MJ doc’s voice mail could be key evidence in trial
By ANISunday, February 14, 2010
LONDON - A voice mail left by Michael Jackson’s doctor for one of his patients shortly before the 911 call reporting the star’s cardiac arrest could be the key piece of evidence in his involuntary manslaughter trial.
Dr Conrad Murray left an 18 sec voice mail at 11:54 am for his patient Bob Russell updating him on his heart scan.
Sounding calm and measured Murray said: “This is Doctor Murray, Bob. Hi, how are you? Um, sorry I missed you. Just wanted to talk to you about your results of the EECP. You did quite well on the study. We would love to continue to see you as a patient even though I may have to be absent from my practice for, uh, because of an overseas sabbatical.”
Jackson’s bodyguard Alberto Alvarez placed a 911 call at 12.21 pm in which her reported that Jackson had collapsed and Murray was administering CPR to him.
The recording could be used to advantage by the defense as well as the prosecution.
According to an LADP timeline - based on interviews conducted with Murray following Jackson’s death - Murray should have been in the midst of frantic efforts to revive the collapsed singer at that time he left the voicemail.
LAPD says Murray told them that he administered Jackson 25 milligrams of propofol at 10:40 am. At 10:50 am he left Jackson’s room; minutes later he returned to find Jackson not breathing.
Murray is reported to have made three calls spanning 47 minutes between 11:18 am and 12:05 pm, which he did not tell the police about during his interview with them.
Murray’s attorney, Ed Chernoff, aims to use the Murray’s calm voice mail to discredit the police timeline and show they bungled their enquiry.
“Murray’s lawyers know he gave Michael Propofol and understand that killed him. But just what happened in that room in those few hours Michael was last alive will be the key battleground,” News of the World quoted a source as saying.
The prosecution could use the voice mail to prove that Murray did not pay attention to Jackson after putting him on propofol, or that he knew Jackson was dead but made the phone calls to cover his tracks. (ANI)
