Defense Witness Says Conrad Murray's Care Was Potentially Life-Threatening
Dr. Conrad Murray, singer Michael Jackson’s personal physician, appears in Los Angeles Superior Court where Murray pleaded not guilty to a charge of involuntary manslaughter in the pop star’s 2009 death. (AP Photo/Irfan Khan, File)
On Friday, White testified that Michael Jackson most likely caused his own death by injecting himself with the lethal dose of propofol while Murray wasn't looking. White's scenario opposed that of the government's main medical witness, Dr. Steven Shafer, who said that the only believable scenario behind the King of Pop's death was that Murray had Jackson connected to an IV drip containing the surgical anesthetic, allowing it to drip for three hours, even after Jackson stopped breathing.
Today, White conceded that the treatment given to Jackson by Murray for two months before his death was potentially life-threatening and violated the standard of medical care by providing his client with a surgical anesthetic in his home.
Following a prosecutor's probing of Murray's treatment, White replied, "If the infusion somehow came opened up widely... certainly you could achieve a significant effect that could result in cardiopulmonary arrest," reports L.A. Now.
White's testimony marks the first supportive evidence that Jackson - not Murray - administered the drug that killed MJ. White acknowledged that he could not explain the doctor's medical care and behavior following his discovery of the unresponsive Jackson. L.A. Now reported that this may suggest that the defense will admit Murray's mistakes but continue to deny his direct involvement in Jackson's death.
The prosecution's cross-examination is likely to last all day today, and the trial is expected to wrap this week.
Murray faces up to four years in prison if convicted. He is 58-years-old.
