Dr. Conrad Murray Will Not Testify In Michael Jackson Death Trial

By Jen Heger,

RadarOnline.com Legal Editor

Dr. Conrad Murray will not be taking the witness stand to testify in his defense in the Michael Jackson death trial, RadarOnline.com is exclusively reporting.

Dr. Murray has been charged with involuntary manslaughter in connection with the King of Pop's death. Testimony will resume Monday with the defense's final witness, Dr. Paul White. Deputy District Attorney David Walgren will be cross examining the propofol expert.

"Dr. Murray has told his lawyers from day one that he wants to testify, and tell his side of events. But lead attorney Ed Chernoff has determined that Dr. Murray will not take the stand because he wouldn't be able to withstand the tough cross examination that the DA would subject him to," a source close to Dr. Murray tells RadarOnline.com.

"Clients always want to testify, but in this case, Walgren would be able to wear him down, and Dr. Murray just wouldn't be able to overcome the basic facts of the case: not calling 911 right away, failure to tell emergency room doctors and first responders that he had given Jackson propofol, and not having the proper monitoring equipment," the source adds.

After the defense formally rests their case, the District Attorney could call several witnesses for rebuttal. "No decision has been made yet if Walgren will be putting on a rebuttal case," a law enforcement insider tells RadarOnline.com.

Dr. White admitted under questioning from one of Murray's lawyers to giving Propofol orally to 'animals.'

As RadarOnline.com previously reported, Dr. Conrad Murray's defense team commissioned a study on Beagle dogs to determine how much of the drug would have to be orally ingested to cause Jackson's death. The defense was forced to abandon that theory after tests proved it would be impossible for someone to die from orally ingesting Propofol.

PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals), filed a complaint with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) alleging "cruel drug toxicity tests on beagles commissioned by the defense team of Dr. Conrad Murray, the physician now on trial for his alleged role in Michael Jackson's death.

Read PETA's Letter To The USDA

“PETA asserts that if attorneys from Flanagan, Unger, Grover & McCool did commission the tests for the drug Propofol - the toxic effects of which have been extensively studied in dogs and humans - those tests were likely conducted in violation of the federal Animal Welfare Act's prohibition against tests on animals that duplicate previous experiments. PETA has filed a complaint with the State Bar of California as well,"the organization said in their complaint."

Read PETA's Complaint To The California Bar

If convicted of the involuntary manslaughter charge, Murray could face up to four years in state prison.

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