I can't find other date when trial begins other than May 9th. Is that the right date?
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Well jury selection is on May 4th so I guess we have to wait and see for that first.
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LoginJudge: Jackson Autopsy Photos Can Be Shown to JuryLOS ANGELES (KTLA) -- The judge in the trial of Michael Jackson's physician ruled Thursday that prosecutors can use rehearsal footage of the late pop singer, as well as photos from his autopsy.
Superior Judge Michael Pastor made the determinations at a hearing setting evidentiary boundaries for the trial of Dr. Conrad Murray, which is slated to begin next month.
Murray is accused of giving Jackson a lethal dose of propofol mixed with other sedatives. He has pleaded not guilty to manslaughter.
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On Thursday, Judge Pastor barred prosecutors from using information about Murray's personal life, including details about extramarital affairs and out-of-wedlock children.
Instead, Pastor said, he wants both sides to focus on Murray's medical care of Jackson before his death.
To that end, he also ruled that the defense cannot use evidence about Jackson's mounting debt and pending lawsuits.
Murray's lawyers had planned to argue that Jackson's desperate financial situation led him take a fatal dose of propofol.
Opening statements in the trial are expected to begin May 9, and the judge has ruled that cameras will be allowed in the courtroom.
The case is expected to last about two months.
In-person jury selection will begin on May 4.Potential jurors have been asked to fill out an extended questionnaire about their knowledge in the case.
Last month, 147 potential jurors -- less than half of an initial jury pool of 340 -- said they had time to be on a two-month trial.
Of those who were willing to serve, the judge said many would probably have to be sent home because of their views on the case.
Murray faces a maximum of four years in prison if convicted of involuntary manslaughter.
Prosecutors contend the Houston-based cardiologist was on the phone and distracted after administering a powerful anesthetic to Jackson.
They also believe the singer was dead by the time Murray summoned help.
At a preliminary hearing in January, a security guard testified he was told to place vials of medicine in bags before calling 911.
Alberto Alvarez was the first security guard to reach the bedroom where Jackson lapsed into unconsciousness.
Alvarez said he was frozen at the sight of Jackson on the bed with his eyes and mouth wide open.
He testified that Murray was using one hand to pump on the singer's chest as he lay on the bed. Prosecutors say CPR should be done on a hard surface, not a bed.
While waiting for paramedics to arrive, Alvarez says, Murray asked if anyone knew CPR and admitted that he had never performed the life-saving procedure before.
A paramedic sent to Jackson's rented mansion testified that he saw Murray scoop up three bottles of lidocaine from the floor and place the vials in a bag during efforts to revive the pop star.
Martin Blount testified that he was surprised to see the bottles since the doctor told paramedics he hadn't given Jackson any drugs.
Blount says Murray at one point also wanted to use a hypodermic needle on the King of Pop, which he and fellow paramedics refused.
Dr. Richelle Cooper said Jackson was dead long before he was wheeled into the emergency room at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center.
Cooper testified she authorized paramedics to pronounce Jackson dead at 12:57 p.m., but they declined at Murray's request and because of the singer's celebrity.
After an ambulance ride trailed by paparazzi and more than an hour of efforts in the ER, Cooper officially pronounced Jackson dead at 2:26 p.m. on June 25, 2009.
The defense did not call any witnesses at the hearing.