Breaking News: Michael Jackson Death Trial Begins for Houston Dr. Conrad Murray!

Attorneys for the prosecution and defense made opening statements Tuesday, Sept. 27, in the trial of Houston physician Dr. Conrad Murray, 58, who has been charged with involuntary manslaughter in the death of pop star Michael Jackson in June 2009. The cardiologist has been free on $75,000 bail since February 2010, when he was charged in the felony death of Jackson.

"The evidence in this case will show that Michael Jackson literally put his life in the hands of Conrad Murray," prosecuting Deputy District Attorney David Walgren told the told the seven-man, five-woman jury in the presence of a packed courtroom. "The evidence in this case will show that Michael Jackson trusted his life to the medical skills of Conrad Murray. ... That misplaced trust in the hands of Conrad Murray cost Michael Jackson his life."

Walgren said that Murray administered to Jackson a powerful sedative called propofol in levels equivalent to those used for general anesthesia. Autopsy results showed that Jackson also had a combination of other drugs in his system that contributed to his death.

"The acts and omissions [of Murray] directly led to [Jackson's] premature death at the age of 50," Walgren said and that evidence would show that Murray repeatedly acted with gross negligence, repeatedly denied appropriate care to Jackson, that his repeated incompetence and unskilled acts led to Jackson's death. The pop star was pronounced dead at 2:26 p.m. June 25, 2009, at the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center.

At a hearing in January during which Murray was ordered to stand trial, one of Jackson's security personnel and two paramedics testified that it appeared the singer was already dead before he was taken from his rented home in Holmby Hills to the hospital. The Los Angeles County Coroner's Office later determined that Jackson had died of acute propofol intoxication and declared his death a homicide.

Murrary and his defense attorneys maintain that he has been wrongly accused in Jackson's death and suggest that Jackson may have given himself a larger, lethal dose of propofol while the doctor was out of the pop star's bedroom.

Prosecutors allege that Murray administered propofol to Jackson to help him fall asleep after a bout of insomnia following a rehearsal for an upcoming series of concerts in London, failed to properly monitor his patient while focusing on telephone calls and text messages.

Seats were reserved for both Murray's supporters and Jackson's family members and most of them were in court Tuesday, including his parents, brother Jermaine, and sisters Janet and La Toya.

Reporters from more than 30 media outlets also had reserved seats and six members of the public were chosen through a drawing outside the courthouse (but barred from wearing anything related to Jackson or Murray into court).

Testimony is scheduled to begin once the opposing attorneys finish their opening statements. The trial is expected to last four to five weeks. If convicted, Murray could be sentenced to up to four years in prison.