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Dr. Conrad Murray has been sentenced to four years in prison for involuntary manslaughter in the death of pop legend Michael Jackson.
His six-week trial filled in many details about Jackson's final hours, including Dr. Murray's use of operating room anesthetic propofol to treat the singer's chronic insomnia.
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Dr. Conrad Murray: I'm Not Guilty
In a 2009 investigation into Michael Jackson's death, Murray told detectives he had been giving the singer heavy doses of propofol to help him sleep. Jackson was suffering from insomnia in the weeks leading up to a comeback tour featuring concerts around the world. Murray acknowledged that propofol was only supposed to be used in hospitals and had not been approved for sleep treatments.
Murray admitted, however, that he had still given propofol to Jackson and then left the room, leaving the singer to slip into unconsciousness and die.
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Although he declined to testify during his trial, Murray, 58, did participate in a reality program on Michael Jackson's death. In "Michael Jackson and the Doctor," shown after the guilty verdict, the doctor said he did not consider himself guilty of any crime. He blamed Jackson for entrapping him, saying he pressured the doctor to supply him with propofol doses.
Attempt to Waive Live Media Coverage
In The People v. Conrad Murray, Judge Michael E. Pastor first heard the defense attempt to waive live media coverage of Dr. Murray's sentencing. Bringing up the reality coverage in which Murray participated, Judge Pastor questioned the move to stop media sources from covering the trial. The People's counsel agreed, though the defense continued to press its case.
In the end, Judge Pastor allowed live coverage. "I believe there is a public interest in having these public proceedings be public," he said.
Prosecution: Murray Preyed on Vulnerability
Prosecutors had pushed for a maximum sentence of four years for Dr. Murray, and for classifying the involuntary manslaughter as a serious felony. They also urged the judge to force Murray to make restitution to Prince, Paris and Blanket, Jackson's three children.
Jackson's family representative read a statement before the sentencing was announced. "There's no way to adequately describe the loss of our son, father, brother and friend," the statement read. It called on the court to use Dr. Murray to "remind physicians that they cannot sell their services to the highest bidder.
Prosecutors emphasized Murray's attempts to cover up his role in Jackson's death after the fact, and his administration of propofol for months before the increasingly "vulnerable" singer died. They also noted that Dr. Murray had called his girlfriend before calling 911.
The People's lawyers argued that Dr. Murray's declining to keep medical notes proved he knew the dangers of what he was doing, and that he violated doctor-patient trust by preying on the singer's fragile mental state. "The defendant was playing Russian roulette with Michael Jackson's life every single night," prosecutors said.
