Jackson doctor 'ordered 255 vials of propofol'

Michael Jackson's personal doctor ordered 255 vials of the powerful sedative that killed the singer in the two months before his death, a court deciding whether to try the medic heard Monday.

Conrad Murray, facing the second week of pre-trial hearings into the pop icon's June 2009 death, ordered the propofol to be delivered to his home in Santa Monica, said the pharmacist who supplied the drug.

Murray is accused of involuntary manslaughter, but denies the charges, saying that while he gave Jackson propofol he did not administer enough to kill the King of Pop.

Tim Lopez, who owns Applied Pharmacy Services in Las Vegas, said Murray ordered the 255 vials between April 6 and June 10, barely two weeks before Jackson's June 25 death.

The propofol was among a number of drugs supplied to Murray, who said he had a clinic in the Los Angeles area but did not identify who his patient or patients were, Lopez told the hearings at the LA Superior Court.

Last week a woman with whom Murray had a son in March 2009 told the court that Murray received some packages at her Santa Monica apartment while he was staying there between March 2009 and June 2009.

"He always informed me if there was something coming," Nicole Alvarez said Friday, adding that she had no reason to examine the packages.

Prosecutors allege that Murray, 57, "abandoned his patient" after administering the propofol some time between 10:40 am and 11:00 am to help Jackson sleep, and then tried to cover it up after the singer's death.

Paramedics and emergency room doctors last week said Murray initially failed to mention having administered propofol, and that Jackson appeared to have died at least 20 minutes before they arrived at his mansion.

Murray could face up to four years in jail and lose his doctor's license if the case goes to full trial and he is convicted.

Jackson's death shocked the entertainment world and triggered intense debate over the performer's health in the run-up to the London concerts, known as the "This is It" tour.

Various members of Jackson's family have been attending the LA pre-trial hearings. On Monday they included siblings Janet, LaToya and Jermaine, as well as his mother Katherine.

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