In the beginning of the court defense was asking for no TV cameras presence but judge Michael Pastor denied the plea mentioning Conrad Murray's documentary where TV cameras apparently didn't bothered him.
Michael Jackson's family asked a judge to impose a sentence for Dr. Conrad Murray "that reminds physicians that they cannot sell their services to the highest bidder and cast aside their Hippocratic oath to do no harm."
The collective statement from Michael Jackson's family was read by Brian Panish, the family's attorney and friend.
In the brief statement, the family said that the pop star's death is "simply against the natural order of things" for a child to die before his parents.
His siblings said in the statement that they will never be able to "hold, laugh and perform again with our brother Michael." And his children said they will forever be without their best friend, playmate and father.
The statement did not specify what sentence the family wanted Murray to serve.
"The Bible reminds us that men can do no justice. They can only seek justice," Panish read. "That is all that we can ask as a family."
Murray's lawyers have asked for the most lenient sentence — probation — in papers arguing that the physician has already been punished enough with the loss of his medical license and public contempt.
"We do not disagree that this is a tragedy," defense attorney Ed Chernoff said. "I do wonder, though, to what extent the court considers the entirety of a man's book of life, as opposed to just one chapter."
Chernoff described Murray's treatment of Jackson as regrettable, but said Murray had built himself up from a "dirt poor" childhood to become a cardiologist who helped treat the poor.
"Does any of that matter?" Chernoff said. "That's the question I have. I think it should matter what Dr. Murray has done in his life."
Chernoff said that whether Murray becomes a barista or a greeter at Wal-Mart, he will always live with the stigma as being the "man who killed Michael Jackson."
"That's who he is now," Chernoff said. Chernoff argued that Murray should not be given the maximum four-year prison sentence, but instead be given probation.
He said Murray would be able to help the community while on probation.
"I don't think prison would do that," Chernoff said.
Deputy Dist. Atty. David Walgren said it wasn't simply the events on June 25, 2009, that led to the pop star's death -- but the events before, during and after that amounted to careless and reckless behavior.
"This was not a solitary mistake of judgment or one solitary lack of attention," Walgren said. "This was a consistent pattern of behavior exhibited by Conrad Murray."
Shipments of propofol -- the surgical anesthetic that caused Jackson's death -- began arriving at least two months before he died, Walgren said.
Murray was playing "Russian roulette with Michael Jackson's life every single night," Walgren said.
Walgren also reminded the judge that Murray did not call 911. He was, at the time, on the phone with his girlfriend, Walgren said.
Conrad Murray's own words and lack of remorse as depicted in a documentary that aired before his sentencing seem to have played a role in the physician receiving the maximum sentence of four years in prison for Michael Jackson's death.
In blistering and lengthy remarks, Superior Court Judge Michael Pastor lambasted Murray for failing to express any remorse for the pop star’s death and suggesting in a recent documentary that Jackson bore responsibility for his own demise.
“Talk about blaming the victim,” Superior Court Judge Michael Pastor said. “Not only isn’t there any remorse, there is umbrage and outrage on the part of Dr. Murray against the decedent.”
Pastor denied the defense's request for probation.
"The fact remains, Dr. Murray is offended that [his] patient died," Pastor said in a downtown Los Angeles courtroom. And Murray remains a danger to the community, he said.
Murray did not speak before Pastor issued his sentence. Pastor said that he had been impressed by statements from Murray's friends and family, who talked about his treatment of the poor. He said that he considered the entirety of Murray's life, something defense attorney Ed Chernoff had urged him to do.
But he said he had also considered "the book" of Michael Jackson's life. "Regrettably, as far as Dr. Murray is concerned, the most significant chapter as it relates to this case is the chapter involving the treatment or lack of treatment of Michael Jackson," Pastor said. He called Murray's treatment a "disgrace to the medical profession."
“Michael Jackson died not because of an isolated one-off occurrence or incident," Pastor said. "He died because of a totality of circumstances which are directly attributable to Dr. Murray, not some mistake or some accident in the early morning hours of 2009."
Judge Michael Pastor had particularly harsh words for the doctor for the surreptitious iPhone recording of a heavily drugged and slurring Michael Jackson. Jackson can be heard on the recording, taped a month and a half before the pop star's death and first played during opening statements in the case, rambling almost incoherently about his plans for a comeback.
Deputy Dist. Atty. David Walgren argued that the recording was proof Murray was aware of the singer’s "state" but continued providing him drugs. But Pastor had an even harsher assessment of the secret tape, calling it the piece of evidence against the doctor that "stuck out the most."
"I have repeatedly asked myself why did this happen and for what reasons," Pastor said. One conclusion, he said, was that Murray kept the recording to blackmail Jackson in case they had a falling out. "That tape recording was Dr. Murray's insurance policy.... It was designed to record his patient surreptitiously at that patient's most vulnerable point."
Pastor called the recording "offensive" and said it violated the doctor-patient relationship between Murray and Jackson. He cited it as one of the reasons why he denied probation to Murray, saying it was another failure of Murray's character.
The judge sentenced Dr. Conrad Murray to four years behind bars -- the maximum punishment possible -- for his part in Michael Jackson's death, saying the doctor’s role in the singer’s fatal overdose was “money-for-medicine madness.”
But Conrad Murray is likely to spend less than a full four-year sentence behind bars and will serve it in County Jail rather than state prison.
Under a new state prison policy, defendants convicted of certain nonviolent crimes will spend their terms in County Jail instead of the overcrowded state prison system. Murray's conviction in the death of Michael Jackson appears to fit that criterion.
L.A. County Dist. Atty. Steve Cooley said that if the County Jail system reaches capacity, Murray could be a candidate for early release.
"There is going to be a tremendous number of people that should be in jail and will not be incarcerated," he told The Times in an interview earlier this month. "This is the kind of story that will play out over and over again."
It remains unclear whether the L.A. County Jail will do more early releases. Officials said they are still planning how to deal with the influx of new prisoners into the jails.
Sheriff Lee Baca declined to comment specifically on what will happen to Murray. But in an interview last month, Baca said the doctor's case shows the decisions his department will probably be forced to make as officials determine which inmates can be released.
"Let's face it, Dr. Murray, for quite a period of time, was out free before he was convicted," Baca said. "The chances of him being a problem behaviorally or a threat to society is nonexistent. He's not probably going to practice medicine again or prescribe medication."
Under the law, involuntary manslaughter as well as crimes such as drug offenses and identity theft no longer require state prison time.
Outside the courtroom the fans started to cheered as soon as judge announced that there will not be probation for Murray. Although the four-year sentence was maximum the fans said it's not enough.
Sue Leonard arrived at the downtown courthouse at 6 a.m. and waited for hours with her nephew for justice to be done.
In the end, Leonard, 53, and her 31-year-old nephew reached the same conclusion: four years is not enough.
“It should have been forever,” the El Cajon resident said after hearing that Dr. Conrad Murray has been sentenced to four years behind bars for his role in the death of Michael Jackson.
"He had no right to live in a fantasy world,” Leonard said of the physician. “Conrad Murray was watching out for Conrad Murray.”
David Marshall, wearing a signature Jackson glove and a three-button shirt, was also less than satisfied as he stood among the small but boisterous crowd outside the courthouse, the “Justice for Michael” chants swelling around him.
“It’s better than nothing,” the 48-year-old Mission Hills resident finally said. “But he let a man die. It was negligent. It was unconscionable.”
Neamwhile L.A. County sheriff's officials said Conrad Murray will only serve about two years of his four-year sentence behind bars, but at this point is not eligible for home detention.
Sheriff's spokesman Steve Whitmore told The Times that officials were still trying to determine the exact details of his incarceration. But under state law, nonviolent felons in California serve 50% of their sentences.
While the Sheriff's Department is considering electronic monitoring at home for some inmates, Whitmore said Murray's involuntary manslaughter conviction in the death of Michael Jackson will likely mean he spends the entire two years in jail. That's the maximum sentence the law will allow, Whitmore said.
Source: LA Today/ MJackson.com
