Eight of the jurors on the Michael Jackson trial are fans of the late superstar, it has been reported.
Jackson died in June 2009 from acute Propofol intoxication. His personal doctor Conrad Murray has been charged with involuntary manslaughter and medical negligence, which he denies. The court case will begin in Los Angeles today and it has been revealed that two thirds of the jury members enjoy listening to Jackson's music.
An estimated 400 potential jurors were asked to fill out a 30-page questionnaire. One of the questions posed was, 'Have you ever considered yourself a fan of Michael Jackson or the Jackson family?'
One of the people selected for the trial said they enjoyed Thriller, while another individual revealed she had grown up listening to Jackson's music.
The 12 jurors are aged from 32 to 57. There are six white people, five Hispanic and one African-American.
Murray's lawyer Michael Flanagan says he is happy with the 12 members of the panel.
The defence suffered a setback yesterday after they were denied permission to use footage from Jackson's final news conference in the UK as evidence. The legal team claimed this showed Jackson was 'under the influence' in the months before he was due to stage his comeback shows in London.
Murray has admitted giving Jackson sedatives ' including Propofol ' to help him sleep. However, his team will argue that the doses he prescribed were not enough to kill him and Jackson had been administering the drug himself.
Propofol is a powerful anaesthetic which is usually used to put surgery patients to sleep in hospital, and it's been claimed Jackson was using it to battle his insomnia.
27.09.2011 09:08:50 AM
Source: music-news