Conrad Murray was released from the Los Angeles County jail early this morning after completing his sentence for the involuntary manslaughter of Michael Jackson.
The 60-year-old served two years of his four year conviction and was escorted away from the jail in a sheriff’s car, eluding a group of television cameras and die-hard Michael Jackson fans. The reason for the increased security was for the “safety and security” of the jail, sheriff’s spokesman Steve Whitmore said.
Jackson fans complained that the sheriff’s office was showing favoritism by letting him leave through the back, instead of having him leave through the front doors like everyone else.
While in jail Murray was reportedly an exemplary inmate who was allowed liberal use of a phone inside his jail cell. The former doctor was also kept away from the general population during his tenure.
Now, Murray is trying to get his medical license reinstated in Texas, California and Nevada so he can resume his medical career. He lost his license after a jury convicted Murray of negligence for administering an overdose of the surgical anesthetic propofol to Michael Jackson in 2009.
Murray reportedly remained unremorseful for Jackson’s death during his two years in jail.
He remained unremorseful during his two years in jail.
“My entire approach may not have been an orthodox approach, but my intentions were good,” Murray told Anderson Cooper in an interview last April. “I explained to Michael that this is an artificial way of considering sleep. It was basically sedation, minimal sedation.”
Murray’s attorney, Valerie Wass, is just glad the whole ordeal is all over.
“They didn’t release him one minute early,” Wass said outside the courthouse Monday morning. “I’m just happy he’s finally out.”
Under state law, Murray was eligible for probation, but Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Michael Pastor imposed the maximum sentence on the former doctor due to his “pattern of deceit and lies.”
According to Pastor, Jackson died “not because of an isolated one-off occurrence or incident. He died because of a totality of circumstances which are directly attributable to Dr. Murray … because of a series of decisions that Dr. Murray made.”
Many of Michael Jackson’s fans and family members argue that Murray should have been prosecuted for second degree murder, instead of manslaughter.
Either way, Conrad Murray is now a free man. His next step is to get the Medical Board of California to reverse his conviction so he can obtain his suspended medical license and continue to practice medicine.
Do you think Murray should be allowed to practice medicine again? Would you let him be your doctor? Comment below…
