An expert on the powerful anesthetic propofol told jurors Thursday there was no way Michael Jackson could have caused his own death by swallowing the drug — a theory defense attorneys had at one point indicated could become a centerpiece of their case.
Dr. Steven Shafer, an expert on propofol, said it’s impossible for the drug to enter the bloodstream in any sizeable amount if it is swallowed. READ FULL STORY »
A judge has granted Selena Gomez a temporary restraining order from a man with a history of mental illness who police say threatened the singer-actress. Court records show the Wizards of Waverly Place star was granted the order Thursday in Burbank, which is north of downtown Los Angeles. Thomas Brodnicki is required to stay 100 yards away from Gomez and her workplace until a Nov. 4 hearing, when the order may be extended for three years. Gomez wrote in a sworn declaration that she is in “extreme fear” of Brodnicki.
The filings, first reported Monday by celebrity website TMZ, state police were notified by mental health workers that the 46-year-old had threatened to harm or kill the actress while on a psychiatric hold. Attempts to reach Brodnicki were unsuccessful.
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A judge ruled Monday that a man charged with stalking Halle Berry should stand trial on two charges filed after he was repeatedly seen on the actress’ property earlier this year. Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Melissa Widdifield issued her ruling after hearing from two witnesses called during a preliminary hearing to show some of evidence against Richard A. Franco, who has pleaded not guilty to burglary and stalking charges. He was charged after police arrested him outside Berry’s home in July after he was seen on the property three times in three days.
Los Angeles police detective John Gregozek testified that when Franco was caught, he was carrying a key to Berry’s guesthouse, where the Oscar-winning actress has her beauty salon and some of her wardrobe. Gregozek said Franco apparently obtained the key on July 10, when he entered the house for about 20 seconds after Berry left the salon area to go to her kitchen. Franco was standing outside her kitchen door when Berry spotted him and locked the door and called police. READ FULL STORY »
A UCLA sleep expert described Dr. Conrad Murray’s use of a cocktail of drugs on Michael Jackson as “unethical, disturbing and beyond comprehension.” The combination of drugs used as Jackson struggled to fall asleep on the day he died was a “recipe for disaster” and ultimately caused his death, Dr. Nader Kamangar testified Thursday.
Under questioning by Murray’s attorney, J. Michael Flanagan, the witness was asked to tell jurors what he knew about the events of June 25, 2009, the day of Jackson’s death. “To summarize, Mr. Jackson was receiving very inappropriate therapy in a home setting, receiving very potent therapies without monitoring,” Kamangar said.
He said diazepam (Valium), lorazepam (Ativan) and midazolam (Versed) were given to the sleepless star during a 10-hour period throughout the night and morning. “This cocktail was a recipe for disaster,” Kamangar said. READ FULL STORY »
Court records show comedian Chris Tucker is facing foreclosure on his multimillion-dollar mansion in central Florida. Records show SunTrust Bank filed papers against the California resident with Lake County courts earlier this week. According to documents, Tucker bought the 10,000-square-foot lakefront home for $6 million in 2007 — before the housing market crashed. The bank claims he still owes more than $4.4 million, but the county property appraiser has the home currently assessed at $1.6 million.
The Orlando Sentinel reports that the house is located in the Bella Collina development, a 1,900-acre community overlooking lakes and a championship golf course.
An attorney for the doctor charged in Michael Jackson’s death on Wednesday dropped the defense claim that the superstar swallowed a fatal dose of the anesthetic propofol while the physician wasn’t looking. The defense claim had been a key tactic in the case of Dr. Conrad Murray. Attorney J. Michael Flanagan told the judge that he had commissioned a study about the effects of propofol if swallowed. The studies showed that any effect from swallowing propofol would be “trivial,” he said. “We are not going to assert at any time during this trial that Michael Jackson orally administered propofol,” Flanagan said. It was unclear if the defense planned to argue if Jackson might have injected himself with the fatal dose. READ FULL STORY »
Authorities in Hungary raided the set of Brad Pitt’s zombie movie World War Z today and seized a cache of weapons, People reports. The police took possession of 85 weapons that were being stored in a Budapest warehouse, including AK-47s and sniper rifles that authorities say were equipped with live ammunition and had not been rendered fully inoperable, creating what they maintained was a potentially deadly safety hazard. A publicist for the film, which is slated to hit theaters next year, said that the production was working with the police to resolve the matter.
Jurors who have sat facing Dr. Conrad Murray for two weeks listened Friday as the physician detailed in a recorded interview his interactions and treatments on Michael Jackson in the months and hours before the singer’s death. Murray sounded calm on the more-than two hour recording as he spoke of their relationship, efforts to save his life, and the medications he gave Jackson in his efforts to get him to fall asleep. It was the first time Murray’s interview with police detectives had ever been played in public.
The June 27, 2009 interview outside a noisy hotel ballroom gave police their first hint that Jackson’s death was not from natural causes and that he had been given the powerful anesthetic propofol in an effort to cure his extreme insomnia. “He’s not able to sleep naturally,” Murray told the detectives early in the interview. READ FULL STORY »
A young couple once featured on MTV’s docu-series 16 and Pregnant have lost their child to the state and now face charges of child endangerment after being arrested Tuesday, according to reports.
The Arkansas Department of Human Services took custody of the 2-year-old daughter of Joshua Rendon and Ebony Jackson-Rendon after a search of their home at the Little Rock Air Force Base revealed unsanitary living conditions and drug paraphernalia. According to reports citing police sources, feces, flies, and maggots were found in the home, as well as one gram of synthetic marijuana, empty packaging, and pipes allegedly used to smoke the controlled substance.
Along with child endangerment, they also face numerous other drug related charges. . Rendon and Jackson-Rendon, both 19, appeared on the first season of the show.
Mel Gibson has at last settled the rancorous custody and financial battle with his ex-girlfriend and the mother of his child, reports People. After over a year of back-and-forth, Gibson agreed Wednesday to pay Oksana Grigorieva $750,000 over the next five years. The money will go toward care and education for Lucia, the former couple’s daughter, who will turn 2 in October. Under the deal, the actor and his ex will split custody equally as Grigorieva and Lucia continue to live in one of Gibson’s homes in Los Angeles. When Lucia turns 18, Gibson will sell the house and put the proceeds in a trust for her. The settlement, which also put to rest a civil suit Grigorieva threatened against Gibson, prohibits both Gibson and Grigorieva from speaking about each other or their relationship publicly. Gibson told Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Peter D. Lichtman, “Thanks, your honor, for bringing this case to a reasonable conclusion.”
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Mel Gibson reaches settlement with ex-girlfriend Oksana Grigorieva
