Michael Jackson doctor ‘changed his story’

The doctor charged in the death of Michael Jackson tried to change his story about his actions involving the pop star, telling his own experts in the upcoming trial a different story than he told police, prosecutors said.

Deputy District Attorneys David Walgren and Deborah Brazil filed a motion asking a judge to bar new claims made by defendant Conrad Murray. They said he apparently made the new assertions in conversation with two doctors who will testify on his behalf in the case.

The accounts were revealed in letters from the experts, Paul White, an anaesthesiologist, and Joseph Haraszti, a psychiatrist and hospital director.Prosecutors believe Dr Murray spoke to the experts after a preliminary hearing in January that focused on his statements to police after the singer’s death in June 2009.

The motion quoted Dr Murray as telling the experts he left Michael Jackson’s bedroom to make a phone call, even though he initially said he left the singer to go to the bathroom.

Experts also said Dr Murray claimed to have experience using propofol – the powerful anaesthetic that killed Michael Jackson – as a sedative, even though Dr Murray did not make such a claim in police interviews.

The motion also said Dr Murray claims for the first time that the singer took propofol in fruit juice while the doctor wasn’t looking. The prosecutors said that was speculation.

J. Michael Flanagan, an attorney for Dr Murray, said his client did not really change his story but instead explained some facts to Dr White. Dr Murray had forgotten some details when he spoke to police, Mr Flanagan explained, adding his client had decided to make some phone calls after going to the bathroom. In addition, the time se-quence of events was slightly different when Dr Murray thought about it later, Mr Flanagan said.