LOS ANGELES—Jury selection began Thursday to choose those who will decide the fate of Michael Jackson’s personal doctor, charged with involuntary manslaughter over the pop icon’s 2009 death.
Some 300 candidates are expected to be questioned to ensure their impartiality as jurors for the trial of Conrad Murray, originally scheduled for this week but then delayed until May 9.
Those who could serve – candidates who can prove that being a juror would impose a financial hardship are excluded – will get a 27-page questionnaire with 125 questions, to further test their eligibility.
Lawyers for both sides will then question the potential jurors from May 4, to decide the final panel before the trial itself starts.
Murray claims he was just administering an insomnia treatment when the singer died on June 25, 2009 from an overdose of powerful sedative propofol. He pleaded not guilty at preliminary hearings in January.
He could face up to four years in jail and permanently lose his doctor’s license if he is convicted.
Jackson’s death shocked the entertainment world and triggered intense debate over the performer’s health in the run-up to London concerts, known as the “This is It” tour.
Prosecutors allege that Murray, 57, “abandoned his patient” after administering the propofol to help Jackson sleep, and then tried to cover it up after the singer’s death.
Murray acknowledged that he had used propofol, but insisted that on the day of the 50-year-old singer’s death he administered only a small amount of the drug that should not have been fatal.
His defense team has suggested that Jackson could have effectively killed himself by administering an extra dose of propofol while Murray was out of the room.