Very deceiving.
Murray, who was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter on Nov. 7 received the maximum sentence possible, which is what MJ's family and global fan base wanted. However, we all gasped at the paltry term of just four years and almost went into a rage at the possibility that the convicted cardiologist will actually serve little to none of the time imposed upon him. Due to a new provision in the L.A. legal system, non violent felons are allowed lighter punishments such as community service and house arrest. Judge Michael Pastor made it a point to emphatically reject Murray's request for leniency while chastising him for his arrogant and unrepentant behavior regarding this case.
I was very happy with the judge's candor in explaining to Murray his displeasure with the doctor portraying himself as something of a victim. Indeed, in a documentary that he both commissioned and starred in early this month, the disgraced doctor makes several declarations of his innocence and blames Jackson for what he sees as deception by the musician. Murray had been hired to serve as Michael's personal physician from April to June 2009 as the star prepared for a planned series of concert tours. The arrangement came to a tragic end when Jackson died June 25, 2009 of "Propofol intoxication." The deadly dosage was administered by Murray who also left Jackson's bedside during a critical time at which the entertainer stopped breathing. According to the testimony of experts, Murray's actions during that time were so reckless that they caused MJ's demise.
Many people have opined that Michael was a relentless drug addict who would've gotten his fix from a different source had it not been from Murray. Those people who feel that way are probably correct, but they are also missing the point. Murray, as a doctor had an obligation to his patient to care for him and make sound medical choices for him. Placating an addict or any patient for that matter at the expense of proper medical care completely violates the principles of the Hippocratic Oath. Many people have also said that "no one could turn down" the $150,000 per month Murray was being paid to care for MJ, but the truth is, many doctors did. And if Murray had any integrity as a doctor, he would've turned it down as well. There is no place for selfish greed in the medical field. If that keeps up, we're all in danger.
I also took offense to Murray's defense team; most notably Michael Flannigan, who expressed anger that Judge Pastor didn't allow them to bring up MJ's dire financial status at the time of Murray's hiring. According to Flannigan, the fact that Jackson was, as he put it "$400 million in debt" and living in a rented mansion had relevance to this case. It didn't. No matter how much in debt or how drug addled MJ was, none of that matters when debating Murray's guilt. Even the defense's contention that Murray was an esteemed physician whom his patients adored holds no weight. His sterling reputation prior to the MJ situation has nothing to do with his behavior and incompetence in this case.
Desperate people.
I also enjoyed Judge Pastor bringing up the surreptitious recording that Murray made of a seemingly heavily drugged and slurring MJ a month and a half before his death. Pastor seemed to insinuate that Murray had sinister motives for doing such a thing which just added to his unworthiness of leniency.
Michael's family and estate have asked that Murray be ordered to pay restitution in the astounding amount of $100 million, a figure which represents the projected earnings of Michael had he completed the 50 concert tours he had been planning in the Spring of 2009. While everyone acknowledges that Murray could never afford that amount, it is still more than fair when everything is fairly considered.
After all, Michael was worth a lot more than that to this planet.
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