Murray pushing to have jurors sequestered for Jackson trial

A lawyer for Dr. Conrad Murray has re-appealed to a judge to sequester jurors during the trial into Michael Jackson's death, over fears they could be influenced by news coverage.

Murray has pleaded not guilty to a charge of involuntary manslaughter amid accusations he administered the dose of anaesthetic that killed the superstar in 2009, and he is due to stand trial next month (Sep11).

His lawyers have previously requested that the jurors be isolated when the trial starts so they do not see any press coverage of the case, but Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Michael Pastor did not deem the ruling necessary.

However, Murray's legal team filed papers again on Thursday (18Aug11) in a second bid to have the jurors secluded, according to the Associated Press.

The documents state, "There is reasonable expectation that Dr. Murray's trial will be the most publicised trial in history.

"There is sincere danger that a well-meaning juror will be more impressed with an 'expert' on television than one presented by the parties at trial. The possibilities are endless for jurors to find and communicate information from the many websites on the Internet such as Facebook, Twitter and Google.

"It is necessary to sequester the jury in order to ensure that it is free from outside influences and guarantee the defendant a fair trial by an impartial jury."

A hearing on the issue is scheduled for next Thursday (25Aug11).