Since the involuntary manslaughter trial of Dr. Conrad Murray began a few weeks ago, things have been going downhill for the physician as damaging evidence mounts against the man accused of murdering late pop icon Michael Jackson. And on Oct. 12, the doctor’s defense decided to drop their claim that the King of Pop accidentally killed himself with the prescription anesthetic propofol.
According to RadarOnline, Murray, who’s denied all charges in the trial, originally claimed that Jackson accidentally swallowed a fatal dose of propofol. However, Murray’s lawyer, Michael Flanagan, told the judge and Deputy District Attorney David Walgren on Wednesday that commissioning a study to show the effects of swallowing propofol would be “trivial,” adding that, “We are not going to assert at any time during this trial that Michael Jackson orally administered Propofol.”
Aside from ruling out accidental suicide, Murray also had to contend with the prosecution, whose witness Malibu cardiologist Alon Steinberg shared a similar opinion to past witnesses and criticized Murray for leaving the pop star to go to the bathroom after giving him propofol.
“When you monitor a patient, you never leave their side, especially after giving Propofol,” said Steinberg. “It’s like leaving a baby that’s sleeping on your kitchen countertop. You look at it and it’s probably going to be ok, and you’re just going to put some diapers away or go to the bathroom. But you would never do it because there’s a very, very small chance that the baby could fall over or wake up, get startled and grab a knife or something.”
If Murray is convicted, he faces four years in prison and with the way the trial is going, Murray’s chances of walking away a free man seem to be dissipating day by day.
–nicholas robinson
