Conrad Murray Placed on Suicide Watch at Jail

Michael Jackson's physician, Dr. Conrad Murray, found guilty of one charge of involuntary manslaughter, was placed on suicide watch at the Los Angeles County Jail within hours of being taken into custody, a jail source said.

Judge Michael Pastor denied the defense request for bail for Murray, who was handcuffed immediately after he was pronounced guilty. Murray will remain behind bars until his Nov. 29 sentencing.

A law enforcement source, who spoke to Los Angeles Times on the condition of anonymity, said Murray was placed on suicide watch once in custody.

After a total deliberation time of eight hours and 15 minutes, the jury found that Murray's actions amounted to criminal negligence, which were key factors leading to Jackson's death in 2009. The jury panel dismissed the defense plea that Jackson self-administered propofol causing his own death.

Murray is likely to face a maximum sentence of four years in prison, along with the loss of his medical license. However, the overcrowding of California prisons may have a significant effect on Murray's sentence, say experts.

The overcrowding laws in state prison right now could very well result in Conrad Murray getting a probationary sentence, meaning that any custody time would be spent in county jail rather than state prison, criminal defense attorney Mike Cavalluzzi, who has worked a range of criminal matters in L.A. courts, told MTV News. Right now, the ruling is that state prisons should be only for the most violent offenders, and I don't think that Conrad Murray would fall into that category.