Dr. Conrad Murray
OWE, THAT EXPLAINS IT: Dr. Conrad Murray (right) was up to $1 million in debt at the time he was caring for a doomed Michael Jackson, an LA cop testified yesterday. (
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Michael Jackson’s Doctor Feelgood was buried under mountains of debt — and thus susceptible to selling his prescription pad, a cop testified yesterday in the lawsuit pressed by MJ’s family.
LAPD Detective Orlando Martinez told jurors that he had originally believed Jackson’s death was an accident or by natural causes, until he examined Dr. Conrad Murray’s red-stained books.
A lawyer for Jackson’s family asked Martinez to examine dozens of public, court and bank records on the witness stand.
The records showed how Murray owed up to $1 million for college loans, credit cards, mortgage payments, child support and failed business ventures.
“The documents show that Dr. Murray was in desperate, dire financial straits,” Martinez testified.
Two years ago, Murray was convicted of involuntary manslaughter for giving Jackson lethal doses of painkillers and anesthetics. Jackson was just 50 when he dropped dead on June 25, 2009.
Jackson’s family is suing concert promoter AEG Live, contending that Murray worked for the company. AEG officials insist Murray was under Jackson’s total control.
Martinez, who testified yesterday and Tuesday, said he found Murray’s unsigned contract with AEG in the doctor’s BMW.
The doctor had agreed to care for Jackson for $150,000 a month — a huge salary that explained “his willingness to disregard the Hippocratic oath for financial gain,” Martinez said.
The doctor’s debt showed why Murray would want to “break the rules, bend the rules to do whatever he needed to get paid,” the detective testified.
Yesterday’s third day of trial was cut short when a juror had to leave early for a funeral.
No members of Jackson’s family showed up for the half-day of testimony.
A coroner who examined Jackson’s body is set to testify today.
The King of Pop’s mom, Katherine Jackson, won’t attend today’s proceedings because she doesn’t want to relive the gruesome details of her son’s death, family lawyer Brian Panish said.
“She doesn’t need to hear that,” Panish said.
Mrs. Jackson left court early on Tuesday when a paramedic detailed Jackson’s sickly appearance the day he died in 2009.
“That’s why I sent her out,” Panish said. “We’re not looking for sympathy.”