The involuntary manslaughter trial of Michael Jackson’s personal physician, Dr. Conrad Murray, will include haunting, starkly different depictions of MJ's final days.
In addition to rehearsal footage for his This Is It tour, prosecutors will show autopsy photos of the singer's lifeless body on a coroner’s gurney, a judge ruled.
Superior Court Judge Michael Pastor cleared prosecutors to present the footage and autopsy photos in a lengthy hearing that set up evidentiary boundaries.
One of the Michael Jackson autopsy photos shows Jackson's naked body, but the judge explained "certain parts" will be "blocked out." He didn't explain which.
The judge ruled that the photos are relevant under the evidence code and are "not gruesome, graphic or inflammatory." However, he did rule out other material.
Specifically, Pastor barred both sides from delving deep into personal details. He wants the focus on the medical care, not MJ's personal life - or Murray's.
Jurors, Pastor said, will NOT hear about Murray being a player, his out-of-wedlock kids or penchant for strip clubs, all of which prosecutors hoped to discuss.
Nor, he said, will they hear evidence that the defense had sought to introduce concerning Michael Jackson’s debt, pending lawsuits and erratic behavior.
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