Disclaimer: The article contains mentions of death. Reader discretion is advised.
On June 25, 2009, paramedics discovered the unresponsive body of musical icon Michael Jackson at his Los Angeles house. Reports indicated that they took the singer-songwriter to the hospital and tried reviving him. However, Jackson eventually succumbed to cardiac arrest and died at the age of 50. After the police sent his body for an autopsy to determine Jackson’s cause of death, it was found that he had anesthetic propofol in his system. As a result, authorities ruled his death as a homicide and apprehended Jackson’s physician, Dr. Conrad Munray, for the musician’s death.
Per the autopsy, the medical examiner found two other sedatives in Michael Jackson’s body apart from anesthetic propofol. According to The Associated Press (via CBS News), the report also noted that Jackson’s health was “fine” before he passed away. Moreover, his lungs were chronically inflamed and had reduced capacity. After the report, authorities initiated the investigation and arrested Conrad Murray eight months after Jackson’s death. Citing the court documents, CBS News noted Murray contacted Jackson numerous times over 47 minutes when issues arose. Subsequently, authorities filed an involuntary manslaughter charge against Murray.
In the preliminary hearings, the prosecution claimed that Dr. Conrad Murray decided to hide drugs before calling the paramedics. BBC reported that Murray did not perform CPR properly and forgot to tell the paramedics that he gave Michael Jackson propofol. During the trial, prosecutors criticized Murray for “gross negligence” while administering the drug to the musician. Meanwhile, the defense noted that Jackson self-administered a lethal dose of propofol. After hearing the testimonies of witnesses and arguments, the jury deliberated for nine hours before delivering a guilty verdict. Per BBC, the court sentenced him to four years in prison.
Who was convicted in Michael Jackson’s death & why?
As mentioned above, the court convicted physician Conrad Murray for the death of Michael Jackson. CBS News said the autopsy report was crucial in taking Murray to trial. Apart from discovering sedatives in his system, the medical examiner also stated that the “recommended equipment for patient monitoring” was missing. Additionally, the expert believed proper propofol administration procedures were not met.
During the trial, one of the medical experts claimed that Conrad Murray may have “mistakenly” administered an excessive dose of propofol to Michael Jackson. Meanwhile, another medical expert claimed that Murray made 17 violations while giving the drug to the musician. The witness also noted that Murray behaved like Jackson’s employee and not his doctor, reported BBC News.
On the other hand, another medical expert criticized the defense for floating the theory that Michael Jackson killed himself. According to Rolling Stone, the expert said it was crazy to think that the musician self-administered a lethal dose of anesthetic propofol. He said, “People don’t wake up hellbent to give themselves another dose.”
The defense continued to argue that Dr. Conrad Murray never wanted anything wrong with Michael Jackson. They even called Murray’s former patients to make the jury understand his medical capabilities. However, Murray did not testify in his trial and stated that he made his decision “freely.” Per BBC, he said, “My decision is I will not testify in this matter.”
The court found him guilty of involuntary manslaughter and sentenced him to four years in prison. According to The Florida-Times Union, the doctor got out of prison after serving half of his sentence in October 2013.
Several documentaries on Michael Jackson’s life and death are available for streaming. These titles are currently available on several platforms, such as Netflix, Prime Video, Max, and Apple TV+.
