Defense lawyers for Michael Jackson's personal physician signaled Monday that they intend to rely on witnesses from Jackson's own inner circle to portray the singer as a desperate drug addict constantly "on the hunt" for the surgical anesthetic that killed him.
In papers filed in Los Angeles Superior Court, attorneys for Dr. Conrad Murray detailed the testimony they plan to elicit at the physician's upcoming trial from a host of Jackson confidants, including longtime friends, medical providers, the nanny to his three children and his make-up artist.
Most of these insiders have not cooperated with Murray's defense. But in the court filing, his lawyers suggest that accounts the prospective witnesses gave police concerning Jackson's drug use and career worries make their testimony vital to the doctor's claim that Jackson gave himself a fatal dose of propofol.
Jackson's longtime make-up artist Karen Faye, for example, told detectives that the recording star "was weak, extremely thin and seemed to be under the influence of drugs" the week before his death and told her he didn't think he could "physically complete" a 50-show comeback attempt in London, according to the filing.
A friend, Susan Etok, told police the singer expressed the same doubts about performing in the "This Is It" shows and asked her to help him get propofol and other drugs, the filing states.
The nanny, Grace Rwaramba, told investigators she had repeatedly tried to stage interventions and once fielded a call from Jackson's children when their father had passed out on the floor. She was fired two months before the singer's death after complaining about his drug use, according to the filing.
Whether jurors will hear from those closest to Jackson remains unclear. Prosecutors have questioned the relevance of the confidants' testimony. A hearing before Judge Michael Pastor is set for Monday afternoon.
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