How did Conrad Murray find the time to practice medicine?!
You'd think that the standout moment of the Michael Jackson manslaughter trial today would have been a Las Vegas pharmacist testifying that he shipped 255 vials of propofol to Murray's private residence during the time that he worked for Jackson.
But no.
Several women associated with the doctor, including the "instrument"-maintaining mother of one of his seven children, took the stand Tuesday as well, and here are the highlights:
The Waitress Who Didn't Hang Up: Sade Anding, who met Murray while working as a cocktail waitress in Houston, testified that she was on the phone with the cardiologist the morning of June 25, 2009, when he apparently realized that Jackson was unconscious. She recalled asking Murray how he was doing, he said he was doing well, and then—nothing but muffled noise as he either put the phone down or put it in his pocket. "I started telling him about my day," Anding said. "That's when I realized he was no longer on the phone...I heard mumbling of voices and I heard coughing." She eventually hung up. She said she called him back twice and he did not answer. Anding also told the court that Murray publicly referred to her as his girlfriend once, but only playfully, in order to deter other women's advances, she said.
The Social Stripper: Michelle Bella, who said she met Murray at a "social-type club" back in February 2008, testified that she received an unrelated text from Murray on the morning of June 25, 2009. Deputy District Attorney Deborah Brazil tried to bring up a voicemail Bella said she got from Murray on June 16 regarding going on tour with Jackson, but the defense successfully blocked that line of questioning.
The Mistress: Nicole Alvarez, Murray's live-in actress girlfriend and the mother of his youngest child, testified that she was "speechless" upon meeting Jackson in 2009. Her still-married boyfriend would leave their Santa Monica apartment at about 9 p.m. every night and return at around 7 a.m. or 8 a.m. the following day, Alvarez said. She also recalled accepting seven FedEx packages addressed to Murray—the propofol he was ordering for Jackson, according to prosecutors. Alvarez said that Murray called her on that fateful day. "I remember him telling me that he was on the way to the hospital in the ambulance with Mr. Jackson, and for me not to be alarmed," Alvarez said. She said that she had planned on traveling to London with Murray for Jackson's shows in the summer of 2009. Perhaps most memorably, Alvarez said that, as an actress, she always had to keep her "instrument" maintained. When asked what she was referring to, Alvarez replied, "Myself. Myself. As an actor, your instrument is yourself."
The Employee: Stacey Ruggles, who worked for Murray at his Houston clinic since 1997, testified that the doctor called his office several times the day Jackson died, the last call coming at 11:07 a.m. On cross, Ruggles said that the clinic was not turning a profit because of Murray's dedication to helping the poor. "Most of [his patients] were indigent, on fixed incomes, unable to afford a physician," she said. Murray told Ruggles in April 2009 that he was leaving to work for Jackson full-time, she said.