Nichopoulos Trial Tapes, Part II: Al Strada weighs in...

Al Strada Testimony

Tapes 50 and 51, Trial Div-1, 9-30-81 78174 Nichopoulos

Witness information: 33 years old, graduate of University of LA, pre-med; worked P/T for Pacific Palisades Security firm; worked security at EP Trousdale estate, the Monovale estate; 1972 -1974, part-time; hired by EP directly in January 1974, full-time through 8/16/77. Strada (a defense witness) was subpoenaed, and thus was not testifying voluntarily.

--Strada said that on the evening he was hired, they took a trip to Las Vegas. In Las Vegas, EP met with a physician at the airport, then they returned to the Monovale property.

PL: Fly to another city, and meet with a doctor at an airport. No doctor’s office. No examination. No prescription. After meeting with the doctor, return home. This doesn’t sound normal.

Q: “Did you become aware that Mr. Presley had been using sleeping medication?”

Strada: Yes, but Strada said he didn’t witness it. EP would be groggy and fall asleep during breakfast. [This question is referring to events in 1974.]

--Strada stated that EP saw several doctors in Palm Springs and Beverly Hills. On one trip to Beverly Hills, EP talked with the doctor while another member of the entourage went through the doctor’s office looking for drugs. Strada was outside the room during this incident.

PL: A person who is not addicted to drugs does not have an associate rummage through a doctor’s office while he distracts the doctor.

--Strada stated that in Asheville, NC, he witnessed a scene where EP pointed a small caliber gun at Nichopoulos after an argument about drugs, then veered the weapon away and fired; the bullet ricocheted off the TV and landed in Nichopoulos’s lap.

PL: Someone who is not addicted to drugs does not point a weapon at his doctor, nor does he fire the weapon for any reason, in any direction.

--Strada testified that EP got very upset if Nichopoulos refused to give him drugs; EP got visibly upset; staff witnessed these episodes.

PL: A person who is not addicted to drugs does not become visibly upset if he is refused drugs.

--Strada stated that if EP didn’t get what he wanted from Nichopoulos, they went to Las Vegas, Palm Springs, or Los Angeles.

PL: Again, this is a key point: Elvis got the drugs he wanted…no matter what.

--Strada stated that after an argument Elvis had with Nichopoulos, they flew to Palm Springs. The doctor visited with EP the next morning (they had departed from Memphis in the middle of the night). They stayed in Palm Springs for several days. EP stayed in his room the whole time, incoherent.

--On one occasion, Strada said that EP took two [sleeping] tablets at bedtime. Strada gave Elvis a third tablet when he woke up. Strada returned to the bedroom when EP got upset. EP blew up at Strada. Strada stated that EP was very groggy, demanded the medication, but couldn’t even open the bottle.

--Strada said that EP demanded medications, and would not take “no” for an answer.

PL: A person who is not addicted to drugs does not “demand” medication.

--Strada stated that EP would take 5 sleeping pills, and if he woke up, he thought he needed more, so he’d take more.

PL: This is a very illuminating statement by Strada. It suggests a profound misunderstanding on Elvis’s part as to the manner in which prescription medication should be used. For example, if Elvis stubbed his toe, his doctor might prescribe 1 tablet of pain medication. If the pain did not subside, the doctor might prescribe another pill. At some point, though, the doctor would stop prescribing pain medication. Since Elvis was essentially self-medicating, it appears that he took medication to achieve a certain result, and if a certain result were not achieved by taking a specific number of pills, as prescribed, he simply increased the number of pills. This is not how prescription medication should be taken, and it shows us that Elvis did not follow a drug protocol (this matter is briefly outlined below). Instead, he medicated as he saw fit. In such a case, taking pills like this will lead to tolerance, and to addiction.

--Strada said that most trips (to California or Las Vegas) started “abruptly” because Nichopoulos wouldn’t give EP drugs he wanted.

--Strada stated that on one occasion in Palm Springs, a Las Vegas doctor flew in and visited with EP, then they went to Las Vegas and stayed with the physician at his home.

--EP was put on liquid diet and kept asleep; after 3-4 weeks, EP “looked like he was going to die,” and was “incoherent.” Strada and other aides carried EP to the plane, then flew to Memphis. Upon arrival in Memphis, EP was taken to Baptist Memorial Hospital on a stretcher.

--Strada stated that packages were coming to Graceland through the mail or were picked up at the airport. Pills and liquid injectables (in vials) were delivered. Strada would remove pills from these deliveries. Strada estimated the number of pills he removed form these shipments to be “thousands.”

--Strada stated that some of these bottles had no labels.

--Strada stated that these large shipments of pills were to treat everyone on tour.

--Tish Henley worked at Graceland from June, 1975, to August, 1977. Her job was to give EP medications, prescribed by Nichopoulos, in small packets.

--Steve Smith worked there for 1 year, worked with Strada, Dean Nichopoulos and Tish Henley to intercept drugs.

PL: There’s an interesting point here regarding the interception of drugs. According to this testimony, from 1976 to 1977, Dr. Nichopoulos, Billy Smith, Al Strada, David Stanley, Rick Stanley, Dean Nichopoulos, and (for a time) Steve Smith all worked together to intercept pills that were given or provided to Elvis. However, if Elvis was determined to get drugs no matter what his primary care physician said, and was prepared to fly from Memphis to the west coast to get these drugs, what does it matter that these attempts to intercept drugs were put into motion? Strada says he intercepted “thousands” of pills, but doesn’t that tell us that “thousands” obviously was only a small percentage of what was being delivered? Otherwise, Elvis would have noticed that large portions of his deliveries were disappearing. If these pills were taken over a longer period of time, and only a few were taken at any one time, it tells us that the volume of drugs being delivered to Elvis was quite substantial, and spanned a long period of time.

Also, if Strada says that these huge numbers of pills were used to treat everyone on the tours, then why did he feel compelled to take some of the pills?

--March 31, 1977 – Strada said the tour stopped in Baton Rouge, LA – EP’s condition caused end-of-tour run-down, EP was using too many drugs. EP was groggy, unable to do the show. EP was “very much” under the influence of drugs, incoherent. Strada could not understand what EP was saying.

--Strada stated that drugs caused the cancellation of the tour.

--Upon arrival in Memphis, EP was immediately taken to BMH.

--Nichopoulos was on the entire tour to that date, and had been with EP before each show with his black bag.

--Strada described EP’s personality: EP went from extreme highs to lows. In 1976 and 1977, EP was prone to becoming very upset, very hyper, very depressed; he was quite different than he was in 1974.

PL: People who are not addicted to drugs do not receive shipments of drugs at the airport.

--Strada heard by word of mouth that Marian Cocke was bringing pills into Graceland. Strada gave packets of medications from Nurse Cocke to EP.

PL: Let’s step back for a moment and look at the situation presented here. Dr. Nichopoulos, Elvis’s primary care physician and personal doctor, is prescribing medications to Elvis. He is providing them directly to Elvis, but when he is not available, Tish Henley dispenses the medications. Marian Cocke, a nurse, is delivering medication to Elvis, as well, though we do not know where she obtained the medications. Also around Graceland are David Stanley, Rick Stanley, Al Strada, and Dean Nichopoulos, who are enlisted to deliver medications to Elvis from Henley. Even Aunt Delta is supposedly signed on as a courier.

In addition to the deliveries from these folks, Elvis may have been obtaining prescriptions from other doctors in Memphis. When he cannot get what he wants, though, he flies to Los Angeles or Las Vegas and contacts compliant doctors there. On other occasions, drug are simply shipped directly to Graceland (circumventing the normal mail delivery system), or are picked up at the airport. Is it any wonder one might question the care Elvis was receiving? Further, isn’t it safe to say that Elvis himself played a central role in these goings-on (something many fans choose to ignore)? A person who needs pain medication in Memphis should not have to fly to California to get it, unless that person is using the medication in a reckless and/or illegal manner. Flying across the country to obtain drugs is not something a passive user would do.

--Strada was asked by the prosecution about medication protocol, and whether there was one in place, or Elvis was given medication “PRN,” meaning “as requested.” In his Grand Jury testimony, Strada said that meds were given to EP “as needed,” so there was no protocol (inference introduced by Strada’s response was that there was no protocol).

NOTE: Pro re nata is a Latin phrase that literally means "for the thing born." It is commonly used in medicine to mean "as needed" or "as the situation arises." It is generally used as the acronym PRN to refer to dosage of prescribed medication that is not scheduled; instead administration is left to the caregiver or the patient's prerogative. PRN administration of medication is not meant to imply and should never allow for exceeding a prescribed daily regimen. [Wikipedia]

PL: “PRN” typically means that the patient may take up to a certain amount/dosage, but that the dosage is not to be exceeded. For example, if a patient is prescribed "Percocet, 1-2 tablets every 4 hrs as needed," this means the patient can take up to that number of pills in that amount of time, but no more; or, the patient can take less. In Elvis’s case, it seems that “PRN” meant (or was interpreted to mean) that he could take any number of pills that he wanted, even if the dosage exceeded the prescribed amount.

Also, prescribing medications as “PRN” does not mean a protocol was not in effect. Strada had previously testified at trial that there was a protocol followed by Nichopoulos; in his Grand Jury testimony, however, Strada testified that there was no protocol.

PL: Very critical point: Many fans defend Elvis’s drug use by saying that he “only” used medications that were prescribed by a doctor. Thus, while he may have had an addiction to the medications, he was nonetheless using the drugs legally. However, consider the statements by Billy Smith and Al Strada, made under oath, that Elvis was receiving shipments of drugs at Graceland via U.S. mail, and that he was receiving shipments of drugs via some delivery method at the Memphis airport. This clearly illustrates for us that these drugs were *not* prescribed, and that they were*not* used legally. Doctors who legally prescribe medications do not ship medications through the mail, and neither do they coordinate secret pick-ups at airports. These statements should adequately repudiate the claim that Elvis used only legal medications, prescribed legally. In fact, according to this testimony, he acquired/received and used legal medications illegally. When a legal medication is received and used in an illegal manner, it is illegal.

To close, much of the Nichopoulos trial testimony was included in the Cole/Thompson book, "The Death of Elvis," so there are no huge surprises here. However, to actually hear the voices of these witnesses, and to hear the tones of their voices, and the emotions that sometimes come through, definitely paints a more powerful picture of what was going on in Elvis's life during this critical time period than what we read in printed resources. The human voices in this case are far more intriguing than the printed text of the testimony.

Nichopoulos Trial Tapes, Part I: Smith and Gambill Testimony

Was Elvis Presley addicted to drugs? Did he have a chemical dependence of any kind? Or, was his drug use simply misunderstood? Most Elvis fans have probably found themselves knee-deep in the debate, sometimes siding with those who support the notion that Elvis had a serious problem with prescription medication, and at other times softening their opinions and accepting the idea that Elvis’s drug use was nothing out of the ordinary.

There are also some folks from the “Elvis faked his death” side of the community who believe that Elvis not only faked his death, but also faked his drug addiction, acting the part of the strung-out junkie in his role as an undercover narcotics agent. Or something like that.

So, how do we determine if Elvis Presley met the criteria for clinical addiction to prescription medication? Could we give his close friends and family members, as well as his doctors, a dose of truth serum? Or sit them all in a room under a bright fluorescent light bulb and grill them until they spill the beans? What really went on with Elvis and his alleged drug habit? Who really knows the answers?

As I write in Elvis Decoded, I believe Elvis met the definition of a person who was physically and psychologically addicted to drugs, even though the drugs were supposedly legal and were prescribed by licensed physicians. (Whether the prescriptions were proper is another topic altogether.) It is my opinion, based on the facts and on the analyses of these facts within the broad spectrum of Elvis’s day-to-day life, that Elvis relied on prescription medication to get himself through the day, and through the night, and through the next day and the next night. And so on, and so on.

The root of this addiction is beyond the scope of my research, but I have endeavored to lay out the facts for people so they can make an informed determination of their own as to Elvis’s use of drugs. Is there any particular reason that Elvis fans should be concerned with Elvis’s drug use? Well, no, not really, but as an Elvis fan, researcher, and author, I am very interested in constructing a complete picture of Elvis Presley, which would include his strengths and his weaknesses. So, perhaps, a better understanding of the drug use might lead us to a better understanding of the man.

As I mentioned above, it would be nice to get some of Elvis’s friends and family to open up honestly about Elvis’s drug use, and to some extent, several people have done this over the years. However, we often find that critical commentary about Elvis’s drug use is been met with charges of bias, of revenge, or of spite. That is, a darker picture is painted for reasons other than to simply and honestly describe Elvis’s drug habit. Red West and Sonny West, for example, have been cited as less-than-reliable sources for information because they were, in 1977, a year after being fired from Elvis’s staff (and dismissed outright as friends), out for revenge. Or, rather, that is what many fans believe. We’ve come to a point that if a fan says, “Elvis was not a drug addict,” then this fan must have some hidden agenda for saying that. Likewise, if another fan says, “Elvis was a drug addict,” this fan must also have some motivation for making such a claim. It’s become increasingly difficult to simply have an opinion, because on this topic there are so many variables, and so many ways to interpret the information.

Many fans employ different analytical methods, using different prisms through which to compare the data. But what if we could get some truthful commentary, some statements that allude to Elvis’s drug use and behavior during the latter years of his life? What if these statements were made under oath, under the unstated threat of perjury? What if these statements don’t paint a flattering picture of Elvis during these dark days?

This kind of picture is described by the testimony of Patsy [Presley] Gambill, Billy Smith, and, primarily, Al Strada, as taken during the 1981 criminal trial of Dr. George Nichopoulos (who was charged with over-prescribing). (These tapes were made available to me this past August.) Patsy Gambill was called as a witness for the prosecution; Smith and Strada were called as defense witnesses for Nichopoulos. While the testimony is not earth-shattering, it does give us a clear indication that Elvis’s drug use and behavior during those critical years suggest his drug habit was very serious, and perhaps even more serious than we’ve been led to believe (by those who contend that Elvis was addicted to drugs). These responses to the prosecution’s questions illustrate for us that Elvis was in deep trouble.

The snippets of testimony included here (which comprise just a fraction of the entire testimony) may be as close as we’re going to get in terms of putting anyone under a hot light bulb in a dingy police interrogation room, or handing out sodium pentothal and hoping for some truthful and accurate insights into this critical part of Elvis’s life (and death).

Remember, these statements about Elvis’s drug use and behavior (either direct quotes or information taken from the testimony) were made under oath.

Note: I have added commentary and analysis after “PL.”

Billy Smith Testimony

Tapes 28 and 48, Trial Div-1, 9-30-81 78174 Nichopoulos

Witness information: Elvis Presley’s first cousin; worked for EP 1961 – 1968; again from December 1970 to January/February 1971; again from 1975 to 8/16/77; from 1961 to 1968, Smith primarily handled EP’s wardrobe; from 1975 to 1977, Smith’s job was to help EP, oversee other people on the staff, act as companion; Smith moved to Graceland in 1974, stayed until August 1977. Smith was called as a defense witness.

--Smith said that he and others intercepted as many deliveries of drugs as they could, but if Elvis wanted something, Elvis got it.

PL: This is a key point: “…if Elvis wanted something [drugs], Elvis got it.” We can look at the alleged efforts of Smith, Strada, Nichopoulos, et al, to reduce the amount of drugs that were coming into Elvis’s possession (see below, Al Strada Testimony), and perhaps commend them for at least trying to do something. But, if Elvis was able to get any drugs he wanted, at any time, and he did, in fact, take steps to get drugs that Nichopoulos refused to provide/prescribe (by flying out to California, for example), what do these efforts to limit or control Elvis’s drug use really amount to? These people knew Elvis was getting drugs from other sources. So, Smith intercepts a few bottles of drugs…Elvis just gets the same drugs elsewhere. Did the interception of drugs actually do anything, then, or was it just an empty effort to perhaps clear their collective conscience?


To their credit, these folks also gave Elvis placebos and gave him saline injections in place of other medications. They also reduced the amount of a drugs being injected by squirting some onto the floor without Elvis’s knowledge. I wonder, though, if this may have caused Elvis to increase his dosages, since he was not getting the full effect that was expected from the dosages he thought he was receiving.


--Drugs usually came through the mail; EP was notified if a package was to be delivered.

PL: A person who is not addicted to drugs does not receive drugs shipments through the mail.

--Drug packages did not go through the office.

--EP would hide drugs; also knew that others were trying to intercept drugs.

PL: A person who is not addicted to drugs does not hide his medications.


Patsy Gambill Testimony

Tape 28, Trial Div-1, 9-30-81 78174 Nichopoulos

Witness information: Elvis Presley’s double-first cousin; employed for 20 years as a secretary; handled bills, fan mail, other correspondence. Gambill was called as a prosecution witness.

Q: Are you aware that EP had a drug problem in the later years of his life?

Patsy Gambill: “Uh, didn’t really think so, but yes.”

Q: What made you arrive at this conclusion?

Patsy Gambill: EP was hospitalized several times. In 1975 he was hospitalized to get him off drugs. Gambill paid the pills for the treatment. The bills increased from 1976 to 1977, over the last year or year-and-a-half of Elvis’s life. From 1974 to 1975, and into 1976, the bills slowly increased. During the last year of EP’s life, the bills increased more.

--Gambill testified that over the last few years of Elvis’s life, she was around when Nichopoulos was with EP, and that she never saw Nichopoulos intercept drugs. She also stated that she was not personally aware of placebos, water, glucose, sugar pills, etc., but had heard mention of them.