Stripper Says Dr. Conrad Murray Wanted Sleep As Michael Jackson Died

The stripper, Michelle Bella, met Dr. Murray at the Spearmint Rhino gentleman's club in Las Vegas in 2008. The story of how they met is hilarious, but first the important stuff.

Bella told detectives ... on June 25, 2009, Dr. Murray left a message on her phone at about 8:30 AM. According to sources with direct knowledge of the case ... Bella told cops Murray had mentioned Michael Jackson to her before and said, "I mean his schedule was obviously, you know -- I know that he was like up all hours because of his work so when -- so when he called, you know, he sounded tired and he was like I'm gonna get some sleep whatever."

The interview is significant -- TMZ broke a story on July 27, 2009 that "Authorities believe Dr. Murray may have actually fallen asleep during the time the drug [Propofol] was administered and may have awakened to find Jackson already dead from heart failure."

Now the hilarious part. Bella told cops about the magic moment when she met Murray at Spearmint Rhino -- "He came in there with his scrubs and he was there with like a client of his." Bella, who says she was studying to be a chiropractic assistant, says, "We were just sharing some like, you know, medical knowledge and this and that and I know he was intrigued with me."

Murray must have been intensely impressed with her medical knowledge. According to the transcript, Bella says she "sat with him for about roughly like an hour and a half and he paid me $1,000."