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A tape of an interview that Conrad Murray gave to police detectives following the death of Michael Jackson was played in court today by the prosecution during Murray's involuntary manslaughter trial, reports FOX 11 News.
In the tape, which is over two hours long, Murray can reportedly be heard quietly claiming that he never intended to hurt Jackson, who died while under Murray's care.
"I loved Mr. Jackson," he said. "He was my friend. He opened up to me in different ways. I wanted to help him ... I cared for him. I had no intention of hurting him. I did not want him to fail."
The tape is the first time that Murray mentions giving Jackson propofol, a surgery-grade anaesthetic that the singer requested every night in order to sleep. Jackson ultimately died of propofol intoxication.
Murray also contradicts information that would later come out in court, legal analyst and trial attorney Royal Oakes tells FOX.
"The prosecution benefited greatly from being able to portray Murray as a liar...The key factor is his saying he was away from Jackson's bedside for only two minutes has been contradicted by testimony and cell phone records," he said. "To have him lie to detectives about how long he was away was incriminating."
Prosecutors are hoping that hearing Murray lying on record will help sway the jury toward a guilty verdict.
But the defense believes that the tape might backfire. Murray reportedly comes across as sympathetic and kind, someone who cared about Jackson's well-being and was only trying to keep him comfortable.
