Houston's Conrad Murray On Trial

Michael Jackson doctor trial opens with explosive photos of the dead pop star:His siblings quietly watch

Prosecutors opened by showing this picture of Michael Jackson just after hedied.
Photo via ABC News.com
The involuntary manslaughter trial of Dr. Conrad Murray started Tuesday in LosAngeles.
Photo via ABC News.com
Prosecutors also played an alarming recording of Jackson speaking to Murray inheavily slurred tones.
Photo via ABC News.com

Media watchers like HLN have bet on the trial of Dr. Conrad Murray becoming a tabloid spectacle, and in the first day of the trial, the prosecution delivered plenty of fodder.

The Houston-based doctor is charged with involuntary manslaughter in the 2009 death of his patient, pop star Michael Jackson. For his opening statement, Los Angeles prosecutor David Walgren displayed a never-before-published photo of Jackson dead on a hospital gurney, and later compared the photo with one taken 12 hours earlier as Jackson rehearsed for his upcoming "This Is It" concert series.

"What you will learn through the evidence is that what happened during that time frame is that the acts and omissions of Michael Jackson's personal doctor, Conrad Murray, directly led to his premature death at the age of 50," Walgren told the jury. Prosecutors also played a tape of Jackson recorded by Murray just over a month before Jackson's death, in which the singer's speech was almost unintelligibly slurred.

Jackson's death was ruled a homicide by the Los Angeles County coroner's office, caused by lethal levels of the anesthetic propofol in his system, working in conjunction with two other sedatives. The defense opened by arguing that Jackson gave himself the fatal dose while Murray was away in the bathroom.

"Dr Murray provided propofol for sleep for two months for Michael Jackson. For those two months, Michael Jackson slept, he woke up, and he lived his life. He went to work, and he continued with what he felt he needed to do," said defense lawyer Ed Chernoff. "The evidence is not going to show you that Michael Jackson died when Dr Murray gave him propofol to sleep. What he evidence will show you, is that Michael Jackson died when Dr Murray stopped."

If convicted, Murray could face up to four years in prison and the loss of his medical license.

Jackson's parents and siblings LaToya, Janet, Jermaine, Randy, Rebbie and Tito quietly attended the hearing. Jackson's children were not present and are not expected to testify.

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Prosecutors introduced a voice recording of Jackson that Murray made on May 10, 2009, showing the singer under the influence of "unknown agents":

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Unhappy holidays

Porch pirates swipe nearly $2B in packages from Texas homes this year

Porch Pirate Person in Glasses Steals Packages

Getty Images

The Grinch isn't the only one stealing Christmas these days.

’Tis the season for porch pirates. If past trends are an indicator, the Grinch will swipe close to $2 billion worth of packages delivered to Texas households this year, with many of those thefts happening ahead of the holiday season.

An analysis of FBI and survey data by ecommerce marketing company Omnisend shows porch pirates stole more than $1.8 billion worth of packages from Texans’ porches last year. Porch pirates hit nearly one-third of the state’s households in 2024, according to the analysis.

Omnisend’s analysis reveals these statistics about porch piracy in Texas:

30.1 million residential package thefts in 2024.
An average household loss of $169 per year.
An annual average of 2.9 package thefts per household.

“Most stolen items are cheap on their own, but add them up, and retailers and consumers are facing an enormous bill,” says Omnisend.

Another data analysis, this one from The Action Network sports betting platform, unwraps different figures regarding porch piracy in Texas.

The platform’s 2025 Porch Pirate Index ranks Texas as the state with the highest volume of residential thefts, based on 2023-24 FBI data.

Researchers at The Action Network uncovered 26,293 reports of personal property thefts at Texas residences during that period. The network’s survey data indicates 5 percent of Texas residents had a package stolen in the three months before the pre-holiday survey.

The Porch Pirate Index calculates a 25.8 percent risk of a Texas household being victimized by porch pirates, putting it in the No. 5 spot among states with the highest risk of porch piracy.

The Action Network included online-search volume for terms like “package stolen” and “porch pirates.” Sustained spikes in these searches suggest that “people are actively looking for guidance after something has happened. Search trends serve as an early warning system, revealing emerging-risk areas well before annual crime statistics are released,” the network says.

Tips to avoid being a victim
So, how do you prevent porch pirates from snatching packages that end up on your porch? Omnisend, The Action Network and Amazon offer these eight tips:

Closely monitor deliveries and quickly retrieve packages.
Schedule deliveries for times when you’ll be home.
Use delivery lockers or in-store pickup when possible.
Ask delivery services to hide packages in out-of-sight spots outside your home.
Install a visible doorbell camera or security camera.
Coordinate deliveries with neighbors or building managers if you’ll be away from your home when packages are supposed to arrive.
Request that delivery services hold your packages if you can’t be home when they’re scheduled to come.
Illuminate the path to your doorstep and keep porch lights on.

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