Lawyers for Michael Jackson's Doctor Ask Court for Lab Test

The doctor convicted of manslaughter last year in the death of Michael Jackson has asked a California appellate court to authorize lab testing on evidence that could call into question his guilt, the Los Angeles Times reports.

A lawyer for Conrad Murray, Jackson's personal physician, asked in a filing Monday that the court order testing of residue on a vial of surgical anesthetic found in the pop star's bedroom.

Prosecutors maintain that the vial, which contained the powerful sedative propofol mixed with the milder numbing agent lidocaine, contained the dose that killed Jackson after Murray administered it to him by intravenous drip. Murray's defense claimed the doctor gave Jackson only a small amount of the mixture, and that the pop star injected himself with a syringe of propofol when Murray was out of the room.

Murray's appellate lawyer said in a court filing Monday that lab testing might indicate how much lidocaine was in the mixture, which could determine which theory was true.

It's the third time lawyers for Murray have asked the court to test the vial. A judge rejected the previous request in November 2011, shortly after Murray was convicted of involuntary manslaughter. The doctor received a four-year sentence and was suspended from practicing medicine while state officials seek to permanently revoke his license. Jackson died on June 25th, 2009.