Prosecutors called a third witness Thursday who described frantic efforts by the doctor charged in Michael Jackson’s death to gather medication from the floor of the bedroom where the singer died after receiving intravenous doses of a powerful anesthetic.
Paramedic Martin Blount testified at a preliminary hearing that Dr. Conrad Murray scooped up three vials of the painkiller lidocaine moments after the doctor said he hadn’t given the superstar any medications.
In addition, Blount and another experienced paramedic said Murray never mentioned giving Jackson the anesthetic propofol and told them the singer lost consciousness moments before 911 was called, even though both witnesses thought the singer was dead by the time they arrived at his mansion on June 25, 2009.
Authorities contend Murray gave Jackson a lethal dose of propofol and other sedatives then tried to conceal his actions by hiding the medications and not telling paramedics and emergency room doctors about the drugs.
A judge will decide after the hearing if there is enough evidence for Murray to stand trial for involuntary manslaughter. He has pleaded not guilty, and his attorneys have said Murray did not give Jackson anything that should have killed him.
Bodyguard Alberto Alvarez testified earlier that Murray told him to place several vials of medicine and an IV bag into other bags before calling 911. The three witnesses were the first people to encounter Murray and Jackson in the bedroom.
“I saw three small bottles of lidocaine,” Blount testified. “He scooped them off the floor and put them into a black bag.”
Murray also produced a hypodermic needle at one point and wanted to use it on the singer, but Blount and other paramedics refused, according to the testimony.
A defense attorney did not question Blount about the lidocaine vials.
Prosecutors also introduced Murray’s cell phone records as evidence, showing he made several calls in the hours before Jackson died. The longest call of 32 minutes was to the cardiologist’s medical office in Houston.
It ended at 11:50 AM, and Murray made two other calls before frantically calling Jackson’s personal assistant at 12:12 PM, the records show.
The assistant, Michael Amir Williams, previously testified that he missed the call but reached Murray three minutes later. Records show the men spoke for three minutes.
A 911 call summoning paramedics was made at 12:21 PM.
Murray also made a phone call in the ambulance as Jackson’s body was being transported to UCLA Ronald Reagan Medical Center, according to testimony by Blount and another paramedic, Richard Senneff.
That two-minute call was to Murray’s girlfriend, Nicole Alvarez, who might testify Friday.
Deputy District Attorney David Walgren said in his opening statement that Jackson was already dead when Murray summoned help and tried to conceal his administering of propofol to the pop star.
Blount and Senneff said they were never able to find a viable heartbeat in Jackson, but transported him to the hospital because Murray agreed to take over treatment.
Murray could face four years in prison if tried and convicted.
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