Defense Begins to Present Case in Manslaughter Trial of Dr. Conrad Murray

The prosecution has rested its case against Dr. Conrad Murray, who is on trial for involuntary manslaughter of his patient, Michael Jackson. Now, the defense has kicked off its portion of the trial, calling several medical personnel to the stand. We're not lawyers or even law students ourselves, but the approach appears to have backfired, as Murray's decision to give his patient propofol is viewed as a massive, egregious abuse of his medical license at every turn.

Among the defense's first spate of witnesses were Nurse Cherilyn Lee, as well as Jackson's former physician, Dr. Allan Metzger. Both informed the court of Jackson's insufferable insomnia problems.

The Christian Science Monitor reports that Metzger, who once treated the King of Pop for lupus and an assortment of skin problems, also advised Jackson for his sleep disorder. Metzger revealed that when meeting with the singer at his home on April 18, 2009, he was anxious about the start of his 'This is It' tour, which was to cover 50 dates.

Apparently, Jackson would become so hopped up on the adrenaline after his concerts that it prevented him from getting proper rest. "After performing, he could not come down," Metzger said. It would stand to reason that Jackson would be apprehensive about a tour, since he knew he would become so wired from adrenaline, which would further exacerbate his sleep issues.

Even though the singer expressed that he was "up" for the physical rigors of the tour, he was still befallen by health woes and worries, and his nagging lack of sleep. Jackson even asked about "intravenous sleep medicine" to help quell his insomnia. Metzger advised the singer against such medicines, due to the danger of using them outside of a properly monitored hospital setting.

However, almost two weeks prior, Dr. Conrad Murray had placed his first order for propofol, the surgical anesthetic that ultimately killed Jackson. That's pretty damning right there.