Dr. Conrad Murray
November 29, 2011
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Murray is set to serve a maximum of four years in prison, but because of the new California law, non-violent felons serve their time in county jail. Judge Michael Pastor denied Dr. Murray probation and gave him the maximum sentence, saying he has "absolutely no sense of remorse...and is, and remains, dangerous."
Before the sentencing, the judge allowed a statement to be read from the family. Brian Panish, an attorney and friend of the Jackson family, represented them by reading their message to the court:
"I am the attorney and friend of the Jackson family.
TMZ spoke to judges, prosecutors and criminal lawyers who all agree that 4 years in prison is Murray’s maximum sentence, which they think is a little steep.
These legal experts concluded that the average person in this kind of accidental manslaughter case with a similar background (a clean record) would get only a year or two in jail followed by a year of two of community service.
November 15, 2011
According to TMZ, Murray's baby mama, Nicole Alvarez, his bodyguard, Jeff, and his lawyers have all been to the jail to visited him. And Murray has told them all that he wants to die, as the verdict came as a shock to him. Murray is currently in the medical ward at L.A. County Jail, and has been there for more than a week. He is currently awaiting his sentencing, which is scheduled for later this month.
Hollyscoop spoke to one of Murray's defense lawyers, Nareg Gourjian, who told us "the documentary humanizes Dr. Murray and it'll be a side that no one has ever seen before."
"He was devastated," Gourjian tells Hollyscoop. "I mean, he loved Mr. Jackson. Mr. Jackson was a close friend of his, and to be blamed for his death is just horrifying for Dr. Murray."
Gourjian says that the defense team had quite the task with the jury.
November 9, 2011
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It only took jurors two days to reach a unanimous descision about Murray. There was apparently no conflict between the seven men and five women on the panel and they all came to their decision well before they ended the eight hours of deliberations. The juror says there was just an "overwhelming body of evidence."
The juror tells TMZ they are "glad it's over" and is glad to return to "normal life."
Another juror, Debbie Franklin, was recently interviewed on Good Morning America.
November 8, 2011
But according to an anonymous law enforcement source, Murray has been placed on suicide watch. Apparently, the staff at the Los Angeles County Men's jail were instructed to ensure that Murray doesn't take his own life during the first few days of his incarceration.
Murray spent his first night in jail on Monday. After the guilty verdict was read, and Judge Pastor deemed that Murray should be held by officials without bond, the doctor was handcuffed.
HOLLYSCOOP EXCLUSIVE
November 8, 2011
Attorney Mark Geragos, represented Michael Jackson in 2004 during the People vs. Jackson case and we had to wonder what the former lawyer of Michael Jackson thought of Conrad Murray’s guilty verdict.
Murray is to stay in jail before his next court date on November 29, 2011 for sentencing, but Geragos thinks Murray wont stop fighting this verdict.
“He could appeal his case,” Geragos tells Hollyscoop. “My guess is that he will appeal this case-but that doesn’t mean that he won’t do jail time in the interim.”
November 7, 2011
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The public has an intense fascination with celebrity trials. Publicists and the media can manipulate most celebrity events, whether it's a new romance, a paternity suit or a divorce. And most of the time, we're not 100% sure if what we know is real or not. But when we see those stars in court, on trial, there's no denying the reality of what they're dealing with. The facts are there, the law is involved, and we see those celebs humanized. They go from characters on the covers of magazines to real citizens at the mercy of the judicial system. So we're rounding up the top five celebrity trials of the century.
5. The Jennifer Hudson Family Murders: When Jennifer Hudson won an Academy Award, she was on top of the world. Unfortunately, that came crashing down in 2008, when the bodies of her mother and brother were found murdered in the family's Chicago home. Darnell Donerson and Jason Hudson were both shot to death. Three days after they were found, the body of Hudson's 7 year-old nephew was found in a SUV on the West Side. William Balfour, Jennifer's brother-in-law, became the prime suspect on December 2008. He plead not guilty. A month later, he was charged with first-degree murder and home invasion.
November 7, 2011
The judge put Murray in the hands of the Sherriff, having him handcuffed and put in jail without bond. Dr. Murray's final sentencing will be held later on this month.
And of course, people did what they always do when big news hits: Tweet about it. Here's what the celebs have to say about Conrad Murray's guilty verdict:
La Toya Jackson: "VICTORY!!!!!!"
And before the verdict was read:
November 7, 2011
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He is expected to receive a max of four years in state prison, some of that might even be spent under house arrest.
This trial has lasted weeks and has been an incredibly tough time for the rest of the Jackson’s family. They can finally breathe a sigh of relief. At the announcement of the guilty verdict, Jackson’s family gasped and cried from the second row of the courtroom.
The family left the courthouse without holding a press conference but did stop for statements to some news outlets.
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