Michael Jackson's personal physician, Dr Conrad Murray, is set to go on trial Tuesday in Los Angeles, accused of the 2009 involuntary manslaughter of the legendary pop star by giving him the hospital anesthetic propofol to combat his insomnia, dpa reported.
A jury of seven men and five women is expected to start hearing opening argument at the Los Angeles Superior Court. Murray has plead not guilty, and faces a maximum of four years in jail if convicted.
Defence lawyers are expected to argue that many other doctors had prescribed the drug to Jackson and that Murray was trying to wean the singer off propofol when his tragic death occurred.
Jackson died in June 2009 as he was about to embark on a sold-out comeback tour at the age of 50. Prosecutors claim that Murray veered drastically from standard medical procedure in his treatment of Jackson, who died from an accidental overdose of the hospital grade anesthetic propofol, mixed with other drugs.
Murray was the personal physician hired to care for Jackson through his comeback tour. According to witnesses called by the prosecution in a pre-trial hearing, Murray tried to hide evidence of Jackson's propofol use, failed to monitor the singer's condition, delayed calling for help, ordered hundreds of vials of the drug for Jackson's use and failed to tell emergency room doctors that Jackson had taken the powerful sedative as a sleeping aid.
Michael Jackson manslaughter trial set to begin
Michael Jackson's personal physician, Dr Conrad Murray, is set to go on trial Tuesday in Los Angeles, accused of the 2009 involuntary manslaughter of the legendary pop star by giving him the hospital anesthetic propofol to combat his insomnia, dpa reported.
