Update!

Michael Jackson Manslaughter Trial: Murray Asked Bodyguard to Remove Vials Near Open-Eyed Body

Conrad Murray is back on the defense for the third day of proceedings, as the first bodyguard to respond to the doctor's calls for help is expected to take the stand

By Gina Serpe Sep 29, 2011 11:30 PMTags

UPDATE 4:04 p.m.: The judge dismisses the court for the day. Trial will resume tomorrow at 8:45 a.m.

UPDATE 3:19 p.m.: Chase describes Murray's energy as "nervous" and "frantic." He was shouting, "Get help, get security, get Prince." The children were playing in the den.

UPDATE 2:34 p.m.: Alvarez is dismissed by the judge. At 2:35 p.m., Jackson's personal chef, Kai Chase, is sworn in to testify for the prosecution.

UPDATE 2:14 p.m.: Alvarez recalls seeing a report on CNN with police removing a baby-blue bag where he had placed the IV bag and hearing about propofol. After seeing the report, he realized that he touched something that resembled the milky white substance and felt that he needed to report it to the police.

UPDATE 2 p.m.: Testimony resumed with Alvarez on the stand, but was briefly halted when a phone began ringing. Judge Michael Pastor wasted no time in smacking down the owner with a shake of his head and some stern words: "It's disruptive, it's in violation of court rules. That person can be escorted out."

UPDATE 11:50 a.m.: Defense attorney Ed Chernoff began his questioning by pressing Alvarez on whether and to what extent he conferred with prosecutors before delivering his testimony, specifically pushing him on whether or not he drew a sketch of the IV bag that stood near Michael's bed at the behest of the prosecution. After again walking through the moment he walked into Michael's bedroom with Murray and the ensuing steps he took under Conrad's direction, the court broke for lunch. Testimony will resume at 1:30 p.m. In addition to Alvarez, Michael's personal chef, Kai Chase, and the two paramedics who responded to the 911 call, Richard Senneff and Martin Blount, are expected to take the stand.

UPDATE 11:10 a.m.: Alvarez said that Murray admitted while performing CPR on Jackson that it was the first time he had done so. "I have to do it, he's my friend," Murray told him. The paramedics later took over once they arrived, however Alvarez said that there was "no indication" that Michael was even still alive. Later, at the hospital, he saw Murray sitting down, repeating, "I wanted him to make it." He said Murray thanked him for his assistance with Jackson, to which Alvarez replied, "We did our best."

Before cross-examination, Alvarez admitted that his involvement in the Michael saga had left him "financially wiped out," and that he had been approached dozens of times, but always declined, to sell his story to the press. The biggest offer came from the National Enquirer, which offered him $200,000 for his tale. He declined.

UPDATE 10:45 a.m.: The prosecution played Alvarez's 911 call made at 12:20 p.m. on June 25. "He's not responding to anything, he's not responding to CPR or anything," Alvarez said. When asked by the operator if anyone witnessed what happened, he said, "No, just the doctor, sir. The doctor's the only one who was here."

UPDATE 10:25 a.m.: The drama never stops. During the morning break, Murray was nearly accosted in the hallway outside the courtroom by a woman chanting "murderer" and "judgment day is coming." Murray stopped and stared at the woman as she yelled at him, as security moved her back away from the doctor. She, along with the baby in the stroller she had with her, have since been escorted off the floor.

UPDATE 9:45 a.m.: So much for segues. The prosecution got right to the point, asking Alvarez if he noticed any devices on Michael's penis as he was lying in bed. He confirmed that he saw "a plastic bag or medical device or something like that, and it was on his penis. There was tubing attached to that...there was a bag on it."

The device in question turned out to be a condom catheter, and Alvarez also testified that he saw an Ambu bag, or disposable resuscitator, located near the bed. At that time, he said that Murray also grabbed a handful of vials and told Alvarez to "put these in a bag," which he did. At the bottom of the bag, he said he noticed "a milky white substance." The jury was then shown a used bottle of Propofol, with some of the liquid still present inside it. Alvarez confirmed that it was the same substance he saw in the bag. The hearing is now on a brief morning break.

UPDATE 9:40 a.m.: Alvarez said that he entered Jackson's bedroom and saw Conrad giving chest compressions to Michael, who was laying in bed on his back, with his arms extended out, palms up, and with his eyes and mouth opened. By this point, Michael's daughter and son had appeared in the entryway.

"I heard Paris scream out, 'Daddy!'...Dr. Conrad Murray said, 'Don't let them see their dad like this, don't let them see their dad like this.' I kind of ushered them out, I said, 'Kids, don't worry, we'll take care of it, everything is going to be OK'...Conrad said, 'He had a reaction, he had a bad reaction.'"

He then stated that he never thought twice about the direction he was getting from Murray: "In my personal experience, I believed Dr. Murray had the best intentions for Mr. Jackson. I didn't question his authority."

UPDATE 9:25 a.m.: Alvarez took the stand and after a rundown of his duties at Jackson's home, began to talk about his experience the morning of June 25, 2009. He received a phone call from Michael's assistant Michael Amir Williams to enter the home, and said that when he came across Murray, the doctor hurriedly told him, "Come, come quick."

Will the third day prove the charm for Conrad Murray's defense? Time will tell, but they've certainly got an uphill battle ahead of them today, more than any other day of his involuntary manslaughter trial so far.

That's because on the list of witnesses set to take the stand today is Alberto Alvarez, the first bodyguard to reach Michael Jackson's bedroom—and thus see his already lifeless body and all the paraphernalia-turned-evidence that surrounded it—after Murray first called for help.

So what can we expect when he testifies today? Well, if it's anything like when he took the stand in a pretrial hearing, fireworks. His testimony, which is expected to include details about Murray asking him to hide vials and an IV bag before calling 911, is key to the prosecutors' case that Murray delayed phoning paramedics and knowingly hid or covered up evidence.

The drama resumes at the courthouse at 8:45 a.m., and to make sure you don't miss a minute of the action, E! Online will be livestreaming the proceedings all day long.

(Originally published on Sept. 29, 2011 at 8:40 a.m. PT)

—Additional reporting by Ken Baker and Baker Machado