relatives, friends and former patients to portray Murray in a softer light and win a lighter sentence. The letters and defense filings describe Murray’s compassion as a doctor, including accepting lower payments from his mostly poor patients.

“There is no question that the death of his patient, Mr. Jackson, was unintentional and an enormous tragedy for everyone affected,” defense attorneys wrote in their sentencing memo. “Dr. Murray has been described as a changed, grief-stricken man, who walks around under a pall of sadness since the loss of his patient, Mr. Jackson.”

Pastor also will review a report by probation officials that carries a sentencing recommendation. The report will become public after Murray is sentenced.

Nov 29, 2011

Michael Jackson’s doctor will learn his punishment Tuesday for ending the life and career of one of pop music’s greatest entertainers and for leaving his three children without a father.

Conrad Murray is set to be sentenced for involuntary manslaughter after a six-week trial that presented the most detailed account yet of Jackson’s final hours but left many questions about Murray’s treatment of the superstar with an operating-room anesthetic as he battled chronic insomnia.

Prosecutors want Superior Court Judge Michael Pastor to sentence Murray to a maximum four-year term that likely would be cut at least in half due to jail overcrowding. Defence attorneys want probation for the cardiologist, saying he will lose his ability to practise medicine and likely face a lifetime of ostracism.

Jackson’s family members will have an opportunity to speak before Murray is sentenced, although it remained unclear if any planned to make a statement. The singer’s mother Katherine and several siblings routinely attended the trial, and members of the family cried after Murray’s verdict was read in court.

Jackson’s death in June 2009 stunned the world, as did the ensuing investigation that led to Murray being charged in February 2010.

Murray told detectives he had been giving the singer nightly doses of propofol to help him sleep as he prepared for a series of comeback concerts. Propofol is supposed to be used in hospital settings and has never been approved for sleep treatments, yet Murray acknowledged giving it to Jackson and then leaving the room on the day the singer died.

Murray declined to testify during his trial but did opt to participate in a documentary in which he said he didn’t consider himself guilty of any crime and blamed Jackson for entrapping him into administering the propofol doses. His attorneys contended throughout the case that Jackson must have given himself the fatal dose when Murray left the singer’s bedside.

Restitution sought

In their sentencing memorandum, prosecutors cited Murray’s statements to advocate that he receive the maximum term. They also want him to pay restitution to the singer’s three children — Prince, Paris and Blanket.

It’s unlikely that Murray can pay any sizable sum, including the $1.8 million cost of his funeral. He was deeply in debt when he agreed to serve as Jackson’s personal physician for $150,000 a month, and the singer died before Murray received any money.

During Murray’s trial, a jury heard a slurred recording of Jackson found on Murray’s cellphone. The doctor or his attorneys never explained in court why he recorded the impaired singer six weeks before his death, but it revealed the ambition of the entertainer who burst on the scene as a baby-faced member of the Jackson Five in the 1970s.

“We have to be phenomenal,” he was heard saying about his This Is It concerts in London. “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’s comeback attempt came after he had been pushed into relative obscurity. Despite his acquittal of child molestation in 2005, Jackson went into seclusion, leaving his lavish manor Neverland Ranch and moving to the Middle East and Las Vegas, where he first met Murray.

Prosecutors said the men’s relationship was corrupted by greed. Murray left his practices to serve as Jackson’s doctor and look out for his well-being, but instead acted as an employee catering to the singer’s desire to receive propofol to put him to sleep, prosecutors said.

Murray showed no emotion when he was convicted.

“The defendant has displayed a complete lack of remorse for causing Michael Jackson’s death,” prosecutors wrote in a filing last week. “Even worse than failing to accept even the slightest level of responsibility, [Murray] has placed blame on everyone else, including the one person no longer here to defend himself, Michael Jackson.”

Murray’s attorneys are relying largely on 34 letters from relatives, friends and former patients to portray Murray in a softer light and win a lighter sentence. The letters and defense filings describe Murray’s compassion as a doctor, including accepting lower payments from his mostly poor patients.

“There is no question that the death of his patient, Mr. Jackson, was unintentional and an enormous tragedy for everyone affected,” defense attorneys wrote in their sentencing memo. “Dr. Murray has been described as a changed, grief-stricken man, who walks around under a pall of sadness since the loss of his patient, Mr. Jackson.”

Pastor also will review a report by probation officials that carries a sentencing recommendation. The report will become public after Murray is sentenced.

The report may also feature input from the doctor, who was heard during the trial in a lengthy interview recorded by police. Murray’s trial was closely watched by Jackson’s fans in the courtroom, on social networking sites and via live broadcasts online and on television. Fan groups are planning to return to the courthouse and vie for the few public seats that will be made available for the sentencing.

By Hollie McKay

November 08, 2011

After Dr. Conrad Murray, the former physician to the late Michael Jackson, was found guilty on one count of involuntary manslaughter on Monday, he was remanded into custody without bail pending sentencing on Nov. 29. This was somewhat of a surprise move given that he had no prior criminal record. The disgraced doctor now faces up to four years in state prison and the loss of his medical license.

However, following the verdict, Murray’s lawyer Michael Flanagan said his side has grounds for an appeal, although he declined to elaborate on exactly what those grounds might be.

Verdict in Michael Jackson doctor trial

According to leading trial attorney Debra Opri, Flanagan is whistling Dixie, as there is next to no chance for a successful appeal on Murray’s behalf.

“The unanimous ‘guilty’ verdict for Conrad Murray is due to the prosecution’s clear cut evidence. Judge Pastor’s remand order (taking Murray into immediate custody) emphasizes that the eyes of the world are on the Court,” she told FOX411’s Pop Tarts column. “Though we have to wait until Nov. 29 for sentencing, rest assured it will be a substantial part of 18-22 months at a state prison.”

California Criminal defense attorney David Wohl said that Murray’s defense team have most likely already filed a formal notice of appeal, and that process will take at least a year to eighteen months.

“They could also file a petition for habeas corpus which would amount to a request of the appellate court to free Dr. Murray pending further hearings, Wohl said. “Those are rarely successful.”

However, Wohl said that there is a good chance Murray could be a free man at least until his sentencing.

“The Judge’s rationale for taking Murray into custody pending his sentencing was rather odd,” he continued. “He said he feels Murray presents a ‘risk to public safety.’ Does he feel Murray will find other patients…and administer propofol to them? That was a real stretch. I’m not sure what the risk is, and I think the defense attorneys will file an emergency appeal to have that order reversed.”

The involuntary manslaughter verdict seemed to bring great relief to the Jackson family, as Michael’s siblings Jermaine and La Toya left the courthouse smiling, and told reporters and the cheering crowd outside that they were “very happy” with the outcome.

“By all accounts the verdict was expected by Michael’s children and his parents, who certainly still cannot heal properly from this as they know the myriad of personal problems Michael had and the fact that other enablers are still out there and likely will never be brought to justice,” said Jackson biographer Stacy Brown. “Michael was an addict who was out of control, but didn’t deserve a negligent doctor.”

Someone should have been responsible enough to get him help and the pressure from the planned tour,” Brown continued. “Raising children as a single father, holding on to his music catalogues and finding a place to live as well as the never-ending pressure his brothers put on him to reunite, ultimately led to his demise. But the family maintains that there was a great conspiracy, and they still believe others should be brought to justice.”

A family insider also told us that the three children – Prince, Paris and Blanket – have adjusted so well to life under the guardianship of their grandmother Katherine that they even tuned out from the drama of the Murray trial.

“The kids are doing spectacular and were not paying attention to any of the trial,” the source said.
Michael Jackson’s family relieved as doctor convicted .

LINDA DEUTSCH

Monday, Nov. 07, 2011

Michael Jackson’s doctor was convicted Monday of involuntary manslaughter after a trial that painted him as a reckless caregiver who administered a lethal dose of a powerful anesthetic that killed the pop star.

The verdict against Conrad Murray marked the latest chapter in one of pop culture’s most shocking tragedies – the death of the King of Pop on the eve of the singer’s heavily promoted comeback concerts.

Members of Mr. Jackson’s family wept quietly after the verdict was read, and his mother, Katherine Jackson later said: “I feel better now.”

La Toya Jackson said she was overjoyed.

“Michael was looking over us,” she said on her way out of the courthouse.

Dr. Murray sat stone-faced during the verdict and was handcuffed and taken into custody without bail until sentencing on Nov. 29. He appeared calm as officials led him out of the courtroom.

“Dr. Murray’s reckless conduct in this case poses a demonstrable risk to the safety of the public” if he remains free on bond, Judge Michael Pastor said.

District attorney Steve Cooley said it will be difficult to achieve an appropriate sentence for Dr. Murray because of a new state prison alignment law that allows early release for people convicted of nonviolent felonies.

He said his office gave the case the same attention it would give a lower profile case, but conceded that because of the identity of the victim, “obviously this takes on a viral dimension.”

Deputy district attorney David Walgren said the sympathies of prosecutors went out to the Jackson family who have “lost not a pop icon but a son and a father.”

Jurors were escorted from the building and not available for comment after the verdict was read.

It was unclear whether the jury determined that Dr. Murray had administered the fatal dose of propofol while deciding he was responsible for the death of Mr. Jackson.

Prosecutors had said Dr. Murray violated at least 17 separate standards of care, a number of which could have resulted in death.

A shriek broke the eerie silence in the packed courtroom when the verdict was read, and the crowd erupted outside the courthouse. Jubilant Jackson fans cheered and sang Beat It as they held signs that read “guilty” and “killer.” Passing motorists honked their horns.

The jury deliberated less than nine hours. The Houston cardiologist, 58, faces a sentence of up to four years in prison. He could also lose his medical license.

Dr. Murray’s attorneys left the courtroom without commenting.

In Las Vegas, a former Murray patient and current friend, Donna DiGiacomo, sobbed and said she thought the jury was under “overwhelming pressure to convict.”

“This man didn’t deserve this. They needed a scapegoat,” said Ms. DiGiacomo, 53, a former Long Island, N.Y., teacher’s aide who said she didn’t believe Dr. Murray did anything to intentionally harm Mr. Jackson.

Mr. Jackson died on June 25, 2009, and details of his final days dribbled out over several months.

The complete story, however, finally emerged during the six-week trial. It was the tale of a tormented genius on the brink of what might have been his greatest triumph with one impediment standing in his way – extreme insomnia.

Testimony came from medical experts, household employees and Dr. Murray’s former girlfriends, among others.

The most shocking moments, however, came when prosecutors displayed a large picture of Mr. Jackson’s gaunt, lifeless body on a hospital gurney and played the sound of his drugged, slurred voice, as recorded by Dr. Murray just weeks before the singer’s death.

Mr. Jackson talked about plans for a fantastic children’s hospital and his hope of cementing a legacy larger than that of Elvis Presley or the Beatles.

“We have to be phenomenal,” he said about his This Is It concerts in London. “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.”’

Dr. Murray’s lawyers sought to show the doctor was a medical angel of mercy with former patients vouching for his skills. Dr. Murray told police from the outset that he gave Mr. Jackson propofol and other sedatives as the star struggled for sleep to prepare for his shows. But the doctor said he administered only a small dose on the day Mr. Jackson died.

Lawyers for Dr. Murray and a defence expert blamed Mr. Jackson for his own death, saying the singer gave himself the fatal dose of propofol while Dr. Murray wasn’t watching. A prosecution expert said that theory was crazy.

Dr. Murray told police he had formed a close friendship with Mr. Jackson, never meant to harm him and couldn’t explain why he died.

The circumstances of Mr. Jackson’s death at the age of 50 were as bizarre as any chapter in the superstar’s sensational life story.

Mr. Jackson was found not breathing in his own bed in his rented mansion after being dosed intravenously with propofol, a drug normally administered in hospitals during surgery.

The coroner ruled the case a homicide and the blame would fall to the last person who had seen Mr. Jackson alive – Dr. Murray, who had been hired to care for the singer as the comeback concerts neared.

Craving sleep, Mr. Jackson had searched for a doctor who would give him the intravenous anesthetic that Mr. Jackson called his “milk” and believed to be his salvation. Other medical professionals turned him down, according to trial testimony.

Dr. Murray gave up his practices in Houston and Las Vegas and agreed to travel with Mr. Jackson and work as his personal physician indefinitely.

For six weeks, as Mr. Jackson undertook strenuous rehearsals, Dr. Murray infused him with propofol every night, the doctor told police. He later tried to wean Mr. Jackson from the drug because he feared he was becoming addicted.

Mr. Jackson planned to pay Dr. Murray $150,000 a month for an extended tour in Europe. In the end, the doctor was never paid a penny because Mr. Jackson died before signing the contract.

During the last 24 hours of his life, Mr. Jackson sang and danced at a spirited rehearsal, revelling in the adulation of fans who greeted him outside. Then came a night of horror, chasing sleep – the most elusive treasure the millionaire entertainer could not buy.

Testimony showed Dr. Murray gave Mr. Jackson intravenous doses that night of the sedatives lorazepam and midazolam. Mr. Jackson also took a Valium pill. But nothing seemed to bring sleep.

Finally, Dr. Murray told police, he gave the singer a small dose of propofol – 25 milligrams – that seemed to put him to sleep. The doctor said he felt it was safe to leave his patient’s bedside for a few minutes, but Mr. Jackson was not breathing when he returned.

Witnesses said he was most likely dead at that point.

What happened next was a matter of dispute during the trial. Security and household staff described Dr. Murray as panicked, never calling 911 but trying to give Mr. Jackson CPR on his bed instead of the firm floor.

A guard said Dr. Murray was concerned with packing up and hiding medicine bottles and IV equipment before telling him to call 911. Prosecutors said Dr. Murray was distracted while Mr. Jackson was sedated, citing Dr. Murray’s cellphone records to show he made numerous calls.

Authorities never accused Dr. Murray of intending to kill the star, and it took eight months for them to file the involuntary manslaughter charge against him. It was the lowest possible felony charge involving a homicide.

There was no law against administering propofol or the other sedatives. But prosecution expert witnesses said Dr. Murray was acting well below the standard of care required of a physician.

They said using propofol in a home setting without lifesaving equipment on hand was an egregious deviation from that standard. They called it gross negligence, the legal basis for an involuntary manslaughter charge.

November 07, 2011
A jury has found Michael Jackson’s doctor guilty of involuntary manslaughter in the 2009 death of the King of Pop.

The verdict came Monday in the trial of Dr. Conrad Murray.

During the six-week trial, prosecutors depicted Dr. Conrad Murray as a reckless physician who abandoned Jackson while he was under the effects of the powerful anesthetic propofol on June 25, 2009.

Attorneys for the Houston-based cardiologist countered that Jackson was addicted to the drug and self-administered the fatal dose when Murray left his bedroom.

Murray agreed to become Jackson’s personal physician as the singer prepared for a series of comeback concerts in 2009.

Murray did not testify during the trial but previously acknowledged to police that he gave Jackson propofol and other sedatives on the morning the singer died.

The seven men and five women who hold the fate of Murray in their hands are a diverse cross-section of Los Angeles, people of varying ethnicities from different towns who might never have met if they had not been thrown together in the jury pool.

They are white, black and Hispanic, mostly middle-aged and live in an assortment of suburbs in the Los Angeles urban sprawl. Most have children and some have grandchildren.

They include a professor, postman, bus driver, actor and movie animation supervisor.

The panel was in its second day of deliberations when it reached the verdict.

Murray has pleaded not guilty to one count of involuntary manslaughter after prosecutors accused him of administering a fatal dose of propofol to the King of Pop.

The jurors, who were engaged by all the details of the case, were likely methodical in their deliberations.

Nine of them have prior jury experience and one woman, a native of Spain, has served on five juries, all of which reached verdicts. She was once a jury forewoman.

A woman who has worked as a paralegal for 30 years is serving on her first jury and appeared enthralled.

They knew about the involuntary manslaughter charge against Murray before they came to court and most of them know Jackson’s music. A few said they were fans and one, the video animation specialist, said he had some interaction with Jackson when the singer was making the video, “Captain EO.”

Details about their lives were culled from lengthy written questionnaires obtained by The Associated Press. Their identities have been kept secret and even lawyers in the case know them only by their jury numbers.

In six weeks together the jurors have displayed uncommon attentiveness to the task at hand. Several, including alternates, have taken notes and kept lists of evidence. Once, when the judge was at a loss to find the number of an exhibit, a member of the jury spoke up and told him.

There were no drooping eyelids or distracted glances. When a scientific expert was conducting experiments on the floor of the courtroom, panelists stood up in the jury box to get a better view.

Their attention to evidence and witnesses has impressed Superior Court Judge Michael Pastor, who commended them for their commitment, punctuality in getting to court and willingness to give up their personal lives to serve.

When the trial went longer than Pastor had predicted, he apologized, but the jurors seemed unperturbed.

Every night, when he gave them an admonition to avoid the news, the Internet and other sources of information about the trial, they listened as if it was the first time they had heard it and they nodded in agreement.

Many of the panelists have a familiarity with prescription drugs; most of them said they trust their doctors and several believe that celebrities receive a different kind of justice than average people.

Some have learned about the justice system from TV, watching such shows as “Law and Order” and “CSI.” Others watched broadcasts of real-life, high-profile trials including the Casey Anthony case and the O.J. Simpson trial.

One woman, an accounting manager, remembered that during the Simpson trial, “a TV was brought to the office for everyone to follow it.” A man in his 30s said he followed that trial in school as an educational experience.

While not sequestered, the jurors have had a rare opportunity to bond because they were kept together for lunch and transported together between a secret parking lot and the courthouse. In order to avoid exposure to events outside the courtroom, the judge had lunch catered for them every day.

Nick Allen

October 1, 2011

MICHAEL Jackson’s daughter Paris screamed, ”Daddy!” as she saw her father lying lifeless in his bed, the trial of the doctor charged with involuntary manslaughter in the star’s death has heard.

The singer’s bodyguard described how Paris, aged 11 at the time, walked into Jackson’s bedroom as his physician, Conrad Murray, desperately tried to bring him round.

Jackson’s head was turned towards the door so his daughter could see his face, with his eyes and mouth open. Her brother Prince, who was 12, also walked in at that point.

Bodyguard Alberto Alvarez told how Murray grabbed vials of drugs from near the bed and ordered him to put them in bags.

Mr Alvarez was also told to remove a saline bag, which contained a ”milky white substance”, from an IV stand.

Inside the saline bag was a 100 millilitre bottle of propofol, a powerful anaesthetic, he said.

Mr Alvarez said it was only after those items had been collected that Murray told him to call the 911 emergency line. The jury listened to the 911 call Mr Alvarez made. In it he said: ”We have a guy here, he’s not breathing. We are trying to pump him. He’s 50 years old. He’s in the bed. He has a personal doctor but he’s not responding to anything.”

Witnesses inside the court said Michael Jackson’s brother Randy Jackson was upset when the 911 call was played, putting his arm around his mother, Katherine.

Murray is accused of causing Michael Jackson’s death by giving him propofol to help him sleep. The doctor denies a charge of involuntary manslaughter.

Recalling the moment he walked into Jackson’s room, Mr Alvarez said: ”He was lying on his back in the bed with his hands extended out with the palms up.

”His eyes were slightly open and his mouth was open.”

He said he saw Murray giving chest compressions using only his left hand. The frantic doctor told him: ”Alberto, hurry, we have to get him to a hospital. We have to get an ambulance.”

Mr Alvarez said: ”When he said that, I was walking towards the bed reaching for my phone in my pocket. Prince and Paris came behind me. I was coming in to the specific area and they were right behind me. Paris screamed out, ‘Daddy!”’

Murray then told him: ”Don’t let them see their dad like this.”

As he ushered the children out, Mr Alvarez told them: ”Kids, don’t worry, we’ll take care of it. Everything is going to be OK.”

He then went back to the foot of the bed, where he heard Murray say: ”He had a bad reaction.”

Mr Alvarez said Jackson had clear plastic tubing on his nose and a condom catheter, used to collect urine, attached to him.

On the third day of Murray’s trial at Los Angeles Superior Court, he said there was also a device that looked like a ”brown box” on the bed. As he and the doctor moved Jackson from the bed to the floor, Murray clipped the device onto Jackson’s finger, the bodyguard said. Mr Alvarez told the court he saw no heart monitor or blood pressure measuring equipment in the room.

According to Mr Alvarez, the doctor asked him if he knew how to perform CPR. Mr Alvarez said he went to help with the compressions, while Murray carried out mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. The doctor then told him: ”This is the first time I’ve done mouth-to-mouth, but I have to, he’s my friend.”

Wednesday 28 September 2011

Michael Jackson’s personal doctor, Conrad Murray, is facing charges of involuntarily manslaughter for administering a powerful anesthetic that killed the pop icon. Some of the key players in the case against Murray:

Judge Michael Pastor

A well-respected Los Angeles Superior Court Judge since 1983, Pastor is one of several judges who presides over the most serious criminal cases in Los Angeles. He has previously handled a drunken driving case against actor Jason Priestly and a case against a man accused of stalking Olympic gold medalist Shawn Johnson. He has consistently that Murray’s trial will focus on Jackson’s final days and hours and has prohibited the doctor’s lawyers from introducing evidence about the singer’s addiction or financial woes.

Ed Chernoff, defence attorney

A Houston-based defense attorney working his first high-profile case, Chernoff has been Murray’s primary defense attorney since shortly after Jackson’s death. He represented the doctor during a meeting with police during which Murray disclosed that he had given Jackson propofol. Prosecutors plan to use the statements against Murray during trial. Chernoff has maintained that Murray did not administer anything to Jackson that should have killed him.

David Walgreen, prosecutor

A deputy district attorney in the major crimes division, Walgren is the lead prosecutor in the Murray case. He has painted Murray as an incompetent doctor who initially tried to conceal that he had been giving the singer the anesthetic propofol without proper lifesaving equipment. He was previously responsible for the district attorney’s effort to return director Roman Polanski to Los Angeles for sentencing in a three-decades old rape case. Switzerland eventually refused to extradite Polanski, which placed the case on hold.

The witnesses:

Kenny Ortega, friend and tour promoter

Jackson’s friend and choreographer for the ill-fated “This Is It” comeback concerts, Ortega went on to direct the film created from footage of the singer’s final rehearsals. He has previously testified that Murray told him not to try to act as Jackson’s doctor after Ortega sent the entertainer home early from one rehearsal because he appeared to be sick.

Michael Amir Williams, assistant

Described as the King of Pop’s chief of staff and known to many by his Nation of Islam shorthand, Brother Michael, very little is known about Williams. He was hired as Jackson’s assistant in June 2007 just before he moved to LA. He testified that on the night the star died he got a call from Dr Murray saying he had had a “bad reaction” but did not ask him to call 911.

Prince Michael, Jackson’s son

The star’s son is said to be tesifying. Prince, 14, and his 13-year-old sister Paris are understood to have entered the room while Dr Murray was trying to revive their faither. Their legal guardian and grandmother, Katherine Jackson, is worried giving evidence could be “too traumatic” for them.

Witness: Jackson’s children reacted in horror .

Witnesses on day two of the Michael Jackson death trial on Wednesday told of a panic-stricken doctor and the pop star’s children crying in disbelief with their father lying unresponsive on his bedroom floor, mouth agape and eyes wide open.

Faheem Muhammad, the ex-chief of Jackson’s security team, testified that Jackson’s oldest children reacted in horror when they saw their father’s lifeless body.

Other witnesses said Dr. Conrad Murray, who is charged with involuntary manslaughter in the death, telephoned the singer’s assistant before calling an ambulance and may have sought to hide evidence of drug use.

Prosecutors claim Murray not only caused Jackson’s death by giving him the powerful anesthetic propofol as a sleep aid, along with other sedatives but that the physician also was negligent in his care of the “Thriller” singer and failed to get timely medical assistance.

Murray has admitted giving Jackson propofol — the principal cause of his death — but his defense attorneys claim Jackson administered additional propofol to himself, leading to an overdose.

Wednesday’s most dramatic testimony came from Muhammad, who told of a frantic call from Murray that brought the security chief rushing to the singer’s bedroom.

He testified that he arrived at Jackson’s bedroom to find Murray sweating and nervous, leaning over Jackson and trying to revive him. He said that Jackson’s two older children, Paris and Prince, were in shock, and that Paris fell to the ground, curled up and weeping.

“Paris was on the ground balled-up crying and Prince, he was just standing there, he had a real shocked — just slowly crying — look on his face,” Muhammad said.

Moments later, Muhammad said, he heard Murray ask if anyone knew CPR.

Timeline for help

In other testimony, prosecutors sought to draw a timeline between when Murray found Jackson unresponsive at 11:56 a.m. on June 25, 2009, and when the doctor finally sought help.

Initially, Murray called the singer’s personal assistant, Michael Williams, at 12:12 p.m. with the message “Call me right away,” rather than calling for an ambulance.

Williams testified that he called Murray back at 12:15 p.m., and was told Jackson had suffered “a bad reaction.”

“When I hear a ‘bad reaction,’ I wouldn’t think anything fatal, personally, and I wasn’t asked to call 911,” Williams said. He said Murray told him to get to Jackson’s mansion immediately and also to send up a security guard.

An ambulance was finally called at 12:20 p.m. and it was already there when Williams arrived at the Jackson mansion.

“It was real frantic. I got there when the gurney (carrying Jackson) was coming down” from the bedroom, Williams said.

The assistant said that at the hospital where Jackson was later pronounced dead, Murray made a request that seemed strange. “He said, ‘There’s some cream in Michael’s room that he wouldn’t want the world to know about,’ and he requested that I or someone would give him a ride back to the house, so that he could get the cream,” said Williams.

Prosecutors have suggested Murray probably wanted to return there to remove evidence of the drugs that he had given Jackson before he died.

The testimony on the second day of the trial helped shed light on what Murray did and didn’t do after he found Jackson unconscious in June 2009. Murray, 58, has pleaded not guilty. If convicted, he could face up to four years in prison and would have to relinquish his medical license.

Earlier on Wednesday, a lawyer who drafted Murray’s contract to provide medical services for Jackson said the doctor had assured her multiple times in the days before his death that the singer’s health was good.

“Dr. Murray told me repeatedly that Michael Jackson was perfectly healthy, in excellent condition,” Los Angeles attorney Kathy Jorrie said on the witness stand.

Jorrie said Murray had added to his contract a provision for a CPR machine when they got to London for the highly touted show that would include 50 concerts over nine months. “He needed to be sure if something went wrong he would have such a machine available,” she said. “He also told me it was customary.”

Murray signed the contract, which would give him $150,000 a month, and faxed it to her that night, she said. Jackson, however, would never get to sign it.