Conrad Murray's trial/ Day 10-28-2011

Dr. Conrad Murray's defense drawing to a close in Michael Jackson case

(CBS/AP) LOS ANGELES - Attorneys for the doctor charged in Michael Jackson's death are expected to call their final two witnesses Thursday.

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

The last witnesses for Dr. Conrad Murray are experts who will try to explain the defense's theory that Jackson somehow gave himself a fatal dose of the anesthetic propofol.

One of the experts is an addiction specialist. The other, Dr. Paul White, is a propofol expert that is a colleague of Dr. Steven Shafer, who testified for prosecutors earlier in the trial.

Murray has pleaded not guilty to involuntary manslaughter.

A judge told Murray on Wednesday that he would soon be asking if he intended to testify. He also advised him of his rights to remain silent or take the stand, even if his attorneys don't agree.

Closing arguments will begin next week.


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Defense in Conrad Murray trial down to final 2 witnesses
Testimony could conclude Friday or Monday

Author: By Alan Duke CNN

Prosecutors contend that Murray abandoned his patients in Las Vegas and Houston for the $150,000 a month Jackson had promised him.

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"There's no way, he's not greedy," Causey said. "He doesn't charge me my deductible, never has."

Las Vegas heart patient Andrew Guest, who followed Causey on the witness stand Wednesday, said Murray "makes sure you're OK during the procedure."

"That man sitting there is the best doctor I've ever seen," Guest testified.

Murray treated Dennis Hix by putting 14 stents into arteries around his heart 11 years ago, Hix testified.

"I'm 66, I've gone to a lot of doctors, a lot of doctors, and I've never had one that gave me the care that he did," Hix said.

Murray never charged Hix beyond what his insurance would pay, he said. "I had a type of insurance that don't hardly pay for nothing," he said. "So he did it for me free."

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Michael Jackson 'probably' addicted to Demerol — defense witness

Michael Jackson was “probably” addicted to Demerol provided by his Beverly Hills dermatologist, a specialist in addiction medicine told jurors Thursday at the trial of the singer’s personal physician.

Dr. Robert Waldman, testifying as a defense expert, detailed medical records that indicated dermatologist Arnold Klein injected the singer with increasingly large doses of the painkiller during offices visits for Botox and another wrinkle remover.

“I believe there’s evidence he was dependent on Demerol,” Waldman said.

“What about addicted,” a defense lawyer pressed.

“Possibly,” the witness replied, adding that based on the records and “what’s known about his public behavior, he was probably addicted to opioids.”

FULL COVERAGE: The Conrad Murray trial

Dr. Conrad Murray’s defense rests on a theory that Klein hooked Jackson on Demerol a few months before his death and that the singer suffered chronic insomnia as a result of drug withdrawal.

Defense lawyers contend Jackson injected himself with a fatal dose of propofol, a surgical anesthetic, to get to sleep before important rehearsals.

Those close to Jackson told police that visits to Klein’s office left the singer woozy, but Murray claimed he never asked his famous patient for details of the treatment.

Waldman said he had no expertise in dermatology, but had consulted doctors in the field who told him the dermatological procedures Jackson was receiving -- shots of Botox and a wrinkle filler, Restylane -– did not cause the severe pain that would require such doses of Demerol.

Klein’s medical records showed Jackson had received as much as 375 milligrams of Demerol in a 90-minute period. A typical dose is 50 milligrams, he said.

The amount Klein gave Jackson would leave him “sleepy, lethargic, possibly difficult to arouse, possibly unresponsive,” Waldman said.

On cross-examination, a prosecutor implied Waldman’s conclusions were irrelevant to the manslaughter case before the jury.

“You understand there is no Demerol in the toxicology findings” from Jackson’s autopsy, asked Deputy Dist. Atty. David Walgren.

“Correct,” Waldman replied.

He also accused the expert of overreaching, by in part relying on secondhand accounts of Jackson’s behavior.
“Would you diagnose Michael Jackson as addicted to Demerol based strictly on the documents in my hand?” the prosecutor asked.

“Probably not,” Waldman acknowledged.

The defense wanted to call Klein as a witness, but prosecutors objected, saying Murray was seeking to confuse the jury by blaming another party.

Superior Court Judge Michael Pastor barred the defense from calling the dermatologist, but allowed the introduction of 36 pages of his medical records. Those records, as laid out in court, show Jackson frequently visited Klein’s office in the months leading up to his death.

Klein was among a number of physicians investigated after the pop star’s June 25, 2009, death. Only Murray was charged.

Jurors are expected to begin deliberating the case next week. If Murray is convicted of involuntary manslaughter, he faces a maximum of four years in prison.

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Expert says Jackson likely addicted to pain med


LOS ANGELES (AP) — An addiction expert testifying for the doctor charged in Michael Jackson's death told jurors Thursday he believes the singer developed an addiction to a powerful pain medicine in the months before his death.

Dr. Robert Waldman told jurors that Jackson was receiving "above-average doses" of the painkiller Demerol.

"I believe there is evidence that he was dependent on Demerol, possibly," Waldman said. The witness said he also thinks Jackson had an addiction to opioids by May 2009, the month before his death.

Waldman said a symptom of Demerol withdrawal is insomnia.

Attorneys for Dr. Conrad Murray have suggested Jackson was undergoing withdrawal from Demerol before his death and self-administered a fatal dose of propofol as a sleep aid.

Jackson had complained of insomnia as he prepared for a series of comeback concerts and was receiving the anesthetic and sedatives from Murray, his personal physician, to help him sleep.

Authorities contend Murray delivered the lethal dose and botched resuscitation efforts. Murray has pleaded not guilty to involuntary manslaughter in Jackson's June 2009 death.

No Demerol was found in the singer's system when he died, but propofol was found throughout his body.

Waldman said he based his opinion on medical records detailing treatment from Jackson's longtime dermatologist, and characterizations of the singer that are publicly known. On cross-examination, Waldman said he didn't consider Jackson's recent public conduct, but rather events from the 1980s and 1990s.

In response to questions from a prosecutor, Waldman said some of the symptoms of Demerol withdrawal were the same as those seen in patients withdrawing from the sedatives lorazepam and diazepam. Murray had been giving Jackson both drugs.

Jackson received the Demerol shots from his longtime dermatologist, Dr. Arnold Klein, who has not been accused of wrongdoing and who a judge has ruled cannot be called as a witness during the trial. The singer had been visiting Klein for Botox and Restylane treatments, the dermatologist's medical records show.

Waldman said he had not treated a case of Demerol addiction in recent memory.

Murray's attorneys plan to call a propofol expert later Thursday.

The defense has yet to show evidence of how their self-administration theory would have worked. Several prosecution experts have said the self-administration defense was improbable, and a key expert said he ruled it out completely, arguing the more likely scenario was that Murray gave Jackson a much higher dose than he has acknowledged.

The scientific testimony of Waldman and Dr. Paul White comes a day after jurors heard from five of Murray's one-time patients, who described the cardiologist as a caring physician who performed procedures for free and spent hours getting to know them. When Ruby Mosley described Murray's work at a clinic he founded in a poor neighborhood in Houston in memory of his father, tears welled up in the eyes of the normally stoic doctor-turned-defendant.

White and Waldman do not necessarily have to convince jurors that Jackson gave himself the fatal dose, but merely provide them with enough reasonable doubt about the prosecution's case against Murray.

Prosecutors have portrayed Murray, 58, as a reckless physician who repeatedly broke the rules by giving Jackson propofol as a sleep aid. But jurors heard a different description of the doctor Wednesday.

Several of the character witnesses called described Murray as the best doctor they had ever seen and highlighted his skills at repairing their hearts with stents and other procedures.

"I'm alive today because of that man," said Andrew Guest of Las Vegas, who looked at Murray. "That man sitting there is the best doctor I've ever seen."

Another former patient, Gerry Causey, stopped to shake Murray's hand in the courtroom and said the physician was his best friend.

A prosecutor noted none of them were treated for sleep issues, although Causey and others said they didn't believe the allegations against Murray.

Defense attorneys have told Superior Court Judge Michael Pastor they expect their case to conclude Thursday. Pastor has said if that happens, closing arguments would occur next week.


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Conrad Murray trial: Final defense witnesses to testify Thursday

Two expert witnesses are expected to take the stand Thursday in the trial of Dr. Conrad Murray as the defense case winds to a close.

The witnesses — drug addiction specialist Dr. Robert Waldman and propofol expert Dr. Paul White — are expected to be the final defense witnesses unless Murray decides to testify on his own behalf about the circumstances surrounding Michael Jackson's death.

White, a prominent anesthesiologist, has been accused of calling a prosecution expert a "scumbag," an allegation that prompted a judge to consider contempt of court charges.

FULL COVERAGE: The Conrad Murray trial

White denied making the remark, but acknowledged that he made other critical comments about Dr. Steven Shafer, a New York anesthesiologist with whom he has had a long and previously amicable professional relationship.

"I am going to take the high road, not the low road with him," E! Online's website quoted White as saying. "I was his teacher when he was a medical student. The truth will come out. It always does."

Judge Michael Pastor chided White for the remarks, telling him he has "no business making any of those comments."

White's testimony is crucial to the defense, which must counter Shafer's blistering testimony.

Shafer said that mathematical modeling debunked Murray's statement that he had given Jackson a single 25-milligram dose of propofol before his death. Instead, Jackson received 40 times that amount of the surgical anesthetic, Shafer testified. He also said that even if Jackson gave himself the fatal dose, Murray was "responsible for every drop of propofol in that room."

The defense team has been moving quickly through its short witness list. On Wednesday, the jury heard from five of Murray's former patients. The character witnesses described a generous, caring doctor who helped treat the poor.


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Defense team’s star scientific witness says evidence shows Jackson caused his own death

LOS ANGELES — Attorneys for Michael Jackson’s doctor dropped the bombshell Friday they’ve been hinting at for months — an expert opinion accusing the legendary singer of causing his own death.

Dr. Paul White, the defense team’s star scientific witness, said Jackson injected himself with a dose of propofol after an initial dose by Dr. Conrad Murray wore off. He also calculated that Jackson gave himself another sedative, lorazepam, by taking pills after an infusion of that drug and others by Murray failed to put him to sleep.

That combination of drugs could have had “lethal consequences,” the researcher said.

White showed jurors a series of charts and simulations he created in the past two days to support the defense theory. He also did a courtroom demonstration of how the milky white anesthetic propofol could have entered Jackson’s veins in the small dose that Murray claimed he gave the insomniac star.

White said he accepted Murray’s statement to police that he administered only 25 milligrams of propofol after a night-long struggle to get Jackson to sleep with infusions of other sedatives.

“How long would that (propofol) have had an effect on Mr. Jackson?” asked defense attorney J. Michael Flanagan.

“If you’re talking effect on the central nervous system, 10 to 15 minutes max,” White said.

He then said Jackson could have injected himself with another 25 milligrams during the time Murray has said he left the singer’s room.

“So you think it was self-injected propofol between 11:30 and 12?” asked Flanagan.

“In my opinion, yes,” White said.

The witness, one of the early researchers of the anesthetic, contradicted testimony by Dr. Steven Shafer, his longtime colleague and collaborator. Shafer earlier testified Jackson would have been groggy from all the medications he was administered during the night and could not have given himself the drug in the two minutes Murray said he was gone.

“He can’t give himself an injection if he’s asleep,” Shafer told jurors last week. He called the defense theory of self-administration “crazy.”

White’s testimony belied no animosity between the two experts, who have worked together for 30 years. Although White was called out by the judge one day for making derogatory comments to a TV reporter about the prosecution case, White was respectful and soft spoken on the witness stand.

When Flanagan made a mistake and called him “Dr. Shafer” a few times, White said, “I’m honored.”

The prosecution asked for more time to study the computer program White used before cross-examining him. Superior Court Judge Michael Pastor granted the request, saying he too was baffled by the complicated simulations of Jackson’s fatal dose. He recessed court early and gave prosecutors the weekend to catch up before questioning White on Monday.

The surprise disclosure of White’s new theory caused a disruption of the court schedule, and the judge had worried aloud that jurors, who expected the trial to be over this week, were being inconvenienced. But the seven men and five women appeared engaged in the testimony and offered no complaints when the judge apologized for the delay.

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Witness says Jackson doctor's actions can't be justified
The defense questioning of its expert, a propofol researcher, suggests lawyers will concede that Dr. Conrad Murray's care was substandard but argue that it did not constitute involuntary manslaughter.


By Harriet Ryan and Victoria Kim, Los Angeles Times
October 28, 2011
The star medical expert for Michael Jackson's physician began his testimony Thursday with the acknowledgment that not even he could explain the doctor's treatment of the pop star.

"Let's deal with the elephant in the room here," a defense attorney said to Dr. Paul White, the most important and probably final witness for the physician. "Conrad Murray has been accused of infusing a dose of propofol and leaving his patient. Can you justify that?"

"Absolutely not," White replied.

The exchange was a strong indication the defense planned to concede that Murray provided substandard care to Jackson but argue that his conduct did not rise to the level of involuntary manslaughter.

Exactly how White would advance the defense case was unclear in his initial two hours of testimony, a period he spent mostly laying out his academic credentials and familiarity with propofol. Some of his responses suggested he would provide a counter-theory to the damaging conclusions of the prosecution's central expert witness, White's longtime friend and fellow anesthesiology researcher Steven Shafer.

In five days of testimony ending this week, Shafer told jurors the singer died from a massive intravenous dose of propofol that an inattentive Murray allowed to continue even after Jackson stopped breathing.

In his testimony, White said there were problems with the math models Shafer presented to bolster his claims. Those graphs, White said, might show how the general population would respond to a drug, but "the challenge is using models to predict levels in a specific or particular individual."

White also seemed to offer some support for Murray's use of propofol for Jackson's insomnia, something three prosecution experts have condemned. He said off-label drug use by physicians is common and legal and described a recent Chinese study of propofol as an insomnia treatment as flawed but "very interesting." Shafer had rejected the same study.

The stakes of the two experts' testimony became apparent last week when White was accused of calling Shafer, who had criticized his analysis, a "scumbag." White denied the allegation, but the judge set a November hearing for possible contempt-of-court charges.

Shafer was not present for his colleague's testimony, but he was mentioned so frequently that the judge and a defense attorney repeatedly referred to White by Shafer's name.

"I should get a name tag," White joked.

White was one of the first American researchers to test propofol, and his clinical trials in the 1980s paved the way for the drug's FDA approval. He told jurors that when the defense approached him earlier this year, he was hesitant.

"I really wasn't sure I wanted to get involved in a high-profile celebrity case involving the death of an icon," White said.

Before White took the stand, an addiction specialist testified that Jackson was "probably" addicted to Demerol provided by his dermatologist.

Dr. Robert Waldman, who works at a Malibu rehabilitation center, said medical records indicated that the dermatologist, Arnold Klein, injected the singer with increasingly large doses of the painkiller during office visits for Botox and another wrinkle remover.

"I believe there's evidence he was dependent on Demerol," Waldman said.

He said that factoring in "what's known about his public behavior" -- a reference, he said later, to media reports about the singer's past drug problems -- Jackson "was probably addicted to opioids."

The defense has sought to blame Klein for Jackson's insomnia. Withdrawal from the painkiller left him unable to sleep at a time when he needed rest for critical rehearsals and drove him to self-administer propofol, Murray's lawyers have said.

Waldman said he believed the cosmetic procedures Klein provided Jackson would not cause severe pain that necessitated Demerol. Jackson received as much as 375 milligrams of Demerol in a 90-minute period, Klein's records show. A typical dose is 50 milligrams, Waldman said.

On cross-examination, a prosecutor implied that Waldman's testimony was irrelevant to the manslaughter case before the jury. "You understand there is no Demerol in the toxicology findings" from Jackson's autopsy, said Deputy Dist. Atty. David Walgren.

"Correct," Waldman replied.

The case is expected to go to the jury next week. If convicted, Murray, 58, faces a maximum of four years in prison.


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Expert says Murray's conduct not justified

LOS ANGELES, Oct. 28 (UPI) -- A U.S. medical expert testifying in the trial of Michael Jackson's personal doctor said he can't justify Dr. Conrad Murray's treatment of the pop star.

A defense attorney Thursday began his questioning of Dr. Paul White by dealing with what he called "the elephant in the room."

"Conrad Murray has been accused of infusing a dose of propofol and leaving his patient. Can you justify that?" the attorney asked White. "Absolutely not," White replied.

The Los Angeles Times said the testimony suggests Murray's attorneys plan to concede the doctor provided substandard care to Jackson but argue the conduct did not constitute involuntary manslaughter.

Murray faces up to four years in prison if convicted of involuntary manslaughter in Jackson's death.
GALLERY: Dr. Conrad Murray's trial in Michael Jackson's death.

White's testimony is expected to to counter the prosecution's key witness, Dr. Steven Shafer, who said Jackson died from an overdose of the surgical anesthetic administered by Murray, the newspaper said Friday.
An addiction specialist, Dr. Robert Waldman, testified Thursday that Jackson was likely addicted to Demerol provided by his dermatologist.

The defense has alleged that Jackson's insomnia was related to his withdrawal from the painkiller and that he self-administered the fatal dose of propofol in a desperate effort to get some rest.

The case is expected to go to the jury next week.

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Witness says Jackson doctor's actions can't be justified
The defense questioning of its expert, a propofol researcher, suggests lawyers will concede that Dr. Conrad Murray's care was substandard but argue that it did not constitute involuntary manslaughter.


By Harriet Ryan and Victoria Kim, Los Angeles Times
October 28, 2011
The star medical expert for Michael Jackson's physician began his testimony Thursday with the acknowledgment that not even he could explain the doctor's treatment of the pop star.

"Let's deal with the elephant in the room here," a defense attorney said to Dr. Paul White, the most important and probably final witness for the physician. "Conrad Murray has been accused of infusing a dose of propofol and leaving his patient. Can you justify that?"

"Absolutely not," White replied.

The exchange was a strong indication the defense planned to concede that Murray provided substandard care to Jackson but argue that his conduct did not rise to the level of involuntary manslaughter.

Exactly how White would advance the defense case was unclear in his initial two hours of testimony, a period he spent mostly laying out his academic credentials and familiarity with propofol. Some of his responses suggested he would provide a counter-theory to the damaging conclusions of the prosecution's central expert witness, White's longtime friend and fellow anesthesiology researcher Steven Shafer.

In five days of testimony ending this week, Shafer told jurors the singer died from a massive intravenous dose of propofol that an inattentive Murray allowed to continue even after Jackson stopped breathing.

In his testimony, White said there were problems with the math models Shafer presented to bolster his claims. Those graphs, White said, might show how the general population would respond to a drug, but "the challenge is using models to predict levels in a specific or particular individual."

White also seemed to offer some support for Murray's use of propofol for Jackson's insomnia, something three prosecution experts have condemned. He said off-label drug use by physicians is common and legal and described a recent Chinese study of propofol as an insomnia treatment as flawed but "very interesting." Shafer had rejected the same study.

The stakes of the two experts' testimony became apparent last week when White was accused of calling Shafer, who had criticized his analysis, a "scumbag." White denied the allegation, but the judge set a November hearing for possible contempt-of-court charges.

Shafer was not present for his colleague's testimony, but he was mentioned so frequently that the judge and a defense attorney repeatedly referred to White by Shafer's name.

"I should get a name tag," White joked.

White was one of the first American researchers to test propofol, and his clinical trials in the 1980s paved the way for the drug's FDA approval. He told jurors that when the defense approached him earlier this year, he was hesitant.

"I really wasn't sure I wanted to get involved in a high-profile celebrity case involving the death of an icon," White said.

Before White took the stand, an addiction specialist testified that Jackson was "probably" addicted to Demerol provided by his dermatologist.

Dr. Robert Waldman, who works at a Malibu rehabilitation center, said medical records indicated that the dermatologist, Arnold Klein, injected the singer with increasingly large doses of the painkiller during office visits for Botox and another wrinkle remover.

"I believe there's evidence he was dependent on Demerol," Waldman said.

He said that factoring in "what's known about his public behavior" -- a reference, he said later, to media reports about the singer's past drug problems -- Jackson "was probably addicted to opioids."

The defense has sought to blame Klein for Jackson's insomnia. Withdrawal from the painkiller left him unable to sleep at a time when he needed rest for critical rehearsals and drove him to self-administer propofol, Murray's lawyers have said.

Waldman said he believed the cosmetic procedures Klein provided Jackson would not cause severe pain that necessitated Demerol. Jackson received as much as 375 milligrams of Demerol in a 90-minute period, Klein's records show. A typical dose is 50 milligrams, Waldman said.

On cross-examination, a prosecutor implied that Waldman's testimony was irrelevant to the manslaughter case before the jury. "You understand there is no Demerol in the toxicology findings" from Jackson's autopsy, said Deputy Dist. Atty. David Walgren.

"Correct," Waldman replied.

The case is expected to go to the jury next week. If convicted, Murray, 58, faces a maximum of four years in prison.


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Witness: Jackson gave himself fatal injection

LOS ANGELES — An anesthesia expert testifying for the doctor charged in Michael Jackson's death told jurors Friday he believes the pop superstar gave himself a fatal injection of an anesthetic.
Dr. Paul White said the self-injection theory is the only one supported by the physician's statement to police and by evidence found at Jackson's rented mansion.
White said he saw no evidence supporting the prosecution theory that Jackson's doctor was infusing the singer with propofol using an IV.

The researcher said the evidence recovered in Jackson's bedroom was more consistent with the singer receiving the powerful anesthetic through an injection.
Video: Witness suggests Jackson was addicted (on this page)
A prosecution expert had told jurors he believed Jackson's doctor used an IV drip of propofol and said that was the only way to explain the high levels of the drug found in the singer's body.
White noted there were no IV bags or lines found in Jackson's bedroom that showed propofol residue throughout the lines. He also said the levels of propofol found in Jackson's urine did not support the IV theory.

Jackson's doctor, Conrad Murray, has pleaded not guilty to involuntary manslaughter.
White's testimony was expected to end Murray's defense case after 16 witnesses. It likely will be vigorously challenged by prosecutors, who spent four weeks laying out their case that Murray is a greedy, inept and reckless doctor who was giving Jackson propofol as a sleep aid in the singer's bedroom.
Propofol is not intended as a sleep aid and, medical groups say, should be administered only in a hospital or surgical setting with advanced monitoring equipment.
Cross-examination of White has been delayed until Monday to give prosecutors more time to review a new analysis prepared by the defense based on recently conducted tests of samples taken during Jackson's autopsy.
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Video: Judge concerned about toll of trial on jury (on this page)
The judge hearing the case, which ends its fifth week Friday, reluctantly agreed to delay the cross examination and said he is concerned about losing jurors. Superior Court Judge Michael Pastor, however, noted the panel has remained rapt throughout the trial.
"Every single member of that jury and all the alternates are paying extraordinary attention to every witness," Pastor said.
White told jurors he saw no evidence that Murray left Jackson on an IV drip of propofol when he left the room and returned to find the singer unresponsive June 25, 2009.
White said the singer would have had to lie completely still to keep from disturbing the bottle under that scenario, and he has never heard of anyone using an IV saline bottle to suspend a bottle of propofol for a drip.
Slideshow: Michael Jackson's face over the years (on this page)
White noted all bottles of the drug come with a tab on the side, which can be used to hang them from an IV stand.
Defense attorney J. Michael Flanagan concluded his direct examination of White Friday morning, and the judge recessed the case until Monday.

White performed clinical studies of propofol for years before it was approved for usage by the Food and Drug Administration in 1989.
White initially was reluctant to become involved in the Jackson case. But he said after reading more than a dozen expert reports, he couldn't figure out how others came to the conclusion that Murray would have had to leave Jackson on a propofol IV drip for the singer to die with the anesthetic still coursing through his body.

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Michael Jackson death trial: The domino effect


Michael Jackson was likely addicted to a painkiller given by a dermatologist in the months before his death, according to a witness called by lawyers on October 27.
Attorneys for Conrad Murray are making a last-ditch bid to persuade jurors that Jackson’s doctor is not guilty of involuntary manslaughter over his 2009 death. Addiction specialist Robert Waldman testified that Jackson was probably addicted to the painkiller Demerol, prescribed by Beverly Hills skin doctor Arnold Klein, who Jackson saw several times a week before he died. “My opinion is that he was probably addicted to opioids,” said Waldman, noting that withdrawal symptoms from Demerol include insomnia — Jackson was suffering from sleeplessness when he died from an overdose of powerful sedatives.

The addiction expert was called to testify by Murray’s lawyer Ed Chernoff, who presented medical records subpoenaed from the office of Klein — who has been mentioned before in the five-week trial but was not called as a witness.
The records showed Jackson being treated with increasing doses of Demerol at sessions from April to June in 2009, to ease the pain when he was being given Botox and other similar wrinkle-busting injections.

The addiction specialist stressed the difference between drug addiction and dependency — addiction is a repetitive behavior, while dependency is a physical need for a substance.
On October 27, a nurse, who treated the singer recalled how he begged to be given a propofol drip two months before he died, saying medics had assured him it was safe. On October 26, a string of former patients of Murray praised his ‘caring’ attitude and denied that he was greedy for the $150,000 a month salary he was being paid by Jackson. Murray faces up to four years in jail if found guilty by the seven-man, five-woman jury.

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Expert - Jackson likely gave self fatal propofol shot

(Reuters) - Michael Jackson likely injected himself with a fatal dose of the anesthetic propofol after popping an extra eight sedatives without his doctor's knowledge, a Los Angeles court heard on Friday.

Dr. Paul White, the last defence witness in the involuntary manslaughter trial of the singer's physician, Dr. Conrad Murray, said that self-administration was the most likely scenario to explain levels of propofol and lorazepam found in Jackson's system after his death on June 25, 2009.

White said that based on the amount of propofol found in Jackson's urine, he believed the pop star gave himself a further injection of propofol about one hour after Murray has admitted injecting the 50 year-old singer with a relatively small 25 milligram dose of the drug as a sleep aid.

"With the administration of the additional 25 milligrams that we're speculating was self-injected by Mr. Jackson, the level increases rapidly and at the time of death would be almost identical to the level found in the urine at autopsy," White told jurors.

Using a mathematical model, White also said Jackson could have swallowed eight lorazepam tablets earlier in the night as he struggled with sleeplessness, bringing the amount of the sedative found in his blood to that seen at autopsy.

"The combination effect is potentially profound," White said of the two drugs.

Authorities have ruled Jackson died of an overdose of propofol, with lorazepam playing a contributing role.

A rival expert testified for the prosecution last week that he believed Jackson died after Murray left him on an intravenous drip of propofol for a number of hours.

But White said there was no physical evidence at the scene to support the prosecution scenario. It also did not reconcile with Murray's statements about the amount of drugs he gave Jackson that night, White said.

Prosecution experts will cross examine White on Monday as the five-week trial enters its closing stages.

White on Friday questioned the mathematical modelling prepared by prosecution expert Dr. Steven Shafer to support the intravenous propofol drip theory.

In order to reach the blood level of propofol found at autopsy, Jackson would have had to stop breathing right as the last drops fell from a 1,000 milligram bottle of propofol given with an IV drip, White said.

White called Shafer's hypothesis an "incredible coincidence of circumstances."

Murray denies involuntary manslaughter but could face up to four years prison if convicted. His attorneys said earlier this week he will not testify in his own defence.

Murray told police he had been trying to wean Jackson off his dependence on propofol. But he claimed the singer begged him for the drug the day he died.

Prosecution witnesses have also testified that Murray delayed calling emergency services, failed to tell ambulance and hospital staff about the propofol, and say he should never have been giving Jackson the drug for insomnia at all.


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Michael Jackson likely caused his own death, witness testifies

A leading anesthesiologist on Friday told jurors in the trial of Michael Jackson’s personal physician that the singer probably caused his own death by injecting himself with a dose of the drug while his doctor wasn’t looking.

In his testimony, defense expert Paul White directly challenged the theory put forth by the government’s main medical witness, Dr. Steven Shafer. The prosecution expert testified that the only plausible scenario was that Dr. Conrad Murray had left a large intravenous drip of the anesthetic propofol running into the singer’s bloodstreams for three hours, even after he stopped breathing.

On Friday, White said Shafer’s theory was ruled out by the level of the drug found in Jackson’s urine at autopsy. Given the urine levels and evidence at the scene, the more likely explanation was that the singer gave himself the drug, said White, one of the first U.S. researchers to study the drug.

Witnesses: Who's who in the trial of Dr. Conrad Murray

“You think it was self-injection of propofol ... between 11:30 and 12 o’clock?” defense attorney Michael Flanagan asked.

“In my opinion, yes,” White said.

White’s statement is the first evidence the defense has put forward to support a theory they’ve argued all along: that it was Jackson, not Murray, who administered the lethal dose of propofol that killed the pop star. Shafer testified that blood levels of the drug found at autopsy did not support self-injection -- something he said was a “crazy scenario.”

White offered no defense to what several medical experts called by prosecutors have told jurors -- that even if Jackson gave himself the drug, Murray was still responsible for the singer’s death for leaving him unattended. At the beginning of his testimony Thursday, he acknowledged he could not explain away Murray’s conduct.

The concession suggested Murray’s defense planned on admitting the doctor made missteps, but that he did not directly cause his famous patient’s death.
The anesthesiologist’s testimony also supported a second defense contention: that the singer swallowed several tablets the sedative lorazepam. That drug, combined with the propofol they say Jackson gave himself, caused a “perfect storm” that killed the star instantly, they have told jurors.

“The fact that there is even a tiny amount of free lorazepam [in Jackson’s stomach] is consistent with the theory that he took lorazepam orally,” White said.

Flanagan asked if the drugs Murray admitted to giving Jackson in his police interview -- small injections of two sedatives followed by a half dose of propofol -- could have caused the singer’s death.

“Would this present a dangerous situation here?” the attorney asked.

“Not at all,” White said.

White, the defense’s final witness, is expected to resume his testimony Monday at the downtown Los Angeles courthouse, where he will be cross-examined by a prosecutor. Murray, 58, faces up to four years in prison if convicted of the involuntary manslaughter charge; he has pleaded not guilty.


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