Paramedic Says Dr. Murray Was Evasive; Osbourne Testimony to Elaborate on "That Company"
L.A. fire paramedic
Richard Senneff, the first witness in the
Jackson Family vs.
AEG trial, testified yesterday that he didn't recognize the dying
Michael Jackson, who was so pale and emaciated that he mistook the star for a terminally ill hospice patient. He also said Jackson seemed so far gone, he asked if there was a “do not resuscitate” order.
When Senneff got to Jackson’s rented mansion on that fateful day in June of 2009,
Dr. Conrad Murray identified himself to Senneff as Jackson's "personal physician,” the paramedic recalled, noting, "Even for Bel Air, a personal physician is unusual.”
The words “personal physician” could play slightly in favor of AEG’s defense team, who want to show that Murray was under Jackson’s control, not AEG’s,
the N.Y. Post speculated.
Senneff testified that Murray was less than truthful as paramedics struggled to revive Jackson with CPR, claiming he’d been treating Jackson for dehydration, and that cardiac arrest had just occurred. "To us it didn't make sense that it had just happened,” he said. “His skin was very cool to the touch. What that meant to me again was that time had elapsed.
When Senneff returned to the upstairs bedroom to retrieve some equipment after they’d loaded Jackson into the ambulance, Murray was picking up items and stashing them into a white plastic bag. "When I came through the door, he froze," the paramedic told jurors. "He was obviously surprised to see someone come in. He looked like a deer in the headlights."
What’s more, according to Senneff, Murray failed to tell the paramedics that he’d administered a heavy dose of propofol to Jackson despite being questioned about the drugs he’d ingested.. Wonder what
Hippocrates would think of that little oversight?
Defense lawyer
Marvin Putnam said AEG had no idea Murray was administering propofol. Plaintiffs’ attorney
Brian Parish is expected to show today that the good doctor was trying to hide that evidence, as the legal teams develop their respective strategies.
In other trial news, Sharon Osbourne revealed that she was served with a subpoena on 4/30, calling on her to testify. This is hardly a surprise, given her promise to name names of allegedly responsible parties at AEG if obliged to take the stand.
"There were certain people that worked at that company [AEG Live] that knew that Michael Jackson was not well and didn't care because it was business," Osbourne was widely quoted as saying. "And, at the end of the day, whether he performed or he didn't, they would still make money, and I've had conversations with certain people at that company who have said exactly that to me. If they would like me to go to court, the Jackson family, I will stand up and tell you who said that to me."