Day 26 of Trial: Conrad Murray Sentenced to the Maximum Penalty

There is no news of parole or house arrest for Michael Jackson’s involuntary manslaughter killer. Conrad Murray lost his medical license and was sentenced to four years in prison. He must also pay his own trial costs, equal to $800. At the next court session, a decision will be made regarding the $120 million fine the prosecutors are seeking to have paid to Michael Jackson’s children. The prosecutor said that if Murray had not caused Michael’s death, he could have earned more than $100 million from the This Is It tour revenue. Judge Michael Pastor said in court that Michael Jackson was, for Conrad Murray, like a “guinea pig” patient—testing the theory of using the drug propofol at home as a treatment for insomnia on him. The judge said Murray showed no sign of remorse or a sense of responsibility, and that his presence in society would be dangerous for the public, so he must go to prison. The judge stated that Murray’s decision to record Michael Jackson’s voice while under the influence of medication was one of the reasons for this sentence. Michael’s voice, found by police on Murray’s iPhone, was played in court twice. In this audio conversation, Michael speaks about his ambitions, his big dreams for the This Is It tour, and his love for the children of the world and his efforts to save them. The judge said he is confident Murray’s purpose in recording Michael’s voice was to later be able to blackmail him. Pastor described Murray’s conduct as “a horrific betrayal of a person’s trust.” The judge said that if the law had set a term longer than four years for Murray’s crime, he would not have hesitated to impose it. In court, Jackson’s family attorney read a statement on their behalf: “There are no words to express the loss of our dear father, son, brother, and friend. We still look at one another in disbelief and ask ourselves: Is this real? Has he truly gone forever? As Michael’s parents, we never imagined we would witness his death. It is against the laws of nature. As his sisters and brothers, we will no longer be able to hold our brother in our arms, laugh with him, and perform with him on stage. As his children, we will grow up without a father, without our best friend and our best playmate—without Dad. We are not here for revenge. There is nothing you can do to bring Michael back. We will guard in our hearts the love Michael gave to others throughout his life. His concern was to unite the people of the world by using his God-given gift. Finally, with the utmost respect, we ask you to impose a punishment that will make other doctors understand they cannot sell their services for the highest price, and to keep the oath of Hippocrates—that they must not harm anyone—intact. As we saw in this tragedy, the Bible reminds us that people are not capable of carrying out justice. They can only seek justice. That is all we ask for as a family. That is all we can request.” Before the sentence was issued, prosecutor David Walgren, as always, spoke about Conrad Murray’s gross negligence: “From the moment he began using propofol, he played with Michael Jackson’s life. Every night he played Russian roulette with the victim.” Walgren asked the judge not to consider any mercy for the offender in his punishment. Murray’s lawyer, Ed Chernoff, said Murray should be used for community service because imprisoning him would not help anyone. The judge rejected Chernoff’s request and said: “Murray lied. He is a disgrace to the medical profession. Conrad Murray sold his medical career for money, and this is absolutely unacceptable to me.” For two months before Michael’s death, Murray injected him with propofol every night. Propofol is a powerful anesthetic that should only be used in the presence of a specialized anesthesia team and in a hospital for surgery. On the morning of June 25, 2009, after injecting propofol, Conrad Murray left Michael alone for more than 45 minutes. During that time, Michael suffered respiratory arrest. When Murray returned to the room, he was unable to help Michael with artificial respiration. He also had many delays when contacting emergency services. Michael’s death—due to cardiac arrest—was announced that afternoon at UCLA Hospital. Source: eMJey.com / LA Times / NBC News