Defense lawyers are looking to immediately test two syringes and an IV bag that was found in the home of Michael Jackson at the time of his death, because the substances in the items are practically dried up and disintegrating.
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The legal team representing Dr. Conrad Murray has stated that the liquid ingredient in one of the syringes has already dried up and turned to salt. The substances in the syringes and IV bag could prove to be vital to the case with regards to how the iconic entertainer died of cardiac arrest last year on June 25th at age 50.
Dr. Murray has been charged with involuntary manslaughter in the death of Jackson and has pleaded not guilty. Murray has been accused of giving the King of Pop a lethal dose of sedatives, which includes the powerful anesthetic propofol. According to court transcripts, traces of propofol and lidocaine were found in the items. What has still not been determined with regards to the traces are the amounts that were administered. The sedative drug, which Murray had been giving to Jackson as a sleep aide, should have only been administered in a hospital setting.
An order for the testing of the medical items has not been set by the presiding Los Angeles judge, because he wants the defense teams to confer further with prosecutors.
If the legal teams can agree on how the tests will be conducted, then the judge will approve the process as early as next week.
The tests on the items that Murray's attorneys are demanding can only be done once. After the tests, the items will be permanently destroyed.
Although the tests on the medical items should have been conducted a year ago, immediately after Jackson's death, defense attorney Michael Flanagan stated before the judge that his efforts to get it done were thwarted by a few obstacles. The lawyer also contends he was informed by the coroner's office that the ingredients of the contents in the syringes and IV bag were not tested because the values were not pertinent enough to establish the cause of Jackson's death.
Flanagan argues, though, the test results "would be very helpful information perhaps for both sides."
When the items are finally tested, it can take a month or more to get results, which cannot be used during a preliminary hearing scheduled for January 4, 2011, according to defense attorney Ed Chernoff.
Is there enough evidence stacked against Murray in the Jackson case?
Chernoff argues that Murray did not give Jackson anything that should have led to his untimely death. A defense attorney might sway a jury to believe that the medical evidence presented was either damaged or unavailable.
Prosecutors will present some of their evidence during the upcoming hearing, and a judge will then decide if there is a substantial case against Murray to stand trial. Stay tuned.