BEL AIR—When the King of Pop music died June 25, 2009 at his rented residence in Bel Air, Dr. Conrad Murray was his live-in physician, who treated the singer for such ailments as insomnia. The mystery surrounding his death became a bigger story than the many mysteries surrounding the star’s life, and immediately speculation began to be fueled by Jackson’s siblings LaToya Jackson, Randy Jackson and Jermaine as to Dr. Murray’s culpability in their brother’s death. LaToya has spoken extensively in the media about Michael’s paranoia that he was going to be killed so that his handlers could have control of his catalog and music empire. Now that the case against Jackson’s doctor is about to start, his defense team argued unsuccessfully to Judge Michael Pastor that the jury needs to be sequestered away from the media and the speculation and comments that will be made by prominent media outlets.

Superior Court Judge Michael Pastor ruled early on Thursday on the defense motion to sequester the jury in the upcoming involuntary manslaughter trial of Dr. Conrad Murray, who is charged in the involuntary manslaughter trial surrounding the death of pop icon Michael Jackson. Judge Pastor noted that he did not want to sequester the jury, which could include up to six weeks of being away from their families, and affect their daily lives. He felt the trial itself would be life altering enough for these jurors and therefore they will be given very strict instructions not to watch certain media reports surrounding the case or to discuss it with their families, friends or amongst themselves.

Dr. Murray’s defense attorneys said they believe sequestration was the only way to ensure a fair trial, but the judge disagreed. If the case involving the death of the King of Pop didn’t justify sequestration, then there likely isn’t another case in which it's warranted, attorney Ed Chernoff said. Defense attorneys also argue that this could turn into the trial of the century and eclipse the recent Casey Anthony trial and even the O.J. Simpson trial in the mid 1990s. During arguments and in filings, the defense cited the extensive media coverage of the case and the likelihood that TV commentators such as Nancy Grace will cover the trial daily as reasons the jury should be protected. The “Nancy Grace Show” as well as HLN’s other news teams are already converging on Los Angeles to cover the case.

The most recent case Grace covered extensively was that of Casey Anthony’ trial, which ended with a sequestered jury acquitting the Florida mother of killing her 2-year-old daughter. This was despite wall-to-wall daily coverage in which Nancy Grace herself stated continuously that Casey Anthony was guilty. The jury was sequestered in that case.

Pastor said he trusted jurors to heed his admonitions about not reading or listening to news reports about the Jackson case. He said cost did not factor into his decision, although he said one estimate of the cost of sequestering jurors during the trial was more than $500,000.

Judge Pastor also cited accounts by jurors who have been sequestered in other cases who likened their lives during trial to those of inmates, ripped from their homes and under constant surveillance. Adding that such frustration “interfered with the fair assessment of the evidence and the law.”

Jury selection is scheduled to begin in the Jackson case on Sept. 8, with opening statements slated for Sept. 27.

Michael Jackson’s former doctor could face four years in prison if he’s convicted of involuntary manslaughter in the case. Prosecutors have accused Murray of administering a fatal dose of the anesthetic propofol and other sedatives in the bedroom of Jackson’s rented mansion on June 25, 2009.

The judge also noted that a jury has not been sequestered in Los Angeles since the O.J. Simpson murder trial, which ended in an acquittal.