Michael Jackson' Doctor's Legal Team Have Robust Defence Case

Dr. Conrad Murray’s lawyers are expected to use video footage of Michael Jackson as part of their defence.

The physician is expected to be criminally charged in relation to the death of the pop superstar on Monday. Michael died on June 25 last year after taking several different drugs including the powerful anaesthetic Propofol.

Jackson’s original death certificate said the superstar died of “acute Propofol intoxication”. Last month, it was amended by the Los Angeles County Coroner’s office to include the words “by intravenous injection of another”. The cause of death was also changed to “homicide”. Propofol is usually given to patients before surgery, and Murray insists he did nothing wrong and the drugs should not have killed Michael.

The Los Angeles District Attorney has announced Murray will be charged on Monday, although the charges he will face haven’t been confirmed. Murray’s lawyers have said they expect it to be an involuntary manslaughter charge, with their client pleading not guilty.

It has been claimed Murray’s legal team want to use footage of Michael looking “spaced out” in an effort to show he was addicted to prescription drugs. They also reportedly hope to prove he could “self-administer”, and will show he battled his addiction for over 17 years.

Among the footage they are said to be planning to show is some of Michael rehearsing for his This Is It shows, in which he seemed weak and fragile. The star had been preparing for the comeback tour at the time of his death. They also hope to show footage shot during Michael’s 2007 court deposition, in which he talked about taking pills.

“Murray’s legal team have quietly but steadily been building a robust defence case,” a source told British newspaper the News of the World. “A key element will be on-camera interviews Michael gave where he discussed and admits his drug use and others where he appears to be intoxicated. In effect, Michael will be the defence’s star witness as they set out to prove he was a seasoned and habitual user and knew how to self-administer.

“They will try to show Michael was in poor health. For these reasons, they will say Murray is not culpable and should therefore be found not guilty.”

It has also been claimed the defence will call Michael’s two eldest children, Prince Michael, 12, and 11-year-old Paris, to the stand to discuss how happy Michael was with the way Murray was treating him.

Michael took medication to help him with pain after his hair was set on fire while shooting a TV commercial in 1984. The accident left him with painful burns to his scalp.

After he was accused of child molestation in 1993, he spent time in a rehab clinic to deal with his addiction.