This morning (September 27) at 8:45 a.m. local time, the trial gets underway for Dr. Conrad Murray, charged with involuntary manslaughter in the death of pop star Michael Jackson.
While preparing for his concert series This Is It, Jackson died of acute propofol intoxication on June 25, 2009 at the age of 50, after suffering from cardiac arrest. Before his death, Jackson had been administered drugs including propofol and lorazepam.
The Los Angeles County Coroner declared his death a homicide, and his personal physician pleaded not guilty to charges of involuntary manslaughter. Dr. Conrad Murray admitted that he injected the singer of propofol, a powerful anesthetic that the star used as a sleeping aid.
Jackson’s 14-year-old-son, Prince Michael, who was often present when the doctor treated his father, is expected to be a star witness for the prosecution.
The defense intends to show that the singer was in poor physical and mental condition, several months before his death.
A jury of seven men and five women, aged 32 to 57, will decide the fate of the 58-year-old doctor who faces a maximum sentence of four years in prison.