Michael Jackson Trial Day Four
Michael Jackson Manslaughter Trial: Big Moments From Day Four
By the end of the week, we learn from witnesses testimonies that stories are starting to cross.
Sure, Nancy Grace might already have her own verdict on Michael Jackson‘s manslaughter trial, but the jury hasn’t, so the court continued with prosecution today concerning the case against Dr. Conrad Murray, who’s charged with involuntary manslaughter in the June 25, 2009, death of the pop singer.
Here are today’s big moments…
1. Lips Sealed: In response to what he called a “shocking” Today show segment this morning with Ann Curry, in which defense team attorney Matt Alford said the jury was smart enough to know prosecutors haven’t proven their case, Judge Michael Pastor issued a gag order in the case and gave a stern reprimanding to Ed Chernoff, Alford’s partner. The judge relayed a statement that those close to the case are “not organized to talk to anybody about the case. Not make any comments about the case or credibility of witnesses. They are ordered to advise only other lawyers in their teams and paralegals.”
2. You Get What You Pay For: Nonin Medical executive Bob Johnson took the stand to offer up some on-the-record facts about the monitoring device his company produces and that Murray used on Jackson. According to Johnson, the $257 fingertip heart monitor is not designed for continuous monitoring and is “useless if you’re not looking at it” because there is no noise attached to the machine and if something goes wrong, you won’t hear an alarm. This was added to the prosecution’s argument that Murray lacked the proper monitoring and lifesaving tools to properly care for Jackson.
3. Mixed Message: Another one of Murray’s patients, Robert Russell, took the stand and had prosecution play a voicemail Murray left for him less than a half hour before the 911 call was placed. The doctor sounded calm but kept rambling. “I thought the message was odd,” Russell said.
4. Paramedic’s Position: Paramedic Richard Senneff took the stand and described to the jury the chaotic scene as he entered Jackson’s house and shockingly revealed, “If he would have called us when he needed to, we could have saved this person.”
The statement garnered audible gasps from the Jackson family members in the audience. Senneff had asked Murray about what Jackson’s exact health condition was. Murray didn’t respond. Senneff asked again. After three times of asking, Murray finally responded with “nothing,” which didn’t “add up” or seem normal to Senneff.
Senneff then called UCLA medical station and got in communication with a radio nurse in an effort to get any other medical advice on what he should do to Jackson. When Senneff moved Jackson’s body, his skin was “cool to the touch” with dilated pupils and low cap reading of 16.
Additional eperifierin was administered to restart Jackson’s heart through a vein in Jackson’s jugular. Another medic was unsuccessful in locating a vein to place an IV on either the left or right arm after five attempts. Senneff claimed if medics were called earlier it would have been easier to locate a vein in Jackson’s body to administer meds to restart his heart. In the entire 42 minutes that Senneff was with Jackson’s body, he said he saw “no” sign of life.
5. A “Dying Heart”: Later in the afternoon Dr. Richelle Cooper, who works as an emergency room doctor at the UCLA Medical Center, took the stand. Cooper says lorazepam was the only medication that Murray said he gave Jackson. In later conversations, Murray revealed to Cooper that Jackson had been on Valium and Flomax, but no other medications were mentioned during her time with Jackson. When he arrived to UCLA, Cooper says Jackson showed signs of a “dying heart” was “clinically dead.”