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Los Angeles - In a sign of legal fallout from the Casey Anthony murder trial, a lawyer for Michael Jackson's doctor said on Wednesday his jury should be sequestered to avoid contamination by TV pundits - specifically Nancy Grace.
Attorney J Michael Flanagan said the televised, involuntary manslaughter trial of Dr Conrad Murray could be prejudiced by "final arguments" being delivered daily on TV by Grace and other commentators.
"How many final arguments will we have to hear in this case?" Flanagan asked.
At a pre-trial hearing, the lawyer referred to "the recent case in Florida" and told the judge Murray's trial was expected to get even wider coverage. He said telling jurors not to watch TV would be insufficient.
Pastor said the courts, with a severe budget crisis, can't afford to put up jurors at a hotel, and he thinks it's unnecessary. He also said it would be burdensome to jurors.
Pastor did say he would sequester the panel during the day, requiring them to eat meals together in the jury room rather than wander around the civic centre.
The judge also said he would be instructing jurors not to pay attention to publicity about the trial.
‘Uphill battle’
Marcellus McRae, a former federal prosecutor and Los Angeles lawyer who teaches trial advocacy at Harvard and Loyola law schools, said the Anthony acquittal may undermine the defence argument.
"In the wake of the Casey Anthony verdict, Dr. Murray's attorneys will have an uphill battle in trying to persuade the court that any amount of media coverage will prejudice their ability to vigorously defend the case or the outcome," said McRae.
Murray has pleaded not guilty to causing Jackson's death on June 25 2009, with an overdose of propofol and other sedatives.
The judge said the trial will begin on September 8 with prospective jurors being given questionnaires. Opening statements are expected in late September.
Film footage
Meanwhile, Pastor agreed to travel across town to Sony Pictures Studios to view 16 hours of raw footage from Jackson's rehearsal movie This Is It, which lawyers want to use as evidence. Prosecutors and defence attorneys spent two weeks examining more than 100 hours of video and have submitted requests for excerpts. The prosecution wants 12 hours; the defense seeks four hours of video.
Flanagan acknowledged outside court that the defence didn't find what they had hoped for - footage of Jackson appearing ill or impaired before his death.
Asked what conclusion could be reached from viewing the Jackson rehearsals, he said, "He is very talented. Even on his bad days, he's good."
"We believe his health is somewhat compromised, but he's not displaying it," said Flanagan. He said the only implication of problems might be days when Jackson was absent from rehearsals.
He now believes that showing footage from the film is irrelevant to the trial.
"I really think it's a big waste of time," he said.
Attorney J Michael Flanagan said the televised, involuntary manslaughter trial of Dr Conrad Murray could be prejudiced by "final arguments" being delivered daily on TV by Grace and other commentators.
"How many final arguments will we have to hear in this case?" Flanagan asked.
At a pre-trial hearing, the lawyer referred to "the recent case in Florida" and told the judge Murray's trial was expected to get even wider coverage. He said telling jurors not to watch TV would be insufficient.
Pastor said the courts, with a severe budget crisis, can't afford to put up jurors at a hotel, and he thinks it's unnecessary. He also said it would be burdensome to jurors.
Pastor did say he would sequester the panel during the day, requiring them to eat meals together in the jury room rather than wander around the civic centre.
The judge also said he would be instructing jurors not to pay attention to publicity about the trial.
‘Uphill battle’
Marcellus McRae, a former federal prosecutor and Los Angeles lawyer who teaches trial advocacy at Harvard and Loyola law schools, said the Anthony acquittal may undermine the defence argument.
"In the wake of the Casey Anthony verdict, Dr. Murray's attorneys will have an uphill battle in trying to persuade the court that any amount of media coverage will prejudice their ability to vigorously defend the case or the outcome," said McRae.
Murray has pleaded not guilty to causing Jackson's death on June 25 2009, with an overdose of propofol and other sedatives.
The judge said the trial will begin on September 8 with prospective jurors being given questionnaires. Opening statements are expected in late September.
Film footage
Meanwhile, Pastor agreed to travel across town to Sony Pictures Studios to view 16 hours of raw footage from Jackson's rehearsal movie This Is It, which lawyers want to use as evidence. Prosecutors and defence attorneys spent two weeks examining more than 100 hours of video and have submitted requests for excerpts. The prosecution wants 12 hours; the defense seeks four hours of video.
Flanagan acknowledged outside court that the defence didn't find what they had hoped for - footage of Jackson appearing ill or impaired before his death.
Asked what conclusion could be reached from viewing the Jackson rehearsals, he said, "He is very talented. Even on his bad days, he's good."
"We believe his health is somewhat compromised, but he's not displaying it," said Flanagan. He said the only implication of problems might be days when Jackson was absent from rehearsals.
He now believes that showing footage from the film is irrelevant to the trial.
"I really think it's a big waste of time," he said.
