A leading cardiologist for the California Medical Board told a jury today that Dr. Conrad Murray was grossly negligent in his treatment of Michael Jackson. Dr. Alon Steinberg testified that Murray, who’s facing involuntary manslaughter charges in the June 2009 death of the pop icon, demonstrated an “extreme deviation” from standard practices in the medical care he provided. That, more than anything else, could lead to Murray’s conviction. The Michael Jackson autopsy photo displayed in court Tuesday and Murray’s recording of the delirious star are chilling, but don’t necessarily prove his guilt. Steinberg’s testimony is a different ballgame. We’re not on the jury, but it’s hard to imagine they won’t be influenced by some of this expert’s views. He reviewed Murray’s case relying solely on transcripts from his police interview because he wanted “to judge Dr. Murray on his very own words.” Dr. Steinberg made it clear that he is a cardiologist, not an anesthesiologist. That said, these are a few of his observations of Murray’s medical care: Murray did not take notes, typically standard for insurance and legal reasons, but most importantly for the patient … this caused confusion in the ER. Murray lacked basic medical equipment in case of an emergency; In addition, Murray didn’t have an assistant on hand in case of an emergency. There were six separate, distinct deviations of standard of medical care. Each example of Murray’s deviations amounts to “gross negligence.” Propofol is used for procedures in a hospital, never as a sleep aid. Murray’s biggest mistake was not making the 911 call immediately .
