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| Michael Jackson |
Los Angeles (CNN) -- Jurors hearing the Michael Jackson wrongful death trial have a stark vision of the dead pop icon after a lawyer showed them an autopsy photo.
Jackson's unclothed corpse lying on a coroner's table looked nothing like the world's most famous entertainer.
The doctor who conducted
Jackson's autopsy returns to the witness stand for a second day Tuesday
in the trial to decide if concert promoter AEG Live shares blame in his
death with Dr. Conrad Murray.
Much of what jurors heard
for the first time is a repeat of the scientific evidence presented in
the trial of Murray, who is now serving a prison sentence for
involuntary manslaughter. But some of what is in the coroner's report
seems to give more insight into Michael Jackson's life rather than how
he died.
Dr. Christopher Rogers
noted in his autopsy report that Jackson's lips were tattooed pink,
while his eyebrows were a dark tattoo. The front of his scalp was also
tattooed black, apparently to blend his hairline in with the wigs he
wore.
The autopsy confirmed
what Jackson told people who questioned why his skin tone became lighter
in the 1980s. Jackson had "vitiligo, a skin pigmentation disease,"
Rogers said. "So, some areas of the skin appear light and others appear
dark."
Jackson lawyer Michael Koskoff made sure the jury heard that, even though it had nothing to do with how he died.
Jackson's mother and
three children are suing AEG Live, contending the company that was
promoting his "This Is It" shows was liable for his death because of the
negligent hiring, retention and supervision of Murray.
AEG Live argues that
Jackson chose Murray as his tour doctor and that the company had no way
of knowing he was using the surgical anesthetic propofol to put the
singer to sleep each night.
Rogers concluded that a
propofol overdose killed Jackson, although several sedatives Murray gave
him that morning contributed to his death.
Los Angeles coroner's
toxicologist Dan Anderson, who studied the drugs in Jackson's body,
testified Monday that the level of propofol found in Jackson's body was
"consistent with major surgery anesthesia."
Propofol is a dangerous drug when not used properly, he said.
The Los Angeles
coroner's office found 31 deaths in the last 14 years in which propofol
was found in a body, including six suicides committed by medical
personnel -- doctors, nurses and anesthesiologists -- who chose the drug
to end their lives, Anderson said.
There have also been several homicides with propofol, including "a mercy killing" in a hospital, he testified.
If not for his death by propofol, Jackson's health appeared good enough for him to live a normal lifespan, Rogers testified.
"There was no indication
from the autopsy that there was anything anatomically wrong with him
that would lead to premature death," Rogers said.
He had no signs of being addicted to street drugs, such as needle marks or disease, he said.
That testimony is
important for the Jackson case, since if the jury decides AEG is liable
in his death, his expected lifespan will be key to calculating damages.
Jackson lawyers will contend that he would have made billions of dollars
in the remaining years through several more world tours, merchandizing,
recording and movies.
The next witness up
after Rogers Tuesday will be a cardiologist, Dr. Daniel Wohgeternter,
who will be called as an expert to offer analysis of Murray's skills and
decisions.
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