Portrayal of Michael Jackson in Final Days Could Decide Fate of Conrad Murray
Pictures, videos, and recordings portraying the late "King of Pop," Michael Jackson's final days, could be what finally sways jurors in the death trial to determine the fate of Dr. Conrad Murray.
On Tuesday Sep. 27, the case began and the panel of jurors was presented with two sides to Jackson – the fragile, possibly drug dependent performer who was succumbed by his own devices, or the vibrant and excited full of life entertainer who was ready to make a comeback.
First the prosecutors presented jurors with a picture of the lifeless body of Jackson laying on a gurney in the hospital hours after his death.
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Later on, a four minute video of Jackson during his final rehearsal of two songs played through the courtroom showing a full of life entertainer.
The prosecuting attorney, David Walgren, played a clip of a recorded conversation between Jackson and Dr. Murray stunning the courtroom with the almost incoherent and unrecognizable voice of Jackson describing what he wanted with his shows.
"We have to be phenomenal...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," an almost drone-like Jackson said in a recording retrieved from Murray's phone.
While the defense did not provide any evidence as convicting as the prosecution, they spoke of a Jackson that was dependent on drugs to aid him in sleeping and stress–ultimately overdosing himself.
"Michael Jackson started begging," Murray's attorney Ed Chernoff said. "I have to sleep. They will cancel my performance."
The accused, Jackson’s doctor, Conrad Murray, was said to have given Michael Jackson a fatal dose of Propofol. But the defense is proposing Murray was trying to wean him off the drug before Jackson ingested the drug when Murray left the room.
Jackson had first so much Lorazepam (sedative drug) in his system that it could have put six people to sleep. When he proceeded to then take the Propofol, he died before he could shut his eyes.
It was a "perfect storm" of medications, said Chernoff.
