What World Talking Now

Jackson patriarch says ‘justice was done’Jury deliberated for just ten hours over the course of two daysTrial featured 50 witnesses and 22 days of testimony Conrad Murray denied bail and left court in handcuffsSentencing scheduled for November 29

By
David Gardner In Los Angeles

Last updated at 4:27 AM on 8th November 2011

Conrad Murray is tonight spending his first night behind bars as Michael Jackson’s family celebrates after a jury convicted the pop star’s former doctor of involuntary manslaughter.

Members of the Jackson family wept quietly after the guilty verdict was read at Los Angeles Superior Court today.

But outside the courtroom, cries of joy echoed among hundreds of fans, who gathered singing lyrics to ‘Beat It’. There, they greeted their pop idol’s parents and siblings, who said that justice was finally served.

Michael Jackson’s doctor Conrad Murray, seen
here as the verdict was read, was found guilty of involuntary
manslaughter on Monday in his 2009 death in a rented Los Angles mansion

Dr Conrad Murray is remanded into custody after the jury returned with a guilty verdict

La Toya Jackson, wiping back tears,
pointed to the sky and thanked the legions of fans who kept her
brother’s memory alive.

‘Thank you America, thank you
everyone. Everybody was wonderful. Michael loves everybody. He was in
that courtroom with us – that’s why justice was served,’ she said.

 

Older sister Rebbe said: ‘I am just
happy it’s all over. Nothing will bring Michael back but I am just happy
that he was found guilty.’

Leaving the court, Jermaine Jackson said: ‘Justice was served, but it wasn’t enough time. Michael is with us.’

Los Angeles County police surround Murray and his defence team as the verdict is announced

Murray listens as the verdict is announced, showing little emotion before he was escorted out of the courtroom

Murray looks at the jury of five women and seven men prior to the verdict’s announcement

Murray appeared withdrawn as he was remanded into custody after the jury returned with a guilty verdict

No one appeared more stunned by the guilty verdict than Conrad Murray himself, who looked understandably distraught as he was put in cuffs. one his daughters sat crying in a row behind him

Murray was handcuffed by officers in the courtroom and led out by bailiffs

Murray is being held without bail until his November 29th sentencing

SENTENCING OPTIONS

Convicted
of involuntary manslaughter, Conrad Murray now faces a sentence of up
to four years in prison. Below are some of the factors:

Superior
Court Judge Michael Pastor would receive a probation department report
on Murray recommending a sentence. Both prosecution and defence lawyers
also file recommendations. But the final decision is his and his alone.Judge
Pastor can consider that Murray is a defendant with no prior criminal
record, a circumstance that might mitigate in favor of probation.Because
of AB109, a recent California prison realignment bill, Murray probably
would not go to state prison. If given a prison sentence, he would most
likely serve it in the county jail because of prison overcrowding. There
has been speculation that he would be allowed to serve a term of house
arrest.The penal code
calls for a convicted defendant to be sentenced in 20 days, but he can
waive that time while his lawyers prepare a motion for a new trial and
an appeal. He could remain free on bail during that period. Murray will lose his medical license

Family matriarch Katherine Jackson said she was confident this would be the outcome of the trial. ‘I feel better now,’ she said.

Jackson’s father, Joe, said as he left the courthouse with her: ‘Justice was done’.

‘The Estate of Michael Jackson and of
Michael himself has always believed the jury system works and despite
the tragedy that brought about this trial we are in agreement with the
jury’s verdict. In this case justice has been served. Michael is missed
on a daily basis but his genius and his music will be with us forever,’
an official statement read.

Murray was handcuffed and taken into custody after being remanded without bail to await his sentencing on November 29.

The 58-year-old cardiologist faces up to four years behind bars after the jury’s conviction.

Wearing a grey pin-striped suit and a
blue tie, Murray looked stunned as the jury’s decision was read out
after two days and ten hours of deliberations.

Just as he has through most of the
trial, Murray remained stoic as Judge Michael Pastor dismissed an appeal
for him to be released on bail pending his sentencing hearing.

A sheriff’s deputy leaned over while
Murray sat at the defence table and handcuffed him before leading him
out of the court to the cells.

Outside the court,
hundreds of Jackson fans cheered when they heard the verdict, someholding signs that read ‘guilty’ and ‘killer’ as passing motorists honked their horns.

Judge Pastor said Murray’s ‘reckless conduct’ meant he was a danger to the public.

Prosecutor David Walgren thanked the
‘diligent’ jury. ‘Our sympathies go out to the Jackson family for the
loss they have suffered. Not as a pop icon but as a son and a brother,’
he added.

Michael Jackson’s sister La Toya Jackson (C) speaks to the media as she leaves the courthouse with Kathy and Rick Hilton (R) following the guilty verdict

La Toya Jackson gestures on arrival outside the courthouse ahead of the announcement of the verdict

Michael Jackson’s mother, Katherine Jackson, is surrounded by police officers as she leaves the courthouse after the reading of the guilty verdict

Michael Jackson’s father Joe (L) and brother Jermaine Jackson leave the courthouse after the announcement

Prosecutors said the conviction meant Murray would automatically lose his medical licence.

La Toya Jackson later tweeted ‘VICTORY’.

A jubilant La Toya tweeted ‘VICTORY’ after the verdict was read

The Los Angeles Police Department echoed her comments in a public statement.

A spokesman told TMZ.com: ‘Today’s
verdict of guilty is confirmation that the combined efforts of our
investigators, criminalists, Coroner investigators and the District
Attorney’s Office were sound.

‘The investigators have worked
diligently on this case and were confident throughout the process that
the investigation supported the allegation of involuntary manslaughter.’

Murray’s lawyers said they weren’t
planning to make any official statement after the hearing, but Ed
Chernoff said he was ‘not shocked’ at the verdict.

He said he was planning to request
another bail hearing to try and get Murray released while he awaits his
November 29 sentencing.

District Attorney Steve Cooley said
it will be difficult to achieve an appropriate sentence for Murray
because of a new state prison alignment law that allows early release
for people convicted of nonviolent felonies.

He said his office gave the case the same attention it would give a lower profile case, but conceded that because of the identity of the victim, ‘obviously this takes on a viral dimension’.

Murray’s mother and his girlfriend, former exotic dancer Nicole Alvarez, refused to comment outside the court.

Randy and sister Rebbie Jackson also arrived before the
verdict was announced to honor their brother

La Toya Jackson arrived with Rick and Kathy Hilton, far right. La Toya tweeted that she was ‘shaking uncontrollably!’ as she made her way to the courthouse and then screamed inside once the verdict was read

Michael Jackson’s parents Joe and Katherine Jackson arrived together at the courthouse shortly before the verdict was read

MURRAY’S FIRST MEAL

It is believed Murray has been deemed a ‘keep away
inmate’, meaning he will be assigned a single cell for his own
protection while serving time at Los Angeles County jail ahead of his sentencing.

Reports suggest he enjoyed his first meal, a sacked lunch, within hours of being jailed.

Law enforcement sources told TMZ.com the first meal Murray was offered included a cheese sandwich, fruit punch, carrot sticks and homemade ‘Oreo-knockoff’ cookies baked in the jail’s own bakery.

Murray nodded to them before being
led off to jail. It is believed Murray has been deemed a ‘keep away
inmate’, meaning he will be assigned a single cell for his own
protection.

TMZ.com
reports he will also be assigned an ‘escort’ in Los Angeles County jail
whenever he is moved, and will not be permitted to mingle with the
general inmate population.

The verdict came after nearly 50
witnesses, 22 days of testimony and less than two days of deliberation
by a jury of seven men and five women, who were escorted from the building and not available for comment after the verdict was read.

Announcing the verdict, the judge thanked the jurors for their civic duty.

‘I
remember way back when in September when we first met, I asked you at
that time to accept responsibility of citizenship and told you that I
understood that serving on this jury would be a hardship and a burden
because you have your own lives and responsibility to your jobs,
profession and family.

Jackson fans and supporters have turned out every day over the months of the trial

Michael Jackson fans react to the guilty verdict and cry out in celebration

Fans of Michael Jackson sombrely wait for the verdict outside the courthouse

‘You have undertaken the
responsibility in a  remarkable fashion. You have made sacrifices and
had to endures burdens, delays and a case that ran over the time I had
told you you would have to serve.

‘You have been remarkable in
conscientiousness, patience, respect and never been late. For that we
are very appreciative. I know that serving on a case of this sort
interferes with everyday life and I personally thanks you for your time
and efforts.’

In what was billed as the most closely
watched celebrity trial in history, a procession of witnesses gave
starkly contrasting views of the 58-year-old doctor.

During the trial, prosecutors painted
Murray as a greedy opportunist who threw his medical knowhow out of the
window to cater to the dangerously bizarre whims of a superstar.

The defence painted him as a caring cardiologist battling against the odds to help his celebrity patient from self-destructing.

But after six weeks of evidence, the jurors agreed on one crucial factor – that
Murray was responsible for Jackson’s death.

Michael Jackson fans wait outside the courthouse for the reading of the verdict in Dr Conrad Murray’s trial in Los Angeles

Michael Jackson fans outside the Apollo theatre in the Harlem section of New York City react to the reading of the verdict

People react after hearing the guilty verdict in the Dr Conrad Murray trial outside the courthouse in Los Angeles

Michael Jackson fan Felicia Wilson wipes a tear after hearing the guilty verdict

DEFENCE ATTORNEY ED CHERNOFF

Mr Chernoff is a relatively little known attorney from Houston, Texas that nevertheless comes with a glowing legal reputation. He works at a firm with three lawyers which mainly handles white-collar cases.

He has fought hard in defence of Dr Conrad Murray, a man he counts as a personal friend. He has temporarily left his Texas home, including his wife and newborn baby, to decamp to an office in California for the trial. 

His handling of the case has not always gone smoothly and he can often be seen chewing an unlit cigar. Chernoff was forced to fire the defence’s publicist after discovering she had leaked information related to a confidential jury questionnaire to TMZ. He was born in Maryland in 1962 and attended law school at the University of Houston.

In the end it came down to the fact that
the doctor acted with criminal negligence in administering a deadly
dose of propofol to the star who was desperate to get some sleep to
rehearse for his looming comeback tour at London’s O2 Arena.

Murray was accused of botching any hopes
of reviving the star by delaying more than 20 minutes before calling
911 for help after discovering Jackson lifeless on his bed on June 25,
2009.

Then he lied about using propofol – a
powerful drug that is only supposed to be used in a hospital setting –
to cover up his guilt, keeping the fact that he used the sedative from
paramedics and emergency room doctors.

It was unclear whether the jury
determined that Murray had administered the fatal dose of propofol while
deciding he was responsible for the death of Jackson.

One medical expert outlined seventeen
separate failures in the accepted standards of care in Murray’s
treatment of the 50-year-old singer, each of which could have possibly
played a part in his death.

Los
Angeles Deputy District Attorney David Walgren told the jury they
needed to agree on just one life threatening blunder to find him guilty.

He said Murray’s use of propofol to treat Jackson’s chronic insomnia was an ‘obscene experiment’.

Walgren
rejected claims that Jackson was falling apart and hooked on painkiller
drugs and insisted that the 50-year-old star was excited and optimistic
about his future and was planning to buy a new, stable home for his
family and end their nomadic ‘vagabond’ lifestyle.

NOT PRESENT: Jackson’s three children Prince, 14, Blanket, 9, and Paris, 13, have stayed away from the entire trial as well as staying away from the verdict

The jury was sensationally shown this image of Jackson’s dead body by the prosecution early on in Murray’s trial

PROSECUTOR DAVID WALGREN (DEPUTY DA)

This is far from his first high-profile case. In 2009, he stopped director Roman Polanski’s effort to have a 1977 child-sex case against him dismissed. Four years before that he jailed photographer John Rutter who was convicted of forgery, attempted grand theft and perjury after he had tried to sell old topless pictures of Cameron Diaz back to the actress.

He graduated from law school at the University of California in 1995 where he went straight into the L.A. district attorney’s office. He began working on misdemeanors and juvenile cases before joining the hardcore gang unit before moving to major crimes in 2005.

His impassioned court room appearances have attracted him some fans – a Facebook page called David Walgren Is Hot has 1,200 followers while Michael Jackson’s sister, La Toya gave him a shout out on Twitter: ‘Walgren is doing a great job!’ Mr Walgren is happily married to Deputy DA Nicol Walgren and the couple have two children.

The trial started sensationally with a
photo of Jackson’s dead body lying on a hospital gurney shown to the
jury during opening arguments. A shocking tape of Jackson’s slurred
voice was also played in the courtroom on the first day.

Prosecutors
then quizzed a series of witnesses who offered damning accounts of
Murray’s care for Jackson in the final months, days and hours of his
life.

As it proceeded, the trial came more down to a battle of the scientists who argued over the dangers and benefits of propofol.

One of the key battles of the experts was between two anaesthesiologists.

Prosecution
star witness Dr Steven Shafer was scathing about the dangers Murray
exposed Jackson to by using propofol without the proper equipment or
staff, but he was branded a ‘cop’ by the defence for his zealous
testimony.

Dr Paul White,
testifying for the prosecution, was lambasted by Walgren for his flimsy
research and  the ‘junk science’ he used to try and explain how Jackson
could have caused his own death by self-administering propofol while
Murray left the bedside to go to the toilet.

Dr Arnold Klein, Jackson’s longtime dermatologist – who was an element in the trial although he wasn’t charged with any wrongdoing and wasn’t a witness – called out for harsher punishment after the verdict.

‘The defence lawyers should be cited for misrepresenting the truth about Michael’s Demerol use and the deliberate misinterpretation of my medical records which caused confusion and wrongly placed blame on me. Put simply they lied,’ he said. ‘Any sentencing Murray would get would be less than if he had stolen my car. It’s time to find out who allowed this incompetent individual to be Michael Jackson’s doctor.’

Jackson was paying $ 100,000 a month to live this rented Bel Air mansion at the time of his death in one of its many upstairs bedrooms

THE JUDGE: MICHAEL PASTOR

A renowned and respected LA Superior Court Judge for 27 years, the New Yorker has made sure that evidence in the trial was limited to Michael Jackson’s final days and hours.

He has presided strictly over the case, trying  prevent it from turning into a lengthy media circus. Over the years Judge Pastor has handled a significant number of very serious and complicated felony matters, including charges of multiple murder, sex offenses, and fraud.

In addition, he was also assigned to handle the case involving the photographer charged with attempted grand theft and forgery against Cameron Diaz.

He graduated from Cornell University in 1971 and worked in New York City for a year before beginning law school.

Reverand Al Sharpton, a friend of the Jackson family, agreed.

‘Certainly
I feel that more punishment could and should have been served but I am
pleased that this jury didn’t blame Michael for his own death,’ he said.
‘I feel that Dr Murray and others who benefited from Michael but didn’t
protect him got off relatively lightly. Michael lost his life and we
lost one of the greatest entertainers that ever lived. I lost a friend
and will never forget him.’

The defence insisted Murray was cast as a scapegoat by the authorities who needed someone to blame for the tragedy.

‘Somebody’s
got to say it: If it were anybody else but Michael Jackson, if it were
anybody else, would this doctor be here today?’ defence lawyer Ed
Chernoff said in his closing argument on Thursday.

Chernoff
said Murray was under immense pressure to administer the knock-out drug
from Jackson and the promoters of the lucrative sell-out comeback
concerts. Jackson himself even threatened to cancel the tour if he
couldn’t get enough sleep to rehearse.

‘He was just a little fish in a big dirty pond,’ said Chernoff.

Murray
chose not to go on the stand, perhaps fearing he would harm his case
still further under harsh examination from the prosecution. He showed
little emotion despite being excoriated by some witnesses, but his
lawyers sought to show him as a sympathetic figure and summoned a number
of former heart patients to vouch for his expertise and generosity.

Former Murray patient and current friend, Donna DiGiacomo, 53, of Las
Vegas, sobbed as she spoke of the verdict and what she said she thought
was ‘overwhelming pressure to convict’.

Murray’s current girlfriend, actress Nicole Alvarez, 29, (left) and former girlfriend testified during the trial; while prosecution witness Sade Anding (right) said Murray was on the phone to her just before 12pm on the day Michael Jackson died

Murray’s wife, Blanche, and daughter, Camille, go grocery shopping in Las Vegas in 2009. Mrs Murray was not seen by the public for the duration of the trial

‘This man didn’t deserve this. They needed a scapegoat,’ she said.

Despite speculation to the contrary,
Jackson’s children, Prince, 14, Paris, 13 and nine-year-old Blanket did
not give evidence and were kept away from the spectacle surrounding the
trial.

But Walgren focused on the children’s loss in his closing speech to the jury, blaming Murray for robbing them of their father.

‘For
them, this case doesn’t end today or tomorrow or the next day,’ he
said. ‘For Michael’s children, this case will go on forever because they
do not have a father.’

Jackson’s
parents, Joe and Katherine, and siblings Janet, LaToya, Jermaine and
Randy  were regularly in the public gallery on the ninth floor of the
Los Angeles Superior Court building while Murray’s mother watched from
the other side of the public gallery.

Every day, Jackson fans lined the street
outside the downtown court waving placards and demanding justice for
their musical hero.

At Judge Michael Pastor’s instigation,
the jury was not allowed to hear much about Murray’s tangled love life.
Although he is married, he has fathered at least seven children with six
different women.

His doctor wife lives in Las Vegas with their two children, but the court heard that Murray lives with mistress Nicole Alvarez, a former stripper, in Santa Monica, California.

 

 

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