During the fourth day of the involuntary manslaughter trial of Dr. Conrad Murray, the personal physician of Michael Jackson, Murray didn't come off looking particularly good. One paramedic who responded to the 911 call said that the story Murray told him at the scene "did not add up," adding that Murray didn't mention Propofol among the drugs that Jackson had taken. (He also brought into question the timeline that Murray presented when asked how long Jackson had been down.)
Another paramedic, describing Murray as "flustered" and "sweating profusely," told the court that Murray scooped up three bottles of lidocaine from the floor and stashed them in a bag while Jackson was about to be transported to the hospital.
And the attending physician at the hospital on the day of Jackson's death also noted that Murray failed to mention Propofol when the singer was brought to the emergency room.
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It's still too early to say how this is all shaping up for Murray — his defense team is expected to claim that Jackson administered the fatal dose of Propofol to himself, while Murray was trying to wean him off of it. However, read on for a comprehensive review of today's events in the trial of Conrad Murray.
(Updated, 4:21 p.m.)
The attending physician at UCLA Medical Center emergency room on the day of Michael Jackson's death testified Friday that Conrad Murray, Jackson's private physician, didn't indicate that the singer had taken Propofol at the hospital.
Dr. Richelle Cooper (pictured) testified at Murray's involuntary manslaughter trial that Murray made no mention of Propofol — which contributed to Jackson's death — when quizzed about medications that the singer had taken.
Cooper testified that Murray said he had merely given Jackson the anti-anxiety medication Lorazepam — a two-milligram dose via IV, followed by a second two-milligram dose — after which Jackson went into arrest.
Asked what medications Murray took regularly, Murray told Cooper that he took the anti-anxiety medication Valium, and Flomax, which treats symptoms related to an enlarged prostate.
According to Cooper, Murray told her that Jackson had no history of cardiac trouble, blood clots or drug use, and hadn't complained of chest pain or exhibited seizure activity. Cooper further told the court that she witnessed no signs of physical trauma on Jackson's body.
Murray told Cooper he had been treating Jackson for dehydration, as he had been working long hours, according to the physician's testimony.
Asked by prosecutors what Jackson's condition was when he arrived at the hospital, Cooper concurred with what emergency responders had testified earlier in the day — that Jackson was already gone.
"His condition was as described by the paramedics — he was clinically dead," Cooper testified. "He did not have a pulse … his eyes were fixed and dilated."
According to Cooper, Jackson's heart rhythm was "was slow and wide with no palpable pulses" — what Cooper called the "sign of a dying heart."
Previously…
Updated, 2:41 p.m.:
Los Angeles paramedic Martin Blount — who was among the responders to the 9/11 call on the day of Michael Jackson's death — testified at the involuntary manslaughter of Dr. Conrad Murray on Friday that there were three open vials of the anesthetic lidocaine in Michael Jackson's bedroom when they arrived at the scene.
Blount (pictured) described how the vials were scattered on the floor of the room. He also testified that, when asked by fellow paramedic Richard Senneff about drugs that he administered to Jackson, he made mo mention of lidocaine.
Blount also testified that he saw Murray scoop up three of the bottles and put them into a black bag as they prepared to transport to the hospital.
According to Blount's testimony, Murray was in a hectic state as emergency responders arrived in the bedroom.
"He was a little flustered; he was sweating profusely and he was agitated," Blount told the court.
Blount described Jackson's eyes as "fixed and dilated" when paramedics arrived.
"I felt he was dead, ma'am," Blount told the prosecutor.
According to Blount, Murray made a phone call in the ambulance as they transported Jackson to the hospital at UCLA.
"It's about Michael, and it doesn't look good," Blount recalled Murray saying.
Previously…
Richard Senneff, a paramedic who answered the 911 call at Michael Jackson's home on the day of the singer's death, told the court during Conrad Murray's involuntary manslaughter trial Friday that the situation "did not seem normal" when he arrived at the scene.
Senneff (pictured), of the Los Angeles Fire Department, detailed multiple red flags that he noticed on the June 25, 2009 call, including Murray's responses to his questions.
Senneff testified that, when he asked Murray what Jackson's underlying heath issue was, Murray failed to respond the first two times he asked, and eventually responded that there was no underlying issue.
"Simply, that did not add up to me — doctors in the house, IV pole, IV hooked up to the patient — it simply did not seem normal" that there would be no underlying condition, Senneff testified.
As expected, Senneff also testified that, when he asked Murray what medications Jackson had been taking, he he didn't mention Propofol, which was found to contribute to the singer's death.
"He said, 'No he's not taking anything,' then he followed that up by saying, 'I just gave him a little bit of Lorazepam to help him sleep," Senneff told the court.
Eventually, Murray told Senneff that he'd been treating Jackson for dehydration and exhaustion.
Senneff also noted that, when he asked when Jackson went down, Murray told him that it had occurred just as he had placed the 911 call — which gave Senneff the impression that "we had a good chance of saving" Jackson. However, when paramedics hooked up an EKG, he was flatlining, and the drugs paramedics gave Jackson in order to re-start his heart had no effect.
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According to Senneff, Murray also told responders that he had felt a pulse in Jackson's right femoral region, though when Senneff checked the heart monitor, it only indicated signs that Jackson had been given CPR.
Senneff also told the court that, the second time that paramedics attempted to administer starter drugs to Jackson, they weren't able to find a vein — which suggested that blood circulation might have stopped earlier than expected.
Said Senneff of Jackson's condition, "When I first moved the patient, his skin was very cool to the touch."
Senneff further testified that, when he contacted the hospital at UCLA, they were prepared to call time of death at 12:57 p.m., due to the two unsuccessful efforts to resuscitate him with starter drugs. However, Jackson was still being ventilated as they transported him downstairs to the ambulance.
Asked if he noticed any sign of life in Jackson the entire time he was with him, Senneff said, "No, I did not."
Previously…
The fourth day of the Conrad Murray involuntary manslaughter trial is expected to include testimony from a paramedic who tried to revive Michael Jackson before the singer's death.
CNN reports that paramedic Richard Senneff testified during a preliminary hearing in January that Murray failed to disclose that he had been treating Jackson with daily doses of the powerful surgery drug propofol for two months.
Read more: Conrad Murray Trial, Day 3: 'Frenzied' Murray Didn't Ask for 911 Call, Says MJ Chef (Update 2)
Senneff said Murray only admitted to giving Jackson lorazepam to help him sleep, and that he was treating the pop star for dehydration. At the time, Jackson was going through physically demanding rehearsals for a series of concert performances that he hoped would lead to a big career comeback.
Sennett said Jackson had "flatlined" by the time he showed up at Jackson's home. Sennett said he had asked Murray how long Jackson had been unresponsive, and Murray indicated "it just happened." Sennett said that timeline "didn't add up," and that could prove to be a key bit of testimony during today's courtroom session.
Murray contends only 10 minutes elapsed between the time he found Jackson unresponsive and the time 911 was called, but prosecutors insist Murray waited at least 25 minutes before instructing another Jackson employee, Alberto Alvarez, to call 911.
Read more: Conrad Murray Trial, Day 2: Assistant Says Doctor Tried to Get Back Into MJ's House (Live Feed)
During Wednesday's testimony, Jackson's chef, Kai Chase, testified that a "frantic" Murray had rushed into the kitchen after discovering Jackson in distress, but that he didn't ask her to call 911.
Murray's defense team is likely to use the fact that Chase didn't take the initiative to call 911 to cast the blame for Jackson's death away from Murray.
CNN reports that the defense team will also try to direct some of the responsibility for Jackson's overdose on another doctor, Dr. Arnold Klein, the Beverly Hills dermatologist who reportedly gave Jackson frequent doses of Demerol in the weeks leading up to his June 2009 death.
The defense claims Murray didn't know Jackson was taking Demerol at the same time Murray was treating him with propofol.