A nurse said on Tuesday (October 25) that Michael Jackson sought her help to get the anesthetic propofol as a sleep aid, but she could not persuade the pop star to avoid the drug that ultimately led to his death in 2009. Nurse Cherilyn Lee, a nutritionist who worked with Jackson, testified for the defense. Lee told jurors she tried to give Jackson natural remedies to deal with his insomnia. But in April 2009, just over two months before Jackson died of an overdose of propofol and sedatives, he asked her about the surgical anesthetic and said it was the only thing that helped him sleep. Lee said she researched propofol and learned of its significant side effects, and that it was only supposed to be administered for surgery or in a hospital setting. She told Jackson the drug could lead to him forgetting his singing lines, and that it was not to be administered in a home setting, but that the singer seemed unpersuaded. Lee was emotional when she related how Jackson responded to her warnings about the drug. SOUNDBITE: Cherilyn Lee, saying (English): "He said 'doctors have told me that it's safe, I just need to be monitored.' I said 'well, no doctor's going to do this at your house.' He said, 'no, I just need somebody to come here, and I will be safe if it was monitored, as long as I'm being monitored'." On Tuesday, the defense also informed the judge that Conrad Murray would not be taking the stand in his defense. Lindsay Claiborn, Reuters.
