Dr Conrad Murray Sentenced To Maximum 4 Years In Prison

Dr Conrad Murray, the doctor at the centre of the court case surrounding the death of pop star Michael Jackson, was sentenced to four years in prison on Tuesday (November 29, 2011). In one of the most publicised trials in recent times, the doctor was found guilty of the involuntary manslaughter of the star.

Speaking at the courthouse in Los Angeles, LA Deputy District Attorney David Walgren had pushed for the maximum sentence, highlighting Murray's negligence after the death of Jackson, saying, "He started cleaning up the room. He waited 20 minutes to have anyone call 911, he then lied repeatedly, even to the point.at UCLA when he lied to the family, when their yearning for answers about what happened to their loved one". Walgren also sought for Murray to pay monetary restitution to Jackson's children, saying the singer would have earned $100 million from his sold out 50 show 'This is It' tour, saying, "that is not a fictional amount". The doctor's own lawyers had requested that he be allowed to remain on probation, citing his own "lifetime sentence of self-punishment" following the tragic death of the singer. Before the sentence was passed down, his defence attorney Ed Chernoff appealed for a more lenient sentence, saying, "When we talk about vulnerability, we got to be honest about vulnerability. Michael Jackson was a drug seeker, and he sought it out from Dr Murray who was wrong to provide it. He was a powerful, famous, wealthy individual, with lawyers, security and staff and advisors. Maybe he was vulnerable, but what about before those two months, what about Dr Murray's life before those two months? [when he treated Jackson] before he was convinced or decided.to give Michael Jackson Propofol, what about that life?".

When announcing the sentence, Judge Michael Pastor, who presided over the six-week trial, explained, "Even the people acknowledge that Dr Murray did not intend for Jackson to die.He's a human being [but] he stands convicted of the death of another human being.I believe he's a danger to the community". It was predicted Murray may escape a lengthy prison sentence following recent rule changes to overcrowding in California county jails.