Coroner: No Evidence Jackson Took Fatal Dose
LOS ANGELES (CBS/AP) — A coroner testified Tuesday that there was no evidence that Michael Jackson gave himself the fatal dose of a powerful anesthetic that officials say killed the King of Pop.
Dr. Christopher Rogers, who conducted the autopsy on Jackson, refuted the key claim by defense lawyers for Dr. Conrad Murray that Jackson self-administered the drug when Murray briefly left the room.
Rogers told jurors a more likely scenario was that Murray misjudged how much propofol he gave the entertainer.
He noted that Murray acknowledged to police he had given Jackson a 25-milligram dose of propofol, but said "there was not an appropriate medical indication" for the doctor to give the 50-year-old entertainer propofol to help him sleep.
Rogers also told jurors that there was not an EKG monitor or a precision dosing device to ensure how much medication Jackson was being given.
"Essentially, the doctor would be estimating how much he was giving," Rogers said, noting that it would be easy "for the doctor to estimate wrong and give too much propofol."
Murray has pleaded not guilty to involuntary manslaughter.
Prosecutors were expected to call a leading expert on propofol as a witness later in the day.
Rogers' testimony came after jurors heard the end of Murray's June 27, 2009, recorded interview with police in which he first disclosed he had been giving Jackson propofol to help him sleep.
Prosecutors played the remaining 40 minutes of the interview, which included Murray's description of informing Jackson's mother and children that the entertainer had died.
"After they cried and cried and cried, then his daughter uttered a lot of words of unhappiness," Murray told detectives,
saying Paris Jackson was afraid of being alone after her father's death.
"`I know you tried your best, but I'm really sad,"' he continued, recounting her words. "`I will wake up in the morning,
and I won't be able to see my daddy."'
Jackson's mother, Katherine, dabbed her eyes with a tissue as the recording played.
A police detective who helped conduct the interview told jurors that Murray seemed surprised when, toward the end of the interview, he learned that three bags of medical items had not yet been recovered from the star's bedroom.
The recording ended shortly after the physician explained the items could be found in a closet.
The interview helped transform the investigation into Jackson's June 25, 2009, death from a simple death inquiry into a homicide case.
Murray told the detectives he always put the medications and equipment he used on Jackson away "because he wanted me not to have anything hanging around."
Detective Scott Smith then asked, "Where's your bag where those syringes would be now?"
"Oh, really?" replied defense lawyer Ed Chernoff.
"I don't have them," Murray replied, before telling the detectives where to find the bags.
Smith testified that Murray had a startled expression when he learned detectives hadn't yet recovered the bags.
"He seemed very surprised," Smith said.
Smith said he and his partner sat down with Murray and his attorney without knowing much about Jackson's death.
"At this time, we didn't have any answers," Smith said. "It definitely wasn't an interrogation."
Smith attended Jackson's autopsy, which revealed no obvious signs of trauma or immediate cause of death. In fact, Rogers told jurors the singer appeared to be in better shape than most other 50-year-old men.
(TM and © Copyright 2011 CBS Local Media, a division of CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2010 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
