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Jacksons v AEG Timeline Legal
Did Jackson drink fatal drugs? Murray trial update
By CMU Editorial | Published on Monday 19 September 2011
Conrad Murray’s defence team will focus on what they consider a key fact in Michael Jackson’s autopsy report when the medic goes properly on trial for causing the singer’s death next week.
We’ve known for a while that Murray’s defence will claim that the singer self-administered the drugs that killed him, either to commit suicide, or simply in a reckless bid to beat insomnia. According to reports, the defence’s case will focus on the fact that papers recording the late singer’s autopsy seemingly say that doctors found the intravenous sedative propofol – which we know killed Jackson – in his stomach. Team Murray will say that the only way that could have happened is that the singer, unbeknownst to his private medic, drank the drug, such was his addiction to it.
The Daily Mirror quotes a source as saying: “Conrad Murray’s team can’t understand how propofol got into the stomach. It does not make sense unless Michael drank it. To them that will show the world how much of an addict he was. Michael was acting crazy in his last few hours, demanding drugs to help him sleep. He was always playing with the bottles, who knows what he did?”
Murray will also claim that his former patient was skilled at injecting himself with prescription drugs, and that he had detailed knowledge of IV drips and painkilling jabs, after decades of abusing such medication. All these claims will add to the key argument to be presented by the defence, that Jackson caused his own demise by dangerously self-administering drugs, whether that be orally or by injection.
As much previously reported, Murray is accused of causing Jackson’s untimely death by negligently administering the drug propofol. He denies the charge. Jury selection in the previously delayed trial is reaching its conclusion, so that opening addresses should be delivered by prosecution and defence attorneys later this month.
