LOS ANGELES ? Prosecutors have concluded their case against the doctor charged with Michael Jackson's death after questioning 33 witnesses.
Prosecutor David Walgren said Monday that he had no further witnesses to call at this point against Dr. Conrad Murray.
Defense attorneys were expected to begin their case later in the day and call 15 witnesses over the next few days.
The final prosecution witness was Dr. Steven Shafer, an expert on the anesthetic propofol that authorities say killed Jackson.
Murray, who has pleaded not guilty to involuntary manslaughter, has acknowledged giving Jackson propofol as a sleep aid in the singer's bedroom.
Shafer told jurors that Murray committed 17 violations of the standard of care that each could have led to Jackson's injury or death.
THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.
An expert on the powerful anesthetic blamed for Michael Jackson's death told jurors Monday that it's difficult to know the precise effects of the drug on the singer because he had been given so much of it in the months before he died.
Dr. Steven Shafer made the statement while being cross-examined by lead defense attorney Ed Chernoff, who noted the risk that Jackson would stop breathing should have been low after the first few minutes the drug was administered on the day he died.
Chernoff based that conclusion on models and research done by Shafer.
"In Mr. Jackson's case, it's harder to have that certainty," Shafer replied. "There's very little, almost no precedent for this level of propofol exposure."
Shafer, a Columbia University researcher and professor, said Jackson had been receiving propofol almost every night for more than two months, according to a police statement by Dr. Conrad Murray. The Houston-based cardiologist has pleaded not guilty to involuntary manslaughter.
Shafer previously testified that he thinks a propofol overdose killed Jackson. But he said Murray kept no records about how much of the drug he gave the singer.
Shafer has said the only possible explanation for Jackson's death based on the evidence was that Murray put the singer on an IV drip of propofol then left the room after the singer appeared to be asleep.
Shafer is the final prosecution witness, and defense attorneys are expected to begin presenting their case later in the day. Murray's attorneys will likely ask a judge to dismiss the case after the prosecution rests.
The defense will have its chance to counter four weeks of damaging testimony from 33 prosecution witnesses who have cast Murray as an inept, distracted and opportunistic doctor who repeatedly broke legal, ethical and professional guidelines.
The defense case is expected to include 15 witnesses. Murray's attorneys have not publicly revealed whether they will call him to testify.
Jurors have heard from the doctor through a more than two-hour interview with police, and it seems unlikely his attorneys would subject their client to what would be blistering questioning from prosecutors.
Shafer has not retreated from his position that Murray is solely responsible for Jackson's death and that the cardiologist committed 17 egregious violations of medical practices that each could have either led to Jackson's serious injury or death.
Defense attorneys expect their case will last through at least Thursday.
Out of sight of the jury, the defense's theory has shifted in recent months from arguing that Jackson swallowed propofol and gave himself the fatal dose and more recently that the singer had swallowed several pills of the sedative lorazepam, which led to his death.
They may also argue that Jackson somehow gave himself a shot of propofol after Murray left the room, killing him quickly.
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AP Special Correspondent Linda Deutsch contributed to this report.
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McCartney can be reached at http://twitter.com/mccartneyAP
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