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Entertainment behind the scenes
Dr. Conrad Murray, guilty as charged?
(video by Marc Price)
Los Angeles prosecutors finally had their day in court on Monday, when Dr. Conrad Murray — better known as Michael Jackson’s personal physician — was charged with involuntary manslaughter in the pop star’s sudden death. You can read about the charges here.
If you don’t already know about the case, LA coroners have said Jackson died of acute intoxication of an anesthetic drug called propofol, which is used in surgery. Dr. Murray has admitted giving the singer propofol on the day he died, according to court documents, but he has also said other doctors gave Jackson numerous drugs. Indeed, the coroner’s report said several drugs, including the sedative Lorazepam, were in Jackson’s system. You can read about the drugs in his system here.
Proving the case against Murray will be difficult, legal experts say, but far from impossible. Prosecutors have to make jurors believe that Murray’s actions in treating the singer were grossly negligent. “You got to remember, by definition, ‘involuntary’ means there was no intent to cause death. Essentially, it is an accidental death that is so aggravated (by Murray’s actions) that it becomes a crime,” said McGregor Scott of San Francisco-based firm Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe.
Murray is, of course, innocent until proven guilty in the United States. But we know there are a lot of strong, passionate feelings among Jackson fans about his death and whether Murray is at fault. So, we went out to Hollywood Boulevard to ask some entertainment-savvy folks about the charges. Click on the video above to watch. And if you have your own opinion, let us know in the comment section.
