Following Michael Jackson's Death: The Conrad Murray Trial

Update: The Sentencing, November 29, 2011
Conrad Murray is sentenced to serve the maximum 4 years in the California county jail and revoked his right to attend the restitution hearing scheduled for 01/23/2012. The prosecution has presented an estimated 1.2 million dollars in restitution to be paid to the Jackson family.

Update: The Verdict, November 7, 2011
After 6 weeks of character witness and expert testimony and 10 ½ hours of deliberation Jurors reach a guilty verdict in the trial of Dr. Conrad Murray accused of involuntary manslaughter in the death of Michael Jackson. Doctor Murray almost smiled with relief until they schackled his wrists and the Honorary Judge Pastor reprimanded him into the custody of the bailiff of the California county jail to await sentencing scheduled for November 29, 2011. Murray fought back tears as Judge Pastor classified him as a convicted felon charged in a homicide. Judge Pastor says he cannot credit Murray with returning to court for sentencing because of ease of fleeing the state to another country where he has close ties. Pastor also ruled that given the nature of the crime, Murray is a threat to the general public and should be held without bail until sentencing.

September 27, 2011
By Carolyn Cooper
At about noon, Los Angeles Superior Court Judge, Michael Pastor, the 12 hand-picked Jurors and members of the Jackson family gathered to listen to the opening arguments of Prosecutor David Walgren and Deputy Defense Attorney Ed Chernoff in the trial of Michael Jackson’s death. Dr. Conrad Murray is currently charged with involuntary manslaughter and if convicted faces 4 years in jail and suspension of his medical license.

Currently, the prosecution is focused on money, abandonment and gross negligence -- accusing Dr. Murray of leaving Jackson alone after administering a deadly dose of Propofol; gross negligence for administering Propofol, a powerful anesthetic that is not registered in the treatment of insomnia and should never be administered daily or at elevated levels. The prosecution has proof that Dr. Murray purchased enough Propofol to administer at least 2,000 milligrams per day although Murray says he only administered the amount regulated, not withstanding regulation is only in place for doses administered for sedation for a major surgery. Murray says he had not given Jackson any Propofol in the three days leading to his death in an effort to wean the pop star off the drug. A taped recording of a conversation between Murray and an overly sedated/intoxicated Jackson was presented by the prosecution during the opening arguments.

Money is also playing a role in the trial. The prosecution introduced the theory that Dr. Murray and Michael Jackson were not friends and did not share a doctor/patient relationship but an employee, employer relationship based solely on money. Jackson verbally agreed to pay Murray $150,000 per month for his medical services during the "This Is It" music tour. Murray’s initial rate request was $500,000 per month but at any rate posed a huge increase in salary that the prosecution believes Murray put in the forefront to Jackson’s health.

In opposition the Defense argues that Dr. Murray was not greedy and willfully and happily serviced one of the poorest senior communities in the Houston area. The Defense argues that Murray did not administer the Propofol until he returned to the room, and says that Jackson may have orally self-ingested two Lorazepam pills unbeknown to Murray. The Lorazepam pills suppressed Jackson's cardio vascular and respiratory system enough so the additional sedation by Propofol that Dr. Murray admits to administering forced his body to completely shut down, resulting in death.

Evidence of a phone conversation shows that about 11:51 am Dr. Murray realized Jackson was having a negative reaction to the drugs, “he dropped the phone and you could hear talking, coughing and chaos in the background,” a witness testified. Dr. Murray however, did not call 911 until 12:20 when autopsy reports reveal Jackson may have been already dead. Phone records show that Dr. Murray called Jackson’s personal assistant Michael Williams at 12:12 pm and asked him to rush over because Jackson was having a negative reaction to his medication. At 12:21 after another call made to Jackson's Security Guard and failed attempts to resuscitate, Murray ordered the Security Guard and Head of Logistics, Alberto Alvarez to call 911. When EMS arrived Jackson had no color, no pulse and his pupils were dilated. Michael Jackson was pronounced dead at UCLA Medical Center a little after noon at 12:57 pm.