Nice article from the 'LA Examiner' (If I've got that right?)
http://www.examiner.com/city-buzz-in-los-angeles/dr-conrad-murray-s-insulting-defense
Hinting at how they intend to get Dr. Conrad Murray off the hook, his defense team continues to float trial balloons of how they’ll plant reasonable doubt in jurors’ minds. Dying from a Propfol overdose at age 50 June 25, 2009, pop singer icon Michael Jackson was on the threshold of restarting his brilliant career, winning him more Grammies, platinum albums and praise from a worldwide audience. When he hired 57-year-old Trinidad-Tobago-born physician Dr. Conrad Murray in May 2009 for $150,000 a month, he thought he was in good hands. Preparing for a 50-concert British Tour, Jackson had just finished a powerful dress rehearsal at Los Angeles’ Staples Center the night before he was found dead in the morning of June 25. Murray treated Jackson’s insomnia by administering Propofol, a common short-acting anesthetic used by qualified anesthesiologists in certified operating rooms.
Murray set up an intravenous drip in Jackson’s bedroom, administering various doses of Propfol to keep Jackson asleep, without proper training or monitoring equipment. Never before had Propofol been used to treat insomnia. Only Murray’s distorted thinking and poor judgment created such a high-risk procedure, acceptable to no one but him. When his patient died from his gross negligence and incompetence, he scrambled to cover his tracks, fleeing from the crime scene, until the Los Angeles Police Department tracked him down. Now facing trial for felony involuntary manslaughter, Conrad put the blame on Jackson, not on himself. When Michael finished hours of grueling dress rehearsals, no one questioned his fitness. Only after Murray overdosed Jackson does his he want to blame the mishap on Jackson’s failing health and history of drug abuse.
Showing their cards, Murray’s lawyers seek to blame Jackson’s death on (a) his failing health and (b) on a voluntary self-administered Propofol overdose. Consistent with Los Angeles County Coroner Feb. 8, 2011 findings, the Murray’s defense claims Jackson had Profofol in his stomach, signaling the pop singer drank Propfol from a bottle without the doctor’s knowledge. Murray pleaded not guilty Jan. 25, 2011 to involuntary manslaughter charges, despite Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Michael Pastor’s finding that there was sufficient evidence to proceed to trial. Murray told police that Jackson “craved” Propofol, referring to the drug as his “milk,” something related to the drug’s milky appearance. Traces of Propofol in Jackson’s digestive tract doesn’t automatically mean the pop singer swallowed it himself or, for that matter, that Murray is off the hook.
Murray’s self-concocted insomnia machine, hooking Jackson up to an IV and administering Propofol without any medical precedent or proper training, constitutes gross negligence, warranting the more severe charge of voluntary manslaughter or even second degree murder. Regardless of Murray’s intent, acts of gross negligence that result in the death of innocent patients warrant more that involuntary manslaughter. Given the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s decision to try Murray for involuntary manslaughter, there’s plenty of evidence for conviction. Murray’s defense team hopes to hang the jury with enough “reasonable doubt” with respect to the coroner’s findings. When Jurors hear testimony from medical experts at how utterly outrageous Murray’s Propofol insomnia treatments crossed the medical line to gross negligence, trace amounts in Jackson’s stomach won’t matter.
Whether the coroner found trace elements of Propofol in Jackson’s stomach has nothing to do with gross negligence by treating insomnia with fast-acting anesthesia. Murray had no business giving Jackson Propofol or creating a dangerous, untested treatment that resulted in Jackson’s death. He can’t argue with a straight face that Jackson killed himself when he engaged in such gross negligence, no matter how well intentioned, or, for that matter, whether Jackson asked or begged for the treatment. No responsible physician gives a patient dangerous treatment simply because of patients’ demands. “Jackson could have swallowed Propofol,” said anesthesiologist Dr. Barry Friedberg,” signaling at Murray’s defense. Whether Jackson “self-ingested” Propofol or not doesn’t excuse Murray from engaging in the egregious gross negligence that caused Jackson’s death.
When Murray found Jackson lifeless in the morning of June 25, 2009, he did everything in his power to cover-up the crime scene, dispose of evidence and escape police questioning. Now that he’s about to stand trial for involuntary manslaughter, his defense team led by Atty. Ed Chernoff seeks any way to find reasonable doubt. “I’m curious as to how ‘safe’ Dr. Friedberg thinks a doctor must be to prevent a patient from injecting himself or drinking as drug when he leaves the room,” asked Chernoff rhetorically, floating too much info before trial. Chernoff must convince a jury that Murray—without proper training, equipment or medical precedent—did not engage in gross negligence, administering Propofol for Jackson’s insomnia. Diverting jurors’ attention on what the coroner found in Jackson’s stomach doesn’t excuse Murray’s gross negligence and guilt.
Continue reading on Examiner.com: Dr. Conrad Murray's Insulting Defense - Los Angeles City Buzz | Examiner.com
http://www.examiner.com/city-buzz-in-los-angeles/dr-conrad-murray-s-insulting-defense#ixzz1DVXtApvg
