Paramedic in Day 2 of the AEG trial: Michael was like a sick man who came home to die
Yesterday, the second day of the AEG trial was held and the first witness was called to the stand.
Richard Senneff (Richard Senneff), a paramedic who was dispatched on June ۲۵ after a call from Michael’s home to ۹۱۱ and who was present with Michael, appeared in court again. He had previously testified in the Conrad Murray trial. (Here and Here)
Senneff repeated the testimony he had given in Murray’s trial. He first said that the call came in at ۱۲:۲۲ p.m., and that the ambulance—equipped with a radio system—was sent toward Michael’s home in Holmby Hills after hearing the call. They parked the ambulance in front of the house, and Senneff climbed the stairs to reach Michael’s room on the upper floor.
Senneff described Michael’s condition, saying: "In my opinion, he was severely ill. He was so thin that I could see his ribs. He was very pale and his weight was less than normal. I thought maybe he wasn’t even hospitalized—like a cancer patient who had been discharged from the hospital to die at home. He looked like someone who had been lying in bed for a long time and had fallen into the final stage of death."
Senneff asked Murray whether a Do Not Resuscitate (DNR) order had been issued by the patient. (A code used for patients who, after a long period of illness, suffer cardiac arrest. These patients may request that no resuscitation be performed after death. At the bedside of such patients, a legal or medical order with the term DNR is posted to warn the medical team not to perform resuscitation.)
Murray stared at Senneff for a moment, looking confused and as if he had been caught off guard, and then said: "No, no, there was nothing. It was like this right now."
Michael was not breathing and appeared to be dead. He seemed to have been dead for a long time.
Senneff also said that next to Michael’s bed he had seen an IV stand and an IV bag. The prosecutor in Conrad Murray’s trial had said that Murray was injecting propofol into Michael using an IV bag, which is a very incorrect and dangerous way to administer this drug.
Senneff said that Conrad Murray introduced himself as Michael Jackson’s personal doctor. In Senneff’s view, having a personal doctor at home is unusual even for residents of affluent neighborhoods like Bel Air.
This point—that Murray had introduced himself as a "personal" doctor—could support the company’s claims that Murray was hired by Michael.
Senneff said Murray looked terrified, but he did not mention propofol.
"His skin was pale; he was sweating; his mind was preoccupied."
Senneff said that while they were trying to resuscitate Michael, the least sign of honesty from Murray was visible. Murray said he was treating Michael for dehydration and body fatigue, and that Michael was not taking any special medication.
But Senneff says his situation was more complicated than dehydration or fatigue.
When Senneff asked Murray when the heart attack occurred, Murray replied: "Right now. The same moment I called you."
However, Senneff says a long time had passed since the heart attack, because Michael had no pulse, his pupils were fully open, his eyes were dry, and his lips were bluish.
"For us, the claim that this had just happened made no sense. His skin was completely cold."
Although Michael had died at home long before, the paramedics insisted—at Murray’s insistence—that he be taken to the hospital emergency room. He describes the atmosphere outside the house as tense. Everyone was taking photos and there was a terrible commotion in the area. Leaving the house due to the crowd was difficult.
Senneff said that after placing Michael in the ambulance, he returned upstairs to retrieve items (Michael’s room), where he saw Murray busy collecting things and putting them into a plastic bag.
"He was so flustered that he didn’t know what to do."
Murray never told them that propofol had been injected into Michael, and Brian Panish, the family’s lawyer, is trying to show that Murray was hiding documents.
When the company’s lawyer asked Senneff whether he felt Murray was not telling the truth, he answered: "I don’t want to say anything about that. It’s not my issue."
Michael’s mother and brother left the courtroom before Senneff testified.
The atmosphere that filled the courtroom during Senneff’s testimony against Conrad Murray was not comparable to the Michael Jackson murder trial in November ۲۰۱۱. Sometimes even jokes were mixed into the discussion to reduce the bitterness of the subject. For example, Panish asked Senneff whether he had ever saved a cat from death. This paramedic, who is also a firefighter, jokingly answered: "I’ve never saved a cat, but once I saved a dog that was trying to commit suicide by lying in the street."
Senneff also talked about his strange mission after taking Michael Jackson to the hospital. His ambulance had been called to West Los Angeles, to an apartment where an elderly Russian woman had fainted after hearing on television that Michael Jackson had died. After she fell, her head hit an object and she was injured.
"When we were taking her to the hospital, she was having an emotional outburst."
Yesterday, Ponant, the company’s lawyer, asked the judge to prevent the Jackson family from being present in court. He listed the names of all family members as possible witnesses, except Joe Jackson the father and Marlon the brother of Michael. He said their presence in the hearings was not appropriate. Katherine Jackson’s lawyer said that Mrs. Jackson’s presence as a plaintiff in court is mandatory, and also that due to her age, one of her children is needed to help her when she arrives and during the process.
Thus, considering the lack of space and crowding, the judge ordered that only one of Michael’s sisters or brothers could be present in the courtroom. The judge also said that the presence of prominent members of the Jackson family would distract the jury. Yesterday, the judge allowed Randy Jackson to sit in court next to his mother.
The courtroom was so crowded that, according to a tweet by one of the reporters who was present in Monday’s session, the defense lawyers had to climb over each other to reach the judge’s table. Another reporter joked in a tweet that the courtroom room was "flooded".
Photography is not allowed inside the courtroom, and no photos are taken of witnesses. For this reason, the court artist got to work and provides his drawings to the media.
Source: eMJey.com / AP & CNN & Reuters
Yesterday, the second day of the AEG trial was held and the first witness was called to the stand.
Richard Senneff (Richard Senneff), a paramedic who was dispatched on June ۲۵ after a call from Michael’s home to ۹۱۱ and who was present with Michael, appeared in court again. He had previously testified in the Conrad Murray trial. (Here and Here)
Senneff repeated the testimony he had given in Murray’s trial. He first said that the call came in at ۱۲:۲۲ p.m., and that the ambulance—equipped with a radio system—was sent toward Michael’s home in Holmby Hills after hearing the call. They parked the ambulance in front of the house, and Senneff climbed the stairs to reach Michael’s room on the upper floor.
Senneff described Michael’s condition, saying: "In my opinion, he was severely ill. He was so thin that I could see his ribs. He was very pale and his weight was less than normal. I thought maybe he wasn’t even hospitalized—like a cancer patient who had been discharged from the hospital to die at home. He looked like someone who had been lying in bed for a long time and had fallen into the final stage of death."
Senneff asked Murray whether a Do Not Resuscitate (DNR) order had been issued by the patient. (A code used for patients who, after a long period of illness, suffer cardiac arrest. These patients may request that no resuscitation be performed after death. At the bedside of such patients, a legal or medical order with the term DNR is posted to warn the medical team not to perform resuscitation.)
Murray stared at Senneff for a moment, looking confused and as if he had been caught off guard, and then said: "No, no, there was nothing. It was like this right now."
Michael was not breathing and appeared to be dead. He seemed to have been dead for a long time.
Senneff also said that next to Michael’s bed he had seen an IV stand and an IV bag. The prosecutor in Conrad Murray’s trial had said that Murray was injecting propofol into Michael using an IV bag, which is a very incorrect and dangerous way to administer this drug.
Senneff said that Conrad Murray introduced himself as Michael Jackson’s personal doctor. In Senneff’s view, having a personal doctor at home is unusual even for residents of affluent neighborhoods like Bel Air.
This point—that Murray had introduced himself as a "personal" doctor—could support the company’s claims that Murray was hired by Michael.
Senneff said Murray looked terrified, but he did not mention propofol.
"His skin was pale; he was sweating; his mind was preoccupied."
Senneff said that while they were trying to resuscitate Michael, the least sign of honesty from Murray was visible. Murray said he was treating Michael for dehydration and body fatigue, and that Michael was not taking any special medication.
But Senneff says his situation was more complicated than dehydration or fatigue.
When Senneff asked Murray when the heart attack occurred, Murray replied: "Right now. The same moment I called you."
However, Senneff says a long time had passed since the heart attack, because Michael had no pulse, his pupils were fully open, his eyes were dry, and his lips were bluish.
"For us, the claim that this had just happened made no sense. His skin was completely cold."
Although Michael had died at home long before, the paramedics insisted—at Murray’s insistence—that he be taken to the hospital emergency room. He describes the atmosphere outside the house as tense. Everyone was taking photos and there was a terrible commotion in the area. Leaving the house due to the crowd was difficult.
Senneff said that after placing Michael in the ambulance, he returned upstairs to retrieve items (Michael’s room), where he saw Murray busy collecting things and putting them into a plastic bag.
"He was so flustered that he didn’t know what to do."
Murray never told them that propofol had been injected into Michael, and Brian Panish, the family’s lawyer, is trying to show that Murray was hiding documents.
When the company’s lawyer asked Senneff whether he felt Murray was not telling the truth, he answered: "I don’t want to say anything about that. It’s not my issue."
Michael’s mother and brother left the courtroom before Senneff testified.
The atmosphere that filled the courtroom during Senneff’s testimony against Conrad Murray was not comparable to the Michael Jackson murder trial in November ۲۰۱۱. Sometimes even jokes were mixed into the discussion to reduce the bitterness of the subject. For example, Panish asked Senneff whether he had ever saved a cat from death. This paramedic, who is also a firefighter, jokingly answered: "I’ve never saved a cat, but once I saved a dog that was trying to commit suicide by lying in the street."
Senneff also talked about his strange mission after taking Michael Jackson to the hospital. His ambulance had been called to West Los Angeles, to an apartment where an elderly Russian woman had fainted after hearing on television that Michael Jackson had died. After she fell, her head hit an object and she was injured.
"When we were taking her to the hospital, she was having an emotional outburst."
Yesterday, Ponant, the company’s lawyer, asked the judge to prevent the Jackson family from being present in court. He listed the names of all family members as possible witnesses, except Joe Jackson the father and Marlon the brother of Michael. He said their presence in the hearings was not appropriate. Katherine Jackson’s lawyer said that Mrs. Jackson’s presence as a plaintiff in court is mandatory, and also that due to her age, one of her children is needed to help her when she arrives and during the process.
Thus, considering the lack of space and crowding, the judge ordered that only one of Michael’s sisters or brothers could be present in the courtroom. The judge also said that the presence of prominent members of the Jackson family would distract the jury. Yesterday, the judge allowed Randy Jackson to sit in court next to his mother.
The courtroom was so crowded that, according to a tweet by one of the reporters who was present in Monday’s session, the defense lawyers had to climb over each other to reach the judge’s table. Another reporter joked in a tweet that the courtroom room was "flooded".
Photography is not allowed inside the courtroom, and no photos are taken of witnesses. For this reason, the court artist got to work and provides his drawings to the media.
Source: eMJey.com / AP & CNN & Reuters