On November 7, 2011, jurors in Los Angeles found cardiologist Conrad Murray guilty of involuntary manslaughter in Michael Jackson's death. The decision was unanimous and was delivered after an approximately six-week trial focused on the final hours of the pop star's life.
Jackson died on June 25, 2009, at the age of 50. Medical examiners determined that the cause of death was acute intoxication with propofol – a powerful anesthetic commonly used in medical procedures. Murray was the singer's personal physician and cared for him at his home in Los Angeles as he prepared for a series of concerts in London, intended to mark his return to the stage.
Prosecution: The doctor took an unacceptable risk
Murray was charged with involuntary manslaughter and pleaded not guilty on January 25, 2011. Before the trial began, Judge Michael Pastor ruled that the case could go before a jury.
Prosecutors argued that the doctor gave Jackson propofol to help him sleep, even though the medication requires monitoring and a medical setting. According to the prosecution, Murray acted with criminal negligence, left the patient without the necessary supervision and failed to respond adequately when his condition deteriorated.
„The actions and omissions of Michael Jackson's personal physician, Conrad Murray, directly led to his premature death at the age of 50,“ prosecutor David Walgren said in his opening statement.
Defense presents a different version
Murray's lawyers did not deny that he had given the singer propofol, but argued that the doctor had not caused his death. According to the defense, Jackson took an additional dose of the medication himself after Murray had left the room. Attorney Ed Chernoff described this as a combination of drugs that led to the fatal outcome.
However, the jurors accepted the prosecution's argument that Murray's actions had been a substantial factor in the death. After the verdict was read, the judge ordered him taken into custody pending sentencing. The decision brought an end to a trial in which prosecutors portrayed the doctor as someone who had placed his personal interests above his professional duties, while the defense insisted that the singer himself was responsible for the fatal dose.
Four years in prison and release in 2013
On November 29, 2011, Murray received the maximum sentence of four years in prison. Judge Pastor criticized the way the doctor had treated Jackson and described his conduct as a serious breach of the doctor-patient trust.
Murray was released on October 28, 2013, after serving nearly two years of his sentence. His release was in accordance with California's rules on serving sentences and the possibility of early release from prison.
Sources: latimes.com, theguardian.com, cbsnews.com