Jacksons vs AEG - Day 5 – May 6 2013 – Summary
Jackson family did not attend the court.
Toxicologist Dan Anderson Testimony
Jackson direct
Jackson attorney Koskoff is doing the direct examination. Anderson starts testifying about his experience, credentials (AP).
Jurors are shown the pictures of three prescription pill bottles found in MJ’s bedroom: lorazepam, diazepam and Flomax. They are also shown a photo of four bottles of 20ml of the propofol (AP).
Anderson is then asked about a chart which shows the medications, how many doses were issued and how many remained at the time of Michael Jackson’s death. Another series of charts show the propofol and other medications that were found in Jackson’s home. (AP).
Most of the drugs, he testified, were prescribed by Murray (LATimes)
Toxicologist Anderson tells jury it’s highly unusual to find injectable lorazepam and propofol in a home setting. (AP)
Anderson said investigators found injectable lorazepam at MJ's home, a form of the drug "typically found in a hospital setting." (LATimes)
Jackson lawyer Koskoff: "After you heard from investigators that propofol was found in the home, what did you think?"
Anderson: "Propofol collected as evidence, it's highly unusual. It raises a red flag in my eyes as a toxicologist...It's very problematic if it's found outside the hospital setting." (NYDailyTimes)
The discovery of the propofol bottles outside a medical setting also was “highly unusual" and "kind of raises a red flag,” Anderson said. (LATimes)
Anderson also explains where coroner’s staff take samples from within a body, and also how certain drugs are metabolized. The toxicologist then explains to jurors what tests he ordered on Michael Jackson’s body. (AP)
Toxicologist Dan Anderson said blood samples were taken from every corner of Jackson’s body — his heart, femoral artery, liver and behind his eyes. (NYPost)
Dan Anderson : “This particular case, we were looking for everything and anything.” (AP)
Anderson testified that tests of Jackson's blood, urine and internal organs showed traces of the anesthetic propofol, the anti-anxiety drugs Valium and lorazepam, the short-term anesthetic midazolam and lidocaine, a numbing cream that paramedics sometimes use in resuscitation efforts. (LATimes)
Toxicology tests detected six other drugs in Jackson’s system – lidocaine, diazepam, nordiazepam (a metabolite of Valium), lorazepam (Ativan), midazolam (Versed) and ephedrine – according to Anderson. (CBSLA)
Anderson walks jurors through a chart he prepared of the drugs found in Jackson’s system. Propofol and lidocaine found everywhere. By everywhere, Anderson means blood taken from Jackson’s heart, femoral artery, liver, urine and in fluid behind eye. (AP).
Anderson said propofol and other drugs were found during toxicology tests, noting that propofol was of most concern. (CBSLA)
Anderson: “It raises a red flag in my eyes,” It’s very problematic to find it outside the hospital setting.” (CBSLA)
After morning break, toxicologist Anderson tells jury level of propofol in MJ’s body is consistent with general surgery. (AP) Anderson said that the amount of propofol found in Jackson’s system was what you'd expect in a patient who had just undergone major surgery. (LATimes)
Anderson: “Michael Jackson's body was riddled with the powerful anesthetic propofol when he died - an amount "consistent to major surgery with anesthesia," (NYDailytimes) The level was "consistent with major surgery anesthesia," said Anderson, noting that a level of 3.2 milligrammes per millilitre of blood was found in Jackson's body. (AFP)
Jackson lawyer Koskoff asks Anderson about other cases LA coroner has handled where propofol was involved. Anderson tells jury about preparing a chart of all LA County deaths where propofol was found. Chart created after MJ’s death. Coroner’s office continued to update the chart after Jackson’s death, Anderson tells jury. It now has 31 cases. The first LA County death case where propofol was found dates back to 1999, Anderson says. It's updated as of a couple weeks ago. To put the 31 propofol cases in context, Anderson says coroner handles about 8,000 deaths a year. Roughly 5,000 involve toxicology screens. (AP)
Koskoff also asked Anderson about Demerol. Toxicologist says none was found in Jackson’s system. Anderson told jury Demerol typically dissipates from a person's system with 12-16 hours. (AP)
Sumary of Negative Toxicological Findings. No Alcohol, Barbituates, Demerol, Zoloft, Xanax, Cocaine, Marijuana, Amthamphetamine, Codeine! Anderson said there were no recreational drugs in MJ’s system. (ABC7)
Direct questioning of Anderson ends with him telling jury he didn’t find any recreational drugs in Jackson’s system. (AP)
AEG Cross
Cahan is the attorney handling cross-examination for AEG.
Anderson remembers when he heard Michael Jackson had died. It was a Thursday, his day off, and his son told him MJ had died. (ABC7)
Anderson was off on day Jackson died -- he found out about it from his child. He tells jury he suggested tests that were conducted. (AP) Anderson tells that he observed part of the autopsy the day after the death. (ABC7)
Much of Anderson's cross examination is him explaining charts he prepared in greater detail.(AP)
Cahan notes that one chart shows 10 medications, with three doctors issuing them: Conrad Murray, Allan Metzger and Arnold Klein. She notes that the doctors were all prescribing certain medications that were supposed to be taken at bedtime. She asks if this is important. Anderson says his staff doesn’t take into account directions for taking meds, but how they’re found in toxicology screens. (AP)
AEG Lawyer Cahan: "Would you agree with me there are three different physicians prescribing medication for Mr. Jackson to take at bedtime (in the months before his death)?"
Anderson : "I would agree," (NYDailyTimes)
Toxicologist Dan Anderson also explains that there were two visits to Jackson’s home where medications were collected. On July 9th, Jackson’s family brought in additional medications they had found and thought investigators should have. (AP)
Anderson testifies by mid-July he knew the amount of propofol found in Jackson’s body was cause of death.(AP)
Cahan asked Anderson about signing his portion of the toxicology test on July 15th. She asked if the level of Propofal was fatal. Anderson responded with a yes...the level was fatal. (ABC7)
Toxicologist Anderson testifies that he found out propofol had been collected from Jackson’s home after he found it in drug screens. (AP)
Jackson redirect
Anderson was also asked about 31 death cases in LA where propofol was found. He makes clear, propofol not cause of death in all those cases. Jackson’s lawyer Koskoff highlighted seven cases where propofol was a cause of death; five cases were in residences. Six of the seven cases where a propofol overdose was a cause of death were deemed suicides, toxicologist Anderson testified. According to Anderson, Jackson’s case was the only one involving someone outside the medical field who overdosed on propofol in a home. (AP)
Anderson testified that Michael Jackson is the only person in Los Angeles County not in the medical field to die of propofol intoxication in their home in the last 14 years. The other six people who died at their homes were doctors or nurses who had access to the tightly controlled anesthetic. (LATimes).
Coroner Christopher Rogers Testimony
Jackson Direct
Christopher Rogers is the deputy medical examiner who performed MJ’s autopsy. He walks through his credentials and experience.(AP)
Rogers said he learned about MJ's death while at a conference. “Somebody passed me a note that Michael Jackson had died,” Rogers said. (Wave)
Dr. Christopher Rogers — who determined that Jackson’s death was a “homicide” told the jurors he gave added consideration to detail when determining the cause and manner of the MJ’s death because of the stature of the pop star.(Wave)
Rogers: “Because Michael Jackson was such a prominent individual, there was likely to be a great deal of press attention as well as from members of the public,” (Wave)
A black-and-white photo taken of Jackson’s body before autopsy is shown to the jury. It’s left on the screen for less than a minute. (AP) Rogers said the photo accurately depicted MJ’s condition at the time (wave).
Christopher Rogers testified that the 5-foot, 9-inch MJ weighed 136 pounds at the time of his death and that X-rays showed he suffered from arthritis in his lower spine and fingers (LATimes)
Rogers walks jury through a diagram of puncture wounds and scars on Jackson’s body. Punctures consistent w/ lifesaving efforts, he says. The origin of some of the scars couldn’t be determined. (AP)
Rogers also detailed how Jackson had his lips tattooed pink, his eyebrows and scalp inked with black. There were 3/4-inch scars behind both ears, suggesting he had at least one face lift, according to Rogers’ notes that he shared with jurors. (NYPost)
Rogers also testifies about MJ's vitiligo (AP). Rogers testified that MJ suffered from vitiligo a disease more common in African Americans, in which some areas of the skin are light and others are dark. (LATimes)
"It can be very disfiguring," Rogers said. (LATimes)
Rogers said Jackson’s post-mortem exam revealed no heart disease or Lupus, the autoimmune disease that some, Dr. Arnold Klein, have attributed to MJ (NYDailyNews).
Christopher Rogers said the MJ was in good health before his untimely 2009 death at the hands of Dr. Conrad Murray (NYDailyNews)
If not for his death by propofol, Jackson's health appeared good enough for him to live a normal lifespan, Rogers testified. (CNN)
"There was no indication from the autopsy that there was anything anatomically wrong with him that would lead to premature death," Rogers said. (CNN)
Jackson lawyer Koskoff asks Rogers about condition of MJ’s body. Koskoff asked whether Jackson’s body had any characteristics of a street drug addict. (Disease, track marks, liver damage.) Rogers says no. Rogers also testifies about the condition of Jackson’s organs. All were in good shape, other than some lung issues. (AP)
Rogers explained why he concluded that Jackson died from a propofol overdose. Koskoff asked Rogers whether his conclusions regarding Jackson’s death have changed since Aug. ’09. “No,” he responded. (AP)
Jackson lawyer Koskoff: “Would a fit, competent doctor administer propofol for insomnia?” Rogers: “I would not expect that, no,” (NYDailyNews)
Rogers also shot down suggestions that Jackson self-administered his lethal dose of propofol – a cornerstone theory of Murray’s defense.
“One possibility that we considered is that he might have given an overdose of propofol to himself. However based on the history that was available, I don’t believe that that happened,” Rogers said (NYDailyNews).
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May 7 Tuesday : Cardiologist Dr. Daniel Wohgelernter will testify first out of order. When the he is finished, Dr. Rogers from the Coroner's office will resume. (ABC7)