Crime | By Madison Gray | @madisonjgray | October 28, 2011 | +

Who, or What, Killed Michael Jackson? 10 Key Players in the Conrad Murray Trial

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Michael Jackson may be dead, but the mystery of his death has not been put to rest.

Related Topics: Anesthesia, conrad murray, conrad murray trial, michael jackson, photos, Propofol, Crime

Who, or What, Killed the King of Pop?

Michael Jackson may be dead, but the mystery of his death has not been put to rest.

Two years after the world was left in shock at his sudden demise at age 50, and several albums, video games and other merchandising franchises later, his doctor is standing trial. He is accused of negligence in administering the general ... anesthetic propofol, which was found in Jackson's body in an autopsy.

Conrad Murray has pleaded not guilty to the charges which could send him to prison for four years and strip him of his medical license. Prosecutors have called witnesses who feel Murray was irresponsible and completely to blame for the dosage they say killed the King of Pop. But his defense says although he gave Jackson the drug, it doesn't necessarily mean that's what caused his death.

Click on for some of the main players in the Conrad Murray trial.

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Michael Jackson

Probably the most famous person of his era, many say he was the victim of his own greatness. But prosecutors say he was the victim of a negligent doctor who should have known better than to turn his back on him — even for a minute — while administering a powerful anesthetic.

He announced his “This Is It” tour early ... in 2009 and it was billed as his ambitious comeback, scheduled to start at London’s O2 Arena. Tickets literally sold out in minutes and the King of Pop, who rose from humble beginnings in the industrial Midwest set out to prove to the world that he was still on his throne.

But first he had to prove to himself that at 50, he could still perform with the vibrance he had at 25 and that meant months of grueling rehearsals and preparations. As time went on, Jackson became more anxious about the task he had to perform and insomnia set in.

As one of several drugs he was alleged to have taken, Jackson is said to have developed a fondness for propofol, a milky white substance normally used for patients undergoing surgery. People who take it are usually unconscious in seconds.

On June 25, 2009, according to police reports, Jackson was again suffering from insomnia and Murray had used sleep aids to help him rest in the nights prior, although he claimed he was trying to wean Jackson off propofol for fear he was becoming addicted. He called the doctor over at about 1 a.m., complaining of dehydration and inability to sleep.

Murray administered lesser drugs, but Jackson was still unable to sleep and complained he would have to cancel the tour if he couldn’t get any rest. By mid-morning, Murray agreed to give him a dosage of the propofol to get him to sleep.

Prosecutors now say that when the doctor left the room to use the bathroom it was enough time for Jackson to fall into the drug-induced danger zone from which he never recovered. He was pronounced dead at UCLA Medical Center at 2:26 p.m.

But Murray’s lawyers are trying to convince jurors that Murray was trying to save Jackson after he found a way to self-administer the drug, which was found throughout his body in an autopsy, or grabbed a fatal dose of sleep drugs behind Murray’s back.

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Who, or What, Killed the King of Pop?

Dr. Conrad Murray

Ed Chernoff, Defense Attorney

David Walgren, Prosecutor

Dr. Steven Shafer

Dr. Paul White

Dr. Robert Waldman

Alberto Alvarez

Judge Michael Pastor

Propofol

Michael Jackson

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Who, or What, Killed the King of Pop?

Dr. Conrad Murray

Ed Chernoff, Defense Attorney

David Walgren, Prosecutor

Dr. Steven Shafer

Dr. Paul White

Dr. Robert Waldman

Alberto Alvarez

Judge Michael Pastor

Propofol

Michael Jackson

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