Dr. Conrad Murray is set to be freed from jail Monday after serving two years for causing Michael Jackson's death. Murray's four-year
sentence for the involuntary manslaughter conviction translated into
just two years in jail because of California prison rules that give an
additional day credit for each day served.
A jury concluded after a
two-month trial in 2011 that Murray's negligence led to Jackson's death
from an overdose of the surgical anesthetic propofol.
Monday will be the first
time Murray has stepped outside of the Los Angeles County jail since
November 2011, except for one visit to a hospital and to court. He
served his time in the local jail because of overcrowding in state
prisons.
The cardiologist, who was
hired to serve as the pop icon's personal doctor for his comeback tour
in 2009, told investigators he gave Jackson nightly infusions of
propofol to treat his intractable insomnia for two months so he could
rest for rehearsals.
Prosecutors argued that
his negligence included leaving Jackson unmonitored and unattended while
the powerful anesthetic was being pumped into his vein through an IV
drip.
Deputy District Attorney
David Walgren, arguing for the maximum four years in jail, said Murray
was "playing Russian roulette with Michael Jackson's life every single
night," by using propofol to put him to sleep in "a reckless, obscene
manner."
Murray's lawyers unsuccessfully argued that Jackson self-administered the drug while Murray was out of his bedroom.
He remained unremorseful during his two years in jail.
"My entire approach may
not have been an orthodox approach, but my intentions were good," Murray
told CNN's Anderson Cooper interview last April.
Jackson family members
and fans have complained that Murray should have been prosecuted for
second degree murder -- not manslaughter.
Murray can no longer
practice medicine since his licenses were suspended in California, Texas
and Nevada in the wake of his conviction. His lawyer indicated he would
try to get them reinstated so he can treat patients again.
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