JACKO DOC LAWYERS' PLEA: 'WE NEED MORE TIME'

KILLED

KILLER?

MICHAEL Jackson's doctor's lawyers have asked to delay the start of his potentially explosive manslaughter trial because they need more time to prepare his defense. Testimony had been due to start on May 9, with the jury to be chosen next week, but now Dr Conrad Murray's legal team say they need more time to answer new theories raised by the
prosecution. The private doc to the king of pop has always denied giving Jackson a huge dose of propofol - the surgical anesthetic, which coroners ruled killed him and had hoped for a speedy trial.   
Instead his lawyers suggest a frustrated and sleepless Jackson may have poured the surgical anesthetic propofol into his juice bottle while the doctor was out of his bedroom.
But now the possibility of a delay was raised during a hearing Friday morning when Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Michael Pastor ruled prosecutors could call new expert witnesses.
These include one who would testify that there was no way Jackson could have self-ingested the drug that killed him.
Defense lawyer Ed Chernoff said he consulted with Dr. Murray after that hearing and they agreed they needed more time to prepare their expert testimony to counter the new prosecution expert.
Judge Pastor said there had been a "massive investment of time and money" put toward the trial and a delay might be expensive.
There are 171 potential jurors already "hardship qualified" for the trial, but a delay might require them to go through the process again.
The delay will be ruled on next week.