LOS ANGELES, Aug. 20 (UPI) -- Attorneys for Michael Jackson's doctor asked that the jury in his Los Angeles trial be sequestered due to an anticipated avalanche of media coverage.
Dr. Conrad Murray's legal team said in a court filing this week that coverage of the Casey Anthony murder trial in Florida had raised the bar of trial coverage to a degree that makes it more difficult for high-profile defendants to get a fair shake.
The request contended that blanket coverage and real-time commentary by often-opinionated analysts and hosts had degenerated to a steady stream of attacks on the defense's case, the Los Angeles Times said Saturday.
"Would (the Anthony jurors) have been so sure of the facts if the 'experts' had informed them on a nightly basis that they were wrong?" Murray's lawyers wrote.
Murray faces trial on an involuntary manslaughter charge stemming from the overdose death of Jackson in 2009. The defense, who maintains Murray's innocence, predicted his trial's TV audience would eclipse even that of Caylee Anthony's mom.
A hearing on the motion will be held Aug. 25, the Times said.
