Michael Jackson’s Preliminary Court Hearing Begins Tomorrow

A year and a half after Michael Jackson’s death, his murder case will be heard in the Los Angeles Superior Court. In tomorrow’s session, as is customary in criminal cases, the prosecution team will present its evidence against Dr. Conrad Murray, and the judge will decide whether that evidence is sufficient to formally charge Murray. The prosecutor said he will bring 35 people to testify against Murray, and the preliminary phase of this case may take two to three weeks. Murray will also have to endure the heavy stares of Michael’s family and the harsh chants of his fans in court. The courthouse and the courtroom are expected to be packed with reporters. Because of the complexities of the case, the prosecution has spent months preparing it. The evidence the prosecution will present during the preliminary stage is only intended to prove that a trial is necessary; more serious evidence will be introduced after this stage. Prosecutor: “We have to prove the crime. It’s not enough that the medical examiner states the cause of death.” Murray’s defense attorney said he expects the judge to order a trial because the prosecution will not come to court without the required evidence to file a murder charge. Michael died in June 2009 after being injected with propofol, and the medical examiner ruled his death as involuntary manslaughter. Under U.S. law, only anesthesia specialists are allowed to administer such drugs, and Conrad Murray is a heart doctor—not an anesthesia specialist. Also, the use of this drug is only permitted in hospitals. Murray had personally bought the drug for home use from a pharmacy in Las Vegas. The prosecution said the defense strategy of Murray’s lawyers is to portray Michael’s death as suicide. One of Murray’s lawyers, without commenting on the prosecutor’s statements, believes the key question is: who injected propofol into Michael? According to the prosecution, the lawyers will argue that after Conrad Murray injected the dangerous sedative into Michael’s vein on the morning of June 25, 2009, and then left the room, Michael got up from the sedation and mistakenly injected himself with a lethal amount of the substance, causing his own cardiac arrest. Source: eMJey / LA Times