Murray’s Murder Trial Lawyers Didn’t Like This Is It
After seeing hours of recorded footage of Michael Jackson’s rehearsals for the This Is It concerts, the lawyers for the man accused of his murder say they wasted their time.
In these films, which show Michael Jackson in the final days of his life, they were looking for signs of illness and physical weakness. They wanted to relieve pressure on their client, who is accused of the King of Pop’s involuntary manslaughter, by presenting a staged scene that would suggest this.
But Michael Flanagan, one of Conrad Murray’s defense lawyers—the doctor accused of murder—said that after watching these films, they only wasted their time because they did not find what they were looking for.
For a long time, Murray’s defense lawyers had begged the judge to allow them to review all the films. Eventually, it was decided that they would watch Michael’s videos together with the prosecution under completely confidential and protected conditions.
Yesterday, Sony Studios officially asked the judge to issue an order banning the display of any film and images related to Michael’s unseen footage (the This Is It rehearsals).
Sony had previously said that “the value of these films is so high and their content so confidential that, in the middle of the night in darkness, they were transferred to Sony’s warehouse in Culver City inside an anonymous, unmarked van, with security police supporting the mission with weapons and equipment.”
Sony says these films have very high value for future use.
On Monday, the judge will consider Sony’s request. However, he has changed his previous decision to go to Sony Studios in Culver City and watch the films, and announced that he has already watched 16 hours of the footage.
Sony’s request comes after, on Wednesday, Flanagan, the defense attorney for Conrad Murray, said during an informal court session that the This Is It films do not show Michael as sick or in poor physical condition.
Outside court, Flanagan told reporters:
“We believe his physical condition was in a dangerous state, but in these films, it doesn’t show anything. These films are not related to the case and are only a waste of time.”
Sony, which from the beginning had reluctantly—and under compulsion—allowed the defense and the prosecution to watch these films, has said, by taking advantage of Flanagan’s remarks, that:
“This is a waste of time, and the court has little time to waste.”
But on the other hand, the prosecution team is happy about This Is It. They believe these films are related to the case and that their viewpoint is confirmed. The prosecutor has asked the judge to allow them to use 12 hours of the unseen footage for use in court as evidence to support their claims against Murray.
Relying on the official autopsy report, the prosecution believes that 50-year-old Michael Jackson was in full physical health at the moment of death, and that the only reason for his death was the negligence of his doctor, who injected a large amount of medication, causing his respiratory and cardiac arrest.
Source: eMJey.com / AP