Tuesday, February 1, 2011
Michael Jackson Doctor Conrad Murray Didn't Seem To Know CPR, Bodyguard Testifies
Jackson's two oldest children were in bedroom witnessing drama, bodyguard Faheem Muhammed said.
By Gil Kaufman
Conrad Murray (file)
Photo: AFP/ Getty Images
One of the most shocking revelations to emerge from the first day of testimony in the pretrial hearing of former Michael Jackson doctor Conrad Murray is that as the pop icon lay dying in his rented Los Angeles mansion, cardiologist Murray asked in a panic, "Does anyone know CPR?"
According to CNN, that's what bodyguard Faheem Muhammed said on the stand. Tuesday was the first day of testimony in hearings aimed at determining whether there is enough evidence to try Murray on a felony count of involuntary manslaughter in the June 2009 death of the King of Pop.
The hearing is slated to last around two weeks and feature 20 to 30 witnesses, most of whom will be medical professionals. But it was the shocking testimony of Muhammed on Tuesday that grabbed headlines. He said that he and fellow guard Alberto Alvarez walked in on a scene in which Murray was crouched next to the motionless body of Jackson and it appeared that the heart surgeon did not know how to give CPR.
As they waited for paramedics to arrive, Muhammed said Murray stood next to Jackson's bed and asked in a panicked voice if anyone else in the room knew how to administer the life-saving technique.
"I looked at Alberto because we knew Dr. Murray was a heart surgeon, so we were shocked," Muhammed said. When defense attorney Ed Chernoff asked whether Murray was asking for help because he was exhausted after staying up all night administering sleep aids to the chronically insomniac Jackson, Muhammed replied, "The way that he asked it is as if he didn't know CPR." He also said that he never witnessed Murray performing CPR on Jackson before paramedics arrived and that the singer's two oldest children, Prince Michael and Paris, were in their father's bedroom as the drama was unfolding. Among the Jackson family members in court on Tuesday to watch the proceedings were family matriarch Katherine, sister LaToya and brothers Randy and Jackie.
Prosecutor David Walgren referred to Murray's use of "ineffectual" CPR, which included using one hand while Jackson was on a soft bed, which is counter to recommended techniques. Walgren also told the judge in the case that medical experts would testify that Murray took "a number of actions" that "showed an extreme deviation from the standard of care," after being hired to serve as Jackson's personal physician in the lead-up to a series of comeback shows in England.
The prosecutor also claimed that Murray waited at least 21 minutes to call an ambulance after he found Jackson unresponsive. "By all accounts, Michael Jackson was dead in the bedroom at 100 North Carolwood prior to the paramedics' arrival," Walgren said. The Los Angeles County coroner later determined that the singer died of "acute propofol intoxication," saying the overdose of the surgical anesthetic and the combined effects of other sedatives caused his death.
Chernoff has said that Murray administered propofol and other sedatives to Jackson in the hours before the pop star's death, but not in quantities that "should have" caused his death. CNN reported that Murray's defense team hinted that it would argue that Jackson was facing intense pressure over his upcoming 50-date This Is It comeback series of shows at London's O2 Arena and that led to his demands for treatment to help his chronic insomnia.
Also testifying on Tuesday was the director of the shows, Kenny Ortega, who described Jackson as "involved, active, participating" at his final rehearsal, which ended 12 hours before his death. That was very different from the out-of-it singer who could barely make it through rehearsals on June 19, six nights before his death. At a meeting called after Ortega sent Jackson home that night for some rest, the director described a scene in which Murray scolded him for cutting the rehearsal short.
"Dr. Murray told me that this was not my responsibility, and he asked me not to act like a doctor or psychologist," Ortega said. Murray has pleaded not guilty in the case, and according to a recent report, Walgren believes that the doctor's lawyers may claim that Jackson self-administered the final, fatal dose of propofol and essentially killed himself after waking up in a panic from a fitful night of sleep.
Testimony in the case will continue on Wednesday (January 5).
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Gemma Ward Opens Up About Romance with Heath Ledger
There's a great deal of mystery surrounding the months before Heath Ledger's untimely death -- and now supermodel Gemma Ward has added a new piece to the puzzle. Ward, 23, tells the Australian newspaper The Herald Sun that she and fellow Aussie Ledger had a "magical" romance four months before he died.
Ward, who appears in the upcoming Pirates of Caribbean: On Stranger Tides says that she and Ledger first met in New York City when they were struggling with similar personal issues ("things that I won't get into").
"I kind of met him at first and said, 'Listen, my mum's living with me right now and I'm kind of going through a hard time and I'm not interested in having a serious relationship with somebody right now'," Ward recalls, "and he was like, 'You know, um, let's just be there for each other through these hard times we're both going through'. And we developed a relationship and we started seeing each other."
The pair spent Christmas of 2007 together in their mutual home city of Perth, where they met one another's families. Ledger was 28; Ward was 20. The model remembers it as an "incredible" moment away from their celebrity lives.
"We were able to not be in any kind of a spotlight and not have to be meeting with people or be hounded by press or anything," Ward says of the vacation. "We lived in a magical kind of world where we weren't intruded upon."
The couple returned to New York together, where Heath died less than a month later of an accidental prescription overdose. Ward doesn't say whether they were still dating when he died, but she did take his death to heart -- abruptly leaving the media spotlight for two years. This year, she's returning to her modeling, stage and film careers, and treasures the memory of her time with Ledger.
"There was no one like him - and no one will ever be like him," says his former girlfriend. "I'm just so grateful I got to meet him and get as close as I did with him."
In his final days, Ledger was also linked to Lindsay Lohan and Mary Kate Olsen.
Are you surprised that Gemma Ward hasn't talked about Heath Ledger until now? Chime in below!
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Naya Rivera & Douglas Booth's Post-SAG Party Night
Sparking rumors of a new budding romance, Naya Rivera was spotted alongside Douglas Booth at the SAG afterparty at Chateau Marmont in Los Angeles on Sunday night (January 30).
The "Glee" actress walked next to the Burberry model as the pair made their way to valet - with Booth kindly lending his jacket to Rivera so that she could keep herself warm in the chilly late night weather.
The outing followed an evening on the red carpet for Naya, who attended the Screen Actors Guild Awards at the Shrine Exposition Center with her "Glee" co-stars.
Unfortunately, Miss Rivera and the gang ended up losing out to "Modern Family" in the Outstanding performance by an ensemble in a comedy series category.
Beyoncé - Video Phone (Extended Remix)
- Artist: Beyoncé
- Label: Columbia, Music World Music
- Director: Hype Williams
- Album: I Am...Sasha Fierce
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