After Michael Jackson’s death on June 25, 2009, people pointed fingers at Dr. Conrad Murray, accusing him of causing the death of the King of Pop. The accusations said that Dr. Murray gave Jackson an overdose of Propofol, a type of surgical-grade anesthetic, and then did not proceed to monitor the star.
Despite the accusations, Murray chose not to show his face in L.A. Superior Court while the closing arguments for the involuntary manslaughter case took place. According to E! Online, Murray could only be proven guilty if the jury could prove that “he had (not only) committed an unlawful act, but (also) acted with criminal negligence and his act caused the death of Michael Jackson.” L.A. Superior Court Judge Michael Pastor made sure the jury knew that criminal negligence meant more than human error, inattention, or judgmental mistakes.
Murray was called negligent for even providing Jackson with the drugs, whether or not Jackson administered them himself. The prosecutors believed that Murray giving Jackson Propofol was enough to determine that he was guilty of the death.
Ed Chernoff was Murray’s defense attorney throughout the trial. E! Online quoted the start off Chernoff’s closing argument as he said, “They want you to convict Dr. Murray for the actions of Michael Jackson.” He claimed that the prosecutors had no substantial proof to put the blame on Murray, that they never found an actual crime.
The Daily Mail reported that Jackson was looking for Propofol to help him sleep at night, but he had no intention of overdosing. David Walgren, the prosecutor, said, “He wanted a doctor with eyes on him to keep him safe,” the night he took the drugs.
The prosecutors not only blame Murray for Jackson’s death, but also say that he has not acted like a trained doctor in general. According to the prosecutors, the doctor never had his patients’ prioritized at the top of his list.
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