Judge imposed a gag order - Day 4 -

Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Michael Pastor has ordered attorneys in the trial of Conrad Murray to not speak publicly about the case.

The judge imposed a gag order Friday, preventing lawyers for Murray from talking to reporters about the case. The judge has told the lead defense attorney that he found an interview done with his law partner shocking.

Superior Court Judge Michael Pastor told attorneys he watched the interview during a break with his mouth open because attorney Matt Alford is identified as a member of Murray's defense team and criticized a key prosecution witness.

The judge called Matt Alford, a Houston lawyer who is a partner with Murray’s attorney, Ed Chernoff, to return Friday afternoon.

The interview with Ann Curry came hours after the judge warned defense attorneys not to comment on the case out of court.

"I am serious about interviews and about commenting on the state of the evidence or on credibility or on the overall issues in the case," Pastor told the defense team Thursday afternoon, a transcript shows.

Alford is not one of the attorneys representing Murray in court in his involuntary manslaughter case.Court transcripts show prosecutors complained it violated a previous order that both sides refrain from discussing the case publicly.

Alford appeared on NBC’s “The Today Show” on Friday, in which he said the jury was smart enough to know prosecutors haven’t proven their case.

"The court wants to make it clear that the attorneys for the parties in this case are ordered not to comment to anyone outside of their respective teams, either directly or indirectly, on any aspects on this case," Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Michael Pastor said at the end of Friday's morning session.

Pastor ordered Alford to appear in his courtroom on November 15 for a contempt hearing.

The trial to resume on Monday, October 3, at 8:45PM PDT

MJFS - source: forbes / AP