Popsquire peeps keep asking why Dr. Murray wasn’t charged with a higher degree of homicide.
[Bauer Griffin Online]
The answer is simple. Prosecutors typically charge alleged criminals with the highest degree they can, which means they concluded the evidence only supported involuntary manslaughter. To prove “murder,” the prosecutors would have to show that Dr. Murray intended to kill MJ.
No such evidence has surfaced, especially because Dr. Murray was being paid $250,000 / month to care for MJ. Without MJ, there was no check. The incentive, at least from a financial perspective, would be to keep him alive.
Instead, this is simply a case about a doctor who supplied MJ with medicine that should never have been administered in a home setting, no matter how big of a celebrity the patient was and no matter how much money he was being paid.
Joe Jackson and attorney Brian Oxman appeared on Larry King Live last night full of emotion over Dr. Conrad Murray’s involuntary manslaughter charge. Watch!
Watch Popsquire’s entertainment reporter / legal expert, Russell Wetanson, report the latest news about the Michael Jackson case on TV Guide Network’s “Hollywood 411″ and HLN’s “Prime News.”
Dr. Conrad Murray Watch 2010 is on. Popsquire’s entertainment reporter / legal expert, Russell Wetanson, will be on HLN’s “Prime News” at 2pm and TV Guide Network’s “Hollywood 411″ at 8pm PST. Watch!
It’s official. More than seven months after Michael Jackson’s death, Dr. Conrad Murray has been charged with involuntary manslaughter. If convicted, Dr. Murray faces a four-year-maximum sentence.
Following Friday’s will-he-or-won’t-he-surrender-be-arrested-or-be-arraigned nonsense, Dr. Conrad Murray is scheduled to be arraigned at 1:30 pm today.
[Bauer Griffin Online]
At the arraignment, Dr. Murray will be advised of his charges, and his lawyers say he will enter a not guilty plea (most defendants plead not guilty at this first hearing). The next major step will be the preliminary hearing, at which the prosecution must establish “probable cause” of two things: that a crime was committed and that Dr. Murray committed it.
I spoke with numerous people over the weekend who said Dr. Murray should not serve a lot of jail time either because he didn’t intend to kill Michael Jackson and because MJ was a drug addict.
What do you think? Keep in mind that the maximum jail sentence for involuntary manslaughter is only four years.
Like a typical layer, Popsquire loves a good feud. Apparently, CBS knew this and created this hilarious Superbowl ad to fuel the late night fights and remind us of the infamous Oprah / Letterman controversy.
Popsquire’s entertainment reporter / legal expert, Russell Wetanson, will be on a special LIVE edition of TV Guide Network’s “Hollywood 411″ at noon today.
This week in pop culture and law clearly belongs to Dr. Conrad Murray.
[Via You Tube]
Is he or isn’t he guilty? Is he in LA to surrender to police or just to visit his baby mama? Will he be arrested or arraigned? The answers to these questions seemed to change by the second this week and, of course, that made it all the more fascinating.
So, let’s just list the top five reasons why the DA’s office has no choice but to charge him with involuntary manslaughter: (1) he administered Propofol to Michael Jackson; (2) not one expert has come forward to say that Propofol is OK to administer in a home setting; (3) the L.A. Coroner concluded that the cause of Michael Jackson’s death was “acute Propofol intoxication;” (4) Michael Jackson died, even though his autopsy says he was a healthy man; and (5) doctors are not supposed to give patients medicine just because they request it and/or pay top dollar.
Have a great weekend, Popsquire peeps. Remember, don’t drink (alcohol or Propofol) and drive.
E! Online reports that the deaths of both Brittany Murphy and Casey Johnson were preventable.
[Bauer Griffin Online]
The Los Angeles County coroner announced that 30-year-old Johnson’s death was caused by diabetic ketoacidosis, a condition caused when a diabetic does not have enough insulin in her system.
Translation: she wasn’t taking her meds.
As for Brittany Murphy, the coroner announced that the 32-year-old died from a combination of pneumonia and prescription drugs. Pneumonia was listed as the primary cause, but secondary factors were iron-deficiency anemia and multiple (prescription) drug intoxication.
Translation: she was self-medicating and should have gone to the doctor.
This news also makes any wrongful death lawsuit against Warner Bros. contemplated by Brittany’s husband or mother even weaker. The defense would jump all over the cause of death and convince a judge or jury that there is no causal link between her death and the studio, given that a doctor’s visit might have prevented the whole thing.
After many days of silence, Dr. Conrad Murray’s attorneys are talking.
[Via You Tube]
Ed Chernoff, who has worked as Dr. Murray’s attorney since the beginning of this story, released this statement on his website today:
“We are presently negotiating with the District Attorneys’ office the surrender of Dr. Murray. The specifics have not yet been agreed to and when the agreement is complete we will report further on this website. Until then we will not be sharing agreement terms or conducting interviews with the media.”
By communicating only through the website, Chernoff is controlling the flow of information. This is smart, especially when it comes to legal strategy. Speaking too much or giving away information can sometimes prove detrimental to a case.
Of course, everyone already knows it’s going down tomorrow, but it’s still good for a lawyer to play coy a bit.
Despite all the frenzy that Dr. Murray might be arrested and arraigned yesterday, the date is now set for tomorrow. He will surrender to the airport courthouse and likely will be released on bail. Watch Popsquire’s Russell Wetanson discuss the process on yesterday’s “Hollywood 411″ on TV Guide Network.
Popsquire’s entertainment reporter / legal expert, Russell Wetanson, will be on HLN’s “Issues With Jane” at 7:30 pm and TV Guide Network’s “Hollywood 411″ at 8pm.
We’re talkin’ MacKenzie Philips and Dr. Conrad Murray, respectively. Watch!
Showbiz.com claims that Dr. Conrad Murray will be arrested today and that the Jackson Family will follow his arrest by filing a civil wrongful death suit. Not so fast.
Although the web has been in a frenzy over the possible arrest, multiple sources now say it ain’t happenin’ today. Click here to find out what happens if/when Dr. Murray is, indeed, charged and arrested.
In terms of the wrongful death lawsuit, it could be an exercise in futility for the following reasons:
Only Michael Jackson’s heirs and dependents of the deceased can sue for wrongful death. That limits the possible plaintiffs to MJ’s kids and Katherine Jackson, unless Joe or other family members can prove they were being supported by MJ while he was alive.
Civil lawsuits are about money. Dr. Murray doesn’t have much and may have a hard time making a living for a long time, given all of the controversy surrounding MJ’s death.
Damages in a wrongful death case are about economic loss. If the defense can show that MJ is making more in death than when he was alive, the case sinks. Exhibit #1: iTunes sales charts.
The criminal justice system finally may be one step closer to determining whether Dr. Conrad Murray is bad.
[Bauer Griffin Online]
TMZ reports that the DA has a criminal complaint ready to file in the Dr. Murray / Michael Jackson case and is expected to charge the doctor with involuntary manslaughter.
So, what happens next?
Criminal cases have defined stages. As soon as the DA files the complaint, Dr. Murray either will surrender or authorities will find and arrest him. His first court appearance is called the “arraignment.”
At the arraignment, Dr. Murray will be advised of his charges and enter a plea of “guilty” or “not guilty” (most defendants plea not guilty at this first hearing). The judge also may address Dr. Murray’s bail and release.
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