Conrad Murray's trial /Day 09-30-2011

Michael Jackson was 'clinically dead' on arrival to hospital, ER doctor says


Los Angeles (CNN) -- The emergency room doctor who pronounced Michael Jackson dead testified Friday that the pop icon had "signs of a dying heart" when he arrived at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center.
"He was clinically dead," Dr. Richelle Cooper said. "He did not have a pulse."
Dr. Cooper was the 13th and last witness for first the week in the involuntary manslaughter trial of Dr. Conrad Murray.

Prosecutors argue Murray, who was Jackson's personal physician as he prepared for planned comeback concerts, was criminally responsible for his death because of medical negligence and his reckless use of the surgical anesthetic propofol to help the pop icon sleep.
Paramedic recalls when Jackson flatlined Paramedic 'felt he was dead' Patient says he was dumped by Dr. Murray Jackson's doctor admits propofol use
As Jackson was being rolled into the trauma center after an ambulance ride from his home, Dr. Murray told Cooper that he witnessed when Jackson stop breathing and his heart stopped beating.

Prosecutors argue that Murray was out of the room and had essentially abandoned his patient when Jackson's heart stopped.
Murray told Dr. Cooper Jackson's arrest came after he gave him two doses of Lorazepam, a sedative, Cooper testified.

He did not mention any other drugs, including propofol, which the coroner ruled played a major role in Jackson's death.
Cooper's is expected to detail the unsuccessful efforts in the hospital to bring Jackson back to life when her testimony resumes Monday.
A Los Angeles County paramedic who responded to the delayed 911 call from Michael Jackson's home the day he died testified Friday that Jackson was "flatlined" and appeared dead when rescuers arrived.
Paramedic Richard Senneff and his partner Martin Blount both testified that at no time during the 42 minutes they were with Jackson did they see any signs of life in him.

Deputy District Attorney Deborah Brazil asked Blount, who drove the ambulance, about his initial assessment of Jackson's condition when he arrived.
"I felt he was dead, ma'am," Blount said.
Senneff testified that Murray told responders he had only given Jackson a dose of lorazepam to help him sleep and that he was treating him for dehydration and exhaustion, with no mention of the propofol.

Prosecutors contend one of the acts that makes Murray criminally responsible for Jackson's death was that he misled the paramedics by not telling them he had given his patient propofol before he stopped breathing.
The coroner ruled that Jackson's June 25, 2009, death was the result of "acute propofol intoxication" in combination with sedatives.

The judge imposed a gag order Friday, preventing lawyers for Murray from talking to reporters about the case. His order came after he learned Matt Alford, a law partner to lead defense lawyer Ed Chernoff, gave a TV interview to NBC's Ann Curry on Friday morning.
"The court wants to make it clear that the attorneys for the parties in this case are ordered not to comment to anyone outside of their respective teams, either directly or indirectly, on any aspects on this case," Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Michael Pastor said at the end of Friday's morning session.
Pastor has previously admonished lawyers not to talk to reporters, but until now there has been no official order preventing it.

In his testimony, paramedic Senneff said that when he asked Murray "how long the patient was down," the doctor responded "It just happened right when I called you," Senneff said.
Paramedic Blount recalled Murray saying Jackson was "down" just one minute before their arrival.
Earlier testimony indicated the emergency call was not placed for at least 15 minutes after Murray realized Jackson was not breathing.
"It meant to me that this was a patient we had a good chance of saving," since the paramedics arrived just five minutes after the 911 call, Senneff said.
The paramedic, however, said it "did not add up to me" because of Jackson appeared dead.

"When I first moved the patient, his skin was very cool to the touch, his eyes were open, they were dry and his pupils were dilated," Senneff said. "When I hooked up the EKG machine, it was flatlined."
At one point, Murray told paramedics he felt a pulse in Jackson's upper right leg, but their heart monitor showed no rhythm, Senneff said.
Day 3: Murray's attempts to save Jackson How Jackson's kids viewed his last hours Jackson's chef describes frantic scene Alvarez: Jackson was 'very light'
A doctor communicating by radio with the paramedics recommended at 12:57 p.m., a half hour after they arrived, that they cease efforts to revive Jackson and declare him dead, according to a recording of the radio traffic played in court.
Murray then took over responsibility for the effort and continued resuscitation efforts, Senneff said.

The defense appeared to make one important point in their cross-examination of Senneff. The paramedic said when he first walked into bedroom he saw Murray and a security guard moving Jackson off the bed and onto the floor.
That contradicts Thursday's testimony by Alberto Alvarez, who worked for Jackson, who said he helped move Jackson from the bed while he was on the 911 phone call at least six minutes before the paramedics arrived.
The timing is important because it could call into question testimony by Alvarez about when Murray asked for his help in collecting drug vials from around the bed.

Prosecutors argue Murray's medical care as Jackson's personal physician was so reckless that he should be held criminally responsible for his death.
Deputy District Attorney David Walgren said Murray abandoned "all principles of medical care" when he used a makeshift intravenous drip to administer propofol to put Jackson to sleep.
Murray acknowledged in a police interview that he gave Jackson propofol almost every night for two months as the singer prepared for comeback concerts that were set to start in London in July 2009.

The device Murray used to monitor Jackson's pulse and blood oxygen level while he used propofol to put him to sleep was the focus of testimony by the first witness Friday.
An executive with the company that made the Nonin 9500 pulse oxymeter said it was "designed for spot checking of vital signs" and was "specifically labeled against continuous monitoring."
The $275 device did not have an audio alarm, requiring someone to constantly keep an eye on the tiny screen, Robert Johnson testified. Murray would have been better equipped with his company's table top version that would cost $1,200, Johnson said.

Prosecutors argue Murray's lack of professional monitoring equipment was reckless and is one reason the doctor should be held criminally responsible for Jackson's death.
One of Murray's former patients testified Friday that Murray saved his life after a heart attack just months before Jackson's death.
Although Robert Russell was called by the prosecution, his testimony possibly bolstered the defense contention that Murray is a caring and capable cardiologist.

"The advice he gave me saved my life," Russell said, describing how Murray not only put several stents in the arteries near his heart, but he also took time to help him change his unhealthy habits.
"He gave me advice on exercise, on eating, just how to live my life, doing away with pressure and stress that I believe I thrived on in the business world," said Russell, a sales manager for an electrical distribution firm.
The prosecution called Russell as an example of how Murray left his patients without a doctor when he went to be Michael Jackson's personal physician in April 2009.

"I was dismayed, flabbergasted, left out," Russell said. "I did feel abandoned."
His testified, however, that he was still able to contact Murray over the phone for advice and his clinic staff supported his therapy.
Russell's new cardiologist recently checked the Murray's work on his heart and "was very excited how my stents have held up," Russell testified.
In previous testimony, Jackson's chef Thursday defended her decision not to alert a security guard that Murray needed help in Jackson's bedroom after the doctor frantically asked her to do so.

It wasn't until about 10 minutes later that a guard in a trailer a few feet away from chef Kai Chase's kitchen was ordered upstairs to the bedroom where Murray was trying to revive Jackson, according to trial testimony.
Murray "was very nervous, and frantic and he was shouting," when he ran down a staircase near the kitchen where Chase was preparing Jackson's lunch, Chase testified Thursday afternoon.

"Get help, get security, get Prince," Chase said Murray screamed.
The chef's response was to walk into the nearby dining room where Jackson's oldest son, Prince, was playing with his sister and brother, she said.
"I said 'Hurry, Dr. Murray needs you. There may be something wrong with your father," Chase said she told Prince Jackson.
She then returned to the kitchen to continue lunch preparation, she said.
"He's asking for help, he's asking for security," defense lawyer Michael Flanagan said during cross-examination. "Did you think that a 12-year-old child was going to be able to assist this doctor with a problem with Michael?"
"I did what I was told and I went to get Prince," Chase answered.

Murray's lawyers are laying the groundwork to argue that Murray should not be blamed for the delay in calling for help because he relied on the chef to alert security, who then could call for an ambulance.
The prosecution, meanwhile, contends that a delay in calling 911 for an ambulance was Murray's fault and one of the negligent acts that make him criminally responsible for Jackson's death.

Alvarez, the Jackson employee who called 911,at least 10 minutes after Murray's plea to the chef for help, testified earlier Thursday that Murray told him to help gather up drug vials around Jackson's deathbed before he asked him to place the emergency call.
Alvarez, who served as Jackson's logistics director, showed the court how he saw an empty vial of propofol inside a torn IV bag that was hanging on a stand.
During questioning by the defense, however, Alvarez indicated it was another IV bag with a clear saline solution, not propofol, that was attached by a tube to Jackson's leg.

Alvarez testified that when he first rushed into the bedroom where Murray was trying to revive Jackson, the doctor asked him to help put drug vials into bags.
"He reached over and grabbed a handful of vials, and he asked me to put them in a bag," Alvarez testified.
Prosecutors contend that Murray was trying to gather up evidence of his criminal responsibility for Jackson's death, even before asking that someone call for an ambulance.

Under cross-examination, defense lawyer Ed Chernoff led Alvarez slowly through his steps during a half-minute period, apparently trying to show that his memory is wrong about the sequence of events.
When Chernoff asked him whether all of the events he described could have happened in the 30 seconds, Alvarez answered, "I'm very efficient, sir."
Chernoff also hinted that the defense would argue that Alvarez altered his account of events two months later after conferring with other witnesses.
After helping Murray place the vials in bags, the doctor asked him to call 911. The recording of the call was played in court Thursday.

Alvarez said he's been offered up to $500,000 for interviews about Jackson's death. He's turned them all down, despite financial problems and the lack of employment, he said.
The trial began Tuesday.

Chernoff contends that Jackson, desperate for sleep, caused his own death by taking a handful of sedatives and self-administering propofol while the doctor was out of the room.
If convicted of involuntary manslaughter, Murray could spend four years in a California prison and lose his medical license.


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Paramedics Set To Testify In The Conrad Murray Trial

The two paramedics who responded to the 911 call of Michael Jackson’s home the day he died is expected to testify on Friday 30th September 2011. The two will testify that the information Dr. Conrad Murray gave them about Jackson did not add up. Prosecutors argue that Dr. Conrad Murray who is on trial for involuntary manslaughter of Michael’s death misled the paramedics by not telling them that he had given Michael propofol before realizing he was not breathing.

Paramedic Richard Senneff testified at the preliminary hearing that Murray told him that he only gave Michael a dose of Lorazepam to help him sleep. He also told the paramedic that he was treating Michael for dehydration. Senneff also said that Michael Jackson “flatlined” as he lay on his bedroom floor.

Paramedic Martin Blount will be called as a witness on Friday as well. Prosecutors argue that due to Conrad Murray recklessness of the care of his patient Michael Jackson he should be held criminally responsible for the death of the singer on the 25th June 2009. The coroner ruled that Michael Jackson died of acute propofol intoxication in combination with sedatives.

On Tuesday prosecutors played an audio recording of Michael Jackson slurring his words weeks before his death. They also showed the jury a picture of Michael’s corpse lying on a gurney. If convicted Dr. Conrad Murray will spend 4 years in prison and lose his medical license.

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Conrad Murray Trial, Day 4: Paramedic Says Doctor's Story 'Did Not Add Up'

By Kimberly Potts at TheWrap
Fri Sep 30, 2011

Richard Senneff, a paramedic who answered the 911 call at Michael Jackson's home on the day of the singer's death, told the court during Conrad Murray's involuntary manslaughter trial Friday that the situation "did not seem normal" when he arrived at the scene.

Senneff (pictured), of the Los Angeles Fire Department, detailed multiple red flags that he noticed on the June 25, 2009 call, including Murray's responses to his questions.

Senneff testified that, when he asked Murray what Jackson's underlying heath issue was, Murray failed to respond the first two times he asked, and eventually responded that there was no underlying issue.

"Simply, that did not add up to me -- doctors in the house, IV pole, IV hooked up to the patient -- it simply did not seem normal" that there would be no underlying condition, Senneff testified.

As expected, Senneff also testified that, when he asked Murray what medications Jackson had been taking, he he didn't mention Propofol, which was found to contribute to the singer's death.

"He said, 'No he's not taking anything,' then he followed that up by saying, 'I just gave him a little bit of Lorazepam to help him sleep," Senneff told the court.

Eventually, Murray told Senneff that he'd been treating Jackson for dehydration and exhaustion.

Senneff also noted that, when he asked when Jackson went down, Murray told him that it had occurred just as he had placed the 911 call -- which gave Senneff the impression that "we had a good chance of saving" Jackson. However, when paramedics hooked up an EKG, he was flatlining, and the drugs paramedics gave Jackson in order to re-start his heart had no effect.

According to Senneff, Murray also told responders that he had felt a pulse in Jackson's right femoral region, though when Senneff checked the heart monitor, it only indicated signs that Jackson had been given CPR.

Senneff also told the court that, the second time that paramedics attempted to administer starter drugs to Jackson, they weren't able to find a vein -- which suggested that blood circulation might have stopped earlier than expected.

Said Senneff of Jackson's condition, "When I first moved the patient, his skin was very cool to the touch."

Senneff further testified that, when he contacted the hospital at UCLA, they were prepared to call time of death at 12:57 p.m., due to the two unsuccessful efforts to resuscitate him with starter drugs. However, Jackson was still being ventilated as they transported him downstairs to the ambulance.

Asked if he noticed any sign of life in Jackson the entire time he was with him, Senneff said, "No, I did not."

Previously...

The fourth day of the Conrad Murray involuntary manslaughter trial is expected to include testimony from a paramedic who tried to revive Michael Jackson before the singer's death.

CNN reports that paramedic Richard Senneff testified during a preliminary hearing in January that Murray failed to disclose that he had been treating Jackson with daily doses of the powerful surgery drug propofol for two months.

Read more: Conrad Murray Trial, Day 3: 'Frenzied' Murray Didn't Ask for 911 Call, Says MJ Chef (Update 2)

Senneff said Murray only admitted to giving Jackson lorazepam to help him sleep, and that he was treating the pop star for dehydration. At the time, Jackson was going through physically demanding rehearsals for a series of concert performances that he hoped would lead to a big career comeback.

Sennett said Jackson had "flatlined" by the time he showed up at Jackson's home. Sennett said he had asked Murray how long Jackson had been unresponsive, and Murray indicated "it just happened." Sennett said that timeline "didn't add up," and that could prove to be a key bit of testimony during today's courtroom session.

Murray contends only 10 minutes elapsed between the time he found Jackson unresponsive and the time 911 was called, but prosecutors insist Murray waited at least 25 minutes before instructing another Jackson employee, Alberto Alvarez, to call 911.

Read more: Conrad Murray Trial, Day 2: Assistant Says Doctor Tried to Get Back Into MJ's House (Live Feed)

During Wednesday's testimony, Jackson's chef, Kai Chase, testified that a "frantic" Murray had rushed into the kitchen after discovering Jackson in distress, but that he didn't ask her to call 911.

Murray's defense team is likely to use the fact that Chase didn't take the initiative to call 911 to cast the blame for Jackson's death away from Murray.

CNN reports that the defense team will also try to direct some of the responsibility for Jackson's overdose on another doctor, Dr. Arnold Klein, the Beverly Hills dermatologist who reportedly gave Jackson frequent doses of Demerol in the weeks leading up to his June 2009 death.

The defense claims Murray didn't know Jackson was taking Demerol at the same time Murray was treating him with propofol.


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September 30, 2011 1:03 PM
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Dr. Conrad Murray trial: Testimony resumes on day 4
By Crimesider Staff

(CBS/AP) LOS ANGELES - An executive for the maker of a medical device used by Michael Jackson's doctor to monitor the singer told jurors on Friday that the equipment was not adequate for the continuous monitoring of patients.

Pictures: Who's who in the trial of Dr. Conrad Murray
Pictures: Michael Jackson's Doctor Trial
Video: Dr. Conrad Murray manslaughter trial begins

The $275 fingertip device that monitors the pulse and blood oxygen levels was recovered after Jackson's death. It was being used by Dr. Conrad Murray while he was giving the singer doses of the surgical anesthetic propofol.

Prosecutors called Nonin Medical executive Bob Johnson to try to show that Murray lacked enough equipment to care for the singer during the treatments. Propofol is normally administered in hospital settings.

Johnson said the model that Murray used had no audible alarm and was not intended to be used for the continuous monitoring of patients.

Murray, 58, has pleaded not guilty to a charge of involuntary manslaughter. If convicted, Murray could face up to four years in prison and lose his medical license.

Jurors are expected Friday to hear from paramedics who responded to the singer's rented mansion and tried to revive him.


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Jackson Paramedic: 'Details Did Not Add Up'

11:57pm UK, Friday September 30, 2011
A paramedic who tried to save Michael Jackson's life has said that information he received from the pop star's doctor did not add up.

Richard Senneff - the first paramedic to reach Jackson's bedroom - is giving evidence on the fourth day of the manslaughter trial of Dr Conrad Murray.
Mr Senneff said he arrived at Jackson's rented Holmby Hills mansion five minutes after a 911 call was made on June 25, 2009, from the singer's address.
He said that following the 911 call paramedics received a message at 12.22pm saying a 50-year-old male was in cardiac arrest and receiving cardio-pulmonary resuscitation (CPR).
"We grabbed the information, our apparatus and headed to the door to get into a rescue ambulance," Mr Senneff told the court in Los Angeles.

Soon after arriving at Jackson's house, Mr Senneff was joined by three other paramedics who worked to revive the singer.
The veteran paramedic said he found the star lying on the floor of his bedroom dressed in pyjamas and with a surgical cap on his head.
He described Jackson as "cool to the touch", his eyes "were open and dry" and he had an IV in his leg.
He commented on the star's stark physical appearance, saying he was "underweight" and seemed to be suffering from a "chronic illness".



Richard Senneff was the first paramedic to reach Michael Jackson's bedroom
He went on to say Murray, a trained cardiologist, was behaving in a "frantic" way.
He said he asked Murray about Jackson's underlying health condition but failed to get an immediate answer.
Mr Senneff said: "After prompting him a few times he responded and said there wasn't one.
"He said, 'Nothing. He has nothing'. Simply, that did not add up to me."
He added that Murray said Jackson "was not taking any medication" and never mentioned that he had been giving Jackson the powerful sedative propofol.

Mr Senneff said Murray later revealed that Jackson was suffering from exhaustion and dehydration, and he had only administered a small amount of a sedative called lorazepam.
He believed paramedics had a "good chance" of saving Jackson because Murray had told them the cardiac arrest had just happened and they had got to Jackson quickly.
"I knew that we got there very, very quickly. It meant we'd have a good chance of restarting the heart if that was the issue," he said.
But despite multiple heart-starting medications and other efforts, Mr Senneff and his colleagues could not revive Jackson's lifeless body.

A second paramedic, Martin Blount, also told the court that Jackson seemed to have been dead for awhile by the time they arrived.
Martin Blount, who was responsible for getting air into Jackson's lungs, said he immediately conducted life-saving efforts but the singer was not breathing or moving and his eyes were "open, fixed and dilated".
He added there seemed to be "no sign of life" at any stage.
He also claimed he saw Murray pick up three bottles containing lidocaine, a local anaesthetic, from the floor near Jackson's bed.
"He scooped up three and put them into a black bag," he said.



The first to take the stand was Robert Johnson, an executive at a medical monitoring equipment firm called Nonin.
He explained the workings of a piece of medical equipment called a pulse oximeter, which authorities recovered from Jackson's home after his death.
The fingertip device measures a person's heart rate and red blood cell content.
Prosecutors have said Murray lacked the proper monitoring and life-saving equipment when he was giving Jackson doses of propofol.
Mr Johnson told jurors the device had no audible alarm and is not intended to be used for continuous monitoring of patients.

One of Murray's former patients, Robert Russell, told the court about some frustrations he had in his dealings with Murray two years ago.
Mr Russell credited the doctor with saving his life after he had a heart attack but said he later felt "abandoned" after Murray went to work for the Jackson family.
He said he contacted Murray's office on June 25, 2009, to get answers about his own treatment and received a voicemail from Murray at 11.49am saying he was going on sabbatical.
Prosecutors are using records to show that Murray was on the phone in the moments before he realised Jackson was unconscious.


Murray, 58, faces up to four years in prison if convicted of involuntary manslaughter for administering the overdose of propofol, which Jackson referred to as "milk" to help him sleep.
The defence team for the doctor insists Jackson self-administered other sedatives, prompting the overdose.
Jackson, who was in LA rehearsing for a series of comeback shows in London, died at the age of 50.


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Conrad Murray case: Cheaper monitor may have meant 'life or death'
September 30, 2011



Dr. Conrad Murray used a cheaper model of a pulse-and-blood-oxygen monitor when another model, available for $40 a month, would have alerted him that something was wrong with Michael Jackson, a representative of the equipment manufacturer testified Friday.

Robert William Johnson, who works for the medical equipment company, Nonin Medical, said the $275 model used by Murray was "not labeled for constant monitoring" of a patient and should have only been used for spot checks.

Watch live: Full coverage of Conrad Murray's trial

The other model, a device that cost $750 and could have been leased at $40 a month, had a "loud and annoying" alarm that could have been heard outside the room, Johnson said.

In cross-examination, Murray's attorney, Michael Flanagan, asked if the "the only difference" between the models would be that the cheaper device would need to be continuously watched by the physician. Williams said yes.

Prosecutor David Walgren countered by asking: "That's a big difference, right? ... Between life and death potentially?"
"Yes," Johnson responded.

Johnson was the first witness to testify Friday in the trial of Murray, Jackson's personal physician who faces an involuntary-manslaughter charge. Murray is accused of administering a lethal dose of the surgical anesthetic propofol that led to Jackson's death.

Other witnesses expected to testify Friday include a patient of Murray's, and paramedics who testified at an earlier hearing that they arrived at the singer's Holmby Hills mansion to find Jackson lifeless and his doctor evasive.

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Jackson doc didn't mention killer drug to paramedics

By Alex Dobuzinskis, Reuters September 30, 2011



LOS ANGELES — Michael Jackson seemed to have been dead for some time when paramedics arrived, and his doctor made no mention of having given him propofol, the drug that killed him, a court heard Friday.

Conrad Murray also denied to first responders that Jackson had an underlying illness, said Richard Senneff, head of the team dispatched to Jackson's LA mansion on June 25, 2009.

Murray, accused of manslaughter over the singer's death, told them that Jackson was suffering only from exhaustion and dehydration and had been "down" since shortly before a 911 emergency call was placed, he said.

"'It just happened right when I called you,'" Senneff cited Murray as telling him when they arrived at the Jackson mansion at 12:26 pm that day, some five minutes after the 911 call was received at 12:21 pm.

Senneff said that claim seemed inconsistent with Jackson's condition, which was not of someone whose heart had only just stopped beating — adding that he was perplexed by the fact that Jackson was hooked up to an intravenous drip.

"There were multiple observations .. his skin was very cool to the touch," said Senneff. "His eyes were dry and his pupils were dilated," and his heart was "flatlining" when hooked up to a monitor.

Murray also told them that he had only given Jackson a small amount of lorazepam, a sedative. "He never mentioned the word propofol," said Senneff, referring to the drug blamed for the star's death at the age of 50.

The paramedics spent over half an hour trying to revive Jackson, using a combination of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), heart-reviving drugs and direct intubation to get air into his lungs.

At 12:57 pm, doctors at the UCLA Medical Center, with whom Senneff was in contact, said they were ready to pronounce Jackson dead, given the lack of response to any of the efforts to revive him.

But Murray insisted they transport him to hospital, said the paramedic, who subsequently traveled with Murray, Jackson and two other medics in the ambulance to the UCLA. Jackson was eventually pronounced dead at 2:26 pm.

The five-week trial opened Tuesday, when prosecutors laid out their case that Murray was guilty of "gross negligence," while the doctor's lawyers said the star caused his own death by taking extra drugs without Murray's knowledge.

The physician could be jailed for up to four years over Jackson's death at his mansion in the plush Holmby Hills district of Los Angeles, where the star was rehearsing for a series of comeback shows in London.

On the first day, jurors saw chilling images of Jackson's dead body on a gurney and heard a haunting audio recording of the heavily drugged singer talking on the phone only weeks before his death.

On Wednesday, personal assistant Michael Williams recalled the last rehearsal on the night of June 24. "He was in good spirits," he said, adding of Jackson's last time on stage: "I thought it was amazing."

But then he and a series of witnesses told of the chaos the following day.

On Thursday, bodyguard Alberto Alvarez said Murray ordered him to help remove vials and a saline bag from an intravenous (IV) drip stand by the star's bed, even before he had called 911 for emergency paramedics.

"While I was standing at the foot of the bed, he reached over and grabbed a handful of vials, and then he reached out to me and said: 'Here, put these in a bag,'" Alvarez told the LA Superior Court on the trial's third day.

Also Thursday the singer's personal chef Kai Chase recounted how all three children sobbed and hugged as medics rushed to the house.

"The children were crying and screaming, and the next thing we did, we started hugging and we came together and we held hands and we started praying," she said.

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Former LA Deputy DA Hamid Towfigh on Conrad Murray, Michael Jackson, propofol
Katrina K Wheeler, Jackson Family Examiner
September 30, 2011

The former LA Deputy DA, Hamid Towfigh appeared on HLN yesterday to discuss the Conrad Murray trial with Jane Velez-Mitchell. Towfigh discussed the charge that Conrad Murray is being tried for, and also went over specifics of what was found in Michael Jackson's room and why it would have been impossible for the star to inject himself with the lethal amount of propofol that was responsible for his passing.

Towfigh, when asked by Jane Velez-Mitchell about the defense arguing that Michael Jackson injected himself with propofol -- said that it would be impossible for Jackson to do so. He explained: "According to the coroner's report, Michael Jackson had a general anesthiea levels of propofol levels in his blood. If you ask most anesthisologists, they will say that that is about 200mg or higher of propofol. The syringes that were in the room of Michael Jackson were 10cc syringes which is the equivalent of 100mg. That means that he would have had to inject himself twice -- 200 mg of propofol to get the levels that the coroners said he had." He went on to state: "That is not possible because after the first dose that Michael Jackson supposedly gave himself, he would have passed out."

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PEOPLE VS. DR. CONRAD MURRAY
MJ's ER Doctor:
Murray Said MJ Was 'Dehydrated'
MJ's ER Doctor -- Richelle Cooper Testifies
Updated 9/30/11 at 3:30 PM



The ER doc who first tended to Michael Jackson's body at the hospital claims Dr. Murray misled her about MJ's condition -- telling her, the singer was dehydrated.

According to Dr. Richelle Cooper, Murray claimed he had only
administered 4mg of Lorazepam to MJ.

Murray never mentioned Propofol.

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Michael Jackson's doctor kept quiet about crucial drug, court hears

Dr Murray's story "did not add up", paramedic says
"Quick 911 call could have saved Jackson"
Dr Murray "asked bodyguard to hide drug vials"


A PARAMEDIC who responded to Michael Jackson's home the day of his death testified overnight that the singer's doctor seemed "frantic" but did not reveal the star had taken a powerful dose of anesthetic, the Los Angeles Times reported.


Dr Conrad Murray is on trial for manslaughter for giving Jackson a lethal dose of propofol on June 25, 2009. He has pleaded not guilty and says Jackson gave himself the fatal dose.
Richard Senneff, a Los Angeles firefighter and paramedic, told the court overnight that on the day of Jackson's death, Dr Murray told emergency responders that the pop star had no underlying medical condition and that he had given him only the mild sedative Lorazepam for sleep.
Mr Senneff, a veteran paramedic, said the information seemed suspect. He also testified that the doctor said he was treating Jackson only for dehydration and exhaustion, the Times reported.
"I asked what his underlying health condition was, he [Dr Murray] did not respond ... I asked again ... he did not respond. The third time he said nothing, nothing, he has nothing," Mr Senneff said.

"Simply that did not add up to me," the paramedic testified.
Mr Senneff also said he asked Dr Murray when Jackson had overdosed, and the doctor said it occurred just moments before he placed the 911 call.
Mr Senneff testified that with a quick call to 911, he believed "we had a good chance of saving" Jackson.

Medics hooked up an EKG and the star was flatlining, Mr Senneff said. He said the drugs paramedics gave Jackson in order to re-start his heart had no effect.
Prosecutors on Thursday called to the stand a bodyguard working for Jackson the day he died.
Alberto Alvarez told jurors that Dr Murray had him gather up medicine vials before calling 911. The doctor allegedly said Jackson had "a bad reaction" and needed to get to a hospital.
Mr Alvarez said Dr Murray stopped CPR, grabbed a handful of vials and told him, "here, put these in a bag," the Times reported.

Dr Murray also asked him to remove an intravenous drip bag containing "a milky white substance" -- a description consistent with the surgical anesthetic propofol, according to the Times.
Members of Jackson's family sat quietly through the testimony. La Toya Jackson took notes while Jackson's mother, Katherine, and father, Joe, listened. Brothers Jermaine and Randy have been on hand for most of the trial this week.

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Paramedics up next in trial of Jackson's doctor
GREG RISLING, Associated Press
Updated 06:12 p.m., Friday, September 30, 2011


LOS ANGELES (AP) — Paramedics who responded to Michael Jackson's mansion the day he died were expected to testify Friday in the trial of the pop star's doctor who has been charged with involuntary manslaughter.

Martin Blount and Richard Senneff had previously testified at a preliminary hearing that Dr. Conrad Murray never mentioned giving Jackson the powerful anesthetic propofol and told them the singer lost consciousness moments before an ambulance was called. Both men believed the singer had died by the time they arrived in June 2009, but Murray insisted the performer be taken to a hospital for more resuscitation efforts.

The prosecution witnesses will likely provide jurors more insight into Jackson's final moments as futile attempts were made to revive the unresponsive superstar.

On Thursday, a pair of Jackson staffers described the chaotic scene at the rented mansion. Personal chef Kai Chase said she was preparing a spinach Cobb salad for Jackson when a panicked and flustered Murray came down a spiral staircase shouting for her to get security and the singer's son, Prince.

"His energy was very nervous and frantic," said Chase, who added she ran to get Jackson's son in a nearby room. "I said, 'Hurry, Dr. Murray needs you. Something may be wrong with your father."

Chase said later she saw paramedics and security running upstairs to Jackson's bedroom where he lay and some of the house staff were crying, unsure of what was happening.

"The children were crying and screaming," she said. "We started hugging. We came together, held hands and we began to pray."

Bodyguard Alberto Alvarez said he went to help Jackson after the singer's assistant called him on his cell phone. Shocked at seeing Jackson lying motionless in his bed, eyes slightly open, Alvarez barely had time to react when he heard the singer's daughter scream "Daddy!" from the doorway. He led her and Prince from the room, trying to comfort them.

Alvarez then said Murray told him to put vials of medicine he scooped from Jackson's nightstand into a bag. Alvarez complied and also placed an IV bag into another bag.

Alvarez's testimony was key for prosecutors who contend Murray, who has pleaded not guilty, was intent on concealing signs that he had been giving the singer doses of propofol as a sleep aid.

Alvarez said he thought Murray might be preparing to take the items to the hospital, but the bags never made it to the hospital and the bodyguard never questioned the doctor.

If convicted, Murray, 58, could face up to four years in prison and lose his medical license.

Defense attorney Ed Chernoff asked whether there was enough time for Alvarez to shield Jackson's children, survey the room and stow away the drugs in the brief period that phone records show he was in the home before calling emergency responders.

The bodyguard insisted there was, telling the attorney, "I'm very efficient, sir."

Chernoff was not convinced, questioning whether 30 seconds was enough time for the dramatic sequence to play out. Alvarez assured him there was.

The defense attorney also challenged Alvarez's recollection, asking whether the collection of the vials happened after paramedics had come and whisked Jackson to a nearby hospital. Alvarez denied it happened after he called 911.

Chernoff questioned why Alvarez didn't tell authorities about Murray's commands to bag up the medication immediately after Jackson died, but instead waited until two months after the singer's death. The bodyguard said he didn't realize its significance until seeing a news report in late June in which he recognized one of the bags detectives were carrying out of Jackson's mansion.

The burly Alvarez became emotional as the 911 call was played for jurors. Jackson's mother, Katherine, appeared distraught and her son, Randy, huddled next to her and put his arm around her.

"Was that difficult to hear?" prosecutor David Walgren asked.

"It is," Alvarez replied.

Alvarez's testimony allowed Walgren to present jurors directly with a bottle of propofol that they've heard much about throughout the previous two days of the trial.

Jurors intently looked at the bottle, which appeared to still contain some liquid.

Walgren asked whether anything good had happened to Alvarez as a result of his experience in Jackson's bedroom.

"No sir," Alvarez responded.

Media outlets reportedly offered him up to $500,000 for interviews, but Alvarez said he always refused. "It's caused a lot of financial problems," he said, starting to choke up. "I went from a great salary to hardly anything."

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September 30, 2011|By Alan Duke, CNN
Michael Jackson was 'clinically dead' on arrival to hospital, ER doctor says


Dr. Conrad Murray sits in court at his arraignment January 25, 2011 at Superior Court in Los Angeles, California. Murray is charged with involuntary manslaughter in the death of pop star Michael Jackson who died in 2009 from an overdose of the surgical anesthetic Propofol.
The emergency room doctor who pronounced Michael Jackson dead testified Friday that the pop icon had "signs of a dying heart" when he arrived at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center.

"He was clinically dead," Dr. Richelle Cooper said. "He did not have a pulse."

Dr. Cooper was the 13th and last witness for first the week in the involuntary manslaughter trial of Dr. Conrad Murray.

Prosecutors argue Murray, who was Jackson's personal physician as he prepared for planned comeback concerts, was criminally responsible for his death because of medical negligence and his reckless use of the surgical anesthetic propofol to help the pop icon sleep.

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