REUTERS NEWS FLASH: Conrad Murray is ordered to jail, will not be released with bail while he waits for his sentencing on November 29th.
The Telegraph UK
written by Nick Allen, Los Angeles
Monday November 7, 2011
Michael Jackson was killed with a lethal dose of anaesthetic by his personal physician Dr Conrad Murray, a jury has decided at the doctor's trial in Los Angeles.
Following a dramatic six-week trial cardiologist Murray, 58, was convicted of a charge of involuntary manslaughter after the jury decided his care of the singer had been criminally negligent.
The court heard that Murray had run up debts of $780,000 that forced him to feed the under-pressure star's dangerous drug dependency.
Members of the Jackson family including his mother Katherine, sister Janet and brother Jermaine, were present as the verdict was delivered in the Los Angeles court.
Jackson died on June 25, 2009 at a rented Los Angeles mansion where Murray had been treating him for chronic insomnia during rehearsals for a gruelling series of 50 concerts at the O2 Arena in London.
A coroner later concluded that Jackson, who was aged 50, died of "acute propofol intoxication" in his bed.
Murray admitted giving him a small amount of propofol, a powerful surgical anaesthetic intended only for use in hospitals, but claimed it should not have been enough to kill the entertainer known as the "King of Pop".
Defence lawyers had claimed Jackson injected himself with an extra, lethal dose while Murray had stepped out of the room to use the bathroom.
But after listening to extensive medical evidence the jury of seven men and five women decided Murray was responsible for the singer's death.
The doctor was portrayed by prosecutors as a reckless incompetent who gave nightly doses of propofol to Jackson for two months without proper safety equipment.
At the time he noticed his patient had stopped breathing he was on the phone to a cocktail waitress instead of monitoring him.
Murray then failed to contact emergency services for more than 20 minutes, during which time he attempted to hide vials of drugs and an IV bag which the prosecution said had been used to administer the propofol.
Prosecutor David Walgren told the jury that Murray betrayed Jackson's trust by drugging him and then "abandoning" him to die.
Murray was facing hundreds of thousands of dollars in court judgments against him and his Las Vegas medical practice, and was being chased for child support and outstanding mortgage payments.
The prosecution said he had "hit the lottery" when he landed a lucrative job with Jacskon and needed to keep it.
He therefore gave in to the singer's demands for propofol, a drug he called his "milk." That represented an "unconscionable, egregious, extreme deviation from the standard of care," the prosecution said.
At the time of Jackson's death Murray was also not certified as a cardiology specialist by the American Board of Medical Specialties, his certification having run out in 2008.
The Jackson family welcomed the verdict but had wanted the doctor to face a more serious charge.
They are pursuing civil claims against both Murray and AEG Live, the promoter of the "This Is It" tour Jackson was rehearsing for.
Katherine Jackson has lodged a civil suit against AEG claiming it was responsible for Dr Murray's medical decisions because the company funded him.
AEG deny responsibility saying it could not be foreseen that Murray's actions would lead to the singer's death, and that the doctor was personally chosen by Jackson himself.
The singer's father Joe Jackson has filed a separate wrongful death suit against Murray seeking unspecified damages.
As a result of his conviction Murray will lose his medical licence, leaving his career in ruins.
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