The Star Online: Entertainment: Music
The Star Online: Entertainment: Music |
- Jackson fans, family cheer Murray's guilty verdict
- Convicted Jackson doctor could be free within months
- Michael Jackson's doctor found guilty
| Jackson fans, family cheer Murray's guilty verdict Posted: 07 Nov 2011 06:53 PM PST LOS ANGELES: Michael Jackson fans cheered and his family members hailed as a triumph the verdict that found Dr. Conrad Murray guilty of involuntary manslaughter in the singer's death. The ''Thriller'' singer died in June 2009 at age 50 from an overdose of sedatives and the surgical anesthetic propofol, which Murray, his personal physician, administered to Jackson as a sleep aid. Jackson's mother, Katherine Jackson, and elder sister Rebbie cried silently as the guilty verdict was read. As she left the courtroom, Katherine was asked by reporters if she was pleased and her answer was simply: ''I am.'' Brother Jermaine told reporters, ''Justice was served. Michael is with us.'' Other family members including father Joe Jackson, and siblings La Toya and Randy were whisked away from the court building in cars and did not talk to the media. But on Twitter, La Toya posted: ''VICTORY!!!!!!'' and later tweeted, ''Michael I love you and I will continue to fight until ALL are brought to justice!'' Murray faces up to four years in jail when he is sentenced on Nov. 29. Prosecutors said they were ''gratified'' at the outcome. ''We finally want to extend our sympathies to the Jackson family - especially to Prince, Paris and Blanket. They have lost a beloved father. Nothing can make up for that loss,'' said Los Angeles District Attorney Steve Cooley. 'MIXED EMOTIONS' Asked by reporters if he was disappointed, Murray's attorney, J. Michael Flanagan, told reporters: ''Of course'', but the defense did not make a statement. Jackson's friends weighed-in, too. Civil rights activist Al Sharpton released a statement saying he had ''mixed emotions'' that Murray wasn't given greater punishment, but ''was pleased that this jury didn't blame Michael for his own death.'' The six-week trial took place without much of the media hype and fan attention surrounding Jackson's 2005 trial on charges of child molestation, but by the time the verdict was handed down Monday afternoon, around 100 fans had gathered outside the Los Angeles courthouse and cheered the verdict. Some fans shouted ''thank you judge,'' and passersby honked their car horns. Fans sang and danced to Jackson's songs such as ''Beat It'' and the old Jackson Five hit ''ABC.'' Dana Brenklin, 35, of Los Angeles, burst into tears when the verdict was read. ''It's not going to bring back Michael but for 2 years, I had a project - justice for Michael Jackson - and I got what I wanted. Hopefully they'll strip his (Murray's) license and I hope he can't practice medicine ever,'' Brenklin said. A 32-year-old Los Angeles man calling himself Scorpio, who was dressed like Jackson in cream military suit with sunglasses and one sequined glove, called the verdict, ''brilliant.'' ''This is one of the happiest days of my life and I'm sure the family's life,'' said Scorpio. ''Now his mother can relax and rest and not worry about court in the morning.'' Full content generated by Get Full RSS. |
| Convicted Jackson doctor could be free within months Posted: 07 Nov 2011 06:49 PM PST LOS ANGELES: Michael Jackson's doctor may spend as little as a few months behind bars despite being convicted on Monday of involuntary manslaughter in the 2009 death of the "Thriller" singer. Legal experts said that Dr. Conrad Murray was ultimately likely to benefit from a new California law that deals with chronic overcrowding in the state's jails. Trial judge Michael Pastor could sentence Murray on Nov. 29 to probation, home confinement or up to four years in state prison. He was found guilty of gross negligence by giving Jackson the anesthetic propofol - normally used to sedate patients for surgery - that was deemed the main cause of the singer's 2009 death. But California adopted a new law last month that sends low-risk prison inmates to county jails, and the officials who run Los Angeles county jails have been releasing inmates early because of a lack of space. "It will be very difficult to achieve an appropriate sentence of incarceration for Dr. Conrad Murray," Los Angeles District Attorney Steve Cooley, whose office prosecuted the case, told reporters on Monday. Stan Goldman, a professor at Loyola Law School, said he was surprised that judge Pastor ordered Murray to jail for three weeks before sentencing. The physician has been free on $75,000 bail for the past two years. "It's pretty obvious by putting him in custody, which was the biggest surprise of the entire trial, that we're probably looking at a sentence of three to four years," Goldman told Reuters. But Goldman added: "I'd be surprised if a year from today, Conrad Murray was still behind bars." Beverly Hills-based defense attorney Mark McBride said Murray's actual time served could be even less. That is partly because the crime of involuntary manslaughter is not considered a serious felony under California law, and carries a stipulation that only 50 percent of any sentence must be served behind bars. Add in jail overcrowding and "what that means is that Murray could do three or four months," McBride told Reuters. Troubled actress Lindsay Lohan is one high profile example of the vagaries of busy Los Angeles jails. She was locked up for less than six hours of a 30-day sentence this past weekend for probation violations for jewelry theft and drunk driving convictions. The three weeks that Murray will serve in jail before sentencing will likely be counted against any term he might receive, the district attorney's office said. A spokesman for the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, which controls jails, declined to speculate on how much actual time Murray would be locked away. "We have to wait to see what the judge orders. Then we will know," spokesman Steve Whitmore said. Cooley said he also expected that Murray's California medical license would be automatically suspended, and he hoped other states would follow suit. Cooley said the fact that superstar Jackson was the victim had no bearing on how his office pursued the case. He added that the case sends a message to doctors "that this sort of conduct does rise to the level of criminal negligence." Full content generated by Get Full RSS. |
| Michael Jackson's doctor found guilty Posted: 07 Nov 2011 06:09 PM PST LOS ANGELES (Reuters): Michael Jackson's personal doctor was found guilty Monday of involuntary manslaughter in the singer's death following a six-week trial that captivated Jackson fans around the world. Dr. Conrad Murray, 58, was led away in handcuffs after the Los Angeles jury reached a unanimous verdict. The doctor, who could face up to four years in prison, will be sentenced on Nov. 29. Dozens of fans outside the courtroom erupted in cheers and some burst into tears. Murray had pleaded not guilty to giving the Thriller singer a fatal dose of the powerful anesthetic propofol -- normally used in surgery -- that was ruled the main cause of the pop star's June 25, 2009 death. But prosecutors argued Murray was grossly negligent in administering the propofol to help Jackson sleep. Defense attorneys claimed Jackson delivered the fatal dose to himself. The judge ordered Murray, who has been free on bail for two years, held in custody until his sentencing at the end of the month. Murray did not testify at the Los Angeles trial and looked impassive as the guilty verdict was pronounced to a small cry from his side of the packed courtroom. Jackson's mother Katherine and the singer's sister Rebbie cried silently as the guilty verdict was read. His siblings La Toya, Jermaine and Randy, and his father Joe, were also on hand. Jackson was found lifeless at his Los Angeles mansion on June 25, 2009, age 50, about three weeks before he was scheduled to begin a series of concerts in London aimed at returning the pop star to the limelight after the humiliation of his 2005 trial and acquittal on child molestation. Murray admitted giving Jackson a small dose of propofol to help him sleep. But his lawyers argued at the trial that the singer was dependent on the drug and that Jackson likely gave himself a extra, fatal dose of the powerful anesthetic, as well as swallowing a handful of sedatives, without Murray's knowledge. Asked by reporters if she was pleased with verdict, Katherine Jackson said simply ``I am.'' ``Justice was served. Michael is with us,'' said brother Jermaine. Asked if he was disappointed, Murray's attorney, J. Michael Flanagan, told reporters ``Of course''. Prosecutors argued at trial that Murray was guilty of gross negligence for administering the drug in a home setting, failing to monitor Jackson, delaying calling emergency services, and failing to tell medical personnel he gave the singer propofol. Trial judge Michael Pastor said Monday that Murray was ''now a convicted felon who has been deemed the causative factor in Michael Jackson's death''. Pastor said he should be locked up before being sentenced to protect public safety. On the street outside, more than 100 Jackson fans whooped with joy and chanted ``Thank you judge!'' as the guilty verdict, announced live on television, was read. Bus driver Dana Brenklin, 35, burst into tears. ``Of course it's not enough and it's not going to bring back Michael. But for two years, I had a project, justice for Michael Jackson, and I got what I wanted,'' Brenklin said. Trial watchers had said the guilty verdict was almost assured. Prosecutors were required to prove only that Murray was reckless in his care, and the judge told jurors that the doctor could be found guilty even if the jury believed that Jackson gave himself the propofol, as long as such a possibility was foreseeable. ``The prosecution did a great job of creating a portrait (of Murray) that asked, 'is this how someone would have acted if he was responsible?''' said Marcellus McRae, former federal prosecutor and a trial lawyer with New York-based law firm, Gibson Dunn. Full content generated by Get Full RSS. |
| You are subscribed to email updates from The Star Online: Entertainment: Music To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now. | Email delivery powered by Google |
| Google Inc., 20 West Kinzie, Chicago IL USA 60610 | |
0 ulasan:
Catat Ulasan