Conrad Murray’s Fate Will Be Decided Today

In just a few hours, the judge in Michael Jackson’s murder case will announce the sentence for his involuntary manslaughter killer, Conrad Murray.

His punishment could range from 1 to 4 years in prison, parole, house arrest, community service, or a fine. The media has always said that, due to the overcrowding of California prisons, Murray is expected to receive house arrest.

Previously, the prosecutors had asked the judge to sentence Murray to the maximum punishment: 4 years in prison and to pay more than $100 million to Michael Jackson’s children. Michael’s mother, Katherine Jackson, has recently said that she wants the maximum sentence for the killer of her son. Of course, she said:

“I don’t think he wanted Michael to die. He just wanted to use the opportunity to benefit himself.”

Murray injected Michael with propofol in exchange for a monthly salary of $150,000 so that he could sleep.

Today, members of the Jackson family will appear in court, except for Michael’s children who will be at school. It is unclear whether the Jackson family members will speak in court or not. But the court officer will inform the judge of Katherine’s point of view regarding the case and the request for the maximum sentence for Murray.

In a letter to the judge, Murray’s mother, Miltа Rush, requested mercy for her son and said:

“His kind heart created trouble for him in the end!”

She wrote, sitting near the Jackson family’s position in court:

“I sympathize with Mrs. Jackson. I feel like he was very close to her son. I personally wanted to face him and tell him how sorry I am for the loss of her son, but I doubted she would accept me, and I didn’t want to disrupt the order of the court.”

Miltа Rush says her son is deeply affected by Michael’s death, but his intention was only to help.

For two months, every night, Murray injected Michael with propofol. This drug should be used by a specialized team in a hospital for surgeries—not as a treatment for insomnia. The jury, which found Murray guilty 22 days ago, cited as the main reason for Murray’s guilt his failure to save Michael Jackson’s life.

Since that day, Conrad Murray has been held in state custody.

He left Michael alone while he was unconscious for more than 45 minutes. During that time, Michael suffered cardiac arrest due to propofol. When Murray returned to the room, he couldn’t do anything. The first reason for his guilt, according to the jury, was that Murray did not do anything to save his patient’s life. He did not provide proper artificial respiration to Michael, did not call for an ambulance, did not request help, and instead collected the drug bottles to eliminate evidence of the crime. All of this happened while he personally had responsibility for Michael Jackson’s life and was being paid for his service. Conrad Murray became the sole cause of his patient’s death.

The two prosecutors in the case, Deborah Brazil and David Walgren, have filed a petition stating that Murray still does not accept his guilt and responsibility for his actions and blames Michael Jackson for his own death. They say Murray does not deserve mercy. David Walgren and Deborah Brazil refer to a documentary that was aired on U.S. television not long ago. In that documentary, recorded before Murray’s guilty verdict was announced, he absolves himself of all wrongdoing. The two prosecutors say that while Conrad Murray had the opportunity to say his side of the story from the witness stand in court, he preferred to talk to the media instead.

“In this film, he clearly states that he does not accept any responsibility for Michael Jackson’s death. In addition, he considers himself the victim. He says the deceased is responsible for his death. He even goes so far as to claim that he was set up by the victim and that the victim betrayed him.”

According to estimates by the Michael Jackson Foundation, he could have earned more than $100 million from the This Is It tour in London. By calculating a 10% interest rate for each year and the $2 million spent on the funeral ceremony, the two prosecutors want Murray to pay more than $120 million in fines to Michael’s three children.

Although it is highly unlikely that Murray will ever be able to come up with such money, it is expected that the heavy cash fine will prevent him from making money by publishing a book about Michael, giving interviews to the media, or making a paid film. And that would mean protecting Michael’s privacy, his children, and the Jackson family.

Murray’s lawyers have asked the judge for parole. In the heartbreaking personal statement they wrote for Murray, they say:

“His house had no electricity when he was a child. He walked to school barefoot and personally paid for his education in full. He is a self-made man. He practiced medicine for 20 years without committing any violation. Most of his patients were from vulnerable and low-income groups.”

The lawyers say Murray is remorseful and regretful and feels sorry for every mistake that led to Michael Jackson’s death.

In just a few hours, the courtroom scene will once again be filled with reporters and photographers, and Michael’s murder case will be placed on the table for the final outcome of two and a half years of investigation, effort, and turmoil to be determined.

Source: eMJey.com / CNN