Murray's Lawyer on GMA

'GMA' Exclusive: Conrad Murray's Lawyer Speaks Out
Ed Chernoff: Cops Rushed to Blame, Reports Conrad Murray Delayed 911 Call a 'Bold-Faced Lie'

By MIKE VON FREMD and LEE FERRAN

April 6, 2010 —

The attorney for Michael Jackson's doctor, Conrad Murray, today aggressively contested media reports -- based on a leaked witness report -- that Murray attempted to hide evidence and delayed calling 911 as Jackson lay dying and said investigators rushed to implicate Murray in the star's death.

"It's just a bold-faced lie," Ed Chernoff said in an exclusive interview with "Good Morning America" that aired today. "[The] doctor called 911 as soon as he could& Let me just say, unequivocally, he did not  he was not cleaning up any bottles& The scene was not consistent with anyone trying to clean something up."

Chernoff said Murray did not immediately call 911 because there was no house phone in the room where Jackson was and he could not leave his patient to make the call.

Murray stands accused of administering the lethal dose of a powerful sedative that killed the pop superstar. He pleaded not guilty to manslaughter in February.

Chernoff said his client isn't responsible for the star's death, and that police rushed to blame someone.

"Let's say that this extremely famous, worldwide personality like Michael Jackson was found dead under unusual circumstances such as this. And the police came out and said, 'We've investigated and we just, we can't really put the blame on anybody at this point.' What do you think would happen then?" Chernoff said. "I think there was a tremendous amount of pressure to find somebody to blame. I think that was Dr. Murray& I think, my personal opinion, a conclusion was made and the investigation was conducted in order to back it up."

The Los Angeles Police Department had no comment to Chernoff's claim that police bowed to public pressure and blamed Conrad and said their investigation is continuing.

Murray appeared in court Monday for a preliminary hearing in which a California judge could have stripped him of his license to practice medicine, but did not.

"Well I mean the doctor had a good day," Chernoff said. "I think that was stressing him out more than anything else, was his ability to keep going, taking care of patients..."

Murray told investigators he gave Jackson the drugs Propofol, Lidocaine, Ativan and Versed during the early hours of June 25, 2009, according to an unsealed affidavit.

He also told detectives that he left the room after he gave Jackson a final dose of Propofol, before he returned to the room to find that Jackson had stopped breathing, according to the affidavit. Jackson was pronounced dead later that day at UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles.

Chernoff did not offer an alternative chain of events, but said such a scenario doesn't equate to responsibility.

"If the prosecution's theory is that Dr. Murray injected a bunch of drugs into Michael Jackson, walked out of the room and he died as a result, that's absolutely false," he said. "Dr. Murray is not guilty of causing the death of Michael Jackson. Period."

Chernoff: Dr. Murray Is Not the Underdog

Chernoff said Murray could not have been aware of everything Jackson was doing on his own over the months he was treating the star.

"Dr. Murray is just now learning what he was -- what he may have been doing," Chernoff said. "Dr. Murray cannot tell you what Michael Jackson was doing in the background. I reckon he had plenty of time to do things."

In an exclusive interview with ABC News, Michael Jackson's sister, Janet Jackson, placed blame for her brother's death squarely on Conrad's shoulders.

"He was the one that was administrating," Janet Jackson said in November. "I think he is responsible."

After saying Murray's financial troubles could impact his case as far as the use of expert witnesses and specialists and citing the deluge of negative publicity his client's received, Chernoff said he still does not feel like the underdog in the case.

"We walk into the courtroom and people are yelling, calling him a murderer. They don't know anything about the facts," Chernoff said. "If we get a fair jury -- people in there who are not preconditioned, who do not have a preconceived notion about guilt, and Dr. Murray will walk out. Because he's not guilty."

A manslaughter conviction in California caries a potential sentence of two to four years in prison.

ABC News' Zunaira Zaki contributed to this report.

Copyright © 2010 ABC News Internet Ventures

SOURCE: http://abcnews.go.com/print?id=10294040

StephluvsMJ said:

Chernoff said Murray could not have been aware of everything Jackson was doing on his own over the months he was treating the star.

"Dr. Murray is just now learning what he was -- what he may have been doing," Chernoff said. "Dr. Murray cannot tell you what Michael Jackson was doing in the background. I reckon he had plenty of time to do things."

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now doesn't this sound like what TMZ was reporting all along?
Doesn't he trying to say that Michael did somethings that might had an affect on his death?

this is the video for the news.

http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/video/cas...&clipId=10296956&playlistId=-1&cid=siteplayer

My message to Chernoff: "If you really believe your client's innocence why don't you hired the best PIs money can buy to go after the real culprits. If you'd bother researching different investigative MJ forums, it could help."

Isn't it the best defence Chernoff could get for his client? To show enough evidence why Murray was the pawn in this larger plot with Tohme Tohme (who'd been fired by Michael), Sony (who MJ was feuding with for years), AEG, Colony Capital. Instead of bringing down MJ in the eyes of the jury by painting him out as a drug addict, IMO, it'd be easier to make them believe Murray was used and tricked.

I'd be way too partial to be chosen for jury but I'd tend to believe more into the evil manipulative world of conglomerates than Michael Jackson was a drug addict and did this to himself theory. :fortuneteller:

Wth? I'm at school, I can't comment further, but that about sums up my reaction to this whole interview. I sware, I hate his Lawyer nearly as much as I hate him.

it makes me want to scream. i am this close to quoting every angry song MJ has.

Aaaaaaagggrrrrrr.

:bugeyed

:doh: No comments.............

:fortuneteller:

Oh God :bugeyed:doh:

I wonder how defence attorneys defend someone that is guilty of a crime. I'm not specifically talking about Murray here. Generally speaking, how could they do it? How could they sleep knowing they've helped a murderer? Or a rapist? So far there's so much evidence pointing to Murray's guilt. I can't understand how he thinks he's innocent. The man is not being charged with murder, he's being charged with involuntary manslaughter. Meaning he killed a man, but it was an accident and it wasn't intentional. But he did kill a man. If I'm wrong about that, and something comes out in the trial that says Michael died from something else, then I'll be more than happy to take back what I said. So far these theories they have come up with about Michael doing it to himself doesn't seem scientifically possible. Someone, Murray or anyone, HAD to administer the drug. If it wasn't Murray, then I can understand why they are saying he's innocent. But if it was him that administered the drug, then no stories of interventions, or conspiracy, or AEG or Sony or freaking coca-cola is going to get him off. If he did administer the drug that killed Michael, then he is GUILTY. The trial isn't about whether he came up with a plan to murder Michael Jackson. The trial is about one thing: WHO killed Michael Jackson. If he did it, then he's the one who has to take responsibility. He's trying to blame everyone but him and that is hella frustrating. Just face the music, Murray.

(If this above doesn't make sense, I'm sorry. Just thinking out loud here)

All of this is being done in an effort to influence/taint the jury pool.

People go into that courtroom with the notion that Michael brought this on himself and the good-hearted doctor was caught up in this frightening situation. Oh poor, poor Dr Murray.

That's all that this is about.

Unfortunately the prosecution does not have the same luxury.

So Michael's family needs to get their act together and counteract this ish. Although ...

He expects us to believe this? Murray had a cell phone he could have used and michael would not inject himself, it would defeat the purpose of having a doctor there. They are spewing lies and digging a deeper hole for themselves.

unequivocally, he did not  he was not cleaning up any bottles& The scene was not consistent with anyone trying to clean something up."

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so how did they end up in that bag in another room/closet. the tooth fairy

Chernoff said Murray did not immediately call 911 because there was no house phone in the room where Jackson was and he could not leave his patient to make the call.

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LOL but he spent over an hour on his mobile making phonecalls from 11.15-12.05. keep talking chernoff. u are an idiot also wasnt there a phone on the bed side table in the pics shown of the bedroom. man this lawyer is thicker than sneddon

Good point Elusive. He had access to a phone by his own admission. He is not very quick on the uptake.

He had access to a phone by his own admission

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well remember murray never told the police about the phonecalls he made. they only found out about them by the phone records. so i guess chernoff thinks the police never got his records or hes forgotten about that part of the story. thats the problem when u lie so much u get the lies mixed up

How wacked is that? No phones working in the house to call 911. But Murray could call whoever else he wanted to while Michael was on his way out? No way. The Dr. should have been keeping an eye on Michael as he was supposed to instead of wandering off to make phone calls. And it's a known fact that he was on a phone of some sort in that house. So that's still no exit out of this mess. If Murray wasn't guilty, why has the story changed so many times in the last 9 months? And Murray's lawyer can shut his trap about having a biased and pre-conditioned jury too. Most people in the public think Michael was to blame for his own death just like they think he was to blame for everything that went wrong for him during his lifetime. If anybody's being used as a scapegoat, it's Michael and not Murray. Why is Murray, for all his required field smarts, being coddled and fawned over like a mindless, zombie-type twit who didn't know any better when he admitted to giving Michael that Propofol? It doesn't make sense. I swear. If this was anybody that had died with Murray as their doctor other than Michael, nobody would care about Murray's excuses. He'd be in jail so fast, he would be dizzy.

Another thing, why is that lawyer allowed to talk to the media and influence potential jurors anyway when the legal process is still ongoing? They need to put a gag order on this business quick.

yes, I've been thinking what would Murray's lawyers find to defend him, I really can't come up with anything.

The point is, the problem was not even who adminstered propofol, since Murray admitted to giving propofol, or how many gallons of coke MJ supposedly drank in one day : the point is lack of monitoring while MJ was under propofol.

The coroner report did not mention a lethal dose of propofol, it says an amount of propofol corresponding to a general anaesthesia.
How many people in good health die during a general anaesthesia ?

How can you monitor someone and not notice he is injecting himself ????


EDIT :

what Chernoff says in the media just doesn't make sense to me. Either he's going to come up with something entirely different during the trial, or they have no defense at all, and it's just PR to put the blame on Michael, and switch the topic from incredible negligence to the drug addict story, or whatever.

I wish the media knew the facts and shut him up....

Kingofpop4ever3000 said:

Another thing, why is that lawyer allowed to talk to the media and influence potential jurors anyway when the legal process is still ongoing? They need to put a gag order on this business quick.

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I agree with this.

I still cant belive this is happening ....... I shouln't have watched this today.
Seeing Murrays face in the vid made me wanna uke:

Why are they giving all this treatment to them with no seeming reguard to the other evidence around them????

Ahhhgggg - this just brings back horrible memories and is a stabbing reminder of what we are all going through.

The media have no soul - they sold it years ago.

yes definitely, they have no soul.... it's just crazy, and shows such a disrespect for human life. I hope that the trial will set the record straight.
Right now it sounds like the doctor can do anything, as long as it is Michael Jackson.
It's so frustrating.

Prosecution are gonna have on hell of an argument.

Wait and see.

It was evident to me from the get go that Michael would be the one blamed by the Defense as its their only option! In every report after this happened, all you could hear is 'Dr. Murray did'nt give Michael Jackson anything that should've killed him!" And for them to be going on like they do not want to attack Michael as he and Dr. Murray were friends, but that they have to defend the doctor at all cost is ridiculous!

Kingofpop4ever3000 said:

Another thing, why is that lawyer allowed to talk to the media and influence potential jurors anyway when the legal process is still ongoing? They need to put a gag order on this business quick.

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Yep, that was my first thought when they were showing him wagging his tongue on the tv this morning here... :doh: :doh: :doh:

If the newly appointed judge is as good and thorough as his reputation that follows him says........ he'll slap a gag order on everyone at the next hearing. Of course.... that gives Murray's people a whole whopping TWO MONTHS to court public opinion any way they want. :mello:

^^^ I agree. All they need is create reasonable doubt and Murray walks.

Thread cleaned. Do not bring Janet into this. This is not about her, its about the GMA interview. Stop with the unecessary digs at Janet.

It was evident to me from the get go that Michael would be the one blamed by the Defense as its their only option! In every report after this happened, all you could hear is 'Dr. Murray did'nt give Michael Jackson anything that should've killed him!"

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exactly. let chernoff keep talking .the D.A is sat there listening and finding out what the defence is gonna be

Haven't seen the interview nor do I want to. Can't stand looking at their smug faces. Justice will come eventually, we just need to be patient.

ExoticPrincess said:

It was evident to me from the get go that Michael would be the one blamed by the Defense as its their only option! In every report after this happened, all you could hear is 'Dr. Murray did'nt give Michael Jackson anything that should've killed him!" And for them to be going on like they do not want to attack Michael as he and Dr. Murray were friends, but that they have to defend the doctor at all cost is ridiculous!

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well ok..I will follow the their lead..if Murray didn't give Michael anything that should of killed him them WHO did?...Who else was in that room with Murray? They better NOT say Michael....it has been proven by the autopsy report that it COULD NOT of been done by Michael. But of course Murray's team is going to argue with what is written in the report. Sorry buddy...that is a legal document!! The coroner has NO reason to lie.

Murray didn't give Michael anything that should have killed him, eh? Pffffft. Please. Was Murray really that dippy and stupid that he couldn't research the effects of Propofol for himself let alone know that giving Michael all that other stuff one medicine on top of the next over eleven or so hours was bound to cause a problem? Besides that, If Michael was giving Murray a hard time about the Propofol since he loves to say he was pushed, He should have quit or allowed himself to be fired and walked out rather than give Michael anything. So the "I couldn't help giving Michael this" ploy ain't letting Murray out either IMO. Last time I checked, doctors are supposed to know better than their patients. What did this man go to med school for? If any other doctor did things like this and a ordinary citizen had died as a result, people would be yelling for the doctor to be tarred, feathered and run out of the country at the very least. But Murray takes leave of his ethical senses and we're being told to excuse what he did and kiss his butt come heck or high water just because his client was Michael Jackson. Geez. Give me a break! Murray is a fully grown so-called medical professional who's obvious negligence and money-hunger resulted in someone's death. And to see most people treating Murray as if he's not supposed to have any more sense than a five year-old is absolutely disgusting. Period.

WHY ISNT THERE A GAG ORDER?

During MJs trial nobody was allowed to say a thing. Heck Leno couldnt even tell jokes on his show and we have Chernoff on TV influencing a potential jury?

Chernoff's words were identical to Mesereau's words in 2005, "I tend to win...and I intend to win this time".

xthunderx2 said:

well ok..I will follow the their lead..if Murray didn't give Michael anything that should of killed him them WHO did?...Who else was in that room with Murray? They better NOT say Michael....it has been proven by the autopsy report that it COULD NOT of been done by Michael. But of course Murray's team is going to argue with what is written in the report. Sorry buddy...that is a legal document!! The coroner has NO reason to lie.

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well, technically, Murray did not give anything that should have killed Michael. The coroner's report doesn't say there was a lethal dose.

It's the way it was done, without proper monitoring and ressucitation equipment.

According to the coroners report, what happened -respiratory depression- is a known side effect of propofol, and the risk was made worse by another drug. Respiratory depression should have been noticed immediately, and dealt with. It should not have led to a full cardiac arrest.

It was not, and according to the coroner's report, the proper equipment was not found, or partially found in a bag, that was in a closet in another room, and that was found after Murray talked to the police.

So, yes, technically Murray did not give anything lethal to Michael. No one did, not even Michael himself.

But, according to the search warrants, Murray admitted to giving both drugs, so who should have monitored Michael ?? Michael himself ???

I think Chernoff is doing PR, "blame it on the victim" as the article in another thread here, because he has no defense.
Maybe there is something that I really don't understand, I don't know, I just try and can't find a defense for Murray.