Est. 1998
Kenny Ortega First Witness
Kenny Ortega will be the first witness to take the stand at the trial of Conrad Murray.
Ortega was the co-creator and co-director of the ‘This Is It’ concerts Michael was preparing for at the time of his death.
In a hearing earlier this year Ortega said Michael’s personal physician, Conrad Murray, assured him that Michael was healthy enough to perform and even scolded him for cancelling rehearsals when Michael seemed weak.
“Dr. Murray told me that this was not my responsibility and asked me to not act like a doctor or psychologist…and leave Michael’s health to him,” Ortega said.
Prosecutors contend that at the time Murray brushed off Ortega and other concert executives, he was giving Michael nightly doses of the surgical anesthetic Propofol.
In comments to a judge Monday, Deputy District Attorney David Walgren said he planned to summon witnesses in a chronological order leading up to and then following Jackson’s death.
Ortega is to be followed to the stand by Paul Gongaware, who worked for Michael’s concert promoter, AEG Live. Gongaware, according to another prosecutor, will also testify about conversations with Murray and Michael.
Deputy District Attorney Deborah Brazil said Gongaware would testify about a meeting in which he and other AEG officials “were sharing their concerns with the defendant concerning Mr. Jackson’s health.”
Source: LATimes & MJWN
Song of the week
