Prosecutors took their time bringing Conrad Murray to trial for involuntary manslaughter.
By Gil Kaufman
Dr. Conrad Murray
Photo: Getty Images
It's hard to believe that nearly 2 1/2 years have passed since Michael Jackson's death. But, because the wheels of justice grind especially slowly when it comes to celebrity trials, we are just now on the cusp of a verdict in the involuntary manslaughter case of Jackson's doctor, Conrad Murray.
Murray, the Texas cardiologist handpicked by Jackson to be his personal physician in the lead-up to the pop icon's 2009 This Is It comeback shows, spent three weeks listening to prosecutors disparage his treatment of Jackson in the hours before the singer's death. But his path to infamy began years before that fateful June 25, 2009, morning when he called Jackson's assistant in a panic.
The pair first met in 2006, when Jackson was living in Las Vegas — where Murray has a clinic — and called the doctor seeking treatment for one of his children. They became friendly, and Jackson turned to Murray in early 2009 when he was attempting to get into fighting shape to launch his first major concert series in more than a decade. Jackson, then 50, agreed to pay Murray $150,000 a month to serve as his personal physician before and during the 50-date engagement at the O2 arena in London.
Here's a timeline of Murray's trial:
One week before Jackson's death: Murray and members of the AEG Live team promoting the concert meet to discuss Jackson's fitness for the shows, and Murray allegedly says the singer is ready and healthy.
June 24, 2009: Jackson, who reportedly suffered from insomnia, returns from a rehearsal late at night and attempts to fall asleep.
June 25, 2009: Unable to sleep, Jackson asks Murray to give him a series of doses of the surgical anesthetic propofol and other sedatives in order to get to sleep. After hours of fitful sleep, Jackson goes into cardiac arrest, and Murray scrambles to try to save his client's life, waiting more than 30 minutes to call 911.
June 27, 2009: Murray and his lawyer voluntarily speak to police investigators for more than two hours and lay out the events of the morning Jackson died. This interview will become one of the key pieces of evidence in the prosecution's case.
July 17, 2009: Los Angeles District Attorney's office announces it is treating Jackson's death as a homicide.
July 23, 2009: Investigators file for a search warrant for Murray's property.
July 29, 2009 : Los Angeles police and DEA agents cart away several plastic bins and manila envelopes of evidence from Murray's home in Las Vegas.
November 20, 2009: Search-warrant records show that investigators found receipts in Murray's Las Vegas clinic for purchases of propofol in May 2009.
January 7, 2010: Los Angeles coroner's office announces that Jackson's official cause of death is "acute propofol intoxication" and his death is ruled a homicide. The report also shows a number of other sedatives in Jackson's system at the time of his death.
February 8, 2010: Murray pleads not guilty to involuntary manslaughter charges and is released on $75,000 bail after turning himself in to authorities.
June 14, 2010: A judge denies a request from the California Medical Board to strip Murray of his California medical license.
November 30, 2010: Michael's father, Joseph, refiles his wrongful-death lawsuit against Murray and the Las Vegas pharmacy that sold the physician propofol.
January 25, 2011: Murray pleads not guilty to a single charge of involuntary manslaughter and his trial date is set for March 28.
March 24, 2011: Jury selection in the trial begins with a pool of more than 300 potential jurors.
April 29, 2011: The trial is delayed until September at the request of Murray's legal team, citing more time needed to line up defense experts.
September 23, 2011: The jury for the trial is seated.
September 27-30, 2011: The trial begins with opening statements that include a recording from Murray's cell phone in which Jackson's voice is slurred and lethargic. The first four days of testimony detail the chaotic scene after Jackson's death, a security guard describing Murray's request to put vials of propofol in a bag and testimony from two emergency room technicians about what Murray told them when Jackson arrived at UCLA hospital.
October 3-7, 2011: ER doctors explain that Murray never told them he'd administered propofol to Jackson and a string of Murray's former and current girlfriends testify about the calls the doctor made to them in the hours and minutes before and after Jackson's death. The jury hears more of the Jackson recording, including his desire to build a children's hospital and the fateful recording of Murray's two-hour talk with investigators.
October 10-12, 2011: Jurors hear from medical experts who claim Murray was not prepared to give proper care to Jackson and did not follow protocol when his patient went into distress.
October 21, 2011: The prosecution wraps up its case with testimony from propofol expert Dr. Steven Shafer, who lays out 17 mistakes he believes Murray made in his care for Jackson.
October 24-28, 2011: Murray's defense team calls witnesses to discuss the 911 call placed by the doctor and LAPD detectives to refute statements made by Jackson's bodyguard about Murray allegedly hiding evidence.
October 31-November 1, 2011: Murray's defense team continues questioning its final expert, propofol expert Dr. Paul White, who suggested that Jackson had injected himself with the drug while the doctor was not in the room. White admitted that Murray's medical care for Jackson was out of the ordinary.
November 3, 2011: Closing arguments begin.
Stick with MTV News for full coverage of the Michael Jackson involuntary manslaughter trial, through the verdict and beyond.
Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1673701/michael-jackson-conrad-murray-trial.jhtml
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