Michael Jackson Doc Conrad Murray Ordered Hundreds of Vials of Propofol, Bleaching Cream: Pharmacist

Oct. 4, 2011 — -- The manager of a specialty pharmacy testified in the Conrad Murray manslaughter trial that Michael Jackson's doctor ordered 255 vials of the powerful anesthetic propofol and never revealed that the medicines were for Jackson.

"He asked me specifically to find pricing and availability of propofol and normal saline IV bags," said pharmacist Tim Lopez.

Lopez, the owner and pharmacist of the now shuttered Applied Pharmacy Services, said that Conrad Murray said the orders were for his medical practice in California. The Santa Monica, Calif., address where Murray had hundreds of vials of propofol, sedatives, bleaching cream and IV bags delivered turned out to be the address of his girlfriend's apartment.

Murray's girlfriend Nicole Alvarez testified about receiving the packages and said that Murray only had medical practices in Texas and Nevada.

Murray could face four years in prison if convicted of involuntary manslaughter in the overdosing death of Jackson. Jackson died of a drug overdose of propofol on June 25, 2009, at age 50.

The pharmacist and the doctor first crossed paths in November 2008 when Murray called Lopez to inquire about skin bleaching cream, benequin, Lopez said.

"He was looking for a specific dermatological agent that is used for whitening of the skin …he mentioned that a lot of his patients were African American and they could use this medication," Murray said.

Murray told Lopez that his "patient base" was suffering from vitiligo. Rumors that Jackson bleached his skin had long swirled around the singer.

The orders for bleaching cream spiraled into orders for IV bags, numbing cream, 255 vials of propofol, 20 vials of lorazepam and 60 vials of midazolam. Lorazepam and midazolam are both sedatives. Murray's defense team claims that Jackson gave himself a fatal combination of propofol and lorazepam without Murray's knowledge on the day he died.

ABC News has learned from sources close to the investigation that all propofol bottles found in Jackson's bedroom or on Murray did not have Jackson's fingerprints on them. That revelation may deal a blow to the defense's theory.

Prosecutors argue that Murray recklessly administered propofol and other drugs to his patient, and that when he should have been monitoring Jackson, he was talking to his girlfriends on the phone.

Lopez testified that he heard from Murray on either June 23 or June 24, 2009, just days before Jackson died.

"The initial call was to the office and my clerk answered the phone … she had a hard time understanding what he was saying … I took the phone and again he was talking to me, but I couldn't really figure out what he was saying because there was a lot of noise in the background like an open window in the car," Lopez said.

Lopez hung up and the two never finished their conversation.

Lopez's testimony followed the testimony of three of Dr. Murray's girlfriends who told jurors that they exchanged phone conversations or text messages with Murray on the day Jackson died.

Nicole Alvarez, the 29-year-old mother of one of Murray's seven children, said she spoke to him while he was in the ambulance with Jackson.

"I remember him telling me that he was on the way to the hospital in the ambulance with Mr. Jackson and for me not to be alarmed … because he knew I would learn this through the news," she said.

Conrad Murray Exchanged Calls, Texts With Girlfriends on Day Michael Jackson Died

She was at times combative with the prosecutor and revealed to jurors that she and Murray currently live together. Alvarez said she and her newborn son at the time had planned to accompany Murray as he traveled with Jackson for the singer's 50-night comeback tour dubbed "This Is It."

Alvarez told jurors that she received several packages for Murray beginning in April 2009. Prosecutors contend those packages contained propofol and other sedatives.

He said "that he was going to be receiving something, that if there was knock on the door, it was going to be a delivery that I could retrieve it for him," Alvarez said.

She claimed that she never opened the packages or asked about their contents.

Alvarez met Murray in 2005 at a Las Vegas club. In 2008, she testified that she learned that Murray was Jackson's doctor. She also met the singer.

"It actually was a surprise … he [Murray] said he wanted me to meet someone, so I didn't know where I was going and that was what happened. I was speechless when I met him. I couldn't believe I was meeting Michael Jackson," she said.

In March 2009, she gave birth to a son and Jackson took an interest in the child, requesting visits to see Alvarez and the boy.

"Michael was very interested in the baby … he wanted to schedule visits so that he could see my son," Alvarez said.

Alvarez told jurors that between April and June 2009, Murray would leave at 9 p.m. for Jackson's home and return in the morning to her Santa Monica, Calif., apartment.

"In the beginning when he was working for Michael, he would come back really early … and then it became later and later," she said.

Alvarez, an actress, said that Murray paid her $2,500 monthly rent. She said that even though he was paying her rent, she was still working as an actress.

"As a professional actress, my daily duties consist of maintaining my instrument … Acting is a little bit different than a 9-to-5 job … as an actor, your instrument is yourself," she said. "I was working, I was auditioning and I believe I had at that time, I had several national commercials at that time on air."

Two more of Murray's girlfriends also testified. One was working at a Houston steakhouse when she met Murray in 2009. She received a call from the doctor at 11:51 a.m. on June 25, 2009, less than half an hour before a frantic Murray called Jackson's personal assistant and screamed for help at Jackson's chef.

"What he said to me was, Hello, it's Conrad Murray, and he said, How are you doing. I said, Hello, how are you?" said Sade Anding. "He just said, Well, and then paused."

Anding said that she interrupted him and talked for an additional three to four minutes before realizing he wasn't listening.

"I realized he was no longer on the phone… I said, Hello, hello, and I didn't hear anything, that's when I pressed the phone on my ear and I heard mumbling of voices… I heard coughing and nobody answered," she said.

When Los Angeles detectives reached out to Anding after Jackson died, she contacted Murray for help.

"He told me, What, why, why are they calling you? I'm so sorry that they're contacting you and now you know, now you're in this. I'm going to give you my lawyer's number and make sure before you speak to LAPD, you have my lawyer present," Anding told jurors.

A third girlfriend, Michelle Bella, testified about meeting Murray at a Las Vegas club in February 2008 where she was working. Murray sent her a text message on the day Jackson died.

The contents of that message were not revealed.

Murray's one-time girlfriend Bridgette Morgan told jurors Monday that she called Murray on the day of Jackson's death, but that he didn't pick up the phone.

ABC News' Christina Caron contributed to this report.