diana alvear reports. >> reporter: they were five of the hardest laps they'd ever driven. five laps in honor of their friend and colleague, dan wheldon. >> multiple cars involved. >> reporter: in a few horrifying seconds, a chain reaction with devastating consequences at las vegas' indy 300. the british champion's car climbed on another veekd and went airborne. the 33-year-old was racing to win a $5 million purse that he planned to split with a spectator. >> i have pressure all the time. especially when you want to win as bad as i do. >> reporter: a two-time winner of the indy 500, he was no rookie. the racing experts can only speculate what went to terribly wrong. one theory, too many drivers on the track with too little experience. >> when two tires touch, what started with a very lazy spin turned into the most horrific accident i've seen in 40 years of racing. >> reporter: eventual champion, dar owe franchitti, criticized the venue. >> you can't get away from anybody. >> reporter: the facility was inspected by indy car officials before the race. >> they gave the okay th

abc's diana alvear has the latest from los angeles. good morning, diana. >> reporter: rob and yunji, good morning. it was incredible to hear witnesses talk about the care they received from dr. murray. a man they say went above and beyond his responsibilities. one woman even credited him for saving her life. if you believe the prosecution, dr. conrad mur was money-hungry and neglectful. chatting away on his cell phone with various girlfriends as michael jackson lay dying. wednesday's witnesses said that's not the doctor they knew. >> what i know right now and what i feel, he didn't do it. >> reporter: one by one, his former patients took the stand. >> that man sitting there is the best doctor i've ever seen. >> i don't understand to this day how the other doctor missed what was wrong with me. but dr. murray found what was wrong. >> and i explained to him, i can't really afford to do a lot of stuff. so, he did it for me free. >> reporter: prosecutors used their testimony as a comparison to what they say jackson did not receive, adequate

more on this now from abc's diana alvear. diana? >> reporter: rob and yunji, good morning. this trial may be winding down. but it's still highly entertaining. yesterday, it wasn't because the testimony. it was because the prosecutor kept clashing with the witness. >> is there a reason why it's so difficult for you to answer my questions and it was so easy to answer mr. chernoff's? >> reporter: the prosecutor could not hide his annoyance with thursday's witness. dr. robert waldman an addiction specialist, was equally as combative. >> you know what material is? >> i do. i'm wearing material. ask a specific question and i'll give you a specific answer. >> reporter: things got so heated, prosecutor david walgren turned to the judge for help. >> i didn't ask if you made that statement. i'm asking you a question. >> you're putting words in my mouth. >> your honor, would the court instruct the witness to answer the question. >> cross-examination is, in essence, putting words in your mouth, which you can accept or reject. >> i reject. >> reporter: waldman was shown numerous medical

alvear has more. good morning, diana. >> reporter: good morning. it seems prosecutors saved the best witness for last because he ripped apart conrad murray's defense. >> solemnly state -- >> reporter: the final witness for the prosecution could be the most damaging to conrad murray. steve shafer said there was no reason murray shouldn't have noticed that michael jackson was in distress. >> he would have seen the slow breathing and the compromise in the flow of air into michael jackson's lungs. and he could easily have just turned off the propofol infusion. and there would have been no jury to michael jackson. >> reporter: shafer said based on murray's own explanation, jackson must have died while receiving that last dose of propofol. >> if the infusion had stopped while he was still alive, the levels would have fallen very quickly. and he would not have suffered the arrest. >> reporter: almost as soon as he took the stand, shafer ripped into his colleague's actions. in particular, his regular use of p

abc's diana alvear is tracking the trial from los angeles. good morning, diana. >> reporter: good morning. by far, the most visiting witness was a nurse working with jackson to improve his sleeping habits. she wanted him to try natural methods. but he only wanted one thing. the first witness of the day made it clear. michael jackson's desire for propofol existed long before dr. conrad murray came into the picture. cheryl lynn lee, addressed the court and said the drug on the market during surgery, years before. >> i know this will knock me out. >> reporter: when lee asked a physician about diprivan, he said it was an anesthetic. jackson was insistent. >> i said no doctor's going to do this at your house. lee was visibly shaken as she recalls her last conversation with jackson, where she warned him, if he kept using the drug, he might not wake up. >> and he responded again, i will be okay. i only need someone to monitor me. with the equipment, while i sleep. >> yes. that's exactly what he said. >> reporter: later, the head of aeg testified abo

abc's diana alvear has the latest from los angeles. hi, diana. >> reporter: what a riveting day in court, the main witness ripped apart murray's defense on the same day his team changed their story. for weeks, attorneys for dr. conrad murray have claimed michael jackson gave himself the fatal dose of propofol. wednesday they told the judge, they no longer believe he swallowed it. defense attorney j. michael flanigan said a study showed swallowing propofol would not be enough to kill a person. while jurors did not hear the development, they did hear an expert witness condemn murray's behavior. >> when you monitor a patient you never leave their side. >> reporter: the cardiologist said conrad murray's actions directly contributed to michael jackson's death. >> without personnel, without appropriate monitoring, without appropriate equipment, not calling 911 in a timely fashion. if these deviations would not have happened, mr. jackson would have been alive. >> reporter: things got more heated during cross-examination. >> dr. murray spent n

abc's diana alvear has details from los angeles. good morning, diana. >> reporter: good morning, rob and tanya. what happened in seal beach, california, never happens there. this is a close-knit, quiet community where everyone knows one another. and they say they're reeling from the tragedy. as police took the suspect into custody it was clear he was prepared for bloodshed. >> they had him by the shirt when they pulled his shirt up they realized he had on a bulletproof vest. they took the vest off. >> pulled out body armor, and magazines. >> reporter: a search of his truck yielded more weapons. just minutes earlier, police say he unleashed a hail of bullets inside salon meritage. >> we are unsure if he shot from the entrance, and people, as they were shot, ran seeking cover or seeking shelter. but we have -- we have fatalities throughout the salon. >> reporter: the gunman killed eight people, critically wounded another. police say they have no motive for the massacre. but one woman told reporters she believes the shooter targeted on

diana alvear is joining us from los angeles with the latest. hi, diana. >> reporter: holy drama in the courtroom. lohan seemed to assume she would have an easy ride. but not with this judge. she was all, do not pass go and go directly to jail. this was not the happy ending lindsay lohan was expecting. >> i am revoking her probation. >> reporter: the clearly-startled actress was handcuffed and led out of the courtroom by deputies. it happened so fast, she didn't even have a chance to take her chanel purse. it was evident just minutes into the hearing that judge stephanie stautner had had enough. once she learned that lohan had not completed her 360 hours of community service at a woman's center, despite traveling the world to attend fashion hows and events. >> nine scheduled community service appointments were just blown off. probation is a gift. and there's something called looking a gift horse in the mouth. >> reporter: lohan's attorney fought to portray her client as a caring, conscientious woman. the psychologist saw positive developments. >

abc's diana alvear is following the trial in los angeles. good morning, diana. >> reporter: rob, tanya, good morning. it was a day filled with disturbing testimony. we saw pictures of michael jackson's lifeless body on a gurney, his veritable arsenal of pills and bottles in his bedroom, and earlier we heard from the king of pop himself rambling incoherently about his reasons for doing his final tour. >> i didn't have a childhood. i had no childhood. >> reporter: part of a recorded conversation with his personal physician conrad murray in may 2009. the singer explaining why it is so important to him to do his final tour. >> god wants me to do it. i'm going to do it, conrad. >> reporter: the recording retrieved from murray's iphone by a computer forensic's analyst. steven marx also recovered several e-mail exchanges between the doctor and his staff. disusing prescriptions for various patients including omar arnold and paul ferrence, several pseudonyms allegedly used by jackson. later an investigator from the coroner's office testified those na

diana alvear has the latest from los angeles. good morning, diana. >> reporter: good morning. most of the medical examiner's testimony was highly scientific and very, very dense. but make no mistake about it. what he said could be disastrous for conrad murray's defense. >> truth -- >> truth, the whole truth -- >> reporter: detail by detail, a medical examiner for los angeles county dissected dr. conrad murray's defense -- that jackson gave himself the fatal dose of propofol. >> you would have to assume that mr. jackson woke up, he was able to somehow administer propofol to himself. and then he -- stops breathing and all of this takes place in, in the two-minute period of time. >> reporter: christopher rodgers said the lack of monitoring equipment indicated murray had no way of measuring exactly how much propofol he was administering. earlier the court heard the rest of murray's interview with police. he described his first meeting with katherine jackson, when she arrived at the hospital to see her son michael. >> he is not dead, is he? and the doctor said yes. and she broke do

abc's diana alvear was there. good morning, diana. >> reporter: rob and yunji, good morning. it was incredible to hear the witnesses talk about the care they received from dr. murray, a man they all said went above and beyond his responsibilities. one woman even credited him with saving her life. >> of course, when this -- >> reporter: if you believe the prosecution, dr. conrad murray was money hungry and neglectful, chatting away on his cell phone with various girlfriends as michael jackson lay dying. wednesday's witnesses said that's not the doctor they knew. >> what i know right now and what i feel -- he didn't do it. >> reporter: one by one his former patients took the stand. >> that man sitting there is the best doctor i have ever seen. >> i don't understand to this day how the other doctor missed what was wrong with me, but dr. murray found what was wrong. >> and i explained to him, i can't really afford to do a lot of stuff. so he did it for me free. >> reporter: prosecutors used their testimony as comparison to what jackson did not receive, adequate care in a proper s

diana alvear has the testimony. good morning, diana. >> reporter: rob and yunji, good morning. this trial may be winding down but it is still highly entertaining. and yesterday it wasn't because of the testimony, it was because the prosecutor kept clashing with the witness. >> is there a reason why it's so difficult for you to answer my questions and so easy -- >> reporter: the prosecutor could not hide his annoyance with thursday's witness. the doctor, an addiction specialist was equally as combative >> do you know what -- combative. >> do you know what material means? >> i do. i am wearing material. ask a specific question, and i'll give you a specific answer. >> reporter: things got so heated the prosecutor turned to the judge for help. >> i didn't ask if you made the statement. i am asking you a question. >> no you are putting words in my mouth. >> would the court direct the witness to answer the question. >> cross-examination is putting words in your mouth. you can accept or reject. >> reporter: presented medical records belonging to a patient, omar arnold, a known alias f

abc's diana alvear is following the investigation, has the latest. morning, diana. >> reporter: rob and yunji, good morning. not only was this crash devastating, it has everyone asking the same question. could it have been avoided? and even wheldon's fellow drivers say they had concerns about the track. they were five of the hardest laps they'd ever driven. five laps in honor of their falln trend and colleague, dan wheldon. >> huge crash! >> oh, no. >> oh, multiple cars involved! >> reporter: in just a few horrifying seconds a chain reaction with devastating consequences. at las vegas' indy 300. the british champion's car climbed onto another vehicle and went airborne. officials say wheldon died from trauma to the head. the 33-year-old was racing to win a $5 million purse that he planned to split with a spectator. >> there's pressure all the time, especially when you want to win as bad as i do. >> reporter: a two-time winner of the indy 500, he was no rookie. so racing experts can only speculate what went so terribly wrong. one theory? too many drive

abc's diana alvear has more. from los angeles. good morning, diana. >> reporter: rob and yunji, good morning. when i saw this video, i wanted to jump in my car, drive to the beach rent a kayak and do the exact same thing. unfortunately that's what has whale experts so worried. >> holy cow. >> reporter: that is an understatement. these kayakers were close enough to touch these blue whales. >> oh they're just a beautiful magnificent creatures. really excited because when they pop up that close you just sense their size it is really exciting gets your heart pounding it's quite amazing. >> reporter: rick coleman said this particular pod showed up a few weeks ago to feast on their favorite food, tiny shrimp like creatures called krill. that allowed him to feast on the amazing sight of the world's biggest mammal. >> if you look at the video, his back side is facing me his mouth is open after he goes back in the water a big wave washes over the front of my kayak he came so close to me. >> reporter: as thrilling as the close encounters ma

diana alvear has the latest. good morning, diana. >> reporter: rob and tanya, it is never pretty when three of your mistresses take the stand. that's what happened to dr. murray. the results made for a riveting day in court. as michael jackson lay dying, prosecutors say dr. conrad murray was on the phone with a cocktail waitress from houston. >> i said hello, hello. i didn't hear anything. that's when i pressed the phone against my ear. i heard mumbling of voices. sounded like the phone was in his pocket. >> reporter: she wasn't the only of murray's girlfriends to take the stand. nicole alvarez tangled with prosecutors when questioned about receiving the jackson payment contract in her fax machine. >> i never read the contract. >> attorneys told her that is not what she testified at a previous hearing. >> you were curious, looked at it, and that's how you knew details about the contracts. you would agree that you told the truth? >> absolutely. but as of this moment, i don't recall that specific moment. there has

abc's diana alvear has been following the story. >> reporter: rob and yunji, good morning. by far the most riveting witness was a nurse working with jackson to improve his sleeping habits. she says she wanted him to try natural methods but he wanted one thing. the first witness of the day made it clear. michael jackson's desire for propofol existed long before dr. conrad murray came into the picture. cheryl lynn lee, a nurse practitioner told the court the singer first experienced the drug during surgery years before. >> he said, i know this will knock me out. >> reporter: when lee asked a physician about the medication he said it was an anesthetic. >> jackson was insistent. >> i said, well, no doctor is going to do this at your house. >> reporter: lee was visibly shaken as she recalled her last conversation with jackson where she warned him, if he kept using the drug he might not wake up. >> he responded again, i will be okay. i only need someone to monitor me with the equipment while i sleep. >> yes. that's exactly what he said. >> reporter: later the head of aeg live tes

. >>> abc's diana alvear has more on the emergency room doctor's testimony about what dr. conrad murray told them. good morning, diana. >> reporter: rob, tanya, good morning. defense attorneys seem to be trying to show that dr. murray cared so much about saving jackson's life he pushed e.r. doctors to continue trying to revive him. but the same doctors testified it was clear their efforts were not working. when michael jackson was pronounced dead at his home, it was dr. rochelle cooper who made the call. >> based on the information i had, i felt a pronouncement of death in the field was appropriate. at that time. >> reporter: cooper did tell the court, what she did in jackson's case was unluke any other she handled. >> i have never given a time of death in the field and then had the patient brought, until june 25th. she acknowledged it was dr. conrad murray who wanted to continue resuscitation efforts. defense attorneys repeatedly questioned dr. rochelle cooper about her experience with propofol and why she felt nothing more could be done for jackson? >> at the time mr. ja

diana alvear joins us with details. good morning. >> reporter: rob and yunji, holy drama in the courtroom. she assumed she would have an easy ride. not with this judge. do not pass go. go directly to jail. this was not the happy ending, lindsay lohan was expecting. i am revoking her probation. >> the actress was handcuffed and led out by dep tetz. it happened so fast she didn't have a chance to take her chanel purse. minutes into the hearing, the judge had enough. once she heard lindsay lohan had not completed her 360 hours of community service at a los angeles women's center. despite traveling the world to attend fashion shows and events. >> nine scheduled community service appointments, were just blown off. probation is a gift. and there is something called looking a gift horse in the mouth. >> reporter: lohan's attorney fought to portray her client as a caring woman with positive developments. >> ms. lohan reached a turning point in her progress, accountability and maturity. >> the judge criticized lohan for saying s