Michael Jackson Doc Conrad Murray Ordered Hundreds of Vials of Propofol, Bleaching Cream: Pharmacist
Oct. 4, 2011 — -- The manager of a specialty pharmacy testified in the Conrad Murray manslaughter trial that Michael Jackson's doctor ordered 255 vials of the powerful anesthetic propofol and never revealed that the medicines were for Jackson.
"He asked me specifically to find pricing and availability of propofol and normal saline IV bags," said pharmacist Tim Lopez.
Lopez, the owner and pharmacist of the now shuttered Applied Pharmacy Services, said that Conrad Murray said the orders were for his medical practice in California. The Santa Monica, Calif., address where Murray had hundreds of vials of propofol, sedatives, bleaching cream and IV bags delivered turned out to be the address of his girlfriend's apartment.
Murray's girlfriend Nicole Alvarez testified about receiving the packages and said that Murray only had medical practices in Texas and Nevada.
Murray could face four years in prison if convicted of involuntary manslaughter in the overdosing death of Jackson. Jackson died of a drug overdose of propofol on June 25, 2009, at age 50.
The pharmacist and the doctor first crossed paths in November 2008 when Murray called Lopez to inquire about skin bleaching cream, benequin, Lopez said.
"He was looking for a specific dermatological agent that is used for whitening of the skin …he mentioned that a lot of his patients were African American and they could use this medication," Murray said.
Murray told Lopez that his "patient base" was suffering from vitiligo. Rumors that Jackson bleached his skin had long swirled around the singer.
The orders for bleaching cream spiraled into orders for IV bags, numbing cream, 255 vials of propofol, 20 vials of lorazepam and 60 vials of midazolam. Lorazepam and midazolam are both sedatives. Murray's defense team claims that Jackson gave himself a fatal combination of propofol and lorazepam without Murray's knowledge on the day he died.
ABC News has learned from sources close to the investigation that all propofol bottles found in Jackson's bedroom or on Murray did not have Jackson's fingerprints on them. That revelation may deal a blow to the defense's theory.
Prosecutors argue that Murray recklessly administered propofol and other drugs to his patient, and that when he should have been monitoring Jackson, he was talking to his girlfriends on the phone.
Lopez testified that he heard from Murray on either June 23 or June 24, 2009, just days before Jackson died.
"The initial call was to the office and my clerk answered the phone … she had a hard time understanding what he was saying … I took the phone and again he was talking to me, but I couldn't really figure out what he was saying because there was a lot of noise in the background like an open window in the car," Lopez said.
Lopez hung up and the two never finished their conversation.
Lopez's testimony followed the testimony of three of Dr. Murray's girlfriends who told jurors that they exchanged phone conversations or text messages with Murray on the day Jackson died.
Nicole Alvarez, the 29-year-old mother of one of Murray's seven children, said she spoke to him while he was in the ambulance with Jackson.
"I remember him telling me that he was on the way to the hospital in the ambulance with Mr. Jackson and for me not to be alarmed … because he knew I would learn this through the news," she said.
