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November 25, 2011

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Call for jail term over death of Jackson

PROSECUTORS who depicted Michael Jackson's doctor as showing no remorse over the superstar's death have urged a judge to sentence him to four years in prison, while a defense lawyer said Conrad Murray is in a prison of self-punishment and should receive probation.

The sentencing memos were filed in advance of a sentencing hearing next week. Murray has been in jail since he was convicted on November 7 of involuntary manslaughter for Jackson's fatal overdose of the anesthetic propofol.

Prosecutors wrote that Murray has shown no remorse and placed blame on others, including Jackson himself. They cited a series of media interviews with Murray that they submitted to the judge Michael Pastor on a DVD.

In one excerpt, Murray states: "I don't feel guilty because I did not do anything wrong."

The prosecution brief said: "The defendant consistently blames the victim for his own death, even going so far as to characterize himself as being 'entrapped' by the victim and as someone who suffered a 'betrayal' at the hands of the victim."

Prosecutors said Murray "acted as an employee and as a drug dealer and completely corrupted the trust necessary in a proper doctor-patient relationship."

Defense attorney Nareg Gourjian, citing letters of praise from Murray's former patients, said: "There is no question that the death of his patient was unintentional and an enormous tragedy. Dr Murray has been described as a changed, grief-stricken man, who walks around under a pall of sadness since the loss of his patient."

Gourjian said Murray will never stop punishing himself over Jackson's loss and "in effect, he will be serving a form of life sentence. However, the offense was not willful nor intended. He is, by every account, immensely sorrowful and remorseful."



 

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