Lawyers for Doctor Conrad Murray want to use old video footage of Michael Jackson to demonstrate the depth of his drug habit.
Personal physician Murray is set to stand trial on an involuntary manslaughter charge for delivering a fatal drug cocktail overdose to the Michael in June last year. His legal team hope Jackson’s videos – will show Murray can’t be guilty.
Instead, they will suggest that the King of Pop knew how to self- administer and battled pill addiction for over 17 years. Key videos will include footage of frail Michael during his This Is It rehearsals and a 2007 court deposition where he discusses his pain medication. The defence will also show images from 2004 where he slurs his words and appears drunk in rehearsals for a film role at his Neverland home library. Jackson’s sister La Toya is furious that Murray is contesting any charges – and has urged cops to push for a murder case.
A legal source close to Murray, who will be charged in an LA court tomorrow, said: “Murray’s legal team have quietly but steadily been building a robust defence case. A key element will be on-camera interviews Michael Jackson gave where he discusses and admits his drug use and others where he appears to be intoxicated. In effect, Michael Jackson himself 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. The interviews and other evidence aim to show that Jackson had been addicted to prescription drugs for at least 15 years. They will try to prove that Jackson was in poor health and therefore the build-up of drugs and the effects of further doses were increased tenfold because of a weakened system. For these reasons, they will say Murray is not culpable and should therefore be found not guilty.”
Source: NewsOfTheWorld
