Over two years after the death of music legend Michael Jackson, a verdict has been reached in the manslaughter trial prosecuting his private physician, Dr. Conrad Murray.
The jury of seven men and five women deliberated for less than nine hours. They returned with a guilty verdict. All twelve confirmed that they were unanimous in their decision.
A wild scene played out at the courthouse as fans, protesters and media outlets descended upon downtown Los Angeles to get the final word in the case. The increasingly excited crowd could be heard chanting “Guilty! Guilty!” outside the courthouse prior to the reading of the verdict.
When word of the verdict came down, the screams from outside were so loud they could be heard inside the courtroom.
The case is notable as it is one of very few criminal cases against a physician for killing a patient. Doctors are generally subject to civil cases if malpractice is suspected.
Despite the attention to Michael Jackson’s lavish and controversial private life in his later years, rather than his music, his shocking death in 2009 caused a renewed interest in his many hits and made him the best-selling music artist that year.
It also created a word-wide interest in the circumstances surrounding his final days. Soon after, the Los Angeles County Corner declared MJ’s death a homicide. It was revealed that he died of acute propofol intoxication. Dr. Murray entered a not guilty plea to charges of involuntary manslaughter, although he did admit he had administered some drugs to help MJ sleep that evening.
In the trial that followed, the doc’s side claimed that is was MJ who gave himself the fatal overdose.
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