Witness: Michael Jackson's Doctor Didn't Seem to Know CPR

Dr. Conrad Murray seemed not to know how to administer cardiopulmonary resuscitation as he waited for paramedics to arrive at Michael Jackson's house, a witness at Murray's preliminary hearing testified Tuesday.

Former Jackson security chief Faheem Muhammed said he and and guard Alberto Alvarez saw Murray crouched next to Jackson's bed "in a panicked state asking, 'Does anyone know CPR?'"

"I looked at Alberto because we knew Dr. Murray was a heart surgeon, so we were shocked," Muhammed said.

When defense lawyer Ed Chernoff asked if perhaps Murray was only asking for help because he was tired, Muhammed said, "The way that he asked it is as if he didn't know CPR."

Jackson appeared to be dead at that time, with his "eyes open and his mouth open, just laying there," he said.

Prosecutor David Walgren earlier said that Murray used "ineffectual CPR with one hand while the patient was prone on a soft bed." Two hands with the patient prone on a hard surface is the proper method, he said.

Muhammed, the third witness on the opening day of the hearing, said he never saw Murray performing CPR on Jackson before paramedics arrived and carried him to Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center.

Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Michael Pastor will decide whether there is "probable cause" to try Murray on an involuntary manslaughter in the pop star's death. The hearing is expected to last two or three weeks, with 20 to 30 witnesses testifying.

Murray waited at least 21 minutes after he found pop star Michael Jackson unresponsive before calling for an ambulance, a prosecutor said at the start of Murray's preliminary hearing Tuesday.

The coroner concluded Jackson died from "acute propofol intoxication," in combination with "the contributory effects of the benzodiazepines," Walgren said.

Propofol is a powerful anesthetic used to "put people under for surgery," and the benzodiazepines were sedatives Murray later acknowledged giving Jackson in the morning before his death, he said.

Murray remains free on $75,000 bond.

Souce: CNN

Kevin Eason is a freelance editorial cartoonist and illustrator from New Jersey. His brand of satire covers news events in politics, entertainment, sports and much more. Follow him on Facebook.