Dr Conrad Murray wants Michael Jackson autopsy photos banned from trial
Michael Jackson's personal physician Dr Conrad Murray wants to prevent gruesome autopsy shots of the singer being shown during the trial.
Lawyers for Murray, who is being tried for involuntary manslaughter over Jacko's death, fear the images could prejudice the jury.
In a motion filed this week, attorneys Edward Chernoff and Nareg Gourjian said: 'These photographs are graphic, gruesome and highly prejudicial.'
Request: Dr Conrad Murray's lawyers have filed a motion asking a Los Angeles judge to ban autopsy photos of Michael Jackson being shown to jurors at the trial
They explained the graphich photos could make the jury react on an emotional level and cloud members' judgement.
The motion continued: 'Admission of these photographs to the jurors will jeopardize Dr. Murray's right to a fair trial because of the significant risk that the jury will base their decision not on the evidence presented, but on emotional grounds which play no part in a criminal action.'
The defence have also asked the judge to exclude references to events surrounding Murray that don't involve his treatment or relationship with the singer, RadarOnline reported.
Such matters include the doctor's child support obligations, his children, his infidelities, meeting women at strip clubs, and other lawsuits that have been filed, settled or resolved.
It is expected that Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Michael E. Pastor will rule on the defence submissions on April 21.
Lawyers for the prosecution and defence will interview prospective jurors on May 4 to determine what they know about the case and assess levels on bias considering the high profile nature of the case.
Already 170 possible jurors have been given a 29-page questionnaire to fill out to determine what they know about the case, RadarOnline reports.
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