Conrad Murray preliminary Hearing Day 2 Wednesday 5th January 2011
by Reflections On The Dance, An Honest Look at Michael Joseph Jackson on Wednesday, January 19, 2011 at 5:46am
Court transcripts compiled and typed by Sharon Longhurst
Joe, Katherine, Janet, Latoya, Rebbie and Randy Jackson were in the courtroom.
First witness of the day for the prosecution was Alberto Alvarez.
Alberto Alvarez (Michael Jackson's Bodyguard)
Direct examination by Deputy District Attorney David Walgren.
This is the second person that was in Michael Jackson's bedroom. The court heard that his job was to perform "advances" security for the travelling route ahead. He would make sure that everything was ready for Michael Jackson upon his arrival.
Sometimes he would check traffic reports so that they could avoid those types of security shut downs.
Alvarez had been employed by Michael Jackson off and on since 2004,2005. His title was Director of Logistics.
Alvarez was asked by DDA Walgren if he worked at the Carolwood address. Alvarez responded "That's correct".
DDA Walgren then asked, "During the time you were working at the Carolwood address, did you at any time meet Dr Murray?"
Identifies the witness.
DDA Walgren then asks "When did you first meet Dr Murray?
Alvarez replies saying "Sometime after January 2009, I don't recall exactly.Met him at the property 100 North Carolwood".
Alvarez was then asked if during the months of April, May and June whether he saw Dr Murray there with any regularity. Alvarez answered "Yes sir. Maybe five or six times a week".
DDA Walgren then asked when Dr Murray would typically arrive at the residence. Alvarez replied "Typically in the afternoons"
"To your knowledge would he stay overnight?" Alvarez replied "Yes sir".
"Going to the events of the 24th & 25th June 2009, did Michael have a rehearsal at the Staples Center and did you work as part of the advance team?"
"That's correct" replied Alvarez.
Alvarez was then asked "What time did you leave Carolwood?" "Approximately about 6pm"
DDA Walgren then asked Alvarez what he did when he arrived at the venue. Alvarez replied saying "What we usually did was walk through the entire venue, quick scan and make sure there wasn't anyone there who wasn't supposed to be. We would get the Staples security to make sure everything was secure and that his dressing room was secure".
DDA Walgren asked if this advance work had taken place on the 24th June. "Yes sir. Was there to greet him and take him through. Took him from the Escalade caravan through the complex".
Alvarez then went on to describe how Michael's demeanor was on that day. "What I remember is, he was happy, in a very cheerful mood. That day I was assigned to the back stage. There was a ramp at the back stage where the dancers come through".
DDA Walgren then asks if the ramp was where he (Alvarez) was located. "Yes" replied Alvarez.
This being the case Alvarez didn't have much interaction with Michael throughout rehearsals. His only interaction was through the "ball park" (on the return trip home). He then took Michael with the golf cart to the Escalades.
"Did Michael still appear to be in good spirits?" DDA Walgren asked. "Yes sir".
Once Alvarez had got Michael back into his vehicle it was then his job to select the route back to Carolwood.
DDA Walgren asks if Alvarez arrived back at the house before Michael Jackson to which Alvarez replies "Yes sir".
He was then asked if he saw a vehicle on the driveway that he recognized as Dr. Murray's. "Yes".
"What time did you arrive?" "It was after midnight sir".
Alvarez and the court are then shown a photo of Dr Murray's vehicle. Alvarez said he did not see Dr Murray, just his vehicle. Alvarez then parked the vehicle in the driveway and made sure the door was open.
Alvarez was then asked if he was part of the crew who would bring things into the house. "Yes sir" he replied.
Alvarez then checked into the security office beside the trailer.
Alvarez being questioned about events on June 25th 2009.
DDA Walgren asks Alvarez "At 12.17pm did you receive a phone call?
"Yes from Michael Amir" replies Alvarez.
DDA Walgren continues,"On that day, do you recall what the phone number was?" Alvarez says the number.
Walgren then says " 12.17pm from Michael Amir Williams?" "That's correct" replied Alvarez.
Walgren asks if Alvarez answered the call. "No, I was sitting at my desk and my phone was in my pocket. I reached into my pocket but by the time I pulled it out it had gone to voice mail. So I dialed back twice and he was able to answer. He proceeded to ask me if I was at the property, I said yes. He said go to the front. He said walk don't run".
Exhibit of the front of the house is shown and Walgren asks Alvarez to identify the security trailer and photo of the front door. He also shows him on the exhibits the path he took from the trailer to the front door.
"While you were walking the path were you on the phone to Michael Williams?" "Yes I am" replied Alvarez.
"Are you continuing to converse with him"? "Yes".
Alvarez was then asked another question by Michael Amir Williams on the phone (not sure what that was as it's not in the notes) but Michael Amir then said "Okay never mind jog to the front of the house".
Walgren then asks Alvarez if he went to the front door and attempted to open the door? "Yes sir" replied Alvarez.
"Were you able to gain access?" "Not immediately.The door was locked".
The court was then shown photos of the front door.
"Were you looking through the door as you approached?" "Yes"
"When you first looked through who did you see?" "I saw the nanny Rosalin (sp?) and Paris next to her. I saw Kai Chase and I looked toward the top and I noticed Dr Conrad."
Another photo exhibit is shown to the court. The front doors are glass doors. Alvarez describes the entrance way and entry areas in the house.
Alvarez then points to the photograph to show where he saw Rosalin, Paris and Kai Chase (the chef) standing. They were to the left of the photo near the stair.
"You also saw Dr Murray?" "Yes sir"
Walgren points to the top of a photo showing the wooden railing of the landing area and asks if Dr Murray was in this area. "Yes" replies Alvarez.
Walgren then asks Alvarez to describe what Dr Murray was doing at this time.
"When I saw him he was leaning over, looking downward (Alvarez demonstrates palms on a rail looking downstairs) I made eye contact with Rosalin, she proceeded to the door and unlocked the door".
Walgren asks "Were you still on the phone?" "Yes I told Michael Amir that I was in the house".
Walgren then asks what happened on entering the house.
"I got to the stairs, skipped steps to get to the top as fast as possible".
Walgren then went on to ask what happened after he got to the top of the stairway.
Alvarez said that when arriving at the top of the stairs, Dr Murray was coming from the hallway.
Alvarez then goes over a diagram as to where people were at this point and tells the court where Dr Murray was.
Alvarez was asked what direction Dr Murray was walking in and again pointed to the diagram showed the court which direction Dr Murray was walking towards the room from.
Walgren then asks "Who enters the foyer area first?" "Dr Murray" Alvarez replied.
Alvarez was then asked if when he walked into that area if he had seen Michael's son Prince. Alvarez replied saying "As I was coming up the stairs I saw Michael's son Prince coming from the opposite direction. He had reached the top of the stairs".
Walgren then asked "When you first saw Dr Murray did he say anything to you?"
"He said Alberto, come quick".
Alvarez was still on the phone to Michael Amir and then at that point hung up.
Alvarez was then shown a photograph and was asked if it was the entry to the foyer. Alvarez shows on the photo where he was and said "As I entered the foyer I looked over to my right side and walked toward the right side to the 2nd floor bedroom".
Walgren then asks "Now, when you first walked in what did you see Dr Murray do?
"He was on the right side of the bed and he was giving chest compressions to Michael".
Walgren then asks Alvarez to confirm the direction Michael was laying and which direction his feet were pointing towards and was Michael's head at the head of the bed to which Alvarez replied "Yes sir".
Walgren then asks "What observations did you make about Mr Jackson?"
"He was flat on his back with his hands to the side of him in this manner and his face was slightly to the left and his eyes were open and his mouth was open".
Walgren asks "His head to the left, his head was slightly turned towards the foyer area?" "That's correct" replied Alvarez.
Walgren then asks "What did you see Dr Murray do?" "He was standing over him. He was giving chest compressions with one hand".
Alvarez demonstrates to the court with one hand up and down.
Walgren then asked "While this was going on was Michael on the bed?"
"Yes sir" replied Alvarez.
Walgren then asked "While this was going on Paris and Prince entered the room?"
Alvarez said he told Doctor Murray "We need to get him to a hospital and get him to an ambulance." Paris screamed "Daddy!" and she started crying. Dr Murray then said "Get them out. Don't let them see their father like this!" I turned to the children and said something like "Don't worry children we'll take care of it" and then I got them to go outside and I secured them outside and then I shut the door. I then returned to the room where Michael Jackson was on the bed and I asked what happened. Dr Murray said "He had a reaction!, He had a reaction!" and that's all he said at the time".
Walgren then asks "On your return to the room after escourting the children out, did you notice tubing or some type of tubing in Michael Jackson's groin areas?" "His penis was out of his underwear and he had an apparatus on his penis and there was tubing attached".
Alvarez was then asked if he knew what a condom catheter was and was it something that attracted his attention,Alvarez replied "I saw that".
Walgren then goes on to ask "Did you see any type of emergency medical equipment such as a heart monitor or medical equipment of this nature?
Alvarez replied "The only thing that stands out sir is an IV stand".
Walgren then asks "Where was the IV stand when you saw it?" Alvarez then shows the court using the laser pointer to indicate on the exhibit and says "On this side of the bed". The general location of where Dr Murray was on the far side of the bed with the night stand and the chairs.
Walgren asked "Could you tell if the IV had anything attached to it?" Alvarez replied saying "I noticed it was there. I didn't focus on it".
Walgren then went on to say "By this time you knew that he was Michael Jackson's personal doctor?" "Yes sir" answered Alvarez.
"Did he instruct you on what to do?" asked Walgren.
"After he said a bad reaction I just froze.I was looking at the situation. I looked around at the whole scene and he grabbed a handful of bottles, vials and he instructed me to put them into a bag. I looked to my right and there was a chair and a plastic bag so I went for that bag and I had him put the medicine bottles in the bag."
Walgren then describes the scene of a night stand and little table in the area at the side of the bed Dr Murray was on and asks if this is where Dr Murray took the medicine bottles from. Alvarez replies "Yes sir".
The court is then shown a photograph of the night stand.
Walgren then asks Alvarez "What exactly then did you see Dr Murray do?
"I saw him grab the bottles (demonstrating to the court with one hand) Grabbed those, stretched them out to me"
Walgren then asked "Was he still at the bed? Was he actually kneeling at this time?"
(Sadly the answer to this question wasn't heard by the person reporting in the courtroom)
Another question was asked by Walgren to which Alvalez answers "It was a see-through type of grocery bag. I was standing at the foot of the bed. He was closer to the (left?)".
Walgren then asked "You held open the plastic bag?" "Yes sir. Dr, Murray then placed the bottles in the bag."
Walgren asks how Alvarez was able to tell they were bottles. Alvarez replies "Because I saw them. He held them out and put them in the bag". Alvarez then demonstrates to the court how he held the bag open and how Dr Murray dropped the bottles in the bag.
Walgren continues "Now that the bottles are in the bag, what did Dr Murray tell you to do with that bag?"
Alvarez answers "Put it ( the clear plastic bag) in the brown bag and I looked towards that direction and saw a brown bag that was left of a chair facing the bag. There was a brown bag and I dropped the bag".
Walgren clarifies "You dropped the plastic bag into a brown bag?" "Yes sir" replied Alvarez. According to Alvarez there was a blue bag next to the brown one.
"What did you do after that"? asks Walgren. "He then instructed me to remove the IV bag"
"At this point 911 had not been called yet?" asked Walgren. "That’s true sir" said Alvarez.
Alvarez then went on to describe what Dr Murray instructed him to do.
"From his position he pointed with one hand at the IV stand and said remove that bag and put it in the blue bag".
Walgren then asks "Did you remove it per his instructions and did you put it in a blue bag?"
"That's correct" replied Alvarez.
Walgren continues "And did you notice anything about that IV bag?"
"Yes sir the IV bag was hanging at eye level. I noticed that inside there was a bottle inside the bag. I noticed that at the bottom of the bag there was a milk like substance".
"It was a milk like color?" asks Walgren. "It was whitish, yes sir".
"And when you removed that IV bag that appeared to have a bottle inside, was there another bag hanging from the IV?" asked Walgren.
"Yes" replied Alvarez.
"Did Dr Murray instruct you to remove that bag". "No sir" replied Alvarez.
Walgren continues "At that point did he tell you to call 911?"
"Yes sir".
"And did you do so?" "Yes sir" replied Alvarez.
"At this point I would like to play the 911 call" Walgren says.
The court then listens to the 911 recording and is shown a copy of the transcript.
"You relayed to the operator that Michael Jackson was still on the bed while Dr Murray was attempting some kind of compressions?" asks Walgren.
"Yes sir" replied Alvarez.
"In regards to the bags that Dr Murray had you place the bags and IV in, do you know what happened to those bags?" asks Walgren.
"No sir" replies Alvarez.
"Were the compressions being done with one hand?" asks Walgren.
"I don't recall sir"
"Have you told the police back in August that it was one handed and were you trying to be as accurate as possible?" asked Walgren.
"Yes sir".
Alvarez then gives a brief description of what took place after the 911 call. He said that after the 911 call they moved Michael to the floor and that Dr Murray assisted in this. Alvarez then said that Michael had an IV in his leg so Dr Murray took the IV out.
Alvarez was then asked about a device that was possibly attached to Michael's finger.
“Do you know what a pulse oximeter is?” “No sir”
The court was then told that Dr Murray had assisted in bringing Michael’s body to the floor and that there was a pulse oximeter on Michael’s finger but Dr Murray removed it from Michael’s finger.
The witness then describes what he saw of the oximeter.
Through questioning Walgren reminds Alvarez of an earlier testimony with detectives where he said he had seen Dr Murray with the pulse oximeter for a period of time before Michael Jacksons death.
Dr Murray had came to the trailer room asking for batteries a few days before and Alvarez had given batteries to Dr Murray. At the time Dr Murray was holding this same device that he placed on Michael’s finger.
Alvarez went on to explain that “While Faheem Muhammad was in the room I approached him and said "it’s not looking good." While we were looking at each other, I heard Dr Murray say "Does anyone know CPR?" We looked at each other for a split frozen second, like at each other. Like, okay you do it. So I walked over to Mr Jackson. He (Dr Murray) instructed me to give chest compressions. He was pushing with two hands one over the other. He started giving him mouth to mouth.”
“Did Dr Murray make any comment about giving mouth to mouth?” asked Walgren.
“He came and said “This is the first time that I’ve given mouth to mouth, but I have to do it because he’s my friend” answered Alvarez.
“Now at about this time, did you become aware that paramedics had arrived at the scene?”
“The paramedics came into the entry way” answered Alvarez.
“At that point did they take over trying to save Michael?” asked Walgren.
“I moved out of the way” replied Alvarez.
“Did you see Michael? Were you present when he was moved from the side to the foot of the bed?”
“Yes sir” replied Alvarez and shows the move of the body on the diagram.
“Did you remain in the room while paramedics tried to revive Michael?” continued Walgren.
“Yes I was in and out. I went downstairs to let Michael Amir in. At one time I went down again to check on the children” replied Alvarez.
“At any point during your own personal observations, was there any indication that he was alive?”
“Objection!” “Sustained”.
“Did it appear to you that Michael was breathing?” Walgren continues.
“No sir” replies Alvarez.
“You said his eyes were open and his mouth was open?” “Yes sir” replies Alvarez.
“When you picked him up was he limp?”
“Yes”
“So did he seem to be alive or dead?”
“Dead sir” replied Alvarez.
(Objection overruled)
“Were you present when the paramedics took Michael out of the room?” continues Walgren.
“I was walking up when they were walking down the stairs with the stretcher."
Was it the same stairs that we’ve been referencing throughout?”
“Yes sir”.
“What did you do as Michael was brought out of the home and brought into the ambulance?” asked Walgren.
“I was watching the children and making sure that they didn’t see him being brought out”.
“At some point, did you follow the ambulance to UCLA Medical Center?” asked Walgren.
“I was in one of the Escalades” replied Alvarez.
“Did you remain at the hospital and see subsequent ER treatment of Michael?”
“Yes”
“At some point at the hospital, did you become aware that Michael had been pronounced dead?”
“Yes” replied Alvarez.
“After learning that while still at UCLA did Dr Murray say anything to you?” asked Walgren.
“He approached me a couple of times. First time he said “Thank you for all that we did”.
“We tried our best” I said.
He then asked me if we could go home or him to be taken back to the home.
I didn’t have the keys or authority. He proceeded to ask Michael Amir” answered Alvarez.
“After that did you ever see Dr Murray again?” “No sir”.
“At some point were you involved in the logistics to leave UCLA?” asked Walgren.
“After they had secured the body we discussed how we were going to take him out. We then learned that it was all taken care of and we proceeded to leave UCLA, Amir,Faheem and Derek(sp?) and myself we drove around towards Carolwood. At the house we saw that there were already a lot of police officers that had blocked off the area. We identified ourselves and they let us in” said Alvarez.
“Did you remain at that location?” asked Walgren.
“I was there for a few minutes. Then I was instructed to take the children’s dog to the Hayvenhurst property, a Labrador that they owned, so I proceed to but it didn’t have a leash so I used my belt and took it to Hayvenhurst.
“Another residence associated with the Jackson family?” asks Walgren.
“Yes” replied Alvarez.
Morning break is called.
Prosecution Witness Number 5 Kai Chase (Chef)
Deputy District Attorney Deborah Brazil presents the witness.
Kai Chase was employed as personal chef for Michael Jackson. She began working for Michael at the end of March 2009. She is currently employed as a chef now.
Her duties were to provide breakfast, lunch and dinner to Michael and his children. On occasion she provided meals for others, people that came over as guests and employees.
Chase was asked whether her typical routine was coming in at 8am,8.30am or 9am preparing breakfast for Michael and the children before school,preparing lunch at the Carolwood residence,to which she answered yes.
“Did you prepare meals for Dr Conrad Murray?” asked DDA Brazil.
“Yes” replied Chase and identified Dr Murray.
She told the court that she would prepare breakfast for Michael Jackson and Dr Murray also. She would prepare granola sometimes or a fresh orange juice for Mr Jackson and Dr Murray would come and get it.
On June 24th she said she arrived at the house around 8.30am and she saw Michael Jackson and she saw Dr Murray that morning. Dr Murray had brought his juice to Michael Jackson. Dr Murray came down to the kitchen and would take it back to the bedroom location if that was where Michael was.
At 12 noon Chase said she prepared lunch.
“Where was Michael Jackson and his children when they ate lunch?” asked DDA Brazil
“At the dining table” replied Chase.
“Did you have a conversation with Michael Jackson on June 24th when he was eating lunch?”
“Yes” replied Chase.
She told the court that she prepared an Ahi salad for lunch and later a snack for Michael Jackson’s rehearsal for that day and she also prepared a Tuscan wedding soup for Dr Murray and Michael Jackson which she stored in the fridge to be eaten later.
Chase was then asked about June 25th 2009.
“You arrived between 8-8.30am? Entered through the service entrance? Would it be your normal routine to enter through the kitchen?” asked DDA Brazil.
“Yes” replied Chase.
“What did you do next?”
“I started preparing breakfast for the children. Granola, setting placemats and preparing Michael’s juice for his breakfast” replied Chase.
She was asked about the Tuscan bean soup that she had prepared the night before (24th) and she said it was left untouched in the refrigerator.
“Did you prepare breakfast for the children?” asked DDA Brazil
“Correct” answered Chase.
“You started preparing their lunch?”
“I went to the market which was down the street, then I started preparing lunch” answered Chase.
“About what time was it when you went to the market” asked DDA Brazil
“Around 9am” replied Chase.
“About what time did you return?”
“Closer to quarter to ten” answered Chase.
“Did you in fact prepare lunch when you returned from the market?”
“Yes”
“What was the normal lunch time?” asked DDA Brazil
“12.30pm” replied Chase.
“Was that pretty consistent when they had lunch?”
“Yes” Chase answered.
“Did Dr Murray come down to pick up the juice as was his custom on June 25th?”
“No” answered Chase
From the time you arrived at the residence, when was the first time you saw Dr Murray that day?” asked DDA Brazil
“Saw him between 12.05pm and 12.10pm” replied Chase.
“How is it that you are certain of the time?”
“I’m a chef, I’m preparing for a particular time so I look at my cell phone to see if I’m on time” Chase replied.
“Describe the circumstances that you saw Dr Murray after that time”
“Dr Murray came down the stairs. He went and entered the kitchen screaming to get Prince, get help and to call security. I immediately ran to where the children were and got Prince” replied Chase.
Prince ran up the stairs to the area that Dr Murray was located and she remained in the kitchen.
Chase was asked if she heard anything after and she said she heard the housekeeper crying and the housekeeper said to her that there may be something wrong with Michael Jackson.
“Did you see Prince?” asked DDA Brazil
“He was with his siblings down on the first floor near the kitchen praying” replied Chase.
“We were consoling one another and we were praying. We were holding hands and praying” continued Chase.
“What was the next thing that happened?” asked DDA Brazil.
“Paramedics arrive. I had seen paramedics and security running up the stairs”.
“Did you go upstairs?”
“No” replied Chase.
“After you saw the paramedics, did you remain at the residence?”
“I remained at the residence until 1pm” replied Chase.
“And security asked you to leave? Did you see the paramedics leave the residence prior to you leaving the residence?” asked DDA Brazil.
“No” replied Chase.
Exhibit 15 showed to the court, kitchen area at the Carolwood residence and Chase is asked to show using the laser pointer where she was located when Dr Murray instructed her to call Prince and security.
She indicated to the court that she was at the corner of the island closest to the counter.
Exhibit 16 was then shown to the court and Chase was asked “This is the kitchen, stairway. Where does that stairway go? What does it lead to?”
“I don’t know. I’ve never been on the second floor. I’ve never been up those stairs” replied Chase.
Chase shows the court where Dr Murray came down the stairs and stopped near the 3rd or 4th banister area.
“He was leaning over when he called out to you?” asked DDA Brazil.
“Yes he was” replied Chase.
“Did he ever instruct you to call 911?”
“No” replied Chase.
Chase then shows on the exhibit where Dr Murray was when he called out to her.
“Ms Chase, you indicated that as soon as Dr Murray came down the stairs he instructed you to get Prince and security, you went into the den area where the children were?”
“Correct” answered Chase.
Exhibit shown to the court to show direction she went when she went to get Prince.
Chase was then asked if when Dr Murray came down the stairs if she had any difficulty understanding what he said to her. She said that initially there was music playing in the house but that she could understand him clearly.
“Did he ever shout call 911?” asked DDA Brazil
“No” replied Chase.
“Did Dr Murray come all the way down the stairs?”
“He remained at the top portion (of the stairs)” answered Chase.
“Describe Dr Murray’s demeanor when he asked you to get Prince”
“He seemed in a panic” replied Chase.
“Did you ever see Dr Murray again?”
“No I did not” replied Chase.
“Is that the same stairway that Dr Murray first came down?”
“No that’s a different stairway” replied Chase.
CROSS EXAMINATION BY THE DEFENSE
“Tell us how long you have worked in Mr Jackson’s house?”
“I worked for Michael Jackson since March, five or six months” replied Chase.
“Primarily cooking not only to Michael but other people as children or for meetings?”
“Yes” replied Chase.
“Is it true that Mr Jackson had a particular diet?”
“No Mr Jackson ate quite healthy, organic foods” replied Chase.
“In fact did Dr Murray had some contribution as to what that diet might consist of?”
“Briefly” answered Chase.
“Is it fair to say that you had a sense of obligation to adhere to that diet?”
“He was required to eat well because of that tour he was about to go on” replied Chase.
Chase told the court that Michael Jackson wanted to eat healthy and he wanted his children to eat healthy.
“Was someone other than Dr Murray required so that you can prepare this health food?”
“No” replied Chase.
“During your time at the house you said you had never been to the second floor?”
“There was no need to. My room was the kitchen” answered Chase.
“Did you have any understanding that there were various parts of the house not to go to?”
“I’ve worked for a lot of high powered clients and this is something that you don’t do. Your job is the kitchen and you just don’t do that” replied Chase.
“You’re aware of their privacy and you’re very good at that?”
“Yes”
“Who had access (to the upstairs) his children?”
“The area where I worked was the kitchen area. So if there anyone other than his children,they would come down in the kitchen and that’s what I would see” replied Chase.
“Had you ever seen Dr Murray ever come down those stairs prior?”
“Yes” replied Chase.
“Besides Dr Murray coming down getting the juice, did you ever see him come down with something else or go up?”
“He would come down with oxygen tanks” answered Chase.
“They were metal black tanks? Did they have a valve on top?”
“Yes”
“Did they have masks?”
“Maybe” answered Chase.
“Sometimes you see tanks with/on a set of wheels were they something like that?”
“Yes”
“How old was Michael Jackson?”
“50”
“You understand there was something in his health that required a regular dose of oxygen?”
“I was not aware of that” replied Chase.
“How would you enter the house?”
“I would enter in the service area of the home. Security would knock on the door then the children or whomever was in the home would open that door. I never had a key to that door” replied Chase.
“Did you know if anyone had a key to that door?”
“No I don’t” Chase replied.
“ Morning of June 25th. Is it fair to say the first event that came to your attention was Dr Murray coming down the stairs?”
“Yes”
“Can you go there now and tell us what you see?”
“I see him panic stricken. His…”
“What does that look like?”
“His eyes were large. He’s screaming. Panic” replied Chase.
“Time is of the essence. Did you get that sense?”
“Yes”
“Did you have any disagreement with that or did you agree with that?”
“Yes”
“He wanted to find the kids?”
“He asked me to get security and Prince, yes” answered Chase.
“He didn’t say why he required those things?”
“No”
“Did he ask you to do anything else?”
“No”
“Did he ask you to call security on the phone?”
“No, he did not”
“Did he say anything else to you?”
“I dropped what I was doing and ran down to reach Prince” replied Chase.
“How long did that take?”
“Approximately 2 seconds.I then went back to the kitchen and proceeded to my work”
Chase was then asked why she never contacted security and she answered because Prince was in her eyesight. Dr Murray was in a panic and she didn’t know what was taking place,she just knew something was very urgent.
“So you decided not to call them?”
“Because again, Prince was in my eyesight and I knew that if I went out of the house Prince wouldn’t be in my eyesight while locating security. Prince was in my eyesight and that was the best choice. He asked me to get Prince. I brought him to the stairs and I went back to work” replied Chase.
“Was Dr Murray still on the stairs when you brought Prince back?”
“I believe so”
“And Prince and he went up the stairs together?”
“They had met, yes”
Defense asks Judge Pastor for a moment.
“Do you recall seeing any other individual that day. Do you know someone by the name of Rosalin?”
“Sister Rose”
“Did you see her that day?”
“She was in the den with the children” replied Chase.
“Did you see Faheem Muhammad that morning?”
“Yes”
“Where did you see him?”
“Outside in the courtyard” answered Chase.
“Your location in the kitchen gives you a very limited view of the house?”
“Yes”
“Mr Michael Amir, do you recall whether you saw him that day?”
“I did not” answered Chase.
“I believe that just before Mr Murray came down the stairs you looked at your cell phone?”
Chase said that she wore a chef uniform and an apron with two pockets and her phone was in her pocket. She remembered the time being from 12.05pm or 12.10pm.
“At that time when I saw Dr Murray I wasn’t looking at my phone. When I looked at my phone it wasn’t long after that I saw Dr Murray”.
She said that she had recently looked at her phone and then a short time later she saw Dr Murray.
“From the time you saw Dr Murray and when the paramedics arrived how long was that?”
“I went back to work. From where I was in the kitchen I couldn’t see so I don’t know” replied Chase.
DDA Brazil REDIRECT
“You told us that you prepared daily juice for Mr Jackson. About what time did you prepare the juice?”
“Around 9am, 9.30am”
“What time would Dr Murray come downstairs and pick the prepared juice up?”
“10am” replied Chase.
“You sensed the panic and emergency in Dr Murray’s demeanor and so you crossed over into the den where you knew Prince would be.
Chase said that after getting Prince they both ran.
“From the time that you walked across the area and you and Prince ran back to the kitchen area, were you able to see Dr Murray?”
“Vaguely”
“Does that mean you saw a portion of his body?”
“Yes” replied Chase.
“Dr Murray gave you no other reason but only insisted you to get Prince or get security?” asked DDA Brazil.
Judge Pastor asks“Was it an OR or AND?”
“Get Prince. Get security. No “OR” or “AND””
“You chose to get Prince because Prince was closer?”
Objection! Sustained.
“Why did you choose?”
“Well Prince was in my eyesight. I could see. My first instinct was to get Prince as opposed to going out of the house and into the courtyard looking for security” replied Chase.
Cross Examination by Low.
“When you got there, you saw Dr Murray and described his demeanor, that sense of urgency transferred to you as well?” asks Low
“Yes”
“And so you got Prince?”
“Yes”
“So then you went back to the kitchen?”
“Yes”
“Then you at some point went with the children and started to pray? You never went upstairs?” asked Low.
“Correct” replied Chase.
Chase was then asked what she saw, “I saw a gurney…it was empty. The housekeepers started crying. There was an energy in the house. There was an energy of uncertainty so we started consoling one another”.
“Tell me what that energy said to you, it changed you?”
“It was a feeling of uncertainty. It didn’t feel right. It was a happy home, there was music always playing and there were dogs and animals because it was a happy home” answered Chase.
“So that’s why you liked to work there because it was a happy home?”
“Who wouldn’t” replied Chase.
“What was Dr Murray doing?”
Objection! Calls for speculation! (ruling?)
“I didn’t see” replied Chase.
Witness is excused and asked to leave the stand.
Prosecution Witness Number 6 Firefighter Paramedic Richard Senneff.
Richard Senneff has been a firefighter for the city for 25 years and a paramedic for 26 years from 1982.
DDA Walgren asks whether the teletype he received about the location, the age, the gender of the person and also the incident time of 12.21 if it reflected the dispatch time.
Senneff replies “12.22pm”
“How long did it take you?” asked DDA Walgren.
“We got on the scene at 12.26pm, so four minutes”
DDA Walgren asks if he can show with the laser pointer where the rescue ambulance was parked.
“Were you immediately escorted into the house?”
Senneff said that they were escorted into the house by security people wearing dark suits, dark ties and white shirts. Senneff told the court that he was the first paramedic to enter the home.
“What did you see when you first came into the room?” (the bedroom) asked DDA Walgren
“I saw the doctor” replied Senneff identifying Dr Murray for the court.
“Looking at the picture, use the laser pointer please show where Dr Murray was” asked DDA Walgren
“He was standing right by the night stand of the bed reaching over the patient” replied Senneff.
DDA Walgren then asked Senneff to describe what he saw.
“I saw what appeared to be a pale, thin patient wearing pyjamas with a night cap on, on the bed”
“Did you see anything happening?”
“I saw the doctor attempting to move the patient to the floor”
“Did you see anyone assisting him?”
“I did not see anyone assisting him” replied Senneff.
“Do you remember there being a security personnel in there?”
“There could have been” replied Senneff.
“Did you have a particular role to play as part of this emergency response team?” asked DDA Walgren
“All of our jobs are predetermined” replied Senneff.
Senneff went on to tell the court that he was the radio man and that he had control in the information gathering.
“Did the doctor refer to himself as the patient’s personal cardiologist?”
“Yes he did”.
“Other than what you first described, did you observe any type of hospital machine hooked up like a heart monitor?”
“No I did not”
“Did you see an IV or an IV stand or an IV kit?” asks DDA Walgren
“It was on the other side of the bed between the doctor and me”.
“At some point coming into the room, are you trying to obtain information from Dr Murray and being the radio man and the person in charge was that your primary responsibility to get information from Dr Murray?
“Yes it was”
“What did Dr Murray tell you?” asked DDA Walgren
“He didn’t answer. I repeated the question again, what is the underlying medical condition and he said “There isn’t any”. I did pursue it and asked again. It is unusual to come into a home and have an IV pole there and my first thought was that this was a hospice patient” replied Senneff.
“You repeated the question to Dr Murray?”
“Yes I did and he said “No he’s alright, I’m just treating him for dehydration” That seemed too simple. The patient appeared under weight, I mean it’s midday, he’s got a doctor and there’s items around the house it looked like there was someone under the care of the physicians” replied Senneff.
“You asked Dr Murray if the patient was taking any medications?”
“He said no, none. He’s not taking anything. I asked him that again as that didn’t add up. He then said “I gave him lorazepam”
“Did he tell you about any other medicine, narcotic agents that he gave the patient at all?” asked DDA Walgren.
“He said that’s it, just the lorazepam” replied Senneff.
“Did the doctor tell you at any time he had given the propofol?”
Senneff replied that no other medication was mentioned except for the lorazepam.
“Did you ask how long the patient had been in this condition, how long he had been down?”
“He said “it just happened”. I said it just happened? and he repeated saying “it just happened right when I called you”
“When he said that, when I just called you what does that mean?” asked DDA Walgren.
“We go on a lot of calls and a cancer patient been down for 15 minutes and not going so when we get a call like that we get excited because we’re going to get to do something, bring the patient back” replied Senneff.
“Did you observe the patient?” asked DDA Walgren
“I helped them move the patient” replied Senneff.
“So at some point was he moved?”
Senneff then describes how Michael Jackson was moved. One firefighter went to the head of the bed and got the patients arms under the arm pits and moved him to the foot of the bed. He described how the patient was on the floor with his feet towards them and his head towards the fireplace.
“How did he appear to you? Did it appear that he just went down?” asked DDA Walgren.
“As soon as I picked him up, the legs were cool to the touch. When we hooked him to the EKG we had a flat line with very little pulses of electrical activity”
“The taps are placed on the chest of the patient?”
“That’s correct” replied Senneff.
Senneff was then asked what the EKG reading showed and he said he would say it was flat with an occasional small electric pulse activity which he explained was caused from the backup systems in the heart trying to start the entire electrical processing of the heart and that it was a small blip.
Senneff was asked again the reading of the EKG and he again said that it was asystole.
“Did you make any observations as to the color of the hands and feet of the patient?” DDA Walgren asked.
“The hands and feet were tinged blue, that means that there hadn’t been respiration going on and the red blood cells were turning blue. There’s no circulation going on” replied Senneff.
“Based on the observations of the eyes being dry, how about their size?”
“The pupils were dilated. It means that the system had collapsed” replied Senneff.
“In lay person terms, from the time you were at the scene throughout your care and transfer to UCLA,was it in your mind that the patient was deceased?”
“Yes” replied Senneff.
“And that was based on a number of factors that you had described already?”
“Yes”
DDA Walgren then asks what the rest of the team were doing in the room at the time.
“Martin Blount is securing an airway. Bret Harren is starting chest compressions, Mark Goodwin is attempting to get an IV and I’m hooking up electrodes to give us a EKG reading and I’m changing the IV to a system that we can use” replied Senneff.
“Did any of this portion of care start at the side?”
“It all occurred at the foot of the bed.We were all very busy”
“What does it mean for the eyes to be blown?”
“It means the eyes were fully dilated”
Senneff went on to say that he subsequently learned this patient was Michael Jackson. He said that based on his 27 years of experience and the observations he made with the patient being asystole, the flatline,the tinged color of the feet, fixed and dilated eyes and the patient being cool to the touch his gut reaction was that this did not just happen and that it had been a period of time.
“Can you give a window of time?” asked Walgren
“That’s hard to say, more than 20 minutes” replied Senneff.
Senneff was asked about the IV stand and he said that when they arrived it was hooked up to the patient’s left leg on the inside of his calf and that it did appear to be a standard IV saline IV bag.
Senneff was then asked apart from the treatments already mentioned, were drugs used on the patient to revive him?
He said that two drugs were used to kick start the heart and while they were being given chest compressions continued. He said “in simple terms basically a tube was inserted into that trachea and sealed and air pumped directly into the lungs”.
Senneff was then asked about capnography and he explained that it was a means to read the carbon dioxide levels in the body and that the placement of the ET tube is what gives them the readings.
He was then asked how successful was placing the ET tube and he replied saying it was very quick and that he was surprised how quickly it went in as they were not doing it in a hospital operating room under ideal conditions but it was in and they were getting readings on the capnography.
After a brief questioning on the readings that were given the Judge calls afternoon break.
Back in the courtroom.
Richard Senneff takes to the stand to continue being questioned.
“You had mentioned initially that there was an IV in the patient’s leg. When you gave the patient that IV was it via the IV that was already in place or was there some restructuring that needed to be in place?” asked DDA Walgren.
Senneff explained that there are two systems, one with needles and one without. The hospital changed over to a needless system years ago. On the IV catheter tube there was a port. The needle port has a little rubber stopper and a valve and he explained that you screw the syringe on it.
With a needle system you slide the needle in and slide it right back out.
He said that when he first arrived it was a needle system kit and that there was a IV bag with a tube attached to Michael Jackson’s leg and off that tube there was a port to allow administration of drugs into the IV tubing. He confirmed that the LAFD had gone to a needless system. He went on to say that after the two rounds of meds given through the tube the EKG readings never changed.
“At some point of these two rounds, was the leg IV compromised in some way?” asked DDA Walgren.
“We had our medical kit and opened a starter kit we had some medications there and Dr Murray took some of the medicines and went to use the IV port. While he was using it he pulled the IV out” Said Senneff.
“What happened then” asked DDA Walgren.
“I started another IV” replied Senneff.
“Was one of the other paramedics assisting you in starting a new IV?”
“Mark Goodwin started looking at the patient’s arms and hands to get an IV in” replied Senneff.
“Did you see Goodwin trying to get an IV in?” asked DDA Walgren.
“He was doing the usual trying to get a needle in” replied Senneff.
Senneff explained to the court that Goodwin was trying to get a needle into Michael Jackson and that he tried both his right and left arm in multiple locations.
“Was he able to get a good IV location on either arm?” asked DDA Walgren
“No sir” replied Senneff.
“At some point did you try to get an IV in the jugular of the patient?”
“The least external jugular”
“Did you do that personally?” asked DDA Walgren.
“I did” replied Senneff.
“And were you able to get the IV set up in the jugular?”
“Yes I did”
Senneff was then asked if there were additional rounds of the heart starting medications and whether it would have a different effect than being in the arm or leg. He replied that it would because it’s a larger vein and a more direct route to the heart.
Senneff said that he still did not get any response and that himself and his team never found a pulse on Michael Jackson, but Dr Murray said to him that he felt a femoral pulse but he couldn’t feel anything.
“At some time are you making contact with the bay station at UCLA? What is the bay station and what is the procedure in that regard?”
“Paramedics are not doctors and we don’t have all the discretion of what a doctor can do. Specifically there’s protocall in place and specially trained nurses that man the radios who give out standard orders ,so we call them and we get orders from a doctor behind the scenes and we carry out the orders. We give them information and if we do something involving medication we tell them” replied Senneff.
“At 12.57 were you notified by UCLA that all attempts were futile?” asked DDA Walgren.
“I don’t know the exact time” replied Senneff. He notes where it would be on the base station recording.
Senneff then explained what happened when UCLA wanted to call it.
“I told them we had a very high profile VIP and we’d be much more comfortable transporting that patient to the hospital”
“Did you tell UCLA that his personal physician was on the scene?”
“UCLA had a question, we had done three rounds and nothing happened so the physician at UCLA wanted to call it but the physician on the scene was not willing to call it so I conveyed that and UCLA asked if the doctor on the scene would assume care. He said yes so that was the transport” (meaning Dr Murray would assume care of the patient in the ambulance).
“Were additional rounds of heart starting drugs given?”
“Yes in the ambulance” replied Senneff.
Senneff told the court that after that they prepared to transport the patient and he told Dr Murray that he had to accompany the patient in the ambulance if he was going to assume care.
He told the court that they slid the patient from the floor onto a flat and secured him and moved as much equipment as they could to the gurney and secured to the gurney.
“Once the patient was placed in the ambulance, did you have reason to run back upstairs?” asked DDA Walgren.
“Yes I turned around and went back upstairs because I didn’t want to leave any equipment behind” replied Senneff.
“When you went back upstairs, did you see Dr Murray in the room?”
“He was standing on the other side of the bed by the nightstand and a bag, with a plastic trash bag picking things up” replied Senneff.
“Could you see what he was picking up?”
“No sir I wasn’t looking hard enough”
“Where were you in the ambulance?”
“I was at the head end of the gurney with the patients head between my knees to keep an eye on his airway.That allows me to be right near the microphone. I was in the RA facing the windows, facing backwards, my back was to the driver. The other two paramedics were with us”
“How about Dr Murray?”
“Yes and Dr Murray” replied Senneff.
He was then asked if they were being followed by other vehicles and he said “it was unbelievable to say the least”.
He said “There was people running down the street taking pictures, there were security people following us. There were lots of other cars passing us on the left and on the right”.
“What did you do when you first arrived at UCLA?”
“We backed up to the door. There was a whole lot of people as the hospital security was not deployed yet.
Dr Murray asked if we could put a towel over Michael Jackson’s face. We said sure. We gave the doctors notification of the treatment we gave Michael Jackson then one of the doctors spoke directly to Dr Murray”.
“Did you ever describe Dr Murray’s demeanor as spinning?” asked DDA Walgren.
“He was moving around very busy, he was sweating, multi tasking at a high rate of speed”
“Did Dr Murray ever advise anyone in your team that he had administered propofol to Michael Jackson?”
“No sir” replied Senneff.
Cross examination by Defense Attorney Love.
Love begins by asking Senneff about his role and training and then moves on to the 25th June 2009.
“When you got out at Carolwood Drive, who did you see first?”
“Security personnel” replied Senneff
“Did this person give you a name?” asked Low
“It’s not that I can’t recall,it’s just that they didn’t give me a name”
He was then asked by Low what he saw when entering the room.
“What I saw was the doctor taking the patients shoulders and preparing to get him to the floor”.
“When you entered that room, were you aware of anyone who had performed CPR?”
“No I was not” replied Senneff.
He then goes over what he saw when he first entered the bedroom and he was asked to describe the patient and what he noticed. He said he noticed a shower cap type thing on his head, pyjamas that were opened and that he thought the patient appeared to be very underweight.
He was asked by Low what he meant by underweight.
“Well, when people say they need to drop a few pounds, he appeared to need to add a few pounds”
“Did you form any opinions or impressions at that time?” asked Low.
“My first impression was that this was a hospice patient”
“I think you first characterized him as lying on the bed and very,very,very thin like a hospice patient, cancer patient” continued Low.
“This person was very pale. I could see ribs”
“It’s not unusual for someone who’s been a drug addict is it?” asked Low
“No sir” replied Senneff.
“While you were standing there in that moment, were you able to recognize that face? Had you ever seen it before?”
Objection! Facts not in evidence.
Re ask
“Did that person in that moment look anything like Michael Jackson?”
Objection! Sustained
Senneff was then asked if he had asked any of the staff/security if the patient had been taking drugs or not.
He replied No sir. He was then asked if he had asked Dr Murray the same question.
“It would be a standard question but I don’t remember if I asked about recreational drugs or not” replied Senneff.
Defense Attorney Low put forth to the court that the paramedics didn’t want to save Michael Jackson because he was a drug addict and whether that was the reason why they wanted to call it at the scene.
Low also stated to the court that possibly the paramedics didn’t want to take Michael to the hospital because hospitals are understaffed and treatment would be too expensive.
Richard Senneff told the court he didn’t know how to answer that question as he had never heard such a ridiculous thing.
Witness is excused. Court to resume 9.15am tomorrow morning.
Sources:
and thanks to Erin for reporting back to Ustream.
