Conrad Murray Sentenced: Michael Jackson’s Doctor Gets Four Years In Prison

Becky Bain | November 29, 2011 11:09 am

After being found guilty of involuntary manslaughter, Dr. Conrad Murray was sentenced to four years in prison — the maximum sentence possible — for his involvement in the death of Michael Jackson. During the sentencing, Superior Court Judge Michael Pastor noted that “Dr. Murray engaged in a recurring, continuous pattern of deceit and lies.” More details below.

Judge Pastor called Murray’s involvement in Jackson’s June 25, 2009 overdose “money for medicine madness” and heavily criticized him for failing to show any remorse. “Talk about blaming the victim,” Pastor said. “Not only isn’t there any remorse, there is umbrage and outrage on the part of Dr. Murray against the decedent.”

He also called Murray a danger to the community and a “disgrace to the medical profession.”

“Michael Jackson died not because of an isolated one-off occurrence or incident,” he continued. “He died because of a totality of circumstances which are directly attributable to Dr. Murray, not some mistake or some accident in the early morning hours of 2009.”

Jackson’s family members, including mother Katherine and siblings Jermaine, Rebbie and La Toya, were in the courthouse as the sentence was read. Attorney and family friend Brian Parish read a statement on behalf of the Jackson family:

“There’s no way to adequately describe the loss of our beloved father, son, brother and friend. We still look at each other in disbelief: is it really possible he is gone?

“As brothers and sisters, we will never be able to hold, laugh or perform again with our brother Michael. As his children, we will grow up without our father, our best friend, our playmate and our dad. We are not here to seek revenge. There is nothing you can do today to bring Michael back.

“We respectfully request that you impose a sentence that reminds physicians that they cannot sell their services to the highest bidder and cast aside their Hippocratic oath to do no harm.”

A spokesperson for the L.A. Sheriff revealed that Murray will likely do “a little less than two years” instead of the full four year sentence, due to a new California law. Murray will spend part of his sentence at county jail, though due to rampant overcrowding, he could be released much earlier than expected.

[Via LA Times, E! Online]