Katherine Jackson and her son Randy were among family members that attended the arraignment hearing at Los Angeles Superior Court.
If convicted, Murray could face a maximum of four years in prison. His medical license has been suspended pending the outcome of the trial. If found guilty, Murray will likely never practice medicine again.
Murray has been the focal point of an investigation since Jackson died June 25, 2009, at age 50. Murray acknowledged that he administered the hospital anesthetic propofol and other sedatives as Jackson, a chronic insomniac, struggled to sleep.
A coroner testified during a six-day preliminary that Jackson died of a propofol overdose in combination with other drugs. His death was classified as a homicide. The official coroner's report stated that the standards for administering the drug were not met -- including a lack of necessary monitoring equipment.
In the hearing, Murray said he gave Jackson a low dose of propofol on June 25 after spending several hours trying to get the star to sleep using other drugs. He said that he was just trying to help his client overcome insomnia, but it was pointed out that propofol is a powerful surgical anesthetic and not intended for home use.
When it appeared that the propofol was working, Murray said he left the room, but when he returned, he found Jackson not breathing.
When the star appeared to doze off, Murray said he left the room for two minutes to go to the bathroom, then returned to find Jackson not breathing. He delayed calling 911 for between 25 minutes and an hour while he tried to revive him, testimony showed.
"He abandoned his patient and didn't resuscitate appropriately. That's the key," said Dr. Richard Ruffalo, an anesthesiologist who testified for the prosecution.
Murray's behavior before and after Jackson stopped breathing was detailed by household staff and paramedics. It was backed up with phone records, e-mails and most importantly, a transcript of Murray's nearly three-hour interview with police.
Legal experts say Murray has a tough fight ahead of him if he truly believes he is not guilty.
Criminal defense attorney Steve Cron told the AP that Murray's defense team must answer critical questions about the doctor's actions, including why he delayed calling 911 and why he failed to tell medics he had given propofol. "All these are little bits of evidence," said Cron. "None of them alone caused his death, but all together they may have."
Jackson's family and friends are understandably eager to seek justice in the singer's death. Longtime friend Rabbi Shmuley Boteach told PopEater that Murray needs to pay for his inaction.
"Here is a doctor, who essentially acted as a pusher, now denying any and all responsibility for dispensing to Michael a truckload of prescription drugs that eventually killed him," the rabbi told us. "Bodyguards have already testified that as emergency workers came to try to save Michael's life, Murray was gathering bottles of pills and removing them from the scene of the tragedy."
