Jury selection will begin this week for the long-awaited trial of Michael Jackson's doctor, accused of manslaughter over the pop icon's shock 2009 death at the age of 50.
The Los Angeles Superior Court will begin vetting potential jurors Thursday, ahead of the trial starting later this month of Conrad Murray, accused of killing Jackson with an overdose of a powerful sedative.
Fans of the self-styled King of Pop are expected to turn out in force to see justice done at the repeatedly-delayed trial -- although some warn the outcome may lead to disappointment or even anger.
“Many fans are expecting that a conviction will bring closure,” said Wesley Noorhoff, president of the Legendary Michael Jackson Fan Association, which has members in over 180 countries.
“But I doubt it will,” he told AFP, explaining that, even if Murray is convicted his maximum sentence will be four years, and in any case there will likely be further lawsuits over money. “I believe the trial is going to be a big disappointment no matter what the outcome is.
“If Murray is convicted there will be disappointment about the maximum sentence of only four years ... I can't even begin to imagine what will happen if he is not convicted,” he added.
Murray, the last doctor to treat Jackson, is on trial for involuntary homicide in Jackson's death on June 25, 2009 after an overdose of the anesthetic propofol, which the singer used as a sleeping aid.
Jackson's death, on the eve of a planned series of comeback concerts in London aimed at reviving his reputation and finances battered by child sex allegations, stunned fans around the world.
His personal doctor is charged with administering the powerful drug -- usually used as an anesthetic -- to the star and then neglecting to monitor him closely enough.
Murray's defense team is expected to argue that Jackson gave himself an excessive dose of the drug while the doctor was out of the room at the singer's mansion in the affluent Holmby Hills neighborhood west of Los Angeles.
The trial had been due to get underway in May, but Judge Michael Pastor agreed to a defense lawyers' request for more time to prepare for new prosecution witnesses and evidence.
On Thursday prospective jurors will be brought into court to fill in what the judge has called the “most complete questionnaire that I've ever seen,” designed to guard against bias in the jury which will decide Murray's fate.
Opening statements are tentatively set to begin September 27, and the trial -- which will be televized -- is expected to last some six weeks.
In the run-up to the trial the judge has dealt with a number of requests: in August he barred defense attorneys for Murray from calling Jackson's former physicians as witnesses.
The move was seen as hurting Murray's legal team, who had hoped the other doctors would help support their theory that the “King of Pop” was addicted to drugs.
He also refused to sequester the jury despite a case the defense says could be “the most publicized in history” -- comparable to the mid-1990s O.J. Simpson trial, in which jurors were sequestered to guard against outside influence.
Only last week prosecutors pressed the judge to delay releasing key records on Jackson's death to insurers until after the trial, saying they feared that fire department and coroner's office records could be leaked to the media.
Insurers Lloyd's of London filed suit against concert promoters AEG Live in Los Angeles in June, seeking $17.5 million in compensation for the cancelation of a series of London shows Jackson was rehearsing for shortly before he died.
The trial will start as plans continue for a tribute concert to the late singer, scheduled for October 8 in Wales but clouded by infighting between different members of Jackson's family.
When the star's mother Katherine Jackson and her children made public their plans for the tribute concert in late July, Randy and Jermaine issued a sharp rebuke, blasting the timing of event.
“There will come a time and place for an amazing and deserving tribute to Michael. But we feel that the most important tribute we can give to our brother at this time is to seek justice in his name,” the pair said on Twitter in July. - Sapa-AFP