Michael Jackson trial: Conrad Murray drops original propofol claims

Conrad Murray's defence team have dropped their original claim that Michael Jackson swallowed the anaesthetic propofol himself on the day he died.

Murray's defence had originally used the claim as a major part of their case in the ongoing manslaughter trial, which has now entered its third week.

Lawyer J Michael Flanagan told the judge that he had followed a study on the effects of swallowing propofol, which revealed that the end results would be "trivial".

Flanagan said: "We are not going to assert at any time during this trial that Michael Jackson orally administered propofol."

However, it remains unclear whether the defence will continue to allege that Jackson injected the drug himself instead.

Meanwhile, prosecutors called cardiologist Alon Steinberg to the stand, who explained that Murray's actions violated general care practices.

Steinberg said that Murray did not have the necessary equipment for propofol monitoring or for resuscitating a patient in that situation.



On Tuesday, the doctor Christopher Rogers claimed that Michael Jackson was in generally good health before he died.

The trial is scheduled to continue for another four weeks and Murray could face up to four years in prison if found guilty.

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