Trial Begins Of Michael Jackson's Doctor

Michael Jackson's doctor goes on trial today charged with killing the 'King of Pop' with an overdose of hospital anaesthetic.
Dr Conrad Murray has denied involuntary manslaughter and his televised five-week trial in Los Angeles is expected to attract worldwide attention.

Jackson's death in June 2009 came as he prepared for a sold-out 50-date comeback tour of the UK. He had hired Dr Murray weeks before to help him through the gruelling schedule.

A post-mortem examination revealed the star died from an overdose of the drug Propofol, normally only used in hospital procedures, which Jackson begun to use to help him sleep.

Dr Murray admits giving Jackson a small dose but not enough to be fatal. Prosecutors say he was grossly negligent in administering the hospital drug in a private home.

Defence lawyers will try to prove that Jackson caused his own death by drinking a dose when Murray was out of the room.
Prosecutors only have to prove that Dr Murray was negligent in not monitoring Jackson properly to support the charge. The star's history of drug use weighs in Dr Murray's favour.

The seven-man, five-woman jury was selected from a pool of 150, all subjected to a 32-page questionnaire designed to find those least likely to be swayed by media coverage and Jackson's celebrity.

They were asked questions on their views of celebrity magazines, their relationship with their own doctor and whether they were fans of Jackson. Six of the 12 said they were.

Defence attorney Lou Shapiro, who is not involved in the Murray case, told Sky News: "Everyone knows who Michael Jackson is.

"So you start with, 'Can we desensitise, de-programme, hit the reset button on everything you know about Mr Jackson and really just focus on the doctor?'"

Judge Michael Pastor has ruled out any mention of Jackson's child molestation trial or evidence about his financial and personal affairs.

Similar evidence about Dr Murray's private life has also been ruled irrelevant.
The judge says the trial will focus solely on what happened in Jackson's rented Beverly Hills mansion on the day he died.
The case will be watched with particular interest in the run-down suburb of Houston, Texas, where Dr Murray ran free health clinics until his arrest.

The Rev Floyd Williams, who at first advised Dr Murray not to take the job with Michael Jackson, said he felt partly responsible for what had happened.

He told Sky News: "Here's a man who is actually known to be on dope, then he was called by this country a paedophile."
"But then (Dr Murray) said, 'He is my friend.' And when a person said that, with such compassion, I had to back off."
In a pre-trial hearing on Monday, Judge Pastor ruled against a defence request to show jurors footage of a London news conference five months before the 50-year-old singer died.

Lawyers wanted to show that Jackson was unconscious backstage before the event to promote his 'This Is It' concert series, and he appeared drunk during the announcement itself.

However, the judge said the video was irrelevant because it occurred months before Jackson died.
Fans of Michael Jackson are expected to protest at the Los Angeles Criminal Court during the trial but public seats inside are limited to just six places, awarded by lottery each morning.

Edited By GABRIELLA OSAMOR

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