Conrad Murray wipes a tear during the defense opening arguments in his involuntary manslaughter trial in Los Angeles, California Superior Court on September 27, 2011. Michael Jackson's doctor was guilty of "gross negligence" which led to the pop icon's death. (AFP)
Michael Jackson's personal doctor Conrad Murray has filed legal documents claiming that MJ was so stressed out over his financial woes that he recklessly self-administered a fatal dose of Propofol that killed him.
Murray is responding to the D.A.'s claims that he should stay in jail
pending appeal because the grounds for challenging the conviction are bogus, reports tmz.com.
In the legal documents Murray makes a number of arguments, but the most interesting is the section titled, "Financial Condition of Michael Jackson." Murray's lawyers put it this way: "Mr. Jackson was in debt approximately $440 million and desperately needed to fulfil a contractual commitment at the O2 arena in London.
"He was on the verge of losing his entire estate to foreclosure. The pressure to fight through his insomnia, to rehearse and be the entertainer he was in his earlier years was overwhelming."
And then the lawyers bring it home: "His motivation and resulting desperation were relevant to show a likelihood or reason to act in a manner inconsistent with good judgment."
The lawyers believe it was an error for the judge to exclude evidence of MJ's financial desperation.