Citing Casey Anthony, Michael Jackson doctor wants sequestered jury

Arguing that the Casey Anthony trial in Florida exposed a dangerous new order in television coverage of high-profile legal proceedings, lawyers for Michael Jackson’s physician have demanded a sequestered jury for his upcoming trial.

In court papers filed Thursday, the attorneys for Dr. Conrad Murray wrote that bombastic, opinionated commentary from cable personalities like Nancy Grace “demonstrated the danger that is created to a fair trial when basic information is managed for the purpose of entertainment and television ratings.”

The judge for Murray’s manslaughter trial, which is set for next month, has said previously he does not believe around-the-clock isolation of jurors is necessary.

Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Michael Pastor has also said the cash-strapped court system cannot afford the expense of hotel accommodations for the jury.

But in their filing, defense lawyers urged him to reconsider, writing that in the Anthony case, in which sequestered jurors delivered a not guilty verdict at odds with much of the television analysis, underscored the need for the panelists to be kept away from press coverage.

“Would [the Anthony jurors] have been so sure of the facts if the ‘experts’ had informed them on a nightly basis that they were wrong?” defense lawyers Nareg Gourjian and Edward Chernoff wrote.

Murray is accused of causing Jackson’s 2009 death from an overdose of surgical anesthetic. He maintains that Jackson administered the fatal dose himself.

If convicted of involuntary manslaughter, Murray faces a maximum of four years in prison.

In their filing, Murray’s lawyers predicted viewership of the trial on the Internet and television would outdraw Anthony’s, given Jackson’s global fame. 

“There is reasonable expectation that Dr. Murray’s trial will be the most publicized trial in history,” they wrote.

The attorneys noted that in an aborted attempt at jury selection this spring, a process scuttled by unrelated delays, only one potential panelist said she had never heard of the case.

“And she could not speak English,” they added in a footnote.

Representatives for Grace did not return a message seeking comment, and her network, HLN, declined to comment.

A spokeswoman for the District Attorney's office declined to comment. A hearing is set for Aug. 25.

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-- Harriet Ryan

Photo: Michael Jackson, top; Casey Anthony. Credit: Los Angeles Times (bottom); Red Huber / Reuters.