Michael Jackson’s autopsy images will be allowed as trial evidence in the manslaughter case against Dr. Conrad Murray, a Los Angeles Superior Court judge ruled Thursday. The judge will also permit portions of the King of Pop’s final concert rehearsal footage to be viewed in court, as requested by a District Attorney earlier this week.
Prosecutors believe the new evidence will help support claims that the superstar was “happy and excited for the future”, and not looking to take his own life. Dr. Murray’s defense team recently suggested Jackson may have purposefully overdosed on powerful anaesthetic Propofol after finding himself in financial trouble.
Jackson’s physician will stand trial for involuntary manslaughter next month. He is charged with administering the dose of Propofol, which killed the King of Pop in June, 2009. The doctor has pleaded not guilty. On Thursday Superior Court Judge Michael Pastor gave prosecutors permission to present the rehearsal footage and autopsy photos as evidence during a pre-trial hearing.
But the judge barred both prosecution and defense teams from digging up the personal lives of Jackson and his doctor. He insisted that Dr. Murray’s extramarital affairs, out-of-wedlock children and penchant for strip clubs, and Jackson’s financial issues would not be part of the trial. The prosecution had planned to use Murray’s private life to prop up their case against the doctor, who faces a maximum of four years in prison if he’s found guilty of administering the drug that killed Jackson.
