Dr. Conrad Murray pleaded not guilty to involuntary manslaughter in the death of Michael Jackson on Tuesday, setting up a high-profile trial in which prosecutors will try to prove it was his gross negligence that killed the legendary singer.
Katherine Jackson and her son Randy were among family members that attended the arraignment hearing at Los Angeles Superior Court.
If convicted, Murray could face a maximum of four years in prison. His medical license has been suspended pending the outcome of the trial. If found guilty, Murray will likely never practice medicine again.
Murray has been the focal point of an investigation since Jackson died June 25, 2009, at age 50. Murray acknowledged that he administered the hospital anesthetic propofol and other sedatives as Jackson, a chronic insomniac, struggled to sleep.
A coroner testified during a six-day preliminary that Jackson died of a propofol overdose in combination with other drugs. His death was classified as a homicide. The official coroner's report stated that the standards for administering the drug were not met -- including a lack of necessary monitoring equipment.
In the hearing, Murray said he gave Jackson a low dose of propofol on June 25 after spending several hours trying to get the star to sleep using other drugs. He said that he was just trying to help his client overcome insomnia, but it was pointed out that propofol is a powerful surgical anesthetic and not intended for home use.
When it appeared that the propofol was working, Murray said he left the room, but when he returned, he found Jackson not breathing.
When the star appeared to doze off, Murray said he left the room for two minutes to go to the bathroom, then returned to find Jackson not breathing. He delayed calling 911 for between 25 minutes and an hour while he tried to revive him, testimony showed.
"He abandoned his patient and didn't resuscitate appropriately. That's the key," said Dr. Richard Ruffalo, an anesthesiologist who testified for the prosecution.
Murray's behavior before and after Jackson stopped breathing was detailed by household staff and paramedics. It was backed up with phone records, e-mails and most importantly, a transcript of Murray's nearly three-hour interview with police.
Legal experts say Murray has a tough fight ahead of him if he truly believes he is not guilty.
Criminal defense attorney Steve Cron told the AP that Murray's defense team must answer critical questions about the doctor's actions, including why he delayed calling 911 and why he failed to tell medics he had given propofol. "All these are little bits of evidence," said Cron. "None of them alone caused his death, but all together they may have."
Jackson's family and friends are understandably eager to seek justice in the singer's death. Longtime friend Rabbi Shmuley Boteach told PopEater that Murray needs to pay for his inaction.
"Here is a doctor, who essentially acted as a pusher, now denying any and all responsibility for dispensing to Michael a truckload of prescription drugs that eventually killed him," the rabbi told us. "Bodyguards have already testified that as emergency workers came to try to save Michael's life, Murray was gathering bottles of pills and removing them from the scene of the tragedy."
Showing posts with label Death. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Death. Show all posts
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Jackson's Doc Pleads not Guilty in Star's Death
Michael Jackson's doctor pleaded not guilty Tuesday to a charge of involuntary manslaughter in the pop superstar's death as the case moved rapidly toward a trial that will likely be televised.
"Your honor, I am an innocent man," Murray told Superior Court Judge Michael Pastor in a soft voice. "I definitely plead not guilty."
Lawyers for Murray, who is accused of giving Jackson a lethal dose of the powerful anesthetic propofol and other sedatives, said they would be ready to go to trial within the 60-day statutory time limit, which would make for an unusually speedy trial.
Deputy District Attorney David Walgren said the prosecution would be ready to go as well. The judge scheduled the trial to begin March 28 and set a pretrial hearing for Feb. 7.
"Dr. Murray is looking forward to finally telling his side of the story," defense attorney Ed Chernoff said outside court.
Asked why the defense wants to begin the trial so quickly, Chernoff said, "Dr. Murray has been waiting 22 months for his opportunity to do this. It's the first chance we have to force the issue."
Pastor said he was inclined to allow television coverage of the trial and will hear attorneys' views on that and other issues at a Feb. 7 hearing.
District attorney's spokeswoman Sandi Gibbons said outside court that her office has a policy of not opposing cameras in court. Cameras were allowed at the hearing Tuesday for the first time, marking a shift in Pastor's previous ban.
One of Murray's lawyers said earlier he would not seek a plea bargain, and the defense had no qualms about going to trial in spite of strong prosecution evidence at a preliminary hearing aiming to prove the doctor's gross negligence killed Jackson.
"We're going to go to trial," defense attorney J. Michael Flanagan said in an interview. "I think our case is really solid. We were very pleased with the way the evidence went at the preliminary hearing... This should result in an acquittal."
Gibbons declined to comment on whether a plea bargain had been discussed saying it would be unethical to address such a matter.
Defense attorneys not connected to the case said Murray would be well advised to plea bargain.
"If I were advising him, I would be talking to the district attorney to see what they would be willing to accept," said criminal defense attorney Steve Cron. An offer of probation with community service and temporary suspension of Murray's medical license would be worth considering if it were proposed, he said.
Pastor has suspended Murray's license to practice in California pending trial.
Legal experts said several defenses are available to Murray. Among them is the suggestion by his lawyers that Jackson, desperate for sleep, self-administered a fatal dose of propofol while Murray was out of the room. That theory would mean Jackson either injected propofol into an IV line or swallowed the drug, which is meant to be administered intravenously during surgery.
Prosecution experts are likely to challenge that scenario. They also could say Murray was negligent in leaving the drug on a night stand where Jackson could reach it.
"They've got to explain why Dr. Murray was giving him propofol in the first place, in a setting where it is not normally given," said Cron, who has been watching the case.
Murray may have to testify in his own defense to provide the answers, Cron said. Chernoff said the defense has not yet made a decision on that possibility.
"My guess is he will have to explain some of these things and present his persona to the jury as a reasonable, competent doctor," Cron said.
If convicted, Murray could face a maximum of four years in prison.
In a six-day preliminary hearing, a portrait emerged of a doctor trying to help his famous client overcome debilitating insomnia with propofol, which is not intended for home use. Jackson had used it before and demanded it, calling it his "milk."
A coroner testified that Jackson, 50, died of a propofol overdose in combination with other drugs on June 25, 2009. His death was classified as a homicide.
Murray's behavior before and after Jackson stopped breathing was detailed by household staff and paramedics. It was backed up with phone records, e-mails and, most importantly, a transcript of Murray's nearly three-hour interview with police.
Murray said he gave Jackson a low dose of propofol after spending 10 hours trying to get him to sleep using other drugs. When the star appeared to doze off, Murray said he left the room for two minutes to go to the bathroom then returned to find Jackson not breathing.
He delayed calling 911 for between 25 minutes and an hour while he tried to revive him, testimony showed.
"Your honor, I am an innocent man," Murray told Superior Court Judge Michael Pastor in a soft voice. "I definitely plead not guilty."
Lawyers for Murray, who is accused of giving Jackson a lethal dose of the powerful anesthetic propofol and other sedatives, said they would be ready to go to trial within the 60-day statutory time limit, which would make for an unusually speedy trial.
Deputy District Attorney David Walgren said the prosecution would be ready to go as well. The judge scheduled the trial to begin March 28 and set a pretrial hearing for Feb. 7.
"Dr. Murray is looking forward to finally telling his side of the story," defense attorney Ed Chernoff said outside court.
Asked why the defense wants to begin the trial so quickly, Chernoff said, "Dr. Murray has been waiting 22 months for his opportunity to do this. It's the first chance we have to force the issue."
Pastor said he was inclined to allow television coverage of the trial and will hear attorneys' views on that and other issues at a Feb. 7 hearing.
District attorney's spokeswoman Sandi Gibbons said outside court that her office has a policy of not opposing cameras in court. Cameras were allowed at the hearing Tuesday for the first time, marking a shift in Pastor's previous ban.
One of Murray's lawyers said earlier he would not seek a plea bargain, and the defense had no qualms about going to trial in spite of strong prosecution evidence at a preliminary hearing aiming to prove the doctor's gross negligence killed Jackson.
"We're going to go to trial," defense attorney J. Michael Flanagan said in an interview. "I think our case is really solid. We were very pleased with the way the evidence went at the preliminary hearing... This should result in an acquittal."
Gibbons declined to comment on whether a plea bargain had been discussed saying it would be unethical to address such a matter.
Defense attorneys not connected to the case said Murray would be well advised to plea bargain.
"If I were advising him, I would be talking to the district attorney to see what they would be willing to accept," said criminal defense attorney Steve Cron. An offer of probation with community service and temporary suspension of Murray's medical license would be worth considering if it were proposed, he said.
Pastor has suspended Murray's license to practice in California pending trial.
Legal experts said several defenses are available to Murray. Among them is the suggestion by his lawyers that Jackson, desperate for sleep, self-administered a fatal dose of propofol while Murray was out of the room. That theory would mean Jackson either injected propofol into an IV line or swallowed the drug, which is meant to be administered intravenously during surgery.
Prosecution experts are likely to challenge that scenario. They also could say Murray was negligent in leaving the drug on a night stand where Jackson could reach it.
"They've got to explain why Dr. Murray was giving him propofol in the first place, in a setting where it is not normally given," said Cron, who has been watching the case.
Murray may have to testify in his own defense to provide the answers, Cron said. Chernoff said the defense has not yet made a decision on that possibility.
"My guess is he will have to explain some of these things and present his persona to the jury as a reasonable, competent doctor," Cron said.
If convicted, Murray could face a maximum of four years in prison.
In a six-day preliminary hearing, a portrait emerged of a doctor trying to help his famous client overcome debilitating insomnia with propofol, which is not intended for home use. Jackson had used it before and demanded it, calling it his "milk."
A coroner testified that Jackson, 50, died of a propofol overdose in combination with other drugs on June 25, 2009. His death was classified as a homicide.
Murray's behavior before and after Jackson stopped breathing was detailed by household staff and paramedics. It was backed up with phone records, e-mails and, most importantly, a transcript of Murray's nearly three-hour interview with police.
Murray said he gave Jackson a low dose of propofol after spending 10 hours trying to get him to sleep using other drugs. When the star appeared to doze off, Murray said he left the room for two minutes to go to the bathroom then returned to find Jackson not breathing.
He delayed calling 911 for between 25 minutes and an hour while he tried to revive him, testimony showed.
Friday, January 21, 2011
Robert Redford Opens Up About Infant Son's Death
The famously private Robert Redford has never fully recovered from the tragic SIDS death of his baby boy more than 50 years ago, he says in a rare interview.
Redford's son with first wife Lola Van Wagenen died of sudden infant death syndrome when he was only 5 months old, in 1959.
"It was really hard," Redford, 74, tells AARP The Magazine for its March/April cover story. "We were very young. I had my first theater job, which didn't pay much. We didn't know anything about SIDS, so the only thing you think is that you've done something wrong. As a parent, you tend to blame yourself. That creates a scar that probably never completely heals."
Redford and Van Wagenen, whom he divorced in 1985 after almost 30 years of marriage, had three other children together. The actor, director and founder of the Sundance Film Festival remained single until 2009, when he married longtime girlfriend Sibylle Szaggars.
"She's a very special person," he says of his current wife. "She's younger than I am, and European, which I like, so that's a whole new life."
As for how he's been able to stay private, even as he rose to stardom and became one of the greatest and most prolific film actors of his generation, Redford says it has always just been about the work for him. Until recently, that is.
"When I got into the business, I had this naive idea that I'd let my work speak for me. I just was never interested in talking about myself," he tells AARP. "However, we're in such a different time and celebrity is so much in the mainstream. I thought, 'I might as well enter this zone, but go a toe at a time.'"
He also has treated fame very gingerly.
"I dealt with it the way I wanted to," Redford says. "I felt that if you were fortunate enough to have success, you should shadowbox with it but never embrace it, because it has a demon side."
It still sometimes surprises the star of 'The Horse Whisperer,' 'Indecent Proposal,' 'The Sting' and more than 60 other films that he became an actor in the first place, he says.
"I never imagined being an actor. I wanted to get a formal education in art so I could go back to Europe and paint," he says. "Something clicked. It was the beginning of everything coming into focus with me."
At 74, Redford still remembers "going into hiding" when he turned 40 -- while his close friend Jane Fonda threw herself a big bash for the same birthday. Since then, he has learned to accept but not obsess about aging and stay active along the way.
"I ride horses, ski, play pretty hard tennis. I still have energy. When that starts to shut down, I might start to think about age," he says. "When you get older, you learn certain life lessons. You apply that wisdom, and suddenly you say, 'Hey, I've got a new lease on this thing. So let's go.'"
Redford, whose most recent project is as director of 'The Conspirator,' does take issue with being called a "living legend" because it makes him sound close to the end. And he is anything but.
"That really bothers me," he tells the magazine. "Does that mean I'm bronzed? Whoa! It's not over yet, folks!"
Redford's son with first wife Lola Van Wagenen died of sudden infant death syndrome when he was only 5 months old, in 1959.
"It was really hard," Redford, 74, tells AARP The Magazine for its March/April cover story. "We were very young. I had my first theater job, which didn't pay much. We didn't know anything about SIDS, so the only thing you think is that you've done something wrong. As a parent, you tend to blame yourself. That creates a scar that probably never completely heals."
Redford and Van Wagenen, whom he divorced in 1985 after almost 30 years of marriage, had three other children together. The actor, director and founder of the Sundance Film Festival remained single until 2009, when he married longtime girlfriend Sibylle Szaggars.
"She's a very special person," he says of his current wife. "She's younger than I am, and European, which I like, so that's a whole new life."
As for how he's been able to stay private, even as he rose to stardom and became one of the greatest and most prolific film actors of his generation, Redford says it has always just been about the work for him. Until recently, that is.
"When I got into the business, I had this naive idea that I'd let my work speak for me. I just was never interested in talking about myself," he tells AARP. "However, we're in such a different time and celebrity is so much in the mainstream. I thought, 'I might as well enter this zone, but go a toe at a time.'"
He also has treated fame very gingerly.
"I dealt with it the way I wanted to," Redford says. "I felt that if you were fortunate enough to have success, you should shadowbox with it but never embrace it, because it has a demon side."
It still sometimes surprises the star of 'The Horse Whisperer,' 'Indecent Proposal,' 'The Sting' and more than 60 other films that he became an actor in the first place, he says.
"I never imagined being an actor. I wanted to get a formal education in art so I could go back to Europe and paint," he says. "Something clicked. It was the beginning of everything coming into focus with me."
At 74, Redford still remembers "going into hiding" when he turned 40 -- while his close friend Jane Fonda threw herself a big bash for the same birthday. Since then, he has learned to accept but not obsess about aging and stay active along the way.
"I ride horses, ski, play pretty hard tennis. I still have energy. When that starts to shut down, I might start to think about age," he says. "When you get older, you learn certain life lessons. You apply that wisdom, and suddenly you say, 'Hey, I've got a new lease on this thing. So let's go.'"
Redford, whose most recent project is as director of 'The Conspirator,' does take issue with being called a "living legend" because it makes him sound close to the end. And he is anything but.
"That really bothers me," he tells the magazine. "Does that mean I'm bronzed? Whoa! It's not over yet, folks!"
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
Dr. Conrad Murray's Medical License Suspended, Ordered to Stand Trial Over Michael Jackson's Death
Conrad Murray, the physician accused of injecting Michael Jackson with a lethal amount of sedatives, was ordered to stand trial on a count of involuntary manslaughter. According to TMZ, Judge Michael Pastor then ordered the suspension of Murray's license as a condition to the doctor's bail.
E! Online reports that Murray has pleaded not guilty to the charge. This ruling comes only six days after more than 20 prosecution witnesses testified that Murray violated his duties as a medical professional by injecting Jackson with a surgical-grade anesthetic then failing to properly monitor him to see the effects of the drug.
One of Jackson's bodyguards, Alberto Alvarez, testified at the preliminary hearing against Murray, confirming that the doctor demonstrated "an extreme deviation from the standard of care" by administering the amounts of anesthetic he did to Jackson, then concealing the evidence and not thoroughly attempting to resuscitate the King of Pop.
Janet Jackson was outspoken about her belief that Murray was responsible for her brother's death. "He was the one that was administering," she told ABC's Robin Roberts. "I think he is responsible."
E! Online reports that Murray has pleaded not guilty to the charge. This ruling comes only six days after more than 20 prosecution witnesses testified that Murray violated his duties as a medical professional by injecting Jackson with a surgical-grade anesthetic then failing to properly monitor him to see the effects of the drug.
One of Jackson's bodyguards, Alberto Alvarez, testified at the preliminary hearing against Murray, confirming that the doctor demonstrated "an extreme deviation from the standard of care" by administering the amounts of anesthetic he did to Jackson, then concealing the evidence and not thoroughly attempting to resuscitate the King of Pop.
Janet Jackson was outspoken about her belief that Murray was responsible for her brother's death. "He was the one that was administering," she told ABC's Robin Roberts. "I think he is responsible."
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