NEWS

Jackson's assistant: I wasn't told to call 911

28th September 2011

(Cover) - EN Showbiz - Michael Jackson's longtime assistant Michael Amir Williams has testified that he was not told to call 911 in the moments after the singer was found unresponsive.

In the second day of testimony in the trial of Dr. Conrad Murray, Williams says that he received a panicked voicemail message from the physician around 12.14pm on June 25 2009 asking him to call back straight away.

Murray then told Williams that Jackson had "a bad reaction to something and to get someone up to Mr. Jackson's bedroom".

"I was never told to call 911," Williams said in the Los Angeles court today but added he was able to get in contact with one of Jackson's security guards, Alberto Alvarez, who he instructed to go to Jackson's room immediately.

The pop icon died of acute Propofol intoxication two years ago and his former personal physician has been charged with his involuntary manslaughter. Murray is on trial and has denied the allegations.

Williams also maintained that moments after Jackson was declared dead at UCLA, Murray asked him to take him back to the house because "there was some cream in Michael Jackson's room that he wouldn't want the world to know about, and that he needed a ride back to the house."

But Williams said he refused to do so after consulting with members of Jackson's security team and declined Murray's numerous requests to go back to the singer's mansion.

Security officials then put Jackson's Holmby Hills home on "lockdown" and did not let anyone back into the property, especially Murray.

Williams said that he lied to Murray by telling him the keys to his car had been taken by the police when Murray asked to be taken "to get food".

Paul Gongaware, who is an executive for tour company AEG Live who was putting together the This Is It Tour, also testified today and said that Jackson had a "good rehearsal" during his final time on stage just hours before he died.

He added that Jackson was the one who wanted to increase the number of concerts dates he was set to perform at the O2 Arena in London.

Gongaware said that when the first 10 shows sold out immediately, Jackson requested another 21 dates be added. He claimed that Jackson was obsessed with breaking pop star Prince's record of 21 shows at the arena. (C) Cover Media

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