Conrad Murray faces four years in prison for involuntary manslaughter.
By Gil Kaufman
Dr. Conrad Murray
Photo: Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images
Former Michael Jackson doctor Conrad Murray will learn his fate Tuesday morning (November 29) in a Los Angeles courtroom. The cardiologist, who was found guilty of one felony count of involuntary manslaughter November 7, is facing up to four years in state prison in the death of the pop icon.
Though the jury reached a unanimous verdict in the case, due to recent changes in California law aimed at lessening prison overcrowding, experts told MTV News that it's unlikely Murray will spend much, if any, time behind federal bars.
At the time of the verdict, Los Angeles-based criminal defense attorney Mike Cavalluzzi told MTV News it was too early to predict what kind of time Dr. Murray might do, calling the decision one of the toughest ones facing Judge Michael Pastor in the wake of the six-week trial.
"[Pastor] will have to seriously consider all of the mitigating factors which would lean toward Dr. Murray not doing any jail time and all of the aggravating factors that would lead toward him going to state prison," said Cavalluzzi, who was not involved in the case but has represented a number of clients facing felony charges. "It seems to me, at first blush, that any jail time wouldn't be appropriate in this case given the fact that Dr. Murray has no criminal record and there truly was no malice, no intent to actually harm Michael Jackson at all. What he was really doing was succumbing to the wishes of a patient, and unfortunately, that patient was not a person whose wishes should have been succumbed to."
After Murray was found guilty and swiftly sent to jail with no bail, his attorneys said they were planning to appeal the verdict. They will wait until after sentencing to do so, but either way, Murray will face the loss of his medical license in California. One of Murray's defense attorneys, Nareg Gourjian, said at the time that the doctor's team plans to ask for probation but expects his client to spend just "a little bit" of time in county jail.
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