Tears of Joy from Dr. Murray and the Words of the Lawyers and the Jury Regarding the AEG Court Verdict

On Wednesday afternoon, the AEG court ruling was read in the presence of Katherine and Trent Jackson, the mother and Michael’s cousin. They were able to prove that AEG had hired Murray, but the company was not found responsible for Michael’s death.

On this day, when the AEG verdict was read in court, the air was filled with the incredulous cries of the lawyer for Michael Jackson’s killer. Valery Vas then met with her client in prison to tell him the jury had found him to be a worthy doctor. Murray then, from inside the prison, told NBC in a call that upon hearing this, he had tears of joy because the truth had finally come to light and justice had been carried out for him.

Murray said he felt comforted: “I cried because for the first time the world had the chance to hear the truth of what happened—truths that were hidden from the public, truths that I and my lawyers were prevented from stating in court.”

Of course, if Murray had heard the jury foreman’s remarks, he probably wouldn’t have been so thrilled.

That same day, Greg Barden, after the trial ended, told the media in an interview that Murray was definitely unethical and that he would never choose him as his doctor.

To reach the verdict, the jury answered two questions out of the sixteen questions they had faced. All twelve members agreed on the first question, “Did AEG hire Dr. Murray?”

Barden said that when the jury first entered the deliberation room, they realized that discussing the case would be very difficult for them, and they spent the first day only talking and getting through the nervous pressure and emotional turmoil that had been created in them over the five months of the trial.

To arrive at an answer to the first question, they voted three to four times. During deliberations, opinions changed for some jurors, including Greg Barden. Some of them felt that Murray had been hired by both sides—Michael and AEG—which was also something Brian Panish had referenced in his closing statement, saying that Michael found this doctor, made him the doctor for his children, and chose Murray’s company as Michael’s doctor. In the end, all twelve members agreed to answer the first question “Yes” to: “Was Dr. Murray hired by AEG?”

However, they answered “Yes” to the question “Was Murray qualified for the job for which he was hired?” They based this decision solely on Murray’s medical and academic credentials and ignored his lack of ethics. The jury decided that being a worthy doctor does not require moral qualifications. The jury’s understanding of the phrase “the job for which Murray was hired” was acting as a “general practitioner,” and thus they concluded that Murray’s ability to be a general practitioner was sufficient.

In response to whether they consider Murray to be an ethical doctor, Barden said:

“Our verdict does not mean that we think Murray is an ethical doctor. If the question had been about his ethics, we would have given a different answer. He was a very unethical person. He did something he shouldn’t have done.”

He pointed out that even if they had declared Murray unfit, they still might not have found AEG responsible.

“During these five months, no evidence was shown to prove that AEG knew what Dr. Murray was doing.”

From the jurors’ perspective, the fact that AEG’s tour staff and executives were extremely concerned about Michael’s health and had warned them repeatedly in emails was not enough to justify informing AEG about what Michael was facing.

Kevin White, another juror, agrees with Barden: “If AEG had known, they would have done something.”

Apparently, the company’s lawyers succeeded in convincing the jury of this claim that Michael bought doctors and imposed their verdict on them.

White says: “Michael was used to doing what he wanted. He was a big star. He had all the doctors he wanted and could get what he wanted from them. If they refused, he would leave them and hire another doctor.”

He added: “Murray was treating Jackson in an upstairs bedroom where no one else had access. When they hadn’t been made aware of anything, how were they supposed to know?”

The “worthiness” verdict the jury granted Murray will not overturn the criminal court ruling that found this doctor guilty. But even so, after hearing the verdict, no one was as excited as his lawyer. Valery Vas attended most of the court sessions so she could deliver the daily report to her client, who was in prison.

Vas says that after Murray heard the news: “He became very, very emotional.” This verdict will not change his sentence, “but it will have an impact on public opinion. This is a big success.”

Murray, who has served two of his four-year sentence, is expected to be released this month to go home and return to his many children.

Murray’s medical license has been revoked, and in 2011 the judge had called him a threat to society. However, Vas says that Murray is seeking to have his work license reinstated.

“He has many patients who are waiting for him.”

Murray himself, in an interview with NBC, said: “I’m starting my life over, and with God’s help, I will become an example for people to see that despite the misfortunes and bad things that happen to good people, they can still begin a new life and succeed. You have to wait and know that God is with you, and at the right time He will carry out justice for you.”

Will Mr. Barden become Murray’s new patient?

Barden: “Of course not! This verdict does not mean Dr. Murray is acquitted, and no, I am not willing to hire him as my doctor. This verdict is not an acquittal. Again, I’m saying, this is what was asked in the question, and we answered based on the question. If the question had been something else, we would have given a different answer.”

After the court’s ruling was delivered, Brian Panish—the lead lawyer for Katherine Jackson in the AEG case—told Daily News in an interview:

“Katherine Jackson is certainly disappointed by the verdict, but she is a strong woman and won’t leave the field. She has faced many hardships in life, and she will do whatever she can. She is only pursuing the benefit of Michael’s children, and that is the top priority. This five-month trial was a search for the truth, and it won’t accept an ending with the verdict given on Wednesday. This story continues—I don’t think it has ended. We won’t lose hope.”

Panish said that the incorrect wording of the second question led the jury to reach such a verdict.

The second question was whether Dr. Murray was unfit for the job for which he was hired. The jury answered “No” to this question—meaning, no, he was not unfit.

Panish also said that jurors had complained about the lengthy legal process, and this likely caused them to take a biased stance against Katherine Jackson.

Panish said that jurors, during a private meeting with the judge and the lawyers after the verdict was announced, had said how exhausted the court had made them.

On Wednesday, after the verdict was delivered by Maureen Putnam amid the cries of “Michael Jackson! Michael Jackson!” from fans outside the courthouse, she again described the Jackson case to the media as “extortion,” saying the case should never have gone to court in the first place and that the jury should have discredited it earlier. Putnam also admitted that she had become emotional after hearing the verdict. Some attendees had seen a tear drop sliding down Putnam’s cheek.

Putnam: “AEG never thought about an out-of-court settlement. They didn’t allow themselves to be treated like this—like extortion.”

After that, Perry Sanders, Katherine Jackson’s lawyer, criticized Putnam’s remarks in a statement:

“For years, AEG has denied—and continues to deny—that it hired Dr. Conrad Murray. The jury accepted with a unanimous vote that AEG had hired Dr. Murray. AEG has continued to call this case extortion. Such a statement is a slap in the face of the entire judicial system that allowed this case to be handed to the jury. From the beginning, we said this case was a search for the truth. We got the truth. AEG hired Dr. Conrad Murray—the man who is in prison for killing Michael Jackson.”

Members of the Jackson family have remained silent about the court’s verdict, and only Taj Jackson wrote on Twitter: “For my family, this isn’t the end of hard days. Once again, money won. AEG.”

Debbie Rowe, Michael’s former wife who also testified in court, defended Katherine by saying: “She wanted the answers to her questions.”

Yesterday, a video was posted on Twitter by Lisa Marie Presley, the daughter of Elvis and Michael’s first wife, calling Michael a sexual abuser of children. Michael’s makeup artist, Karen Faye, claimed that Lisa’s account had been hacked and informed her. Lisa then deleted the video and wrote on Twitter: “Thank God Karen Faye told me.”

Karen Faye was Michael’s makeup artist, and according to her own words, almost all the women who were in some kind of relationship with Michael had jealousy and hostility toward her—including Lisa, Debbie, and the nurse Grace. But Karen claims that she and Lisa became good friends after Michael’s death, although Debbie apparently doesn’t have a good relationship with them.

Debbie, on Twitter, addressed Lisa after she thanked Karen, saying: “Karen Faye could have stopped everything, but she decided not to.” (Debbie is referring to Karen’s decision not to intervene to save Michael.)

The jury foreman, in his remarks, described Debbie Rowe by naming her, calling her a real and honest witness who had given them good insight.

Barden also spoke about Kenny Ortega: “Everyone fell in love with Kenny Ortega. He was completely honest. He has no bad traits. He was an outstanding and incredible witness.”

Source: eMJey.com / NBC & CNN