Dr. Conrad Murray Prelim: Day 3 Part I

Edited by Caligirl9 on January 7, 2011 at 7:40 p.m.
Correction edit by Sprocket 1/8, 9:00 p.m.

9:05 a.m.
I drive down to the courthouse because I had to help Mr. Sprocket get the big electrical box down from the workroom and into his White Whale Work Truck. I took photos of it and will post once it’s installed in the commercial fishing boat. This is the panel that will control all the refrigeration, circulation and starting systems on the boat.

When I got into the courtroom, KFI’s Eric Leonard was sitting in the seats where the reporter from Splash and I have been sitting. I think he finally recognized me from the Robert Blake trial and moved to the other end of the courtroom and chatting with the other “guys” in the room. Back when I attended my first trial (Robert Blake) in Van Nuys, I was sitting next to the attorney for the family, who was also named Eric. People mistakenly thought I was talking about Eric Leonard instead of the family attorney...and it supposedly caused a bit of a problem for Eric Leonard.

Five more minutes. Our PIO hasn’t even shown up to take our names as to who’s here. It’s a small crowd today in the overflow room.

9:20 a.m.
No feed. A reporter raises his hand and jokingly asks, “Sister Mary...” Pat bows back. “Should we be worried since there is no FEED?”

The bailiff is on the phone now, calling about the feed.

“Could you explain purgatory to us please?” The reporter asks again. Pat just wanted everyone to know about the class trip. A bit of laughter.

After next week, they may not have an overflow courtroom available. So they are taking names sign in every day, to see who shows up just in case they don’t have another courtroom for overflow.

9:25 a.m: Court called to order—traffic and logistical delays. Richard Senneff still on the stand under cross by Low.

Defense CROSS by Attorney Low

Q: Left off where the hospital gave you the choice to call it (the death).

Senneff: That’s not correct. When we give our third round of meds we update vital sings of any changes. Read all the information. There was no change in the patient.

They (UCLA) said, “We’d like to call it.” It’s their call. They want to speak to the physician. Be advised this is a very high profile VIP. They said, “No, call it. Put Dr. Murray on the line, with UCLA and then handed the phone back to him.

Dr. Murray was assuming the call and they were going to the hospital. He didn’t want to make the call either.

Dr Murray assumed control [of the resuscitation effort].

Q: He said he wanted to insert a central line.

Senneff: That’s correct.

Q: Another idea he had was to administer magnesium.

Senneff: Yes.

[ed. note: Strange drug to pick. From what I remember about Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS), magnesium is used for ventricular tachycardia, a rhythm that would easily be identified via EKG, and via paramedic testimony, was NOT present. Methinks the doctor was throwing the kitchen sink at the situation, hoping something might stick.}

Q: They don’t give you all the equipment (medications) as a hospital?

Senneff: That’s correct.

We’re not trained in central lines. I’ve never been trained on it or read up on it, and it’s out of our range/scope of training.

Paramedics did not have magnesium on hand. Not part of their standard medication stocking, so all that had to be obtained from the hospital.

At some point he (Senneff) is informed of the name of the patient. I’m not sure who said it, but somebody said it in the room. No one was “insisting” that we do anything because of who this was.

Q: Did Dr. Murray assist you bringing the patient downstairs?

Senneff: No, not at that point.

He went back up to get his gear, and left the room before Dr. Murray left the room.

Q: Was there at some point did Dr. Murray say that he had found a pulse?

Senneff: Yes he did. (Murray claimed he felt a pulse in the femoral artery; this large artery is in the leg close to the groin.)

As soon as he said it, the first thing I did was look at the monitor.

Q: When you do good CPR, it’s common to get a pulse.

Senneff: I believe what I said was, stop compressions, continue ventilations. If you stop compressions, then you feel a pulse, then obviously it’s not the compressions. Stop for a few seconds, check the monitor. It also gives you a clear opportunity of the EKG machine.

Q: Now, downstairs at the ambulance. There were a lot of people out there with cameras. Would you describe an accurate term, paparazzi?

Big cameras, little cameras, video. There were a lot.

Lists the people in the ambulance.

Senneff: Dr. Murray asked us to give another round of epinephrine. They did that through saline line.

Now at UCLA. The crowd was all over the place. Dr. Murray made a request to put a towel over to cover his face. He thought it was a reasonable request.

When they left the house, a man with a camera started running down the street and put the camera right up against the window and was running with the ambulance, filming. Because of that event, it seemed a reasonable request by Dr. Murray to cover Michael Jackson’s face.

UCLA tried to revive Michael Jackson. While at the hospital he learned that the death was called by UCLA. He doesn’t remember exactly how long the time lapse was that passed, but guesses 45 minutes to an hour after arrival at the hospital.

REDIRECT

DDA Q: Asking about femoral pulse during treatment.

Senneff: When Dr. Murray said he felt a pulse, not one of the other paramedics had felt a pulse. There can be a “false” pulse during CPR compressions. They stopped compressions for a few seconds, and then resumed. He did not feel a pulse.

DDA Q: Did Dr. Murray offer to insert a central line from his equipment?

Senneff: No.

DDA Q: Did Dr. Murray offer magnesium from his equipment?

Senneff: No.

DDA Q: When you first came in the room, and saw that Dr. Murray identified himself. Was that unusual?

Senneff: Yes.

DDA Q: The fact that there was an IV there. Was that unusual?

Senneff: This patient seems thin to him and pale.

DDA Q: Your opinion of this patient was based on the surroundings, the IV, the look of the patient, quite thin and pale, the doctor being there. In fact, it was your opinion that the patient was dead.

No other indication of other type of illness or drug use, other than your observations and the defendant telling you he gave him mirazapam.

Senneff: No. It was just unusual to see a doctor in a patient’s home, the IV and oxygen bottle.

DDA Q: You thought it was inaccurate that the doctor said the patient had just gone down with the call?

Senneff: Yes sir.

DDA Q: (Re-verifies with the witness) That you are comfortable with a time that the patient went down prior to your arrival?

Senneff: “20 minutes to an hour.”

DDA Q: At any time, did any of your team feel a pulse on this patient? No.

RECROSS:
(Sprocket note: missed question)

Senneff: Sure. 12:05 could have been the time of arrest.

REDIRECT
DDA Q: What time was the 911 call?

Sennett: 12:21 p.m.

RECROSS
Q: That wasn’t actually the time of the call; that’s when you received it, correct.

Witness needs to check the run sheet.
Sennett: Call came in at 12:21; they received it at 12:22.

Witness #7—Paramedic Martin Blount

There is a delay. The witness is coming down on an elevator.


DDA established background through questioning. Firefighter 20 years. Paramedic 11 years. Working as a paramedic on June 25th, 2009. He is a handsome, black firefighter. He was the driver on this call. Once on the property, he was directed in the house and up the stairs. He was toward the back in the line of people who entered the home. Shown exhibits/layout of the home where he treated the patient. He thinks he was the fifth one in line of the five firefighters.

When he first saw the patient, he was not on the floor; he was in the bed. Blount identifies the defendant, who identified himself as the patient’s personal physician. Dr. Murray was the one who opened the door and requested help. He noticed that Dr. Murray was sweating profusely. Blount clarifies that when he entered the room, the patient was on the floor. Testifies that he noticed an IV stand in the room. The patient was moved to a better area of the room.

Explains why he was last person in the room. As the driver, he got the gurney out of the back of the ambulance and other gear. His role, as driver, is to be available to the patient, so he positions himself at the patient’s head. He did hear Dr. Murray being asked if the patient had been given any drugs and Dr. Murray said no. Dr. Murray explained that the reason there was an IV was because the patient had been dehydrated.

Blount’s police statement said that Dr. Murray said that the rehearsals the previous day had been 16 hours.

DDA Q: Do you remember Dr. Murray said something about a physical? Blount heard Dr. Murray say that the patient had been down five minutes, prior to calling 911.

Blount described scene. I saw O2 cylinder. Oxygen tank.

DDA Q: Anything else? Heart monitor?

Blount: No sir.

DDA Q: Did you see a nasal cannula? Yes, that’s tubing that would go around the nose and connected to an oxygen tank. Did not observe any other type of medical equipment.

Blount described his primary job is to get air going via an endotracheal tube (ET), and let the patient know how he’s doing. Patient’s head was at his knees. Blount was able to quickly place and insert an ET tube. Once the tube is in place, the patient is getting air. It’s a hand pump device (Ambu bag). Other paramedics are giving chest compressions, etc.

Blount noticed the IV wasn’t operating properly, so they were looking for a site on the arms to insert a new IV. Blount said, “To me, the temperature of Jackson’s skin was cool.”

While this was going on, he was also observing the heart monitor, and making observations on the capnography readings [ed. note: monitoring CO2 in patient’s respiratory effort]. Confirmed that the tub was properly placed and filling it’s function. While looking for an IV site, another paramedic decided to stick via the jugular (the two heart stimulant drugs). He observed that the patient’s eyes were “blown” [ed. note: blown means large and unresponsive to light]. It was Blount’s opinion, from observing the body, that the patient was dead.

At that point, Dr. Murray held up a hypodermic needle with a blue color, and said, “We could use this here. The team said, “That’s okay.” Witness thought that was odd because they had asked about drugs and Dr. Murray said he had given none. The size of the needle caught his attention. It was a 24 gage [ed. note: small gauge needle.]

Blount noticed small bottles of Lidocaine. It’s a form of anesthetic. There were bottles on the floor. He thought that was odd because they had asked Dr. Murray if he had given any drugs and he said no.

DDA Q: Skipping now to when UCLA took the care of the patient over to Dr. Murray to assume care. Did you read through the monitors any viable heart rhythm?

Blount: No.

DDA Q: Do you remember Dr. Murray telling you he felt a femoral pulse?

Blount: Yes.

DDA Q: Was there something that you saw that you thought was odd?

Blount: The patient had a condom catheter.

DDA Q: What is a condom catheter?

Blount: Commonly used in surgical proceedings when a patient is unconscious. [ed. note: actually an indwelling urinary catheter is more likely to be used.]

He observed Dr. Murray scoop the three Lidocaine bottles off the floor and put them (in a bag?) Blount never saw those bottles again.

Blount observed Dr. Murray in the ambulance take out his cell phone and make a phone call. While working on the patient, Blount heard that it was Michael Jackson and he recognized him as Michael Jackson. At the hospital, he was at the location, restocking his equipment. He then asked a nurse to locate a piece of equipment. Briefly saw the doctors working on Michael Jackson. Dr. Murray was in there with the doctor’s while they continued to work on Michael Jackson.

CROSS by Low

Going over his testimony of questions that Dr. Murray was asked. Questioning Blount about how long he thought Michael Jackson had been down, Blount verifying that it was his impression that the patient looked deceased when he first came in the room. Verifies that he testified that he thought the patient’s skin was cool.

Q: Do you recall what date it was that you told detectives the patient’s skin was cool? (Witness doesn’t recall. Apparently he said earlier, that the patient’s skin was “not warm; not cool.”)

Going over when the witness remembers Dr. Murray say he wanted to take over, and continue to the hospital.

Low asks for a moment to check his notes.

Blount: I did not ask him if the patient took recreational drugs. One of my team did. The answer from Dr. Murray was no.

Blount verifies that one of the paramedics tried at least three times to find a vein in the hands or arms. [ed. note: preferred location short of inserting a central line!]

Q: Do you have any reason why they could not find a vein? Is it in your experience, people who are as skinny as they are, that drug addicts that it’s difficult to find a vein?

Blount gives an example of a known drug addict with tattoos and he is still able to find a vein.

Q: Even so, at the same time, it can be difficult. The witness agrees.

They did their normal protocol.

REDIRECT.

DDA Q: If someone has no viable heart rhythm, then blood cannot be circulating through the body one of the things that happens is the veins collapse and they can be difficult to access.

Blount: Correct.

DDA Q: Did you count the number of sites that paramedic Goodwin tried to access to get a line in?

Blount: No.

Finished with this witness.

The morning break is called.

10:58 am
Back inside the courtroom. No video again.

Witness #8— Harry Daliwal
(He’s an older man with graying hair. He had dark skin, of East Indian descent.)


DDA Debrah Brazil direct.

DDA established through questioning that Daliwal has been an ATT employee for 15 years. Area retail sales manager of eight stores. Access over phone records, text messages.

DDA shows Daliwal Exhibit 19, 72 pages. He recognizes the document; he’s reviewed the document before—it’s cell phone records. Defense attorney Chernoff states he’s not familiar with the document and is examining it Chernoff has received the phone records not the text records. He has no objection.

Daliwal is directed to page 2.

DDA Q: Does page 2 provide information to whom those records belong?

Daliwal: Conrad Murray.

DDA reads the phone number into the record.

Daliwal says the exhibit contains cellular call information and data information for that phone. Data information is all text messages, e-mail or if the owner checks the Internet.

Witness is familiar with ATT’s iPhone. Trying to explain when data is “pushed” through a phone. It’s when data information automatically comes into the phone e-mail, web, etc. Each one of those data pushes would be recorded on the phone.

DDA directs witness to Page 66 of Exhibit. Describe for the court, the information contained on the page, left to right in the columns.

Daliwal: Item number = serial number as actively happens; it’s chronological [to] time. Next column, there’s no information in the sent or received column... Sometimes he’s seen this. Next column is the amount of kilobytes. Higher number reflects more data, more character, a larger piece of information, larger email, text, etc. SMS indicates that this is a text message.

Can’t tell from this page if the message is incoming or outgoing, but can tell that on the client’s bill. Next column, charge, is the charges for that particular entry. Servicing area. There is a state abbreviation (TX for Texas).

DDA directs attention to cell phone activity starting on June 25th, 2009, on page 66. Daliwal going over those entries.

DDA Q: Starting with serial number 870, is that the first entry on that date?

Daliwal: Yes.

DDA Q: What time?

Daliwal describes phone activity.

12:04 a.m. received data entry.
1:04
2:04
3:04 and so on...
871 received data entry all the same all the way through with 876 data entry at 6:04

Is very possible that was the setting on the phone. It’s possible that the phone was set and the automatic activity would occur.

6:25 a.m. text message

next entry
7:03 a.m. data
7:20 a.m. data
8:14 a.m. data

next text message from Texas

8:54 a.m. data
Attention now on page 67 of cell phone records.

9 a.m. text message sent to or from someone in TX
9:11 a.m. text message to or from TX
8:35 a.m. data
10:04 a.m. data
10:15 a.m. data
10:26 a.m. text message TX
10:24 a.m. ????
(Sprocket note: I missed two listings)
12:03 p.m. text
12:04 text message to or from TX
12. 13 p.m. data
12:18 p.m. data
12:53 p.m. text message California
1:23 p.m. text message Nevada
2:19 p.m. next one? data

(Sprocket note: Various messages that continue The times are read too fast to copy.)
DDA now refers to exhibit pages 1 through 24.

DDA Q: What type of activity is reflected?

Daliwal: Cell phone usage, to or from...
Calls, on June 25th, 2009, page 21, page 22, page 23.
Page 21 first top column across read the descriptions

Item =serial number
date =date of call
time = time
calls to =to incoming or out going call
minutes used= length
usage type =what type of phone call it was.
Charge, then roaming type= if on home system or other network.
Code= “Network code not familiar with”
Next “Tells which carrier carries the call.”

June 25th, 2009 phone activity begins on item 319.

9:23 a.m. number incoming 22 minutes.
Next several items, serial numbers 312-328 calls made on June 25th as well.

DDA produces copy of Exhibit 20. Daliwal examined this before coming to court today.

Compared information on peoples 20 to cell phone records.

Reads off a list of call times on Murray’s phone

10:29 a.m. call from ? to Murray’s phone 22 minutes

11:07 a.m. from (6xx) 994-3233 to Murray’s phone 1 minute
11:18 a.m. call from (7xx) 862-0973 placed (2xx) 866-6802 and that call logged at 32 minutes.

missed listing one call

11:49 a.m. call placed from Murray to (702) xxx-4989 3 minutes.
11:51 a.m. a call placed from Murray to (832) xxx-3832 11 minutes.
12:12 p.m. from Murray phone to (562) xxx-2570 lasted 1 minute
12:15 p.m. from (562) xxx-2570 to Conrad Murray 1 minute


CROSS CHERNOFF

Q: How did you get chosen for this?

Daliwal: “I didn’t.”

Q: Is there a way for the prosecution or the defense to retrieve the content of text messages?

Daliwal: “It’s not a yes or no. There is a way. However, I’m not familiar with it. I’m not in that process, so I don’t know.”

Q: What about the content of voice mail? Is there a way for ATT to retrieve that voice mail?

Daliwal: “It’s a yes or no answer, It can be done but I’ not an expert.”

Q: That’s all I have.

No redirect.

Witness #9 Jeff Strohm.

DDA Walgren states that both the content of the cell phones and text messages have been provided in discovery, and if there is a question about that he would be happy to answer. DDA asks about Strohm’s background.

Strohm: I work for Sprint Nextel communications where I am a custodian of records. As a custodian I’m responsible for testifying.

Responsible for various types of legal commands.

DDA produces Exhibit 21

Strohm says he’s familiar with the document. (702) xxx-3747 phone records for subscriber information and phone calls, Conrad Murray.

DDA Q: Are these records prepared near the time of the activity occurs. Are these documents regularly maintained in Sprint Nextel activities?

Strohm: Yes.

DDA goes to entries for date June 25th, 2009; page 123 of 183.

DDA Q: Briefly describe the information contained in the header.

Strohm explains: Calling number initiation, next call receiving, dial digits (numbers actually entered), 4 mobile roll number (inbound or outbound or routed), start date, date and time of call (it will be the time of the tower that gets the call, military24-hour clock time).

DDA asks for more call detail descriptions.

DDA Q: All phone calls on June 25 based in LA?

Strohm: “Correct. Reviewed calls from 7:01 a.m. to 8 p.m.

He’s seen exhibit 20 before he came to court today.

Verifies the information on Nextel phone of that document (outlined in blue) is accurate.

7?? a.m. from (xxx) 792-709 made to ???? 25 seconds
8:49 a.m. from 5217 to Conrad Murray Nextel 3437: 53 seconds
10:22 a.m. from 0124 to 3747 111 seconds
10:34 a.m. from Conrad 3747 to 3233 = 8 and a half minutes
11:26 a.m. from 9566 to Conrad 3747: seven seconds
1:08 p.m. from his phone to (310) xxx-070 2 minutes

People’s 21 chart focus on two calls: 8:49 am 53 seconds and right below that a call for 48 seconds

DDA Q: Please describe what it reflects.

Strohm: If you look at the call detail, one is a routed call, and the second is the inbound call. And that is actually one call because the times overlap, so the 53 seconds would be more accurate.

CHERNOFF cross

Q: What is a routed call?

Strohm: There’s two examples of routed calls.

Temporary local dialing number that’s a bridge number when they are in an area that they can’t find service. That number is used so the person can complete a network connection. Routed aspect and inbound aspect. And the overlapping times tell you that.

The person making or receiving would they know the call was being routed.

Witness excused.

Prosecution asks to break early since they have no more witness scheduled for the morning. It’s 11:50 am. Judge Pastor agrees and asks everyone to be ready to go at 1:15 pm.


The afternoon session will be in a new entry.


For those of you following on Facebook, I can't access Facebook from the LA County WiFi so I will have to wait until I get home to answer your questions.


I'm finally in the cafeteria. Going to wolf down some lunch and then post the rest of my chicken-scratching looking typing of the morning sessions. There were two witnesses that introduced phone records. It was rapid-fire information and I missed quite a bit of it. I will probably summarize it since it was just to introduce the phone calls and text messages records. The actual content of those phone calls and text messages will come later. The most interesting thing is to see "when" Dr. Murray was on the phone and how long those phone calls and messages lasted. And, Dr. Murray had two phones—an iPhone and a Sprint-Nextel phone registered to him. And it appears he was actively using both phones for text and calls all through the morning of June 25th.

Once again, If you make a comment reply on my Facebook page, I will get a copy of it in my e-mail, but I can't reply or send messages on Facebook while I'm at the courthouse. Sorry about that.