Coroner Christopher Rogers testified - Day 10 -

Dr. Christopher Rogers, who conducted the autopsy on Michael Jackson, testified it was more likely that Murray administered the overdose of propofol even if he couldn't estimate how much of the drug he was giving Jackson to induce sleep to fight insomnia.

Rogers said Murray had no precision dosing device available in Jackson's bedroom.

"The circumstances, from my point of view, do not support self-administration of propofol," said Rogers, chief of forensic medicine in the Los Angeles County Coroner's Office.

Rogers analyzed two possible scenarios. The first was the defense theory that while Murray stepped away to go to the bathroom, Jackson gave himself an extra dose of propofol.

"In order for Mr. Jackson to have administered the propofol to himself, you would have to assume he woke up and although he was under the influence of propofol and other sedatives, he was somehow able to administer propofol to himself," Rogers testified.

"Then he stops breathing and all of this takes place in a two-minute period of time," Rogers said. "To me, that scenario seems less reasonable."

"Less reasonable than what?" asked Deputy District Attorney David Walgren.

"The alternate scenario would be in order to keep Mr. Jackson asleep, the doctor would have to give him a little bit every hour, two or three tablespoons an hour," Rogers said, noting that propofol is a short-acting drug that wears off quickly.

"We did not find any precision dosing device, so the doctor would be estimating how much he was giving," the medical examiner said.

Murray told police he gave Jackson only 25 milligrams of the drug, a very small dose that usually would have kept him asleep for no more than five minutes.

Rogers said he examined evidence found in Jackson's bedroom and noted there was an empty 100 milliliter bottle of propofol.

Rogers said the cause of death was "acute propofol intoxication and the contributing condition was the benzodiazepine effect."

Two sedatives from that drug group _ lorazepam and midazolam _ were found in Jackson's system.

Rogers said he considered a number of factors in ruling the death a homicide. Among them were Murray's statements to police and the lack of sophisticated medical equipment in Jackson's bedroom.

He said there was no EKG monitor and no resuscitation equipment present in the room.

Rogers also testified it would be inappropriate to use propofol outside a hospital or medical clinic.

Later in the day, defense attorney Michael Flanagan spent more than two hours trying to show on cross-examination that Jackson indeed could have self-administered drugs _ not just propofol but the sedative lorazepam, which could be taken in pill form.

Flanagan suggested to the witness that once Murray had started an IV drip of propofol for Jackson and left the room, "it would be easy for someone to inject into that IV?"

"Yes, " Rogers replied.

"But if they pushed it all at once, that can stop your heart, can't it?" the lawyer asked.

"Yes," said Rogers.

The implication was that if Jackson was desperate for sleep and in a hurry to administer more propofol before his doctor returned, he might have pushed it through the IV tube all at once rather than in the recommended slow drip.

"We don't really know what happened when Dr. Murray went to the bathroom," Rogers said. "So we have to consider what is reasonable."

He reiterated his opinion that self-dosing by Jackson was an unreasonable theory.

Under questioning by Walgren, the coroner also said that even if Jackson had given himself propofol or lorazepam, his death would still be a homicide because Murray left him alone with the drugs within reach.

In an extremely painful and sad moment, Walgren illustrated testimony about the autopsy by showing a photograph of Michael Jackson on an examining table with his genitals covered, which was taken as part of the autopsy report. CNN reported that Jackson’s family was warned beforehand the photo would be displayed. Some fans in the Los Angeles courtroom sobbed quietly, while one walked out, overcome with emotion, though jurors displayed no outward emotion.

The autopsy was performed on June 26 and Dr. Rogers said he couldn’t determine a cause of death at that time. After receiving the toxicology report and other reports from various specialists Dr. Rogers was able to draw his conclusions, including that Jackson died of acute propofol intoxication with contributory affects of benzodiazepines.

Dr. Rogers also testified that Jackson was in better health than the average 50-year-old man. He reported that at the time of his death, Jackson was 5’9″ and weighed 136 pounds. "I believe he was healthier than the average person his age," Rogers said, explaining Jackson had no fatty buildup in his arteries common to people his age.

Rogers testified there was no way Jackson could have self-administered the deadly dose of Propofol during the two minutes Murray told police he left Michael Jackson's bedside. Murray is so to blame.

"In order for Mr. Jackson to administer the Propofol to himself, you have to believe that he woke up, although he was at least to some extent under the influence of other sedatives," Rogers said.

Rogers testified no white substance resembling Propofol was found in MJ's throat, stomach, or esophagus, suggesting Jackson could not have taken the drug orally without Murray knowing about it.

Dr. Rogers, the Los Angeles county medical examiner, said the lack of measuring devices in the singer's bedroom means Murray could have easily given him too much Propofol.

According to the Rogers, Michael Jackson, who was 5-feet-9 and weighed 136 lbs., was well within the normal weight range. The arteries around Michael Jackson's heart were free of any fat or cholesterol, showing his heart was healthier than most people his age.

The autopsy showed Michael Jackson suffered from an enlarged prostate, Vitiligo, and a chronic inflammation and swelling of the lungs. He also had a polyp in his colon, as well as an area of "irregular pigmentation" on his scalp -- most likely the result of his hair catching fire during the filming of a Pepsi commercial in 1984. A radiology exam showed Michel Jackson had a rib more.

During cross examination, Rogers remained on his stance, saying, it is just a possibility (since it is not possible to establish with ceirtainty what happened that morning as no one else was there) Michael Jackson self-administered the fatal dose, though unlikely.

Dr. Christopher Rogers testified that Murray's description of the final moments leading up to Michael's cardiac arrest just doesn't add up.

Murray claims he left for two minutes to go to the bathroom and when he returned, Michael wasn't breathing. The defense will argue Michael Jackson self-administered a deadly dose of Propofol in that time.

But Rogers testified that Murray's scenario is nearly impossible, because in that two minute window, Michael Jackson would have had to wake up (under the influence of several powerful sedatives) and skillfully administer the deadly dose, which would then have had to travel to his brain, causing him to stop breathing.

What's more likely, according to Rogers, Murray administered several doses of Propofol without properly measuring them out, resulting in an overdose.

Click here to watch Dr. Rogers' testimony

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