Jackson: 'Doc's Large Orders Of Lethal Drug'

A court has heard from three women linked to the doctor accused in connection with Michael Jackson's death.

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Jurors were told that Conrad Murray obtained large quantities of the drug that killed the pop star in the months before he died.

Medical examiners have determined Jackson, 50, died in June 2009 following a lethal overdose of propofol.

Jurors at the trial of Dr Murray have heard how the doctor ordered a total of 255 vials of the anaesthetic drug from pharmacist Tim Lopez' company in the previous couple of months.

Mr Lopez said the orders included small 20ml vials of the drug - and the doctor had also enquired about purchasing saline bags.

The Los Angeles court has previously heard from a bodyguard who described seeing what appeared to be a vial of propofol in a saline bag hooked up to Jackson.

Two days after Jackson's death, Murray told police that he gave the singer 25mg of propofol as a sleep aid on the day he died.

The defence claims that after Murray gave Jackson propofol, the pop star himself took a fatal dose of the drug while Murray was out of the room.

The trial, which is in its second week, previously heard from medical staff who said Murray did not tell them he had given the singer propofol.

Mr Lopez said Murray also ordered the skin-whitening cream, Benoquin, a bleaching agent used to treat the condition vitiligo.

Vitiligo causes a loss of brown pigment from skin, leading to irregular patches of colour. Jackson had openly said vitiligo was behind the lightening of his skin colour over the years.

A string of women linked to Michael Jackson's doctor - including a nightclub dancer, a cocktail waitress and the mother of his son - also took the stand at his trial.

Among them was Conrad Murray's girlfriend Nicole Alvarez, 29, who the 58-year-old doctor met in a Las Vegas club.

She was asked about a phone call with Murray which appeared to have been made at about the time an ambulance carrying the singer arrived at hospital.

Ms Alvarez said: "I remember him telling me that he was on the way to the hospital, in the ambulance with Mr Jackson, and for me not to be alarmed because he didn't want me to be worried... because he knew that I would learn this through the news and (I'd be upset)."

She told the court Murray had introduced her to Jackson several times, including a "surprise" visit to his home shortly after their baby son was born.

She and Murray lived together at her apartment in the months before the singer died on June 25, 2009, and the court heard she received a number of packages on his behalf at the address.

With prosecutors attempting to show Murray's care of Jackson was compromised by the doctor's complicated private life, other acquaintances including nightclub dancer Michelle Bella and cocktail waitress Sade Anding also gave evidence.

Ms Anding was asked about a phone call she made to the doctor on the day Jackson died, during which Murray went quiet shortly after answering.

She said she heard ruffling - as if the phone was in his pocket - for several minutes before she hung up.

The prosecution also attempted to pin down details of phone messages between Murray and nightclub dancer Ms Bella leading up to Jackson's death, but were prevented from doing so by a number of objections from the doctor's defence team.

Emergency doctors at UCLA Medical Centre said Jackson was already dead when he arrived there.

Lengthy attempts were made to revive him before he was pronounced dead at 2.26pm.

Murray, who has pleaded not guilty to involuntary manslaughter, faces up to four years in prison if convicted.

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