Murray Trial - All media reports/articles - Merged - No discussion

Fatal pill dose ‘not taken by Jackson’


By PETE SAMSON, US Editor
Published: Today





NEW tests on the contents of Michael Jackson's stomach show he did not cause his own death by popping sedatives, prosecutors claimed yesterday.

The star's doctor Conrad Murray claims that ***** died after swallowing lorazepam pills and injecting himself with propofol without the medic's knowledge.

Initial tests commissioned by the doctor's legal team found high levels of lorazepam in the singer's stomach.

But new tests requested last week showed the earlier findings "artificially inflated" the amount of the drug found. Actual levels were much lower due to the way it breaks down in the body, prosecutors said yesterday.

And they said the new results are "totally inconsistent with the oral consumption of lorazepam".

They made their claim during a conference in open court between lawyers and judge Michael Pastor. The jury was not present, as the trial was not sitting.

Murray, 58, is accused of killing the singer, 50, by administering a lethal dose of anaesthetic propofol in June 2009. He denies manslaughter. The LA trial continues today.
http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepag...294/Fatal-pill-dose-not-taken-by-Jackson.html
 
October 18, 2011
Why Dr. Conrad Murray shouldn't take the stand
Posted: 12:14 PM ET
Commentary by James Walker, a criminal defense attorney based in Atlanta – Special to In Session

As Dr. Conrad Murray's defense attorneys prepare to present their case and plea for his innocence, the question begs: Should Dr. Murray take the stand and testify?
The short answer: NO!

First, the obvious reason: He doesn't help himself when he opens his mouth. If you recall, Dr. Murray chose to release a self-serving video prior to this trial to exonerate himself or "explain" some things. However, it was clear he is not a good or convincing speaker.
It would only get worse on the stand when you have a prosecutor cross-examine Dr. Murray with the glaring media coverage and 12 jurors hanging on to every syllable he enunciates for what could be two to three days of testimony.

Secondly, as a criminal defense attorney, you generally do not have your client take the stand unless you have a strong feeling that the prosecution did a great job in its case-in-chief and something was said or done by a witness that makes it immediately necessary that a defendant take the stand to counter that presentation.
But, even so, you also weigh the pros and cons of whether his taking the stand to defend himself is outweighed by the potential damage he could do to himself on cross examination along with other aspects of the prosecutor interrogating him for hours. Dr. Murray's approach, demeanor and style would not survive the state's seasoned veteran prosecutors.

Thirdly, he should not testify given the history of high profile defendants who testify and those who do not testify in relation to a jury verdict.

On one hand, you have the famous Bruno Richard Hauptmann case in 1935. Hauptmann took the stand in the first "trial of the Century" when he was charged with murder in the kidnapping of Charles Lindbergh's 18-month-old baby. Hauptmann's confusing testimony did not help him at all. It just gave the 700 media representatives covering the case the chance to review his every word. After the trial, Hauptmann declared his innocence right up until his execution in 1936.

On the other hand, you have the recent Casey Anthony murder trial in the death of her 2-year-old daughter Caylee. Anthony's case galvanized America for months and, in the end, she never took the stand and was acquitted of murder charges and only found guilty of lying to police - a much lesser offense.
And who can forget O.J. Simpson's famous murder trial in the 90s, where he was acquitted of killing his wife and her friend Ronald Goldman. The "Juice" never took the stand. The list goes on and on.

Dr. Murray has already faced a variety of mistresses and girlfriends, his bad credit and financial issues have been exposed and, some could argue, he's been pre-convicted by the media. Dr. Murray can't do anything positive to help his case by testifying.
Even though the prosecution did an excellent job in its presentation, the case is still not clear cut in terms of Dr. Murray's guilt and would most likely see a hung jury right now. So, if you are defense counsel, why put him on the stand to testify?

Complete courtroom coverage of the Conrad Murray trial airs live on HLN from gavel to gavel. It’s also on In Session on truTV from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. ET every weekday.

http://insession.blogs.cnn.com/2011...gn=Feed:+rss/cnn_insession+(Blog:+In+Session)
 
Re: Murray Trial_ All media reports/articles - Merged - No discussion September 30th

InSession In Session
Katherine Jackson tells @AlanDukeCNN that recent online reports alleging Prince Jackson, met with prosecutors about testifying is untrue.

Prince Jackson will not testify in Murray trial, grandmom says
By Alan Duke, CNN
October 18, 2011 -- Updated 2011 GMT (0411 HKT)

Los Angeles (CNN) -- With testimony on hold while Dr. Conrad Murray's lawyers study a new lab test that prosecutors plan to use against him, speculation about Michael Jackson's oldest son possibly testifying has increased.

But Katherine Jackson, the matriarch of the Jackson family, reconfirmed to CNN Tuesday that she is opposed to Prince Jackson being called as a witness and that there are no discussions going on with prosecutors about it.
The relevance of the 14-year-old's testimony in the involuntary manslaughter trial of his father's doctor increased last week after jurors heard Murray's police interview.
Prince disputed Murray's claim, given in his police interview, that the doctor comforted him and his siblings in the emergency room after they learned their father was dead, according to a Jackson family member who was with the children that day.
Prince Jackson told his family that Murray's account was not true, Trent Jackson, the nephew of Katherine and Joe Jackson, said Thursday.

Jackson family members were upset that jurors may sympathize with Murray because of perceived compassion for the children that day, Jackson told CNN.
"I hugged them all, gave comfort to Paris, comfort to Prince, comfort to Blanket, which is the last little guy, because whenever they were sick, they would always ask for Dr. Conrad," Murray told detectives two days after Jackson's death in 2009.
Prince, Paris and Blanket Jackson were initially kept in an SUV outside of the emergency room after they followed the ambulance carrying their father to the hospital, Trent Jackson said. Frank Dileo, who was Michael Jackson's manager, later escorted them inside after their grandmother arrived, according to Trent Jackson.
Murray never spoke to Michael Jackson's mother at the emergency room, contrary to his statement to police, Trent Jackson said.
While the truthfulness of Murray's interview is a major issue in the trial, it is not expected that Prince will be called to testify, the relative said. Katherine Jackson, who has custody of the children, is opposed to any of them being called as witnesses, he said.

Prosecutors are near a conclusion to their direct presentation in Murray's trial, but rebuttal witnesses could be called next week after the defense rests its case.

The maximum sentence Murray could get if convicted of involuntary manslaughter in Michael Jackson's death is four years, but a new California law could mean the doctor would never seen the inside of a state prison cell.
The law, intended to reduced state prison overcrowding, provides for most non-violent offenders with no prior record to be kept in county jails.
A four year sentence could become just two years if Murray is ordered to serve his time in the Los Angeles County jail, according to sheriff's spokeswoman Nicole Nishida. County inmates are given "one day served, one day credit."
The Los Angeles jail is under court order to reduce overcrowding, which means many non-violent first time offenders are allowed to serve the bulk of their time under supervised house arrest.
But there are "so many different possibilities" it is not possible to predict how much time, or where, Murray would serve his sentence if convicted, Nishida said.
The spokeswoman with the Los Angeles district attorney's office said she could not comment because of the gag order imposed by the judge in the Murray trial.
A conviction, however, would likely trigger the revocation of Murray's medical licenses in California, Texas and Nevada.

The trial has been put on hold at least until Wednesday to give the defense time to study new lab test results the prosecution contends show Jackson did not ingest a fatal overdose of sedatives.
Testimony was suspended last Thursday afternoon to allow the prosecution's anesthesiology expert to attend a medical convention, and again Monday because that witness's father died.
The trial, in its fourth week, is still expected to conclude with the start of jury deliberations next week.

The Los Angeles County coroner tested Jackson's stomach contents -- preserved from the autopsy -- for the level of the sedative lorazepam last Wednesday at the request of the prosecution, Deputy District Attorney David Walgren revealed at a hearing Monday.
The testing was ordered after Murray's defense contended that Jackson swallowed eight tablets of lorazepam, a sedative, in a desperate search for sleep the day he died.
The results show "a much smaller amount of lorazepam in the stomach that is totally inconsistent with oral consumption of lorazepam tablets," Walgren said.

The coroner ruled that Jackson's June 25, 2009, death was from "acute propofol intoxication" in combination with several sedatives, including lorazepam.

The defense complained that the coroner should have done the test two years ago, not during the trial.
"It's about the time," defense lawyer Ed Chernoff said. "It's about the fairness issue."

Dr. Steven Shafer, an anesthesiology expert, is crucial to the state's effort to prove Jackson's death was caused by Murray's gross negligence in using the surgical anesthetic propofol to help the pop icon sleep.

Shafer began testifying Thursday morning before the judge recessed for the weekend so he could travel to a medical convention. He never made it there because of the death in his family, Walgren said Friday.
Shafer, who is expected to give a detailed scientific explanation of how propofol is metabolized in the human body, will be on the witness stand for at least a day, according to Walgren.
Shafer's testimony is expected to echo the opinions of a sleep expert and a cardiologist who testified that Murray's treatment of Jackson was so grossly negligent that it was criminal.



http://edition.cnn.com/2011/10/18/justice/california-conrad-murray-trial/
 
Last edited:
October 18, 2011
That new toxicology report might actually help the defense
Posted: 03:48 PM ET

The defense team in the Conrad Murray trial is taking time today to study new lab test results the prosecution contends show Michael Jackson did not ingest a fatal overdose of sedatives.
The testing was ordered at the request of the prosecution after Murray's defense argued that Jackson swallowed eight tablets of the sedative lorazepam.
The results show "a much smaller amount of lorazepam in the stomach that is totally inconsistent with oral consumption of lorazepam tablets," Deputy District Attorney David Walgren revealed at a hearing Monday.

But on Monday night, one of Dr. Drew’s guests explained his surprising take.
"I am one of the few people that say the new evidence is beneficial to Conrad Murray," criminal defense attorney Mark Eiglarsh said. "Yeah, I said it. I'll tell you why. If this judge allows this to come in to evidence at this point in the trial, it almost guarantees Conrad Murray a free trial. This is coming back on appeal."
Eiglarsh went on to say that only in "cheesy courtroom television drama" can you have a trial by ambush.
"They have to give it before opening statements, so you don't have trial by ambush," he explained. "If it comes into evidence, you will hear [an] appellate court that will say 'ineffective counsel' for letting it in or say it should have been provided in discovery prior to the trial beginning."

However, Trent Copeland, who is also a criminal defense attorney, said that he didn't think it is a "trial by ambush."
"I think what will happen [is] they’ll make it an issue on appeal," Copeland said. "The fact is, they have to make it an issue that confuses the jury. The reality is that the defense had an opportunity to conduct their own tests, the prosecution conducted their own tests and now they have to fight it out in court over who believes their test is the most appropriate test."

Copeland later said that when the defense gave the opening statement, they were relying on what was available at the time and that it is fundamentally unfair.
"There are bends in the road in every trial," Copeland explained. "Issues come up that the judge, defense and prosecution have to get together and figure out, 'how are we going to confront this issue?' ...The reality is the defense has an opportunity [to] now to go back and do retesting if necessary or argue the science."

http://insession.blogs.cnn.com/2011...ology-report-might-actually-help-the-defense/
 
Re: Murray Trial_ All media reports/articles - Merged - No discussion September 30th

abc7MurrayTrial ABC7 Murray Trial
by MJJNews
Walgren indicated Dr. Shafer will be his last witness and he will recall Dan Anderson to talk about new Lorazepam test during rebuttal.

abc7MurrayTrial ABC7 Murray Trial
by MJJNews
Defense attorney Ed Chernoff asked judge for the day off on Thursday so he can prepare before putting his case on. Judge is not having it.


abc7MurrayTrial ABC7 Murray Trial
by MJJNews
Judge ordered defense and prosecution to meet and confer to figure out how they can proceed without wasting any time. #ConradMurraytrial

abc7MurrayTrial ABC7 Murray Trial
by MJJNews
Chernoff said defense will have 15 witnesses: 4 are character witnesses, including elderly patients of Dr. #Murray; Det. Meyers, Martinez


abc7MurrayTrial ABC7 Murray Trial
by MJJNews
After recess, Walgren told the judge defense presented a list of their witnesses and prosecution had no objection to being dark on Thursday

abc7MurrayTrial ABC7 Murray Trial
by MJJNews
Besides that, Walgren said Dr. Shafer's testimony might spill ove until Thursday, so he was fine with defense beginning their case only Fri.


abc7MurrayTrial ABC7 Murray Trial
by MJJNews
Walgren said defense expressed they would need the day off to prepare for their case and prosecution had no objection

abc7MurrayTrial ABC7 Murray Trial
by MJJNews
Judge said he believes all the attorneys are acting in good faith and he will follow the plan of hearing Dr. Shafer's testimony tomorrow.

abc7MurrayTrial ABC7 Murray Trial
by MJJNews
Attorneys and Dr. #ConradMurray are ordered to appear tomorrow at 8:30 am, jurors at 8:45 am for resumption of trial
 
Re: Murray Trial_ All media reports/articles - Merged - No discussion September 30th

[h=1]Conrad Murray's trial resumes after five-day break[/h]By Alan Duke, CNN
October 19, 2011 -- Updated 0755 GMT (1555 HKT)

Los Angeles (CNN) -- The trial of Conrad Murray resumes Wednesday with an anesthesiology expert who is likely the last witness before the prosecution rests its direct case.

Murray is on trial for involuntary manslaughter in the 2009 death of Michael Jackson.

He has pleaded not guilty.

Testimony was suspended last Thursday to enable his lawyers to study a new lab test and allow the prosecution's anesthesiology expert, Steven Shafer, to attend a medical convention.

It was delayed again after a death in the expert's family.

The judge indicated if Shafer's testimony is completed Wednesday, court would recess a day later to allow the defense to prepare before presenting its case Friday.

Prosecutors are nearing a conclusion to their direct presentation, but rebuttal witnesses could be called next week after the defense rests its case.

Prosecutors allege that Murray, who was Jackson's personal doctor as he prepared for planned comeback concerts, is criminally responsible for the singer's death because of medical negligence and his reckless use of propofol to help him sleep.

Murray faces a maximum sentence of four years if convicted of involuntary manslaughter, but a new California law could mean the doctor would never see the inside of a state prison cell.

The law, intended to reduce state prison overcrowding, provides for most nonviolent offenders with no prior record to be kept in county jails.

A four-year sentence could become two years if Murray is ordered to serve his time in the Los Angeles County jail, according to sheriff's spokeswoman Nicole Nishida.

The Los Angeles jail is under court order to reduce overcrowding, which means many nonviolent first time offenders are allowed to serve the bulk of their time under supervised house arrest.

A conviction, however, would likely trigger the revocation of Murray's medical licenses in California, Texas and Nevada.
The trial, in its fourth week, is still expected to conclude with the start of jury deliberations next week.

Shafer is crucial to the state's effort to prove Jackson's death was caused by the doctor's gross negligence in using the surgical anesthetic propofol to help the pop icon sleep.

http://edition.cnn.com/2011/10/19/j...ad-murray-trial/index.html?section=cnn_latest
 
Re: Murray Trial_ All media reports/articles - Merged - No discussion September 30th

Dr. Conrad Murray
Defense Calls MJ Doctor
It Could Backfire Bigtime

Dr. Conrad Murray's lawyers will call one of Michael Jackson's doctors to the stand, and our sources say it could blow up in their faces.

Dr. David Adams -- a Las Vegas anesthesiologist -- treated MJ on 4 occasions, administering Propofol during dental procedures.

Dr. Murray told cops during his LAPD interview that Dr. Adams was one of the docs who gave MJ Propofol just to sleep ... once putting the singer under for 5 or 6 hours while Murray says he was present.

http://tmz.vo.llnwd.net/o28/newsdesk/tmz_documents/1007_conrad_murray_transcript_middle.pdf
Murray also told cops MJ had asked Adams to be his doctor during the "This is It" tour, and Adams wanted between $1.2 and $1.3 million.

We're told the defense will call Dr. Adams to the stand -- possibly as early as today -- to establish that MJ was a hard-core Propofol user and that other doctors, including Adams, were fueling his addiction.

But here's what we know. Sources connected to Dr. Adams tell TMZ ... Adams will make it clear -- he NEVER put Michael under just to help him sleep, although Adams will say he did administer Propofol for legitimate dental procedures.

But even more important ... Adams wants to tell the jury he strongly believes Michael became a victim to Murray's financial greed. Adams will say Murray actually negotiated with him and cut him out of the tour so Murray would be the sole beneficiary of Michael's medical budget.
http://www.tmz.com/2011/10/18/dr-murray-michael-jackson-lawyers-witness-dr-david-adams-manslaughter/
 
Re: Murray Trial_ All media reports/articles - Merged - No discussion September 30th

Thank you @elusive

Testimony to resume in Jackson doctor's trial


render.htm

ANTHONY McCARTNEY
Published: Today

FILE - In this Oct. 13, 2011 file photo, Dr. Conrad Murray listens during his involuntary manslaughter trial in downtown Los Angeles. Murray's trial is expected to resume Wednesday morning after several days of delays due to a witness' schedule and to give time for the doctor's defense attorneys to review new medical testing. (AP Photo/Robyn Beck, Pool)
LOS ANGELES (AP) - The trial of the doctor charged in Michael Jackson's death will resume Wednesday after days of delay, with jurors hearing from a leading expert on the powerful anesthetic that authorities contend killed the King of Pop.

Dr. Steven Shafer's return to the stand on behalf of the prosecution comes after testimony was halted for three and a half court days. Time off was initially given to accommodate the Columbia University professor's schedule, but his father died and the delay was extended.
Shafer is the prosecution's final witness in its case against Dr. Conrad Murray, who has pleaded not guilty to involuntary manslaughter.

A judge canceled testimony Tuesday to give defense attorneys time to research new test results conducted by coroner's officials on the level of the sedative lorazepam in Jackson's body.
Murray's attorneys have claimed that lorazepam levels found in the singer's stomach contents suggested he may have taken several pills in the hours before his death without his doctor's knowledge.

Murray has admitted giving Jackson doses of propofol in the pop superstar's bedroom as a sleep aid. Murray's attorneys have said that the amount of propofol their client gave Jackson on the day of his June 2009 death was too small to cause the icon's sudden death at age 50.
Deputy District Attorney David Walgren said Monday that the new results from the coroner's office show that levels of lorazepam in Jackson's body were lower than the defense claimed and were inconsistent with the theory Murray's attorneys had presented to jurors.

Lead defense attorney Ed Chernoff said Tuesday that he was seeking additional testing from an independent lab to confirm or disprove the coroner's results, but that it would take several days for the defense to get the answers it needs.

Walgren agreed that he would not raise the issue of the new tests until after the defense team presents its case.

Murray's attorneys will begin calling witnesses Friday. They plan to call 15 witnesses, who will include police detectives, character witnesses and Randy Phillips, the head of AEG Live, the promoter of Jackson's planned series of comeback concerts.

Chernoff said many of the witnesses will be brief and the defense should rest its case by Wednesday.

Murray's attorneys are also going to call one of Shafer's colleagues, Dr. Paul White, as an expert to try to counter the prosecution's case.

Prosecution witnesses have repeatedly faulted Murray for his care of Jackson, noting that his use of propofol as a sleep aid was outside the drug's intended use. They have also faulted Murray for not calling 911 sooner, for botching resuscitation efforts and for lying to paramedics and emergency room doctors about the drugs he had given Jackson.

Two expert witnesses, cardiologist Dr. Alon Steinberg and sleep specialist Dr. Nader Kamangar, testified last week that Murray's actions were gross deviations from the standard of care.

Shafer briefly began his testimony Thursday and explained to jurors how he had crafted the warnings and guidelines included with each bottle of propofol - warnings that Walgren said in opening statements Murray had repeatedly ignored.

http://m.apnews.mobi/ap/db_6718/contentdetail.htm?contentguid=xBWZLHvr
 
Re: Murray Trial_ All media reports/articles - Merged - No discussion September 30th

Defense objects to prosecution's "terrifying dramatization"
Posted: 01:35 PM ET


The judge has ruled jurors will get to see parts of a video presentation, which shows a simulation of a cardiac/respiratory arrest while under propofol. Defense Attorney Ed Chernoff raised an objection to the exhibit this morning.

"Experiments have to apply to the specific facts of the case. This gives the jury the impression this is what occurred," Chernoff said. "It's extremely prejudicial. This particular video is not relevant and we ask that it not be made available to the jury."

Deputy District Attorney David Walgren said the video is intended to accompany the testimony of Dr. Steven Shafer when he testifies about the standard of care issues.

The silent video is 10-15 minutes long and is a step-by-step guide to how propofol is administered, how the patient is monitored during sedation and what procedures should be undertaken in the event of an emergency.

It's divided into different segments - enhanced by subtitles - and shows the equipment and preparation required in the administering and monitoring of propofol. The second segment demonstrates how propofol is placed in a syringe and inserted into an apparatus that calibrates the patient's weight and an infusion rate is set. The judge has ruled that these two segments are permissible.

This is followed by a segment on "Patient Assessment," which shows the different steps the physician takes to check the patient's vitals before he signs an "Informed Consent" document. This segment will also be showed in court.

The video then shows what defense attorneys find objectionable - a patient (actor) appears to experience an emergency. His airway becomes blocked and his mouth appears to fill with liquid and he needs to be suctioned. There is also a simulated cardiac arrest and what procedures follow in that situation. The judge will allow the cardiac arrest but will exclude the most graphic part of the video, where the patient needs to be suctioned.

http://insession.blogs.cnn.com/2011/10/19/defense-objects-to-prosecutions-terrifying-dramatization/
 
Prosecutors finishing up in trial of Jackson doctor; to show video of anesthesia process
By Associated Press, Updated: Wednesday, October 19, 7:20 PM

LOS ANGELES — The trial of the doctor charged in Michael Jackson’s death resumed Wednesday after days of delay, with jurors hearing from a leading expert on the powerful anesthetic propofol that authorities say killed the King of Pop.

Dr. Steven Shafer’s early testimony focused on his lengthy credentials, studies he has helped create, and his work crafting guidelines and warnings that are included with every bottle of propofol.

Shafer is expected to introduce a video demonstration that shows the proper procedures for administering propofol in a hospital setting, where the drug is supposed to be used.
Superior Court Judge Michael Pastor ruled that portions of the video, which depicts the setup of an operating room and what medical personnel are supposed to do if a patient’s heart stops, could be shown to jurors.
Before the video was played, Shafer told jurors he is not charging for his work on the Jackson case, in part because he wants to restore public confidence in the medication and doctors.
“I am asked every day in the operating room, ‘Are you going to give me the drug that killed Michael Jackson,’” Shafer said. “This is a fear that patients do not need to have.”

Shafer, who is a researcher and a practicing anesthesiologist, is the prosecution’s final witness in its case against Murray, who has pleaded not guilty to involuntary manslaughter. He used a bottle of propofol he brought to court to demonstrate how a syringe can be used to obtain the drug from its glass vial.

Pastor canceled testimony Tuesday to give defense attorneys time to research new test results conducted by coroner’s officials on the level of the sedative lorazepam in Jackson’s body.
Murray’s attorneys have claimed lorazepam levels in the singer’s stomach contents suggested he may have taken several pills without his doctor’s knowledge in the hours before his death.

Murray has acknowledged giving Jackson doses of propofol in the pop superstar’s bedroom as a sleep aid. However, his attorneys have said that the amount of propofol given to Jackson on the day he died was too small to cause his sudden death at age 50.

Deputy District Attorney David Walgren gas said the new results from the coroner’s office show that levels of lorazepam in Jackson’s body were lower than the defense claimed and were inconsistent with the theory that Murray’s attorneys had presented to jurors.

Lead defense attorney Ed Chernoff said he was seeking additional testing from an independent lab to confirm or disprove the coroner’s results, but it would take several days for the defense to get the answers it needs.
Walgren agreed that he would not raise the issue of the new tests until after the defense team presents its case.

Chernoff complained about the video on propofol procedures that will be shown to jurors. “This is a dramatization,” he said. “The information can be described.”
The video simulates an operating room environment and includes segments in which various medical and life-saving equipment present in the room are described in detail.
“This is designed to assist the jury to better understand the testimony of Dr. Shafer,” Walgren said.
Pastor said the video was highly relevant, but asked prosecutors to edit out certain portions before playing it in court.

Murray’s attorneys will begin calling witnesses Friday. They plan to call 15 witnesses, including police detectives, character witnesses and Randy Phillips, the head of AEG Live, the promoter of Jackson’s planned series of comeback concerts.
Chernoff said many of the witnesses will be brief and the defense should rest its case by Wednesday.
Murray’s attorneys are also going to call one of Shafer’s colleagues, Dr. Paul White, as an expert to try to counter the prosecution’s case.

Prosecution witnesses have repeatedly faulted Murray for his care of Jackson, noting that his use of propofol as a sleep aid was outside the drug’s intended use. They have also faulted Murray for not calling 911 sooner, for botching resuscitation efforts and for lying to paramedics and emergency room doctors about the drugs he had given Jackson.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/natio...1/10/19/gIQAXwNgwL_story.html?wprss=rss_music



Jackson trial expert: Propofol safe in right setting
By Alex Dobuzinskis
LOS ANGELES | Wed Oct 19, 2011 2:32pm EDT

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - An authority on the drug propofol testified at the trial of Michael Jackson's doctor on Wednesday that he wants to dispel fears about the anesthetic that led to the pop star's 2009 death.

Dr. Steven Shafer, regarded as one of the leading researchers in the use of propofol, said that propofol, which is normally used to sedate patients before surgery and not as a sleep aid as Jackson used it, had gotten a bad name since it was ruled the main cause of Jackson's death.
But he testified it was an "outstanding drug" when administered in the right setting.
Shafer is expected to be the last prosecution witness as the involuntary manslaughter trial of Dr. Conrad Murray resumed in Los Angeles after a five-day break.

Murray, has admitted giving Jackson propofol as a sleep aid. But his attorneys have claimed Jackson gave himself an extra, fatal dose of the drug when Murray was out of the singer's bedroom.

Medical examiners determined Jackson's June 25, 2009, death resulted from an overdose of propofol combined with sedatives.

Shafer told jurors; "I am asked every day I'm in the operating room, I tell patients what I'm going to do and I am asked the question, 'Are you going to give me the drug that killed Michael Jackson?'"
Shafer, who teaches at Columbia University, said he is testifying without pay, in part because he wants to restore patients' faith in propofol when it is used in the correct circumstances.
"What has happened in this case has nothing to do with (patients') experience when they see a doctor for a procedure," Shafer said.

Previous prosecution witnesses have harshly criticized Murray for giving Jackson propofol at the singer's home and without sufficient monitoring and safety equipment.

The defense is expected to begin presenting its case on Friday. Murray, who has pleaded not guilty, faces a maximum sentence of four years in prison if convicted.

(Reporting by Alex Dobuzinskis; Editing by Jill Serjeant and Bill Trott)

http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/10/19/us-michaeljackson-idUSTRE79I6AG20111019
 
Video shows 'safe' use of drug that killed Michael Jackson
By Alan Duke, CNN
October 19, 2011 -- Updated 1918 GMT (0318 HKT)

Los Angeles (CNN) -- Jurors in the trial of Conrad Murray watched a video Wednesday of an actor pretending to suffer cardiac arrest while being given the surgical anesthetic propofol in a hospital, which is what prosecutors contend killed Michael Jackson.

The video, however, showed doctors and nurses successfully reviving the pretend patient using equipment, drugs and staffing Dr. Murray did not have at Jackson's home when he realized the pop icon was not breathing.
It was played for jurors as anesthesiologist expert Dr. Steven Shafer narrated from the witness stand, explaining step by step how he prepares and administers propofol.
Shafer is crucial to the state's effort to prove Jackson's death was caused by the doctor's gross negligence in using propofol to help the entertainer sleep while he was preparing for his "This Is It" comeback concerts in London.

Murray, on trial for involuntary manslaughter in Jackson's 2009 death, has pleaded not guilty.
"It's a terrifying dramatization of a person experiencing cardiac arrest, complete with visual effects," defense lawyer Ed Chernoff said in his argument against letting jurors see the video.

While Chernoff argued it was designed to "inflame the jurors' minds," Deputy District Attorney David Walgren said it was only intended to inform them about the safe methods of administering propofol.
The prosecution contends that Murray's use of propofol to help Jackson sleep was so reckless that it was criminal and that it significantly contributed to his death.
Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Michael Pastor ordered Walgren to edit several segments from the video, but he allowed much of it to be shown in court, including a demonstration of what happens when a patient experiences cardiac arrest while under propofol.
Walgren spent an extended midmorning break re-editing the video to delete scenes, including those showing the actor-patient suffering an airway obstruction and aspiration problems because the prosecution is not alleging those were involved in Jackson's death.

Shafer, who is one of the world's foremost experts on anesthesiology, testified that he is not being paid for his testimony because he did not want people to think money would influence his testimony.
"This is just a Steve Shafer thing," Shafer said.
He agreed to testify, at no charge, because he feared the publicity surrounding Jackson's death had harmed "the reputation of physicians," Shafer said. "I felt a need to help restore confidence that physicians put patients first."
"As an anesthesiologist seeing sedation given in ways that do not reflect how anesthesiologists practice, I wished to present how an anesthesiologist approaches sedation so that patients are not afraid," he said.
Propofol, which he regularly uses, has been given a bad reputation, he said.
"I am asked every day, 'Are you going to give me the drug that killed Michael Jackson?'" Shafer said. "This is a fear patients do not need to have."
Dr. Shafer's testimony was suspended last Thursday to enable his lawyers to study a new lab test and allow the prosecution's anesthesiology expert, Steven Shafer, to attend a medical convention. It was delayed again after a death in the expert's family.
The judge indicated if Shafer's testimony is completed Wednesday, court would recess the following day to allow the defense to prepare before presenting its case Friday.

Prosecutors are nearing a conclusion to their direct presentation, but rebuttal witnesses could be called next week after the defense rests its case.

Murray faces a maximum sentence of four years if convicted of involuntary manslaughter, but a new California law could mean the doctor would never see the inside of a state prison cell.
The law, intended to reduce state prison overcrowding, provides for most nonviolent offenders with no prior record to be kept in county jails.
A four-year sentence could become two years if Murray is ordered to serve his time in the Los Angeles County jail, according to sheriff's spokeswoman Nicole Nishida.
In addition, the Los Angeles jail is under court order to reduce overcrowding, which means many nonviolent, first-time offenders are allowed to serve the bulk of their time under supervised house arrest.
A conviction, however, would likely trigger the revocation of Murray's medical licenses in California, Texas and Nevada.

The trial, in its fourth week, is expected to conclude with the start of jury deliberations near the end of next week.

http://edition.cnn.com/2011/10/19/j...ad-murray-trial/index.html?section=cnn_latest



Jurors get crash course in anesthetic that killed Michael Jackson

By Associated Press, Updated: Wednesday, October 19, 9:59 PM
LOS ANGELES — Jurors in the trial of Michael Jackson’s doctor got a crash course Wednesday on the anesthetic propofol from an expert who showed them a graphic video of what he said was the right way to administer the drug that’s blamed for killing the King of Pop.
The video included numerous safety measures that were not employed by Dr. Conrad Murray when he administered the drug to Jackson as a sleep aid at the singer’s home, according to testimony.

Dr. Steven Shafer, a professor who wrote the package insert that guides doctors in the use of the anesthetic, lectured the panel as if they were in a classroom. He narrated while the silent video took jurors into an operating room to see the specialized equipment and procedures.

Shafer said standards and safeguards are essentially any time anesthesia is given to a patient.
“The worst disasters occur in sedation and they occur when people cut corners,” Shafer said.
In Jackson’s case, he said, “virtually none of the safeguards were in place.”

At one point during the video, Shafer noted that the doctor in the video was taking copious notes.
“Moment by moment, the anesthesiologist writes down everything that happens, as diligently as you are doing here,” he said as jurors scribbled in notebooks.
Testimony has shown that Murray took no notes on his treatment of Jackson and didn’t record his vital signs on June 25, 2009, the day Jackson died.
“The record is not just some static document,” Shafer said. “It’s fundamental to the care that is given.”
He also said Jackson should have signed a written informed consent form to show he knew the danger of his treatment.
“Verbal informed consent is not recognized,” he said. “It does not exist.”

Shafer, a practicing anesthesiologist who teaches at Columbia University Medical School in New York, said he was testifying for the prosecution without a fee because he wants to restore public confidence in doctors who use propofol, which he called a wonderful drug when properly administered.
“I am asked every day in the operating room, ‘Are you going to give me the drug that killed Michael Jackson,’” Shafer said. “This is a fear that patients do not need to have.”
He said he has not charged for testifying in recent years because “there’s a personal thing about not profiting from a medical misadventure” and he doesn’t want to be accused of compromising his integrity.

Shafer, who edits journals on anesthesia and is widely published on the subject, gave jurors a demonstration from the witness stand of how propofol is drawn into an IV bag with a large syringe. He produced a bottle of the white substance that Jackson referred to as his “milk” and showed the steps involved, which took several minutes.

The explanation by Shafer and the depiction in the video seemed to belie an early defense claim that Jackson could have administered the drug to himself. The process shown Wednesday appeared too complicated for self-administration.
The video also suggested the only place for propofol to be administered properly is in a hospital with medical personnel on hand. The video showed a printed warning if problems arise: “Call for Help!”
“You have to respond instantly,” said Shafer. “If there is a problem you call for help before you treat because you’re going to need it.”

Murray, who has pleaded not guilty to involuntary manslaughter, told police he delayed calling 911 because he was giving Jackson CPR.
Murray has acknowledged giving Jackson doses of propofol in the superstar’s bedroom as a sleep aid. However, his attorneys have said the amount of propofol given to Jackson on the day he died was too small to cause his sudden death at age 50.

Chief defense lawyer Ed Chernoff objected to showing the video, but Superior Court Judge Michael Pastor said it was relevant. He ordered a few segments excised by Deputy District Attorney David Walgren before he presented it.

Shafer is the final prosecution witness in the trial, now in its fourth week.

Murray’s attorneys will begin calling witnesses Friday. They plan to call 15 witnesses, including police detectives, character witnesses and Randy Phillips, the head of AEG Live, the promoter of Jackson’s planned series of comeback concerts.
Chernoff said the defense should rest its case by Wednesday.
Murray’s attorneys are also going to call one of Shafer’s colleagues, Dr. Paul White, as an expert to try to counter the prosecution case.

AP Entertainment Writer Anthony McCartney contributed to this report.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/natio...0/19/gIQAXwNgwL_story.html?wprss=rss_national

L.A. NOW
Southern California -- this just in
Conrad Murray jurors see video on 'drug that killed' Jackson
October 19, 2011 | 1:25 pm

After weeks of testimony about alleged failures in the medical treatment of Michael Jackson, jurors at the trial of his personal physician watched a video Wednesday of how prosecutors say things should have gone.
The video, prepared by a Canadian anesthesiologist, demonstrated how propofol, the surgical anesthetic that killed Jackson, is safely used in operating rooms daily and seemed intended as a final rebuke of the care Dr. Conrad Murray gave Jackson.
Played during the testimony of the last government witness, the video walked jurors through the many precautions doctors take, from checking each piece of equipment before administering anesthesia to using a mechanized pump to dispense exact amounts of propofol.
“This is done before each procedure for every patient. There are no exceptions,” Dr. Steven Shafer, a New York anesthesiologist who helped develop national guidelines for the drug, testified Wednesday.

Previous government expert witnesses have condemned Murray’s use of the drug in a home setting — Jackson’s rented mansion — without the proper monitoring or resuscitation equipment on hand. Witnesses have said Murray had only one inadequate monitor in Jackson’s bedroom.

Shafer repeatedly paused the video, made at his request by a colleague, to emphasize the ways Murray’s actions strayed from the appropriate administration of the drug.
When the anesthesiologist on screen discovered that his patient — a family friend drafted as an actor — was not breathing, the words “CALL FOR HELP!” flashed across the top of the video.
“The first thing you say, the first thing you do is call for help,” Shafer said, adding that it was a lesson anesthesiologists learned on their first day of training.
Murray’s delay in summoning an ambulance to Jackson’s home June 25, 2009, is among the reasons prosecutors have cited in urging a Los Angeles jury to convict the physician of involuntary manslaughter.

Prosecutors have suggested the 58-year-old doctor didn’t notice Jackson was in cardiac arrest immediately because he was on the phone and that even after he discovered Jackson stricken, he waited more than 20 minutes before asking that 911 be called.
The video also showed a close-up of the doctor administering two-handed CPR with a caption that said resuscitation efforts should continue until the patient was revived or dead. A Jackson security guard previously testified that Murray performed chest compressions sporadically and with one hand.

The video was presented to jurors over the objections of a defense attorney, who said its only effect would be to inflame jurors.
“The purpose of the video is not to provide information to the jury. It’s to leave an impression,” lawyer Ed Chernoff said. “This essentially is a demonstration of what the prosecution would like the jury to believe occurred.”

The defense contends Jackson caused his own death by swallowing a handful of sedatives and then injecting himself with propofol. They have said he died immediately and no efforts could have saved him.

Before playing the video, Deputy Dist. Atty. David Walgren asked Shafer why he had agreed act as an expert for the prosecution without any compensation. Shafer told jurors it was his practice not to charge because he was “uncomfortable profiting from a medical misadventure.”
He said consulting on the Jackson case was particularly important to him because it had raised questions about the safety of propofol, a drug for which he had helped established national guidelines.
Patients asked him daily, he said, “Are you going to give me the drug that killed Michael Jackson?”
“This is a fear that patients do not need to have. Propofol is an outstanding drug” when properly administered, Shafer said.

The defense is expected to open its case Friday. Murray faces a maximum of four years in prison if convicted.

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lan...=feed&utm_campaign=Feed:+lanowblog+(L.A.+Now)
 
Last edited:
Re: Murray Trial_ All media reports/articles - Merged - No discussion September 30th

Michael Jackson - Child Expert Urges Conrad Murray Trial Judge To Meet Michael Jackson's Kids In Private
19 October 2011 22:01
A top Beverly Hills child psychotherapist has urged the judge overseeing DR. Conrad Murray's involuntary manslaughter trial not to put Michael Jackson's teenage kids on the stand - if they're called to testify about their father's death.

As proceedings get underway again on Wednesday (19Oct11) after a two-day delay, reports suggest Jackson's eldest child, 14-year-old Prince, has met with prosecutors and pundits watching the trial suggest he may become a key witness.
On Tuesday (18Oct11), the boy's grandmother, Katherine Jackson, told Cnn that Prince would not be testifying in court - and author and child expert Dr. Fran Walfish agrees it would be in the teenager's best interests not to come face to face with the physician accused of killing his father.

Walfish, the author of The Self-Aware Parent, says, "The kids have already suffered a life-shattering trauma and seen the worst. They saw their father die and lost the most important attachment figure in their lives."
But Walfish insists there is a compromise if Judge Michael Pastor sees fit to question Prince or his sister Paris about what they saw on the day their father died - he can set up a carefully considered meeting behind closed doors.

She adds, "When a minor child is involved in a court case it is the responsibility of the court to not exploit, but rather protect the psychological integrity of the child, as well as help the legal system.
"My recommendation to the court for the Jackson children is for the judge to have private discussions with the children in the presence of an expert child psychologist, not in the presence of the jury or television cameras.
"Let's stack the cards in favour of the best interests of the kids and, at the same time, allow them to have a voice in serving justice for their father."

http://www.contactmusic.com/news/ch...meet-michael-jacksons-kids-in-private_1251803
 
Re: Murray Trial_ All media reports/articles - Merged - No discussion September 30th

Expert: 'A simple chin lift' could've saved Michael Jackson
By Alan Duke, CNN
October 19, 2011 -- Updated 2206 GMT (0606 HKT)

Los Angeles (CNN) -- Michael Jackson "most likely" died because his tongue blocked the back of his throat, but he could have been saved if Dr. Conrad Murray had used "a simple chin lift" when he realized the pop icon had stopped breathing, an anesthesiologist testified Wednesday.

A cardiologist previously testified in Murray's involuntary manslaughter trial that he thought Jackson died of respiratory arrest, but Dr. Steven Shafer expanded on the theory, saying, "The most likely thing that happened was airway obstruction."

"Michael Jackson was trying to breathe, but the tongue had fallen in the back of the throat," Shafer said. "Either a simple chin lift, just that alone, or an oral airway to move the tongue out of the way might well have been all that was required to save his life."
Shafer, probably the prosecution's last witness before the defense starts its case, said Jackson would have be alive now but for several "egregious deviations" by Murray from the standard of care required of physicians.

Shafer is crucial to the state's effort to prove that Jackson's death was caused by the doctor's gross negligence in using propofol to help the entertainer sleep while he was preparing for his "This Is It" comeback concerts in London. The prosecution contends that Murray's use of propofol was so reckless that it was criminal.
The Los Angeles County coroner ruled that Jackson's June 25, 2009, death was caused by "acute propofol intoxication" in combination with several sedatives.

Jurors watched a video presented Wednesday by Shafer showing what he said was the safe way to administer propofol, including the use of monitoring equipment to measure a patient's vital signs and the availability of emergency equipment in case of complications.

"The facts in this case, in my view, suggest that virtually none of the safeguards for sedation were in place when propofol was administered to Michael Jackson," Shafer said.
One violation was Murray's reliance on a lower-end pulse oxymeter that did not have an alarm to let him know that the oxygen level in his patient's blood was low, Shager said,
"That would have save Michael Jackson's life," Shafer said.

Murray failed to act as a doctor when Jackson asked to use propofol every night for two months to battle insomnia, Shafer said.
"The very first time Michael Jackson said 'I need propofol to sleep,' a doctor would say, 'You have a sleep disorder, and you need to be seen by doctors who specialize in sleep disorders and not having me show up with propofol,' " Shafer said.

Murray told police he left Jackson's side for only two minutes to relieve himself in the toilet, but Shafer said a doctor should never leave a sedated patient unwatched, "because it's very likely there's going to be a disaster."
"No matter how full your bladder is, you don't leave the steering wheel," Shafer said, comparing it to a driver going to the restroom while his motor home was barreling down a highway.

Shafer's video showed doctors and nurses reviving a pretend patient using equipment, drugs and staffing Murray did not have at Jackson's home.
"It's a terrifying dramatization of a person experiencing cardiac arrest, complete with visual effects," defense lawyer Ed Chernoff said in his argument against letting jurors see the video.
While Chernoff argued that it was designed to "inflame the jurors' minds," Deputy District Attorney David Walgren said it was intended only to inform them about the safe methods of administering propofol.
Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Michael Pastor ordered Walgren to edit several segments from the video, but he allowed much of it to be shown in court, including a demonstration of what happens when a patient experiences cardiac arrest while under propofol.

Shafer, who is one of the world's foremost experts on anesthesiology, testified that he is not being paid for his testimony because he did not want people to think money would influence his testimony.
"This is just a Steve Shafer thing," Shafer said.
He agreed to testify at no charge because he feared that the publicity surrounding Jackson's death had harmed "the reputation of physicians," Shafer said. "I felt a need to help restore confidence that physicians put patients first."
"As an anesthesiologist seeing sedation given in ways that do not reflect how anesthesiologists practice, I wished to present how an anesthesiologist approaches sedation so that patients are not afraid," he said.
Propofol, which he regularly uses, has been given a bad reputation, he said.
"I am asked every day, 'Are you going to give me the drug that killed Michael Jackson?' " Shafer said. "This is a fear patients do not need to have."
The judge indicated that if Shafer's testimony is completed Wednesday, court would recess the following day to allow the defense to prepare before presenting its case Friday.

Prosecutors are nearing a conclusion to their direct presentation, but rebuttal witnesses could be called next week after the defense rests its case.

Murray faces a maximum sentence of four years if convicted of involuntary manslaughter, but a new California law could mean the doctor would never see the inside of a state prison cell.
The law, intended to reduce state prison overcrowding, provides for most nonviolent offenders with no prior record to be kept in county jails.
A four-year sentence could become two years if Murray is ordered to serve his time in the Los Angeles County jail, according to sheriff's spokeswoman Nicole Nishida.
In addition, the Los Angeles jail is under court order to reduce overcrowding, which means many nonviolent first-time offenders are allowed to serve the bulk of their time under supervised house arrest.
A conviction, however, would probably trigger the revocation of Murray's medical licenses in California, Texas and Nevada.
The trial, in its fourth week, is expected to conclude with the start of jury deliberations near the end of next week.

http://edition.cnn.com/2011/10/19/j...ad-murray-trial/index.html?section=cnn_latest


L.A. NOW
Southern California -- this just in
Witness: Conrad Murray more like employee than doctor to Jackson
October 19, 2011 | 3:29 pm

The final prosecution witness against Michael Jackson's personal physician told a jury Wednesday afternoon that the singer's death was directly related to an "employee-employer" relationship that developed between the doctor and his famous patient.

Dr. Steven Shafer, a New York anesthesiologist and expert witness for the government, said Dr. Conrad Murray let the singer order him around like he would a house cleaner.
"What I saw was a patient who stated what he wanted. 'I want this. I want this. I want this.' And I saw Conrad Murray said, 'Yes. Tell me what you want and I'll do it. That is what an employee is,' " Shafer said.
When Jackson told him he wanted a powerful anesthetic to cure his insomnia, Shafer testified, "Dr. Murray should have said, 'Michael Jackson, I am not giving you propofol. I am not giving you anything. You have a sleep disorder and you need to be evaluated."

Jackson died June 25, 2009, from an overdose of propofol. Murray contends the singer gave himself the fatal dose.
Shafer called the amount of propofol Murray had ordered in the months leading up to Jackson's death "an extraordinary amount to purchase to administer to a single individual." He said his calculations showed more than four gallons of the liquid drug shipped to Murray averaging out to nearly 2,000 milligrams per day. In a police interview, the doctor said he had given only a single 25 milligram dose to Jackson before his death.

Shafer said Murray committed at least a dozen "egregious" violations of the standard of care, which he defined as acts that posed a foreseeable danger to his patient's life. These acts included a lack of monitoring equipment for his heart, breathing and blood pressure and the failure to keep medical records.
"Each one individually could be expected to lead to a catastrophic outcome including death," Deputy Dist. Atty. David Walgren asked.
"Absolutely," the expert answered.
Shafer, a professor at Columbia University, previously narrated a video showing the proper procedures for using propofol.
"The facts in this case, in my view, suggest that virtually none of the safeguards for sedation were in place when propofol was administered to Michael Jackson," Shafer said.

Murray's lawyers are to open his defense Friday.

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lan...ore-like-employee-than-doctor-to-jackson.html
 
October 19, 2011
Doctor: Sedating a patient is like driving a motorhome
Posted: 07:00 PM ET

It's not a comparison we would have thought to make: Sedating a patient is like driving a motorhome. And what do you do when nature calls?
"You don’t get up, leave the wheel and to go to bathroom," said Dr. Steven Shafer in court today.

Dr. Conrad Murray told police that he gave Michael Jackson a small 25mg dose of the anesthetic propofol and stepped out of the room for a couple of minutes to relieve himself. But Dr. Shafer testified that there's no such thing as a little bit of anesthetic and safety guidelines must be followed every time drugs like propofol are administered.

"It's a slippery slope and every patient is different," said Dr. Shafer.
He also said the varying conditions of each patient creates a need for doctors to plan for the worst case scenario every time they prepare to sedate a patient.

Deputy District Attorney David Walgren walked Dr. Shafer through his review of Dr. Conrad Murray's treatment of Michael Jackson.
Dr. Shafer said he found several violations of the standard of care including:

- There was no emergency airway equipment in Jackson's bedroom. Dr. Shafer says this was an egregious violation because no competent physician would administer an anesthetic without the ability to clear an airway if needed.

- Dr. Murray did not use an infusion pump. Dr. Shafer says this increased the chance of an overdose because an infusion pump is the only way a doctor can precisely regulate dosing.

- The monitoring equipment Dr. Murray had was inadequate. Dr. Shafer says this would make it impossible for Dr. Murray to know if Jackson was in serious trouble.

- Dr. Murray did not have emergency drugs on hand. Dr. Shafer says these drugs could have helped resuscitate Jackson.

- Dr. Murray failed to take up to 80 days worth of records on Jackson's treatment. Dr. Shafer says this was an unconscionable deviation from the standard of care because Dr. Murray violated the rights of his patient. Dr. Shafer passionately told the court the patient and his family have a right to see what's being done to him.

Complete courtroom coverage of the Conrad Murray trial airs live on HLN from gavel to gavel. It's also on In Session on truTV from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. ET every weekday.

Posted by: HLN's Amanda Sloane, In Session's Graham Winch
http://insession.blogs.cnn.com/2011/10/19/doctor-sedating-a-patient-is-like-driving-a-motorhome/
 
Michael Jackson's doctor 'clueless,' expert says The Associated Press

Posted: Oct 19, 2011 8:59 AM ET

Last Updated: Oct 19, 2011 10:30 PM ET

A medical expert looked jurors in the eyes Wednesday and told them that Michael Jackson's doctor committed 17 flagrant violations of the standard of care for his famous patient and was directly responsible for the death of the King of Pop.

Dr. Steven Shafer at one point called the defendant, Dr. Conrad Murray, "clueless" when it came to using the powerful anesthetic propofol and said he didn't know what to do when Jackson stopped breathing.

Prosecutor David Walgren concluded the day's questioning by asking Shafer: "Would it be your opinion that Conrad Murray is directly responsible for the death of Michael Jackson for his egregious violations and abandonment of Michael Jackson?"
Shafer replied, "Absolutely."

The team defending Dr. Conrad Murray in his involuntary manslaughter trial will begin calling witnesses on Friday. Robyn Beck/Associated Press Just giving Jackson the anesthetic as a sleep aid was unconscionable, Shafer testified earlier.

"We are in pharmacological never-never land here, something that was done to Michael Jackson and no one else in history to my knowledge," he told jurors.

When Murray found Jackson not breathing, there was nothing more important than calling 911, Shafer said.

Asked about Murray's failure to do so, the witness caught his breath and said, "I almost don't know what to say. That is so completely and utterly inexcusable."

In addition, Murray was acting more like Jackson's employee than a physician who should have rejected the singer's requests for propofol as a sleep aid, Shafer said.

"Saying yes is not what doctors do," he testified. "A competent doctor would know you do not do this."

The Columbia University professor and researcher gave jurors a crash course on propofol, an anesthetic used in hospital settings.
'I am asked every day in the operating room, "Are you going to give me the drug that killed Michael Jackson?" '—Dr. Steven Shafer, witness in Conrad Murray trial
A video shown to jurors detailed numerous safety measures that were not employed by Murray when he administered the drug to Jackson as a sleep aid at the singer's home, according to testimony.

"The worst disasters occur in sedation and they occur when people cut corners," Shafer said. In Jackson's case, "virtually none of the safeguards were in place," he added.

Shafer is expected to be the last prosecution witness in the involuntary manslaughter case against Murray.

He said the fact that Murray was on his cell phone in the hours before Jackson's death was a setup for disaster.

"A patient who is about to die does not look all that different from a patient who is OK," Shafer said, adding that doctors cannot multitask and properly monitor a patient who is sedated.

Shafer, who wrote the package insert that guides doctors in the use of the anesthetic, lectured the panel as if they were in a classroom. He narrated while the silent video took jurors into an operating room to see the specialized equipment and procedures.

The researcher told jurors that it appeared Murray intended to give Jackson large doses of propofol on a nightly basis. He said records showed Murray purchased 130 100ml vials of propofol in the nearly three months before Jackson's death.

Shafer said that is "an extraordinary amount to purchase to administer to a single individual."
He also told jurors that keeping records is essentially. While narrating the video, Shafer noted the doctor in the footage was taking copious notes.

"Moment by moment, the anesthesiologist writes down everything that happens, as diligently as you are doing here," he said as jurors scribbled in notebooks.


Family denied its rights, witness says

He said the lack of record-keeping was a violation of Jackson's rights, especially if something went wrong.

"He has a right to know what was done to him," Shafer said. "With no medical record, the family has been denied that right."

Testimony has shown that Murray took no notes on his treatment of Jackson and didn't record his vital signs on June 25, 2009, the day Jackson died.

"The record is not just some static document," Shafer said. "It's fundamental to the care that is given."

He also said Jackson should have signed a written informed consent form to show he knew the danger of his treatment.

"Verbal informed consent is not recognized," he said. "It does not exist."

Shafer said he was testifying for the prosecution without a fee because he wants to restore public confidence in doctors who use propofol, which he called a wonderful drug when properly administered.

"I am asked every day in the operating room, 'Are you going to give me the drug that killed Michael Jackson?' " Shafer said. "This is a fear that patients do not need to have."

http://www.cbc.ca/news/arts/story/2011/10/19/conrad-murray-trial-resumes-jackson.html?cmp=rss
 
Jackson doctor’s attorneys to question key prosecution witness who faults physician’s car
By Associated Press,


<!-- /byline --><ARTICLE>LOS ANGELES — Defense attorneys for the doctor charged in Michael Jackson’s death will get their chance Thursday to question the prosecution’s final, and perhaps most damning witness.
For hours Wednesday, Dr. Steven Shafer told jurors hearing the involuntary manslaughter case how Dr. Conrad Murray committed so many mistakes in his treatment of the singer that some were previously inconceivable.
<!--/article_body -->
<IMG style="POSITION: absolute; FILTER: alpha(opacity=0)"><IMG style="POSITION: absolute; FILTER: alpha(opacity=0)"><IMG style="POSITION: absolute; FILTER: alpha(opacity=0)"><IMG style="POSITION: absolute; FILTER: alpha(opacity=0)"><IMG style="POSITION: absolute; FILTER: alpha(opacity=0)">Murray’s attorneys will have to somehow challenge Shafer’s expertise and conclusions.
Shafer is a leading expert on the anesthetic propofol. Murray has acknowledged giving Jackson doses of the drug to try to help the singer sleep.

Murray has pleaded not guilty to involuntary manslaughter in connection with Jackson’s sudden death in June 2009.

In all, Shafer said Murray committed 17 acts that could have led to serious injury or death.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/natio...0/20/gIQAI0QgzL_story.html?wprss=rss_national
 
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<!-- end SHARE -->8:31am UK, Thursday October 20, 2011

An expert at the trial of the doctor accused of killing Michael Jackson has said the way the pop star was given drugs was a "pharmacological Never-Never Land".

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"We are in pharmacological 'Never Never Land' here," he said, "Something that's only been done to Michael Jackson."

Dr Shafer took the stand as the final prosecution witness in the trial of Dr Conrad Murray, who denies involuntary manslaughter.

He catalogued what he said were Murray's failures as Jackson's personal physician, starting with agreeing to the pop star's request to be given propofol as a sleep aid at his rented Los Angeles mansion. <!-- -->
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"Conrad Murray said yes, and that is what an employee does," said Dr Shafer.

"And I do not see a difference between Conrad Murray saying yes to a request that Michael Jackson is making, and an employee who cleans the house agreeing to a request of Michael Jackson.'
'
Dr Shafer gave 17 instances of how Murray's treatment of Jackson on June 25, 2009 - the day the singer died - constituted "egregious" violations of common medical standards.

He blasted Murray over the 20 minutes that elapsed between the time prosecutors believe he discovered Jackson had stopped breathing and the moment an ambulance was called.

"It's just inconceivable to me. A physician would not do that.''

Dr Shafer, a professor at Columbia University who helped set US standards for propofol dosage, criticised Murray for not keeping medical records while he was giving Jackson nightly doses of the drug for more than two months.

"The family has a right to know what happened and with no medical record the family has been denied that right,'' he said.

The jury heard that an essential heart monitor with an alarm was missing from Jackson's care and would have saved his life.

Dr Shafer concluded: "It was a set up for disaster, a serious violation that contributed to the death of Michael Jackson."

The defence is expected to begin presenting its case on Friday.
Murray faces a maximum sentence of four years in prison if convicted

http://news.sky.com/home/showbiz-news/article/16092337
 
Re: Murray Trial_ All media reports/articles - Merged - No discussion September 30th

Thanks to @elusive

Expert: Jackson doctor violated age-old standards



render.htm

ANTHONY McCARTNEY
Published: Today

Dr. Conrad Murray, center, looks on beside his lawyers J. Michael Flanagan, left, and Nareg Gourjian during Murray's involuntary manslaughter trial, Wednesday, Oct. 19, 2011, in downtown Los Angeles. Murray has pleaded not guilty and faces four years in prison and the loss of his medical license if convicted of involuntary manslaughter in Michael Jackson's death.

LOS ANGELES (AP) - Michael Jackson's personal physician was giving the pop superstar a modern drug to help him sleep, but a prosecution expert told jurors Wednesday that in doing so he violated ancient principles for conduct between doctors and patients.

Dr. Steven Shafer, an expert in the anesthetic propofol that Jackson's doctor had been using as a sleep aid, said there were 17 violations by Dr. Conrad Murray that each put Jackson's life at risk.

Murray has pleaded not guilty to involuntary manslaughter. He was Jackson's personal physician for roughly two months before the singer's unexpected death in June 2009. The cardiologist's attorneys will cross-examine Shafer on Thursday.

Many of the violations concerned modern life-saving equipment that Murray lacked when he gave Jackson propofol in the bedroom of his rented mansion, but Shafer said among the cardiologist's worst transgressions was he put his own interests ahead of Jackson's.

Since Ancient Greece - and probably before - Shafer said societies had held doctors to high standards. He quoted the Hippocratic oath, "'In every house where I come, I will enter only for the good of my patients.'"

Instead of honoring the ancient creed, Murray came to Jackson's rented mansion nightly and gave the singer propofol, a drug as a sleep aid, a use it was never intended for, Shafer said. He likened the Houston-based cardiologist to an employee, akin to a housekeeper, who wouldn't tell his boss no.

"Saying yes is not what doctors do," he testified. "A competent doctor would know you do not do this."

Shafer, a Columbia University professor and researcher who helped write the guidelines and warnings included with every vial of propofol, repeatedly said Murray's actions were unconscionable, unethical and illegal. He frequently travels to lecture on propofol's effects, and his testimony took a global view Wednesday as he described attending anesthesia conferences in China, research from Canada, and how hieroglyphs in ancient Egypt showed doctors interacting with patient.

But he said Murray's case is unlike any he's seen before.

"We are in pharmacological never-never land here, something that was done to Michael Jackson and no one else in history to my knowledge," he told jurors.

Shafer's testimony tied together pieces of prosecution's case against Murray laid out over four weeks. The professor reminded jurors that Murray had bought more than four gallons of propofol to use on the singer during his employment, was on the phone in the hours before Jackson's death and delayed calling 911 when he found the singer unresponsive.

"A patient who is about to die does not look all that different from a patient who is OK," Shafer said, adding that doctors cannot multitask and properly monitor a patient who is sedated.

"The worst disasters occur in sedation and they occur when people cut corners," Shafer said. In Jackson's case, "virtually none of the safeguards were in place," he added.

Shafer, who wrote the package insert that guides doctors in the use of the anesthetic, leaned forward and spoke to jurors directly at times, as if he were in a classroom. Indeed, the early portion of his testimony was a crash course in propofol, explaining its effects on the body and why despite being a remarkable drug, it needed to be used by skilled people in the proper medical setting.

The researcher told jurors that it appeared Murray intended to give Jackson large doses of propofol on a nightly basis. He said records showed Murray purchased 130 100ml vials of propofol in the nearly three months before Jackson's death.

Shafer said that is "an extraordinary amount to purchase to administer to a single individual."
Like other expert witnesses, Shafer based much of his opinions on the case on Murray's own words during a lengthy interview with police two days after Jackson's death.

He said the lack of record-keeping was a violation of Jackson's rights, especially since something went wrong.

"He has a right to know what was done to him," Shafer said. "With no medical record, the family has been denied that right."

When Shafer spoke of Jackson's family, a couple jurors looked out into the audience, where the singer's mother, father, sister Rebbie and brother Randy were seated.

Testimony has shown that Murray took no notes on his treatment of Jackson and didn't record his vital signs in the hours before the singer's death.

Shafer said he was testifying for the prosecution without a fee because he wants to restore public confidence in doctors who use propofol, which he called a wonderful drug when properly administered.

"I am asked every day in the operating room, 'Are you going to give me the drug that killed Michael Jackson,'" Shafer said. "This is a fear that patients do not need to have."

Defense attorneys will begin calling their own witnesses. One of them will be a colleague of Shafer's at Columbia, Dr. Paul White, who was sitting in the courtroom during Wednesday's testimony.

Murray was mainly stoic as he listened to his medical skills and judgment were repeatedly called into question. White, seated behind him, took notes.
http://m.apnews.mobi/ap/db_6718/contentdetail.htm?contentguid=joL4R2wW
 
Re: Murray Trial_ All media reports/articles - Merged - No discussion September 30th

October 20, 2011 9:27 AM
Conrad Murray trial not a slam-dunk, expert says

CBS News) Prosecutors in the Conrad Murray involuntary manslaughter trial called their final witness Wednesday -- a doctor who literally wrote the book -- wrote the guidelines on the proper use of Propofol, the anesthetic that killed Michael Jackson.

The witness, Dr. Steven Shafer, said Murray deviated in at least 17 ways from the proper standard of care when administering Propofol, and Shafer directly placed the blame for Jackson's death on Murray.

Shafer said in court, "Virtually none of the safety guards for sedation were in place when Propofol was administered to Michael Jackson.
Murray told investigators Jackson begged him for the Propofol that eventually killed him, CBS News correspondent Bill Whitaker reported. Shafer said no competent doctor ever would have given in to such pleadings.

Shafer said, "What I saw was a patient who stated what he wanted, 'I want this, this and this.' And I saw Conrad Murray say, 'Yes, tell me what you want and I'll do it."'

Still, even with this testimony, the case is not a slam-dunk, CBS News legal analyst Jack Ford said on "The Early Show."
"The first thing you learn if you've tried cases for a living is there's no such thing as a slam-dunk case," he said. "You have no idea what's going on in a juror's mind. You can handicap it and say the prosecution has a great amount of evidence -- and they do here. ... (But) the defense doesn't have to prove anything. All they have to do is raise questions in the minds of the jurors, and that could be enough."

Ford went back to the Casey Anthony case in Florida. Anthony was found not guilty of first-degree murder, aggravated child abuse and aggravated manslaughter. She was found guilty of four lesser charges of providing false information to a law enforcement officer in the death of her young daughter, Caylee.
Ford said, "I had said for two years that that was going to be a hard case for the prosecution to win because, if the jurors follow just the evidence -- ... in that case, remember, they couldn't prove a cause of death or a manner of death. Jurors work very hard in overwhelming number of instances to do legally what they are supposed to do."

Thursday, the defense was to cross-examine Shafer, who's an anesthesiologist, then call their first witness in Murray's defense on Friday.

Will Murray eventually testify on his own behalf when the defense gets its turn to call witnesses?
Ford says Murray may take the stand, because he needs to tell his story of the day Jackson died "in some way, shape or form."
"Ordinarily, defendants don't take the stand," he said. "... The reason is a lot of times, they are guilty. Other times, defense attorneys might say, 'I don't want to shift the focus in the courtroom. You know, the prosecution has the burden. If I put on my defendant, even though technically it doesn't shift the burden,' people say, 'Did he convince me or not?' ... The defense might say, 'We got everything we could have gotten from him through the audio tapes that the prosecution has already put on.' If I'm the defense attorney, I might think about saying to the jurors, 'We didn't put him on the stand. You heard everything he had to stay (on the police audio tapes). He volunteered to talk to the police and a guilty man wouldn't volunteer.' So I think that may be the argument you see. So I don't know if you'll see him, but you'll certainly see the defense relying on his words there."

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2011/10/20/earlyshow/main20123047.shtml
 
Expert says Michael Jackson couldn&#8217;t have caused own death by swallowing powerful anesthetic

By Associated Press, Updated: Thursday, October 20, 7:29 PM
LOS ANGELES &#8212; An expert on the powerful anesthetic propofol told jurors Thursday there was no way Michael Jackson could have caused his own death by swallowing the drug &#8212; a theory defense attorneys had at one point indicated could become a centerpiece of their case.

Dr. Seven Shafer, an expert on propofol, said it&#8217;s impossible for the drug to enter the bloodstream in any sizeable amount if it is swallowed.

Defense attorneys for Murray said last week they had abandoned the theory that Jackson swallowed propofol. They will begin questioning Shafer later in the day.
Still, the theory was included in a report by their propofol expert, Dr. Paul White, who also suggested that Murray probably gave Jackson more of the sedative lorazepam than he told police.
Defense lawyers have suggested throughout the four-week trial that Jackson swallowed eight lorazepam pills without Murray&#8217;s knowledge and that may have been enough to kill him.

Shafer, however, said the defense&#8217;s own testing showed Jackson hadn&#8217;t swallowed any lorazepam pills in the four hours before his death, and the amount of the medication found in his stomach was &#8220;trivial.&#8221;
In addition, prosecutors have said coroner&#8217;s officials recently conducted tests that showed the levels of lorazepam in Jackson&#8217;s stomach were far lower than defense attorneys have led jurors to believe.

Regarding oral ingestion of propofol, Shafer on Thursday walked jurors through studies dating back to 1985 on animals and more recently on humans showing propofol that is swallowed wouldn&#8217;t produce sedation or reach the bloodstream in any sizeable amount.

White is expected to testify during the defense case scheduled to being Friday and feature 15 witnesses.

Murray has pleaded not guilty to involuntary manslaughter. He was Jackson&#8217;s personal physician for roughly two months before the singer&#8217;s unexpected death in June 2009.

Shafer told jurors Wednesday that 17 violations of standard practices by Murray each put Jackson&#8217;s life at risk. Many concerned modern life-saving equipment that Murray lacked when he gave Jackson propofol in the bedroom of his rented mansion, but Shafer said among the cardiologist&#8217;s worst transgressions was putting his own interests ahead of Jackson.

He compared the Houston-based cardiologist to an employee who wouldn&#8217;t say no to his boss.
&#8220;Saying yes is not what doctors do,&#8221; he testified.

Shafer, a Columbia University professor and researcher who helped write the guidelines and warnings included with every vial of propofol, repeatedly said Murray&#8217;s actions were unconscionable, unethical and illegal.
He said Murray&#8217;s case is unlike any he&#8217;s ever seen.
&#8220;We are in pharmacological never-never land here, something that was done to Michael Jackson and no one else in history to my knowledge,&#8221; Shafer told jurors.
The professor reminded jurors that Murray had bought more than four gallons of propofol to use on the singer over the course of his employment, talked on the phone in the hours before Jackson&#8217;s death, and delayed calling 911 when he found the singer unresponsive.

&#8220;The worst disasters occur in sedation and they occur when people cut corners,&#8221; Shafer said. In Jackson&#8217;s case, &#8220;virtually none of the safeguards were in place,&#8221; he added.
While testifying, Shafer leaned forward and spoke to jurors directly at times, as if he were in a classroom. The early portion of his testimony was a crash course on propofol, explaining its effects on the body and why, despite being a remarkable drug, it needed to be used by skilled people in a proper medical setting.
Shafer based much of his opinions about the case on Murray&#8217;s own words during a lengthy interview with police two days after Jackson&#8217;s death.
He said the lack of record-keeping was a violation of Jackson&#8217;s rights, especially since something went wrong.
&#8220;He has a right to know what was done to him,&#8221; Shafer said. &#8220;With no medical record, the family has been denied that right.&#8221;
When Shafer spoke of Jackson&#8217;s family, a couple jurors looked out into the audience, where the singer&#8217;s mother, father, sister Rebbie and brother Randy were seated.

Testimony has shown that Murray took no notes on his treatment of Jackson and didn&#8217;t record his vital signs in the hours before the singer&#8217;s death.

Shafer said he was testifying for the prosecution without a fee because he wants to restore public confidence in doctors who use propofol, which he called a wonderful drug when properly administered.
&#8220;I am asked every day in the operating room, &#8216;Are you going to give me the drug that killed Michael Jackson,&#8217;&#8221; Shafer said. &#8220;This is a fear that patients do not need to have.&#8221;

AP Special Correspondent Linda Deutsch contributed to this report.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/natio...0/20/gIQAI0QgzL_story.html?wprss=rss_national
 
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Docs facing questions about 'Michael Jackson' drug
Doctors sometimes call the anesthesia drug by its nickname - milk of amnesia. Patients are calling it the "Michael Jackson drug."
By ALICIA CHANG

AP Science Writer
LOS ANGELES &#8212;
Doctors sometimes call the anesthesia drug by its nickname - milk of amnesia. Patients are calling it the "Michael Jackson drug."

Ever since propofol was blamed in the singer's death, patients who seldom asked or cared about what kind of sedation they were getting were suddenly peppering their doctors with questions about the potent drug.

"You won't believe how many people with their eyes wide open ask me: `Are you going to give me the Michael Jackson drug?' They're scared to death," said Dr. H.A. Tillmann Hein, president of the Texas Society of Anesthesiologists.
While some initially balk at going under, fearing they will end up like Jackson, they come around after Hein explains that propofol, widely used for surgeries and other procedures for more than 20 years, is safe when used by a trained professional in a hospital or clinic.

Propofol gained notoriety in 2009 after an autopsy found Jackson died of an overdose. Prosecutors have accused his personal physician, Dr. Conrad Murray, of giving the 50-year-old pop icon a lethal dose at the singer's rented Los Angeles mansion.

Murray has pleaded not guilty to involuntary manslaughter. His lawyers contend the amount of propofol Murray gave him to battle insomnia while prepping for his comeback tour was too small to cause the singer's death.

While Jackson's death thrust propofol into the spotlight, the circumstances of the case are rare.
Since the drug is hard to get (it's usually kept in medical settings) and hard to use (it's injected through an IV), there's little abuse in the general public. Almost all cases of recreational propofol use and deaths involve medical professionals.

Even before Jackson died, the federal government had considered adding the drug to its roster of controlled substances amid concerns about growing abuse in the medical community.

For the past two years, anesthesiologists have tried to counter the bad rap that propofol has gotten in the Jackson case.
Before Jackson's death, less than 10 percent of patients that Dr. John Dombrowski saw asked about propofol. Now more than half do, mostly about what monitoring safeguards are in place in case problems occur.
"It's important to have this conversation so people aren't fearful," said Dombrowski, who runs the private Washington Pain Center.

While doctors are seeing more patients with questions, they say no one has refused care after they are reassured that their situations are different than those of Jackson.

About 40 million Americans undergo anesthesia each year, with the vast majority receiving propofol. Because it is fast-acting and clears quickly from the body, people can return to normal activities sooner than older anesthetics.

During the past two weeks, prosecution witnesses said Murray flouted the standard of care by giving propofol in Jackson's home to help the superstar sleep and by leaving the room while he was sedated. Propofol is not approved to treat sleep disorders.

Propofol expert Dr. Steven Shafer of Columbia University testified Wednesday for the prosecution without a fee, saying he wanted to restore public confidence in doctors who use propofol, which he called "an outstanding drug" when properly administered.
Like many anesthesiologists, Shafer said he has received questions from many patients in the operating room about whether they will receive "the drug that killed Michael Jackson."
"I get that question daily. This is a fear that patients do not need to have," said Shafer, who wrote the package insert that guides doctors in the use of the anesthetic and demonstrated to jurors the appropriate way to administer the drug.

Within the medical profession, there have been growing concerns in recent years about abuse by health care workers. Published studies have uncovered several overdose deaths and cases of medical professionals who self-administer propofol to get high.
"It takes away anxiety, fear and pain," said anesthesiologist Dr. Paul Wischmeyer of the University of Colorado, Denver, who has studied propofol abuse. "That's the draw of the drug."

The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration's proposal to make propofol a controlled substance is pending.

At UAB Hospital in Birmingham, Ala., officials are already treating propofol like other controlled drugs such as morphine and Valium by requiring stricter accounting of how it is disposed of.
Before that change went into effect eight months ago, doctors would dump leftover propofol bottles and used syringes in a biohazard container after an operation. Now the hospital requires another witness to be present to document the disposal.

Hospital officials first considered that change several years ago after reports of abuse by health care workers around the country. The Jackson case heightened awareness, chief pharmacy officer Mark Todd said.
"It got some momentum" after Jackson's death, Todd said. "It helped move it along."

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/health/2016559260_apusmedmichaeljacksonpropofoleffect.html
 
October 20, 2011
Is the experts' bromance now on the rocks?
Posted: 01:37 PM ET

Dr. Steven Shafer took a direct at shot in open court at his counterpart, defense witness Dr. Paul White. Dr. Shafer testified that he was disappointed in a study by Dr. White that said Michael Jackson could have died from drinking the anesthetic propofol because it's simply not possible.
It&#8217;s important to remember Dr. Shafer and Dr. White are both anesthesiologists and have been colleagues/friends for close to 30 years. Both men are highly respected in their field.

Dr. Shafer backed up his claim that there is zero possibility that Jackson died of oral ingestion with a study he conducted in Chile. The study involved six volunteers drinking propofol and documented the effects the drug had on their bodies.

Half of the volunteers drank 200 mg and the other half drank 400 mg. The volunteers' vitals were continuously montitored and recorded. Doctors also periodically took blood samples from the volunteers.

Here are some of the results from the study in Chile:

-None of the subjects became sedated or sleepy
-None of the subjects had a drop in blood pressure
-None of the subjects had a drop in the oxygen levels of their blood
-All of the subjects survived

Defense attorneys told the judge they intend to drop the theory that Jackson orally ingested propofol. Instead, the defense is expected to argue that Jackson gave himself the lethal dose of propofol through an I.V.

Posted by: In Session's Graham Winch

http://insession.blogs.cnn.com/2011/10/20/is-the-experts-bromance-now-on-the-rocks/


Trial of Michael Jackson's doctor becomes battle of experts
By Alan Duke, CNN
October 20, 2011 -- Updated 1958 GMT (0358 HKT)

Los Angeles (CNN) -- Michael Jackson could not have given himself the fatal doses of sedatives and anesthesia that killed him, the prosecution's anesthesiology expert testified in Dr. Conrad Murray's involuntary manslaughter trial Thursday.

The level of drugs in Jackson's blood also were far higher than what would be expected based on the dosages Dr. Murray told detectives he gave Jackson in the hours before his death, Dr. Steven Shafer said.

The Los Angeles County coroner ruled that Jackson's June 25, 2009, death was caused by a combination of sedatives with the surgical anesthetic propofol, which Murray admitted he used to help Jackson sleep.
Toxicology results indicated Jackson was given 10 times the dosage of lorazepam and several times the amount of propofol that Murray described giving him, Dr. Shafer testified.

Murray, in a police interview two days after Jackson's death, said he gave Jackson a total of four milligrams of lorazepam in two separate doses starting 10 hours before his death.

The level of lorazepam in Jackson's blood at the time of his autopsy show "this did not happen," Shafer said. Instead, the blood levels suggest he was given 40 milligrams -- not four -- in a series of 10 doses, he said.
Blood levels also disprove Murray's claim that he injected only 25 milliliters of propofol into Jackson more than an hour before he stopped breathing, he said. It would take an injection of 100 milliliters within minutes of his death to create the level of propofol found in Jackson's blood, he said.

Murray's defense is built around the theory that Jackson self-administered the fatal overdoses, but Shafer said science and common sense disprove that possibility.
The defense claim that Jackson swallowed eight lorazepam tablets while Murray was away was based on testing of his stomach contents. But Shafer discredited the defense lab tests, saying a new test showed the equivalent of only "1/43rd of a tablet" of the sedative in the stomach.
The defense explanation for the high level of propofol in Jackson's blood also involves a self-administration theory. They say Jackson, desperate for sleep, woke up while Murray was away and used a syringe to inject himself.

Dr. Shafer said the theory makes no sense.
"People just don't wake up hell bent to grab the next dose in a syringe, draw it up and shove it in their IV again," Shafer said. "It's just a crazy scenario."

Although the defense recently abandoned the theory that Jackson may have swallowed propofol, the prosecution still worked to use their old theory to discredit Dr. Paul White, the anesthesiologist who will testify soon for the defense.

A report prepared by Dr. White last March concluded oral ingestion of propofol could have killed Jackson, but Dr. Shafer testified it ignores the "first pass effect" that is taught to first-year medical students.

The liver is a "powerful mechanism" for filtering propofol from the digestive tract so that only a very small percentage can reach the blood, Shafer said.

Shafer cited several studies on rats, mice, piglets, dogs, monkeys and humans that he said proves swallowing propofol would have no effect.

"There was no sedation at anytime following oral consumption of propofol," Shafer said, describing the results of research he commissioned on university students in Chile over the summer.
The human study was done not only to prepare for the Jackson trial, Shafer said, but also to counter an effort by the Drug Enforcement Agency to consider tighter restrictions on propofol.

The drug is not currently a controlled substance, but publicity over the theory that Jackson's death might have been caused by oral ingestion prompted federal regulators to considered a new requirement that "it to be handled almost like morphine," he said.
"Patients will be hurt if it is restricted," he said. "Anesthesiologists have to have ready access."
The new study assures that if the drug is abused, it would only be done with the intravenous route, which only health care providers have, he said.

Dr. Shafer testified Wednesday that Jackson "most likely" died because his tongue blocked the back of his throat, but that he could have been saved if Dr. Murray had used "a simple chin lift" when he realized the pop icon had stopped breathing.
Murray was "totally clueless" about how to treat Jackson in those critical minutes, leading to the singer's death, Shafer said.

A cardiologist previously testified that he thought Jackson died of respiratory arrest, but Shafer expanded on the theory, saying, "The most likely thing that happened was airway obstruction."

"Michael Jackson was trying to breathe, but the tongue had fallen in the back of the throat," Shafer said. "Either a simple chin lift, just that alone, or an oral airway to move the tongue out of the way might well have been all that was required to save his life.

Dr. Shafer: It's a slippery slope
Dr. Shafer: 'You write down everything'
Dr. Shafer: Propofol is a good drug Shafer said Jackson would be alive now but for 17 "egregious deviations" by Murray from the standard of care required of physicians.

Murray's use of propofol almost every night for two months to help Jackson sleep was so unusual, there is no documentation on the dangers, Shafer said.
"We are in pharmacological never-never land here," Shafer said, "something that's only been done to Michael Jackson."

The trial, in its fourth week, is expected to conclude with the start of jury deliberations near the end of next week.

http://edition.cnn.com/2011/10/20/j...ad-murray-trial/index.html?section=cnn_latest



Dr. Steven Shafer vs Dr. Paul White: A medical battle at Conrad Murray Trial
Jodi Jill, National Celebrity Headlines Examiner .

Dr. Steven Shafer and Dr. Paul White have been friends for 30 years. Both doctors are anesthesiologists and both are well respected. Yet, the two propofol experts are sitting on different sides of the courtroom when it comes to testifying in the Dr. Conrad Murray manslaughter trail. Dr. Steven Shafer&#8217;s third day of testimony Thursday had the prosecution defining the drug propofol and sharing his findings, as Dr. White took detailed notes on his computer ready for the defense.

This is a medical showdown of epic proportions unfolding before everyone&#8217;s eyes. Both skilled men are considered highly knowledgeable propofol and sedation with each having a list of accolades that could make a layman blush, but like in the research world, the two will need to impress the jurors on who&#8217;s theory is right about the combination of drugs.

Being that both are very well educated, one would consider that the data being laid out before the court would be sufficient to show how the drug works, but there needs to be more. The research appears to be half the battle with the circumstance surrounding the death of Michael Jackson being also drawn into the equation. The data by just one doctor discussed is borderline confusing. Add another disputing some of the issues and everyone is going to need to really focus

It begs to ask if the friendship of these two anesthesiologists will remain after a verdict is handed down in this case. There will be only one winner and the winner just might be the better doctor who describes exactly how the drug works to all of the normal people watching.

While Dr. Shafer is expected to end his testimony on Thursday, Dr White hasn&#8217;t been officially slated to hit the witness stand as of yet. It is assumed it will be within the week. The Conrad Murray trial is expected to be handed to the jurors by the end of October.

http://www.examiner.com/celebrity-h...te-medical-colleagues-battle-at-conrad-murray
 
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Re: Murray Trial_ All media reports/articles - Merged - No discussion September 30th

L.A. NOW
Southern California -- this just in

Witness: 40 times more drugs in Jackson than Murray told police
October 20, 2011 | 3:49 pm

Dr. Conrad Murray probably gave Michael Jackson 40 times more of the surgical anesthetic than he admitted to police, and left the drug running into the singer's veins even as his heart stopped beating, a leading expert on the drug testified Thursday.

The testimony of anesthesiologist Steven Shafer is the most direct refutation yet of Murray's account of what happened in the hours leading up to his famous patient's death.

Shafer, a Columbia University professor, said mathematical modeling based on levels of the drug found posthumously in Jackson's body debunked Murray's statement that he gave only a single 25-milligram dose of the drug shortly before Jackson's death.
The only plausible scenario he found, Shafer said, was that the physician gave as a drip an entire bottle of propofol, containing 1,000 milligrams of the drug, and never realized Jackson stopped breathing.
"Is this the explanation that best fits all the data in this case?" Deputy Dist. Atty. David Walgren asked.
"This fits all the data in this case and I am not aware of a single piece of data that is inconsistent," Shafer said.

Shafer, the prosecution's final and main medical witness, is in his third day of testimony. He said his calculations ruled out any possibility that Jackson injected himself with the drug.

Victoria Kim and Harriet Ryan at Los Angeles County Superior Court

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2011/10/conrad-murray-michael-jackson-drugs.html
 
Re: Murray Trial_ All media reports/articles - Merged - No discussion September 30th

Michael Jackson Manslaughter Trial: Conrad Murray Defense Witness Calls Prosecutor a "Scumbag"
Today 1:00 PM PDT by Natalie Finn and Baker Machado


UPDATE 4 p.m.: Court has adjourned for the day and will resume Friday at 12:45 p.m. The defense, which had expected to start its case tomorrow, has yet to cross-examine Dr. Shafer.

UPDATE: 3:10 p.m.: White, who described Shafer as a friend and colleague, tells E! News that Deputy District Attorney David Walgren's treatment of the evidence has been "unethical and unconscionable." Shafer's testimony, however, has changed the way he thinks of him, White says. "I am going to take the high road, not the low road with him," he adds. "I was his teacher when he was a medical student. The truth will come out. It always does."

UPDATE 3:05 p.m. Pastor immediately called for a break after Murray lost his cool in response to Shafer using an actual infusion stand to demonstrate how Murray could have dosed Michael Jackson with propofol. "Can you believe that?" Murray whispered to Dr. Paul White, an expected defense witness. "What a scumbag," White told the media seated near him.

MORE: Propofol expert calls Michael Jackson's death an "expected outcome" of Murray's neglect

UPDATE 1:15 p.m.: Shafer also disputed the defense's contention that Jackson ingested eight 2-miligram tablets of lorazepam, the sedative that Murray's attorneys are now training their sights on, between 8 a.m. and noon on the day he died. The true amount was "much, much smaller," the anesthesiologist said. As far as the propofol went, Shafer added, Jackson had been given more than the 25 miligrams Murray told police he'd administered to the singer.

UPDATE 10 a.m.: Shafer said that injecting propofol into a vein with a syringe or finding an injection port would take a bit of "time and coordination." The Columbia University Medical Center doc noted that Murray told police that Jackson's veins were so unavailable he had started giving him IVs below his left knee.

UPDATE 9:20 a.m.: Dr. Shafer says there is "zero" chance Michael Jackson died from oral ingestion of propofol, citing tests that had been done on mice, piglets, dogs and monkeys. Shafer adds that there hasn't been a study on humans because "it was obvious" it wouldn't work because there would be no bio-availability. Plus, when ingested orally, Shafer said, the drug is quickly broken down by the liver. He cited a test on patients in Chile who showed "no sedation" after swallowing 200 or 400 miligrams of propofol.

UPDATE 8:55 a.m.: Dr. Steven Shafer takes the stand to continue his testimony for the second day under questioning from prosecutors.

UPDATE 8:30 a.m.: Jackson family members Katherine, Joe, Rebbie and Randy in the courtroom for this session.
Conrad Murray's team has a tough nut to crack today.

On day 14 of his trial on an involuntary manslaughter charge in the death of Michael Jackson, the defense will commence its cross-examination of Dr. Steve Shafer, an expert on propofol who on the stand yesterday absolutely castigated Murray's treatment of Jackson.
"The facts in this case, in my view...virtually none of the safeguards were in place when propofol was administered to Mr. Jackson," Shafer testified. He also called it "inexcusable" that Murray did not immediately call 911 the second he noticed Jackson in respiratory distress, especially considering Murray was apparently "clueless in what to do."

Deputy District Attorney David Walgren is expected to rest his case once Shafer steps down. Murray's camp has informed Judge Michael Pastor that they plan to call 15 witnesses and wrap their own case toward the middle of next week.

http://uk.eonline.com/news/michael_jackson_manslaughter_trial/270524
 
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render.htm

ANTHONY McCARTNEY
Published: Today
render.htm

Dr. Conrad Murray looks on during his involuntary manslaughter trial in Los Angeles, Thursday, Oct. 20, 2011. Murray has pleaded not guilty and faces four years in prison and the loss of his medical license if convicted of involuntary manslaughter in Michael Jackson's death. (AP Photo/Reed Saxon, Pool)
LOS ANGELES (AP) - For several moments, the milky white substance that authorities say killed Michael Jackson dripped down into an IV line a few feet away from jurors.
Sometimes the drops fell fast, until their rate was slowed by the Columbia University researcher and professor who for three days has testified about the drug and its effects on the King of Pop as he died. The demonstration, with the anesthetic propofol dripping harmlessly into a water bottle, was one of the final scenes prosecutors presented Thursday to jurors hearing the involuntary manslaughter trial of Dr. Conrad Murray.
On Friday, Murray's lead attorney will finally get his chance to question the expertise and assumptions laid out by Dr. Steven Shafer, the prosecution's final and one of its most important witnesses. The Houston-based cardiologist has pleaded not guilty.
After days of testimony and demonstrating the type of IV drip that was likely present in Jackson's bedroom in his final hours, Shafer bluntly responded to a question about Murray's culpability.
"He has been entrusted by Michael Jackson to look after his safety every night and he has failed," Shafer said.
Sitting in the courtroom, watching and listening to it all was Shafer's former teacher and longtime colleague, Dr. Paul White, who will testify for the defense.
Shafer opened Thursday's testimony by saying he was "disappointed" in his former instructor, who earlier this year had written in a report that he thought it was possible Jackson had died after swallowing a dose of propofol.
Shafer told jurors that medical studies dating back to 1985, performed on animals as varied as rats, dogs, monkeys and more recently, humans, had shown that propofol if swallowed wouldn't produce sedation or any ill effects.
White has been taking notes throughout Shafer's testimony and his observations will likely influence lead defense attorney Ed Chernoff when he begins his cross-examination Friday afternoon.
Shafer also attempted to discredit another defense theory - that Jackson may have swallowed eight lorazepam pills in the hours before his death without Murray's knowledge and that authorities overlooked it. He said the amount of lorazepam that was found in Jackson's stomach was "trivial."
The only explanation that supported all the evidence - including the items found in Jackson's bedroom, the singer's autopsy results and Murray's lengthy statement to police - is that Murray gave the singer propofol on an IV drip and left the room when he thought the singer was safely asleep.
"This fits all of the data in this case and I am not aware of a single piece of data that is inconsistent with this explanation," Shafer said.
Using charts and his own experience, Shafer said that Jackson likely stopped breathing because of the propofol and without someone to clear his airway. The whole time, propofol would have kept dripping into the IV tube, gravity carrying it into the singer's body.
In all, Shafer said Murray committed 17 violations of the standard of care that could have led to Jackson's serious injury or death.
Murray's actions in setting up the IV stand in Jackson's bedroom - similar to the one Shafer set up in front of the jury box Thursday - led to the singer's demise and his Murray alone was to blame, Shafer said.
"He is responsible for every drop of propofol in that room, every drop of lorazepam in that room," Shafer said.
___
AP Special Correspondent Linda Deutsch contributed to this report.
___
McCartney can be reached at http://twitter.com/mccartneyAP

© 2011 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.

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Re: Murray Trial_ All media reports/articles - Merged - No discussion September 30th

http://edition.cnn.com/2011/10/21/justice/california-conrad-murray-trial/index.html

Defense shows strain in trial of Michael Jackson's doctor
By Alan Duke, CNN
October 21, 2011 -- Updated 0820 GMT (1620 HKT)


Los Angeles (CNN) -- Cross-examination of the prosecution's anesthesiology expert is crucial for Dr. Conrad Murray, but his defense team's most knowledgeable lawyer when it comes to propofol will sit on the sideline Friday.

Michael Flanagan, who has handled the previous medical experts, has been replaced by lead defense lawyer Ed Chernoff for the questioning of Dr. Steven Shafer, Chernoff told the judge in Murray's involuntary manslaughter trial Thursday. The defense did not cite a reason.

Murray appeared visibly shaken by Shafer's testimony Thursday, especially when the prosecution's expert demonstrated to jurors how he believes Murray set up an IV drip to give singer Michael Jackson the drugs that killed him.

Jackson died because Murray failed to notice that his patient had stopped breathing while he was hooked up to an IV drip of the surgical anesthetic propofol, Shafer testified. The doctor should have realized Jackson had stopped breathing about 11:45 a.m. on June 25, 2009, he said.

"When you're there, you see it, you know it," Shafer said.

Phone records and testimony showed that Murray was on the phone with one of his clinics, a patient, and then a girlfriend about the time that Shafer calculated the oxygen in Jackson's lungs became depleted, causing his heart to stop beating.

Had Conrad Murray been with Michael Jackson during this period of time, he would have seen the slowed breathing and the compromise in the flow of air into Michael Jackson's lungs, and he could have easily turned off the propofol infusion," Shafer said.

Murray could have then easily cleared Jackson's airways and restored his breathing by lifting his chin, he said.

Earlier testimony from paramedics and emergency room doctors said Jackson was clinically dead by the time an ambulance arrived at the pop icon's Los Angeles home nearly a half-hour after Murray realized there was a problem.

The last three prosecution experts, all medical experts, focused the Murray trial on the science surrounding Jackson's death, a contrast to earlier testimony from Murray's girlfriends and Jackson employees.

After the defense cross-examination of Shafer on Friday afternoon, Murray's lawyers will start calling witnesses, including their own anesthesiology expert.

Shafer demonstrated for the jury Thursday how he believed Murray set up the propofol infusion by hanging a 100-milliliter vial from a stand with tubing attached that would have led to a catheter port in Jackson's left leg.

"This is the only scenario that I could generate" that would produce the high level of propofol found in Jackson's blood during his autopsy, Shafer said.

"This fits all of the data in this case, and I am not aware of any data that is inconsistent with this explanation," he said.

Shafer examined and ruled out other scenarios, including Jackson injecting himself with propofol or Murray administering a fatal dose with a syringe. Computer model projections could not identify a scenario that would duplicate the high blood levels found, he said.

Although Murray told police he used an IV drip to give Jackson propofol on previous nights, the defense contends that he did not use it the day Jackson died. Instead, they say, Murray put Jackson to sleep about 10:40 a.m. with a single injection.

Sometime after that, Jackson woke and used a syringe to inject himself, the defense contends.
Shafer said the theory makes no sense.

"People just don't wake up hell-bent to grab the next dose in a syringe, draw it up and shove it in their IV again," Shafer said. "It's just a crazy scenario."

The Los Angeles County coroner ruled that Jackson's death was caused by a combination of sedatives with the propofol, which Murray admitted in a police interview that he used to help Jackson sleep.

The defense contends that Jackson swallowed eight lorazepam tablets, a claim based on testing of lorazepam levels in Jackson's stomach contents. Shafer discredited the defense lab tests, saying a new test showed the equivalent of only "1/43rd of a tablet" of the sedative in the stomach.

The level of lorazepam in Jackson's blood was far higher than what would be expected based on the dosages Dr. Murray told detectives he gave Jackson in the hours before his death, Shafer said.

Murray said he gave Jackson a total of 4 milligrams of lorazepam in two separate doses starting 10 hours before his death. Toxicology results indicated that Jackson was given 40 milligrams -- not four -- in a series of 10 doses, he said.

Although the defense recently abandoned the theory that Jackson may have swallowed propofol, the prosecution still worked to use its old theory to discredit Dr. Paul White, the anesthesiologist who will testify soon for the defense.

A report prepared by White in March concluded that oral ingestion of propofol could have killed Jackson, but Shafer testified that it ignores the "first pass effect" that is taught to first-year medical students.

The liver is a "powerful mechanism" for filtering propofol from the digestive tract so that only a very small percentage can reach the blood, Shafer said.

Shafer cited several studies on rats, mice, piglets, dogs, monkeys and humans that he said proves swallowing propofol would have no effect.

"There was no sedation at any time following oral consumption of propofol," Shafer said, describing the results of research he commissioned on university students in Chile over the summer.

The human study was done not only to prepare for the Jackson trial, Shafer said, but also to counter an effort by the Drug Enforcement Agency to consider tighter restrictions on propofol.

The drug is not currently a controlled substance, but publicity over the theory that Jackson's death might have been caused by oral ingestion prompted federal regulators to considered a new requirement that "it to be handled almost like morphine," he said.

"Patients will be hurt if it is restricted," he said. "Anesthesiologists have to have ready access."

The new study assures that if the drug is abused, it would be done only with the intravenous route, which only health care providers have, he said.

[/quote]
 
Expert: Jackson didn't give himself propofol
Posted: Oct 20, 2011 9:49 AM
Updated: Oct 21, 2011 1:29 AM

By LINDA DEUTSCH
AP Special Correspondent
LOS ANGELES (AP) - Michael Jackson was so heavily drugged in the hours before his death that he would have been incapable of self-administering the massive dose of propofol that killed him, a medical expert testified Thursday at the trial of Jackson's doctor.

Dr. Steven Shafer, who presented a number of possible scenarios for Jackson's overdose, said one posed by Dr. Conrad Murray's defense - that the star gave himself the powerful anesthetic - is "crazy."
"He can't give himself an injection if he's asleep," Shafer told jurors.
The more likely scenario was that Murray placed Jackson on an IV propofol drip on the morning of his death then left the room as the singer slept, Shafer said.
Jackson probably stopped breathing before Murray returned, and the singer's lungs emptied while the propofol kept flowing into his body, even after he was dead, the witness said.
"This fits all of the data in this case and I am not aware of a single piece of data that is inconsistent with this explanation," Shafer said.

He suggested Murray infused Jackson with the full contents of a 100 milliliter bottle of the drug with a flow that was regulated only by gravity because the doctor lacked dose regulating equipment. Murray claimed he gave Jackson only 25 milligrams over a period of three to five minutes.
Jurors stood up to get a better view as Shafer used an IV pole and apparatus for a courtroom demonstration. He dribbled the drug into a trash can so they could see how it moved through the tubing.

Earlier, Shafer took the jury through a virtual chemistry class with diagrams and formulas projected on a large screen. He indicated the residue of drugs found during Jackson's autopsy suggested Murray gave his patient much larger doses of sedatives than he told police.
He also said Jackson would have been extremely groggy from the drugs administered by IV throughout the night.

Murray told police he was away from Jackson for just two minutes - a period during which the defense says the singer could have grabbed a syringe and given himself additional propofol.
"People don't just wake up from anesthesia hell bent to pick up a syringe and pump it into the IV," Shafer said, reminding the jury that the procedure was complicated. "It's a crazy scenario."
He also said it was unlikely that Jackson injected himself with a needle because the pop star's veins were too deteriorated and the procedure would have been extremely painful.
Witnesses have said Jackson knew the drug had to be diluted with lidocaine in an IV to prevent burning when it entered the veins.

Shafer, a leading expert on anesthesiology who teaches at Columbia University Medical School, also rejected the claim that Jackson may have swallowed eight pills of the sedative lorazepam, also known as Ativan, causing his death.
Shafer said the amount of lorazepam found in Jackson's stomach was "trivial" and not linked to oral ingestion. He suggested Murray gave Jackson much more lorazepam by IV infusion than the four milligrams he said he did.

After receiving lorazepam, another sedative known as midazolam (Versed) and propofol, Jackson would have been too groggy to handle the infusion of more anesthetic through an IV pump, Shafer said.
His opinions set up an expected clash with the views of his colleague, Dr. Paul White, who was waiting to testify for the defense. The men have been friends and associates for 30 years.

White, who sat in the courtroom taking notes, has suggested to the defense in a written report that Jackson might have swallowed a vial of propofol, accounting for the high level of the drug in his autopsy.
But the defense announced last week it had abandoned the theory in May after running its own tests that disproved the theory.

Coroner's officials determined Jackson died on June 25, 2009, from acute propofol intoxication, and Murray has acknowledged giving the singer the drug as a sleep aid. The officials cited other sedatives as a contributing factor.
Murray has pleaded not guilty to involuntary manslaughter.

Prosecutor David Walgren concluded his nearly three-day examination of Shafer, with the witness saying Murray was "a direct cause of Michael Jackson's death'" even if Jackson administered a drug to himself.
"He is responsible for every drop of propofol in that room, every drop of lorazepam in that room," Shafer said.

The trial was recessed until Friday afternoon.

AP Entertainment Writer Anthony McCartney contributed to this report
http://www.kmph.com/story/15737103/expert-jackson-doctor-violated-age-old-standards


Conrad Murray Trial, Day 14: Propofol Expert Lays Into Doctor Again

Published: October 20, 2011 @ 8:34 am
Dr. Conrad Murray ended his day in court Thursday pretty much the way he ended his day in court Wednesday -- by getting raked over the coals by anesthesiology expert Dr. Steven Shafer.

Shafer, who on Wednesday rattled off 17 "egregious deviations" from standard care that Murray had committed, spent much of the mid-afternoon simulating how Murray admittedly administered the propofol to Jackson.
And his assessment wasn't pretty.
With an IV rig similar to the one found in Michael Jackson's home set up in the courtroom, Shafer testified that, had Murray possessed the means to measure the carbon dioxide building in Jackson&#8217;s system," or had he &#8220;seen the slowed breathing and could easily have turned off the propofol infusion," he might have stopped the process &#8220;with no injury to Michael Jackson."

Shafer heavily critiqued the delivery set-up Murray purportedly used, asserting,"There is no justification for using that [type of] infusion set -- without an infusion pump.&#8221; Shafer called Murray's use of a spiked saline bag to deliver the propofol &#8220;an intrinsically dangerous set-up."

Walgren finished his direct examination of Shafer with a series of pointed questions about the procedures, asking Shafer each time if Murray was a direct cause of Jackson's death. In each case he got the answer, &#8220;Yes.&#8221;

Earlier in the day, Shafer testified that he had examined a number of scenarios in which Jackson might have taken propofol on the day of his death. Shafer opined that the only scenario that made sense, judging by the level of propofol in the singer's femural vein at the time was his death, was a 100-milliigram drip administered intravenously -- much more than Murray told police he gave Jackson -- and that the drug would have to be administered by Murray, given the logistics.

In an odd moment reported outside the courtroom, CNN correspondent Alan Duke witnessed a heated exchange between lead defense attorney Ed Chernoff and prosecution e witness Dr. Paul White. Duke hinted the &#8220;raw&#8221; and &#8220;heated&#8221; exchange was over witnesses taking the case personally.

In any event, as the defense begins to deploy its case tomorrow at a delayed start time of 12:45 p.m., Dr. Shafer has left them a substantial hole to crawl out of.
The prosecution is expected to wrap its case in the involuntary manslaughter case against Dr. Conrad Murray on Thursday.
Murray's defense, meanwhile, will begin its presentation on Friday, and the case will likely go to the jury for deliberations next week

http://www.mjjcommunity.com/forum/t...es-Merged-No-discussion-September-30th/page14
 
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