CONRAD MURRAY TRIAL: Prosecutor Claims Dr. Murray Lied About Propofol

Prosecutor David Walgren is giving his opening arguments in the Dr. Conrad Murray manslaughter trial for the death of Michael Jackson. Here are the highlights:

• Cause of death was overdose of Propofol administered by Dr. Murray
• Prosecution will prove Dr. Murray acted with gross negligence
• Murray was paid $150,000/month as Michael Jackson's personal doctor
• Murray procured large amounts of Propofol on a regular basis, on behalf of Jackson, but lied to a pharmacist, claiming he had a clinic in Santa Monica
• Murray was aware of Jackson's poor state of health due to repeated injections, evidenced by a voice recording on his cell phone
• "This Is It" tour choreographer will testify Jackson was sick, shivering and incoherent during the weeks before he died, but Murray continued to administer Propofol
• Paramedics pronounced Jackson dead in his home the night of May 20, 2009 at 1 a.m.
• Murray instructed bodyguard Alberto Alvarez to hide evidence of Jackson's last Propofol injection
• Murray never told EMTs he administered Propofol to Jackson
• UCLA doctors asked Murray what drugs he had administered and he never mentioned Propofol

Opening statements from the prosecution in Conrad Murray’s manslaughter trial included much of Conrad Murray’s own words – quoting him and playing audio from his June 27, 2009 interview. Prosecutor Walgren said:

• “The evidence will reveal … Conrad Murray decided to give Propofol. … What Conrad Murray indicates is that what he have was just 25 mg of Propofol indicated with Lidocaine. … The evidence will reveal that much more than 25 mg was given.”
• Audio was played from the interview, including when Murray said that he monitored Jackson, then had to go to the bathroom. When he returned after being gone “about two minutes,” Murray said, he was “stunned in the sense that he [Jackson] wasn’t breathing.”
• The prosecution points out that Murray started making phone calls after he had given Jackson the Propofol that day, then sent e-mails – saying this was neglect and Murray should have been monitoring Jackson’s health.
• Murray says in his interview that he didn’t call police for help because “to speak to a 911 operator would be to neglect him [Jackson].”
• Murray says he didn’t ask Michael Amir Williams to call 911 because “he would want to know what it was about.”