LOS ANGELES – Michael Jackson was "flatlined" and appeared dead when rescuers arrived at his house on the day of his death, a court heard Friday.
Paramedics were called to the 'Thriller' singer's house on June 25 2009 by his personal physician Dr. Conrad Murray - who is standing trial for the involuntary manslaughter of Michael - and Richard Senneff said at no time during the 42 minutes he was with him did he see any signs of life in the 50-year-old star.
He also told the Los Angeles courtroom how Murray told responders he had only given Michael a dose of lorazepam to help him sleep and that he was treating him for dehydration and exhaustion. He never mentioned the surgical anesthetic Propofol, which was found to have killed Michael.
When Senneff asked Murray how long Michael "was down", he told him: "It just happened right when I called you."
However, earlier testimonies have claimed the emergency call was not placed for at least 15 minutes after Murray discovered Michael was not breathing.
Senneff said Murray's story did not add up because Michael appeared dead when they arrived.
He added: "When I first moved the patient, his skin was very cool to the touch, his eyes were open, they were dry and his pupils were dilated. When I hooked up the EKG machine, it was flatlined."
Emergency room personnel at a nearby hospital advised Senneff to declare Michael dead in his bedroom, but the singer was transported because Murray wanted life-saving efforts to continue.
During another testimony, it was claimed Murray was on the phone to another patient minutes before discovering Michael had stopped breathing.
Jurors heard a voicemail Murray left for one of his heart patients at 11:49 am on June 25, 2009 - seven minutes before he says he found Michael unresponsive in his bedroom.
Las Vegas salesman Robert Russell told the court how Murray had left him a voicemail after he phoned him because he was upset his follow-up appointment with the medic had been canceled.
Murray has been accused of administering the lethal dose of the Propofol that killed Michael and if found guilty, faces four years in jail.
The trial continues.
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