Jackson's doctor is sentenced to 4 years
December 1, 2011, Thursday
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MICHAEL Jackson's personal physician, Conrad Murray, has been sentenced to four years in jail without probation for involuntary manslaughter in the pop star's death.
Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Michael Pastor on Tuesday gave Murray the maximum sentence and said the physician engaged in "money-for-medicine madness that is simply not acceptable to me."
Murray, 58, sat emotionless through the sentencing. Just before being led from the courtroom, he blew a kiss to an unidentified woman who shouted "we love you."
Outside the courtroom, Jackson's mother Katherine, who attended Murray's trial daily from its beginning in late September, said: "The judge was fair."
She added: "Four years is not enough for someone's life. It won't bring him (Jackson) back, but at least he (Murray) got the maximum."
Murray is likely to spend far less than four years in jail due to the nonviolent nature of his crime and overcrowding in California's penal system, officials and experts said.
Murray's attorneys have 60 days to appeal the sentence.
"Thriller" singer Jackson, who rose to fame in the late 1960s and 1970s as a member of the Jackson Five and had a stellar solo career in the 1980s, died of a drug overdose in June 2009, principally from the use of the surgical anesthetic propofol as a sleep aid.
The drug was administered to Jackson by Murray at the singer's rented home.
A jury convicted Murray of involuntary manslaughter, or gross negligence, after witnesses testified propofol should not be administered at home and, if it is, must be given only with the proper life-monitoring equipment on hand.
Prosecutors painted a picture of Murray trying to cover-up evidence of propofol and lying about its use.
Murray's defense claimed Jackson might have administered a fatal dose of the drug to himself, but the jury did not agree.
Factors in the sentencing included money - Murray had negotiated a US$150,000 per month salary to care for Jackson ahead of a series of concerts in London - and a TV documentary made during the trial, but aired later, in which Murray denied any feelings of guilt. "Not only isn't there any remorse, there is umbrage and outrage on the part of Dr Murray against the decedent," Judge Pastor said.
Several members of the Jackson family were in court for the sentence, including Katherine, sisters La Toya and Rebbie, and brothers Jermaine and Randy.
In addition, Murray was ordered to pay some court fees, and another hearing was set for prosecution claims that he may owe more than US$100 million in restitution to Jackson's family.
Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Michael Pastor on Tuesday gave Murray the maximum sentence and said the physician engaged in "money-for-medicine madness that is simply not acceptable to me."
Murray, 58, sat emotionless through the sentencing. Just before being led from the courtroom, he blew a kiss to an unidentified woman who shouted "we love you."
Outside the courtroom, Jackson's mother Katherine, who attended Murray's trial daily from its beginning in late September, said: "The judge was fair."
She added: "Four years is not enough for someone's life. It won't bring him (Jackson) back, but at least he (Murray) got the maximum."
Murray is likely to spend far less than four years in jail due to the nonviolent nature of his crime and overcrowding in California's penal system, officials and experts said.
Murray's attorneys have 60 days to appeal the sentence.
"Thriller" singer Jackson, who rose to fame in the late 1960s and 1970s as a member of the Jackson Five and had a stellar solo career in the 1980s, died of a drug overdose in June 2009, principally from the use of the surgical anesthetic propofol as a sleep aid.
The drug was administered to Jackson by Murray at the singer's rented home.
A jury convicted Murray of involuntary manslaughter, or gross negligence, after witnesses testified propofol should not be administered at home and, if it is, must be given only with the proper life-monitoring equipment on hand.
Prosecutors painted a picture of Murray trying to cover-up evidence of propofol and lying about its use.
Murray's defense claimed Jackson might have administered a fatal dose of the drug to himself, but the jury did not agree.
Factors in the sentencing included money - Murray had negotiated a US$150,000 per month salary to care for Jackson ahead of a series of concerts in London - and a TV documentary made during the trial, but aired later, in which Murray denied any feelings of guilt. "Not only isn't there any remorse, there is umbrage and outrage on the part of Dr Murray against the decedent," Judge Pastor said.
Several members of the Jackson family were in court for the sentence, including Katherine, sisters La Toya and Rebbie, and brothers Jermaine and Randy.
In addition, Murray was ordered to pay some court fees, and another hearing was set for prosecution claims that he may owe more than US$100 million in restitution to Jackson's family.
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