0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.
MICHAEL JACKSON TRIAL FIASCO FEARDAILY STAR SUNDAYMichael Jackson’s family fears legal wrangling will mean no one will be held responsible for his death23rd January 2011By Dominik LemanskiMICHAEL Jackson’s family fears legal wrangling will mean no one will be held responsible for his death.It would be a chilling echo of the Anna Nicole Smith case.The former model and TV star, right, died in 2007 aged 39 after an accidental drug overdose.Her boyfriend Howard Stern initially faced drugs conspiracy charges.He used his name to obtain prescriptions for the beauty while keeping her privacy intact.But the charges have been overturned after a judge declared Stern never intended to “defraud” when obtaining drugs for Smith.It is a move Jackson lawyer Brian Oxman fears could be repeated in the trial of Conrad Murray, the King of Pop’s doctor.Speaking exclusively to the Daily Star Sunday Mr Oxman said: “If the Anna Nicole Smith case is any indication, that took three years after her death to get to trial and the result of that trial was absolutely stunning.“While the evidence here of Dr Murray’s incompetence is just overwhelming there is not one shred of evidence of intent presented by the prosecution. Not one fact of Conrad Murray wanting to injure Michael Jackson.“Howard Stern put up that defence and Sandeep Kapoor [her doctor] put up that defence.“These defendants defended on the grounds that ‘We did not want to hurt Anna Nicole, we were trying to help her’ and you are going to hear the same defence from Conrad Murray.”Dr Kapoor, was acquitted of all charges against him in October.Earlier this month a judge also dismissed drugs conspiracy charges against the former model’s psychiatrist Dr Khristine Eroshevich.Meanwhile, Dr Murray has pleaded not guilty to the involuntary manslaughter of Jackson and is due back in court on Tuesday.He is accused of giving the singer a lethal dose of the anaesthetic propofol and other sedatives.
LOS ANGELES — A boyfriend and two doctors who were part of Anna Nicole Smith's inner circle in her final days and were charged with enabling her prescription drug use were acquitted of most drug charges Thursday, but two were convicted of conspiring to use false names to get her prescriptions.Howard K. Stern, Smith's boyfriend-lawyer, and Dr. Khristine Eroshevich, her psychiatrist, were convicted of conspiring to get the former Playboy model and reality TV star painkillers and sedatives.Prosecutors contended during the nine-week trial that the defendants were dazzled by Smith's glamor and filled her demands for prescription drugs to protect their insider status in her personal life and her celebrity world.Defense attorneys countered by portraying the defendants as angels of mercy who were trying to help Smith cope with her chronic pain, particularly after she gave birth to her daughter by cesarean then quickly lost her 20-year-old son, Daniel, to a drug overdose.Smith eventually died of an accidental drug overdose in Florida in 2007, but the defendants were not charged in her death at age 39.The jury convicted Stern of conspiring with Eroshevich to obtain drugs through the use of a false name and misrepresentation. Eroshevich also was found guilty of using a false name and misrepresentation to obtain prescriptions for the painkiller Vicodin for Smith.Dr. Sandeep Kapoor, the physician who prescribed most of her pain medications, was acquitted of all charges in a verdict he called a triumph for the medical profession."This is not just a victory for me, but for patients everywhere who suffer chronic pain," an emotional Kapoor said outside court.His lawyer Ellyn Garofalo said it also was a victory for Smith.
This article documents some of today’s well-known artists who have gone on record and spoken about the dark side of the entertainment industry. Some of the industry’s biggest stars, including Dave Chappelle, Michael Jackson and Bob Dylan, have hinted at the true nature of the business in their own words. Here are some of my findings.
Who better than the King of Pop to speak the truth about the music industry? I’ve been asked numerous times about Jackson’s involvement in the Illuminati industry and the causes of his death. I’ve never attempted to write an article on the subject, as his career was incredibly long and filled with astounding events and requires more than just a summary survey.What is obvious, however, is that MJ, in his last years, was becoming increasingly outspoken on the shady dealings of the music industry.
Makeup artist Jackie Jason puts her final touches on Dr. George Nichopoulos before his Tuesday "Entertainment Tonight" interview.Dr. George Nichopoulos does not want his grandchildren to grow up thinking of him as a Dr. Feelgood who killed Elvis Presley.The white-haired 82-year-old former personal physician to the rock superstar dodged parallels Tuesday to his role as a one-time suspect in Elvis' death and that of Michael Jackson's personal doctor, Conrad Murray, under investigation in the death of the King of Pop.Nichopoulos sat down with a crew from TV's "Entertainment Tonight," announcing a book, "The King and Dr. Nick," due out in February. In it, the doctor says he will tell the world he is tired of being accused of hastening Elvis' death."I don't regret any of the medications I gave him. They were necessities," Nichopoulos said. Dr. Nick, as he was known, was acquitted in 1981 on charges he overprescribed drugs to Elvis, Jerry Lee Lewis and seven others.Much of the public was unconvinced. "Even though I was acquitted, there's still a population of people out there who didn't buy this. They wanted to blame somebody," Nichopoulos said."Entertainment Tonight" correspondent Victoria Recano repeatedly asked Nichopoulos to compare his role as Elvis' physician to that of Jackson's embattled doctor. Publicists for Nichopoulos' Nashville publisher, Thomas Nelson Inc., said Nichopoulos wanted to "steer clear" of the comparisons.The interview is scheduled to air on tonight's segment of "Entertainment Tonight" at 6:30 on WREG-TV, Channel 3. The interview was at Sam Phillips Recording Studio. Rose Phillips, wife of Judd Phillips (nephew of Sun founder Sam Phillips), collaborated with Nichopolous on the book. "He loved Elvis dearly," she said, and was disappointed that he lost his license temporarily when the State Board of Medical Examiners found that he over-prescribed prescriptions for Elvis and others. It was again revoked in 1995 on similar charges. "I've detected hurt from the fact that he was never able to get matters clarified," Rose Phillips said.Asked about the "biggest lie" over his role, Nichopoulos said: "There were so many. I guess the thing that hit me the most was I worked very hard trying to do all the right things with Elvis ... He was such a challenge. I was constantly trying to find new ways to deal with it ... It all seemed to come back in my face. I was the whipping boy."Nichopoulos said he treated Elvis primarily for arthritis, an impacted colon and insomnia."Unfortunately there's not a drug you can give somebody to take care of everything. You need a different drug for every situation." He said he served as doctor for not only Elvis but up to 150 people on the road. Nichopoulos said Elvis insisted the prescriptions be written in his name in order to keep his father, Vernon Presley, from getting upset by the cost of prescription drugs for so many people. "So it looked like he (Elvis) was taking all these drugs because the prescriptions were in his name."As Elvis' reliance on drugs became evident, Nichopoulos said he often prescribed placebos.Nichopoulos and his attorney, Dan Warlick, said drugs in Elvis' system were not at "toxic or lethal levels" when he died. "He died a natural death," said Warlick.Most of the autopsy team at Baptist Memorial Hospital attributed the death to "polypharmacy" or drug interaction, but former medical examiner Dr. Jerry Francisco said last year he stands by his 1977 ruling that Elvis died of cardiac arrhythmia, not drugs.
"Unfortunately there's not a drug you can give somebody to take care of everything. You need a different drug for every situation." He said he served as doctor for not only Elvis but up to 150 people on the road. Nichopoulos said Elvis insisted the prescriptions be written in his name in order to keep his father, Vernon Presley, from getting upset by the cost of prescription drugs for so many people. "So it looked like he (Elvis) was taking all these drugs because the prescriptions were in his name."As Elvis' reliance on drugs became evident, Nichopoulos said he often prescribed placebos.Nichopoulos and his attorney, Dan Warlick, said drugs in Elvis' system were not at "toxic or lethal levels" when he died. "He died a natural death," said Warlick.