Michael Jackson's death probed at doctor's trial

Michael Jackson's doctor had been trying to wean the singer off using a powerful sedative as his go-to sleep-inducing agent, defence attorneys said in a Los Angeles court Tuesday, as the trial of Conrad Murray got underway.

Murray is charged with involuntary manslaughter in the 2009 death of Jackson, who at the time was in rehearsals for an upcoming series of concerts in London, England. If convicted, Murray faces up to four years in prison and the loss of his medical licence.

In his opening statement on Tuesday, defence attorney Edward Chernoff painted the King of Pop as a man fully aware and completely in charge of his life and forthcoming concert series — a faded pop icon desperate to achieve a massive comeback.

Chernoff said it was Jackson, anxious about the upcoming concerts, who proposed using the drug propofol to get some rest — a practice he had reportedly tested out on previous tours, the singer told Murray. Still, at the time of Jackson's death, the doctor was attempting to wean him off propofol in hopes of treating the singer's dramatic insomnia through other methods, the lawyer said.  Read More

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