LOS ANGELES — The doctor convicted of killing Michael Jackson has been sentenced to the maximum term of four years behind bars.
Dr. Conrad Murray was sentenced today, three weeks after a jury convicted the cardiologist of involuntary manslaughter. The judge chastised him for a “horrific violation of trust” in caring for Jackson.
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Prosecutors had urged the judge to sentence the doctor to the maximum, arguing his treatment of Jackson with a powerful anesthetic ended the life of the King of Pop and left his three children without a father.
Attorneys for the 58-year-old Murray argued that probation was a more appropriate sentence, given his lack of a criminal history and the fact he will lose his medical license.
Murray could serve half of the four years because of overcrowding in California jails.
Earlier today, Jackson’s family had told the judge that they were not seeking revenge but wanted the doctor who killed the superstar to receive a stiff sentence that serves as a warning to opportunistic doctors.
“The Bible reminds us that men cannot do justice, they can only seek justice,” the family said in a statement read by attorney Brian Panish. “That is all we can ask as a family, and that is all we ask for here.”
The statement went on to say, “We are not here to seek revenge. There is nothing you can do today that will bring Michael back.”
Panish did not specifically request the maximum term of four years in jail for Murray but said the cardiologist should be punished in a way that reminds physicians that they cannot sell their services to the highest bidder.
Several members of Jackson’s family, including mother Katherine and siblings LaToya, Jermaine, Randy and Rebbie, attended the sentencing.
Deputy District Attorney David Walgren also asked Pastor to consider statements Jackson’s mother, Katherine, made to probation officials who prepared a report for the sentencing.
He said Katherine Jackson said she thinks about her son every morning and that his children also think about their father daily.
“‘Their world collapsed when he left,'” Walgren quoted Katherine Jackson as telling probation officials.
Lead defense attorney Ed Chernoff highlighted the accomplishments of Murray.
“I do wonder though to what extent the court considers the entirety of a man’s book of life, as opposed to one chapter,” he told the judge.
The doctor decided not to directly address the court.
Chernoff again attacked Michael Jackson, as he and his team frequently did during the doctor’s trial.
“Michael Jackson was a drug seeker,” Chernoff said.
Jackson’s death in June 2009 stunned the world, as did the ensuing investigation that led to Murray being charged in February 2010.
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