Attorneys Weigh in on Dr. Conrad Murray Case
Defense Attorney Christipher Darden knows about high profile cases. He tried to put O.J. away.
The prosecution of Dr. Conrad Murray, if he's ever actually charged with a crime, will be very public and very intensely litigated.
Defense Attorney Christopher Darden knows what that's like.
"First of all, prosecutors have the public on their side," said Darden. "Many people in Los Angeles are upset with what Dr. Murray did."
Darden knows about the role public opinion can play in a court fight. He was part of the prosecution team that took on O.J. Simpson in 1994.
Now, Darden works as a criminal defense attorney. He expects the prosecutors of Murray to seek a straight-ahead strategy and with a deliberate line of attack.
He thinks the case will center on the allegation that the hospital sedative Propofol was responsible for Michael Jackson's death, and that it was administered by Murray in a criminally negligent way.
"They'll say that this is not a drug to be used at home, but rather in a hospital," said Darden. "And that it should be supervised with doctors and other medical personnel available in case there is a crisis."
Darden expects prosecutors to line up a host of expert anesthesiologists to bolster their case. But he says that a guilty verdict is far from a slam-dunk.
"You can find jurors who are not emotionally involved in this case," said Darden. "They may think what happened was wrong, but that it did not rise to the level of a criminal act."
Another attorney with a unique perspective on the case is Tom Mesereau. He defended Jackson in a child sex abuse case in Santa Barbara County, where Jackson maintained his Neverland Ranch.
"I expect the Murray defense to say he was trying to wean Jackson off of the addictive drug and something went wrong," said Mesereau.
As for drama, there is a possibility that Jackson's children may end up testifying.
"Children are called as witnesses all the time," said Royal Oakes, NBCLA's legal analyst. "Who knows? If they have evidence as to what happened to Michael Jackson, perhaps from diary accounts or overhearing arguments over the use of the drug, they could be at the heart of this trial."
