Conrad Murray continued to get raked over the coals by the medical community during his involuntary manslaughter trial Thursday, with UCLA sleep expert Dr.Dr. Nader Kamangar — who yesterday described Conrad's actions as "unconscionable" — detailing a number of errors in Conrad's judgment that, he says, ultimately led to Jackson's death.
Due to scheduling conflicts with upcoming witnesses, the trial is on hiatus until Friday. Until then, read on for a full run-down of today's proceedings.
Update 10:38 a.m.
Proceedings resumed today with continuing testimony from UCLA sleep expert Dr. Nader Kamangar, who discussed the many intricacies of treating patients who have sleep issues.
Yesterday, Kamangar testified that he found Murray's use of propofol to treat Michael Jackson's insomnia "beyond comprehension" and "frankly disturbing." Thursday morning, he discussed the importance of keeping good medical records as a doctor.
And his most memorable statement of the morning again painted a negative picture of Murray's competency.
"I think it was a, really a combination effect of particularly propofol, in addition, mostly, to the Ativan he'd received, in a patient who, we had no baseline charting on," Kamangar said of Jackson's death and the lack of good medical record keeping by Murray. "We didn't know what his status was, we didn't know if he was severely dehydrated, we didn't know if his blood pressure was low … we had no real basic vital signs, and I think this was the perfect storm that I described, that ultimately culminated in his demise."
Previously …
Dr. Steven Shafer, an anesthesiologist who has previously testified that he considered Dr. Conrad Murray's medical treatment of Michael Jackson to be criminally negligent, is set to testify in Murray's involuntary manslaughter trial on Thursday.
CNN.com reports Shafer may the prosecution's final witness before it rests its case against Murray.
The Los Angeles County coroner ruled Jackson died of "acute propofol intoxication," and that sedatives were also a factor. Prosecutors contend Murray is criminally liable for Jackson's June 25, 2009 death because he recklessly administered the propofol, a potent surgical anesthetic drug, and was negligent in properly monitoring Jackson.
Read more: Conrad Murray Trial, Day 11: Medical Expert Says Withholding Propofol Info Was 'Unconscionable'
In court Wednesday, two prosecution witnesses — cardiologist Dr. Alon Steinberg and UCLA sleep expert Dr. Nader Kamangar — both testified that Murray had been negligent in his care of Jackson. Steinberg asserted that Jackson would still be alive if Murray had not waited to call 911 when the singer's medical emergency first became apparent.
"If these deviations would not have happened, Mr. Jackson would be alive," Steinberg testified.
Kamangar testified that Murray's use of propofol to treat Jackson's insomnia was unethical.
"It is beyond comprehension," he said on the stand. "It is frankly disturbing."
Also on Wednesday, with the jury not present, Murray's defense team informed Judge Michael Pastor and the prosecution team that the defense would no longer claim, as part of its strategy to clear Murray, that Jackson swallowed a possibly lethal dose of propofol when Murray was out of the room.
Defense lawyer J. Michael Flanagan told the judge he had commissioned a study about the effects of propofol if taken orally. Flanagan said the studies showed that any effect from swallowing propofol would be "trivial."
"We are not going to assert at any time during this trial that Michael Jackson orally administered propofol," Flanagan said.
Read more: Juror Questionnaire for Conrad Murray Trial Rife With Drug and Celebrity-Related Questions
The claim that Jackson had administered propofol to himself has been a key part of the defense team's strategy, making Wednesday's declaration surprising. It could also prove to be confusing to the jury, since Murray's defense team presented it as a factor during opening arguments.
One possibility, according to CBS News: The defense could still try to claim that Jackson administered a fatal amount of the drug to himself via the makeshift IV drip that the prosecution has established was part of Murray's treatment of Jackson.
CNN.com reports the trial could go to the jury as early as next week. Murray faces up to four years in prison and loss of his medical license if convicted.
Watch the live trial feed:
