TMZ’s long week of predicting, nay, demanding, the arrest and arraignment of Dr. Conrad Murray has come to an end.
Despite the Web site’s wacky hourly announcements about Dr. Murray’s legal situation, Michael Jackson’s alleged killer will actually be formally charged on Monday in Los Angeles.
How do we know? Because the LAPD and District Attorney have each sent out a press release with the info. That takes the mystery out of it! Dr. Murray will be arraigned at the Airport Court on So. La Cienega on Monday after charges are filed with the DA.
My favorite part of this story was TMZ’s insistence that the LAPD and DA were having a “feud.” It was hilarious.
A friend of mine on the inside says, “Sorry. No feud. No agreement ever was made with Murray attorneys about a surrender. No one at LAPD ever wanted a perp walk or even mentioned it. That and most of the other stuff that has been going out has been simple horse hockey.”
But this is the nature of unsourced hourly blogging. It’s terrible and funny. So much energy wasted on nothing.
And what will happen? Dr. Murray will plead not guilty. The DA will ask for bail, which Murray will offer. He will await trial for involuntary manslaughter. Much is already known. He’s admitted to giving Michael the Diprivan/Propofol that killed the singer. He also allegedly was on the phone with his girlfriend — babymama No. 7 — while Michael was “out.” So the defense will have to prove that his administration of the drug was right and proper. Good luck, Dr. M.!
February 5th, 2010 at 2:18 pm
So,now we must wait until Monday…or will they all put it off again?
February 5th, 2010 at 2:31 pm
What the truth is about the feud, only they know. We will see about the perp walk. They made Michael Jackson do it, and he surrendered voluntarily and hadn’t killed anyone. It’s a stupid show-off tradition.
The burden of delivering proof rests on the prosecution, not the defense. But Murray will certainly have a hard time defending any of his actions that night. None of them made sense.
February 5th, 2010 at 2:41 pm
Well, this is according to the AP not TMZ from Houston Chronicle, last night.
“Officials from the Los Angeles Police Department, which spent the past seven months investigating Murray, were unhappy with the idea of him surrendering and wanted to go to the residence he was staying at to arrest him, a law enforcement official close to the investigation told The Associated Press.
Various factors weighed into the desire to arrest Murray, including the possibility he might flee before arraignment, just as O.J. Simpson did, said the official, who was not authorized to speak publicly and requested anonymity. Police officials also worried it could appear Murray was being given special treatment if he was allowed to turn himself in.
The official said the district attorney’s office opposed an early plan for detectives to make the arrest Friday morning, upsetting police higher-ups, and negotiated with Murray’s attorneys to allow the doctor to turn himself in.
District attorney’s spokeswoman Sandi Gibbons could not immediately confirm if Murray would surrender Friday”
MJ Fans: Tweet Seven times ” #MichaelJackson ” (1 for every month) on Monday, either when CM is arrested or at the time the court hearing. Tell all your followers this weekend. Thanks!
February 5th, 2010 at 2:46 pm
The defense doesn’t have to prove anything. The prosecution has to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Conrad’s actions were negligent and caused Michael’s death. Let’s not lose sight of how the law works.
With Conrad’s admission that he did, indeed, inject the only drugs that were in Michael’s system at the time of death, some of that is already proven. The cause of death has been determined as “acute propofol intoxication” further points to the drug Conrad has admitted to injecting was the actual cause. So, half of the prosecution’s job is done.
So the prosecution’s case will focus on Conrad’s behavior – what did he do, when did he do it, what did he know, etc. They have to prove that his behavior fits the legal definition of negligence. Conrad doesn’t have to prove a thing.
February 5th, 2010 at 3:34 pm
I would like to see Thomas Meserau interrogate Murray to pieces. There is absolutely nothing he can say in his defense.
February 5th, 2010 at 4:09 pm
This blog reported he would be arrested Wednesday, so why are you picking on TMZ?
February 5th, 2010 at 5:54 pm
Hey Roger, why haven’t you been crediting TMZ as your “source” this week about Murray’s impending arrest? I failed to find any reference of them in your earlier stories.
You’re the one who is always griping whenever you haven’t been given appropriate credit for stories that you claim you reported first.
February 5th, 2010 at 6:01 pm
There’s a big difference in the amount of bail that Murray will have to post if he voluntarily surrenders to Police vs. if he is arrested by them.
If he voluntarily turns himself in, the bail for “negligent homicide” could be as little a couple of hundred thousand dollars.
If the Police arrest him and take him before a Judge, they can argue that he is a flight risk and request a much, much higher bail; i.e, maybe in the millions.
Murray hasn’t treid to hide his whereabouts since Jackson died, so I’ll say that the LAPD allows him up voluntarily turn himself him and that gets bailed out of jail shortly thereafter.
February 5th, 2010 at 9:54 pm
The presumptive bail for the offense of Involuntary Manslaughter in the County of Los Angeles is $25,000.00. Unless something extraordinary were to happen bail will be awarded accordingly.
February 5th, 2010 at 10:05 pm
So the bail for involuntary manslaughter is 25 000 dollars, while the bail for possibly having touched a boy’s private parts was 3 000 000 dollars when Michael Jackson turned himself in? (They didn’t have to hunt him down.)
February 6th, 2010 at 12:28 am
Hi AXON – Under California Law, with the exception of capital murder, a person is entitled to bail on all crimes. The Bail amount, known as a presumptive bail schedule, is set by County officials. The presumptive bail is used by law enforcement agencies to determine how much will be required in a given case. Dr. Murray will be charged pursuant to PC 192(b) with a presumptive bail amount of $25,000.00 and carries sentencing terms of 24 (low), 36 (mid), or 48 (high) months. (California has what are called Determinate Sentencing laws, meaning these are exact or “determined” terms. In a nutshell if you are convicted of a felony offense and sentenced to prison, the Judge may impose one of three prison terms: low, mid, or high.) Unless there are additional circumstances which have not yet been made public bail in the amount of $25,000.00 is appropriate.
There is no comparison between this case and the 2003 case against Michael Jackson in terms of bail. Michael Jackson was charged with 4 counts of committing a lewd act upon a child; 1 count of attempting to commit a lewd act upon a child; 4 counts of administering an intoxicating agent to assist in the commission of a felony, namely child molestation; and 1 count of conspiracy.
Hope all is well in your corner of the World. Cheers.
February 6th, 2010 at 1:28 am
It’s snowy. Thanks again, Mjuls!
I just found out that Rip Torn’s bond for breaking and entering and carrying a gun while drunk, is 100 000 dollars. I thought as much that bail is set with some accordance to the sentence that could be the result of a trial, but I still fail to see that Michael’s crimes, had he committed them, would be more severe than Murray’s. But we have some similar views in our law enforcement practices – if you are intoxicated, drive a car and kill someone, the sentence you receive is astonishingly low. The crime is seen as a “oops!” one, you shouldn’t have done it but it happened and now you need a slap on your wrist.
What about comparing Murray to the guy who told people to sit in a sauna tent – which is not forbidden by law – from which three persons ended up dead? He was arrested for manslaughter just like Murray will be, and his bail is set to 5 million dollars.
February 6th, 2010 at 6:30 am
It will be interesting when the details of this case finally come out in trial. I strongly suspect that this is much further from an open and shut case than the media has been reporting. Remember MJ’s 1993 molestation case for example? Following the media leaks before the trial made many assume he was guilty, but the actual trial made it obvious he was not. If the case against Murray was strong, he would have been arrested and convicted by now, I suspect. This is all speculation, it will be interesting to find out more of the truth in this case.
February 6th, 2010 at 7:32 am
I think the LAPD, D.A, and all these lawyers should just stop messing around and get this guy into court for some answers. And I believe the case against Murray IS strong. He administered a COCKTAIL of drugs not just one. The cumulative effects of which killed Michael Jackson. I have only seen astonishment from doctors who have reviewed the drugs he gave. Not only did he give this combo, the propofol was outside the correct setting and reportedly without the proper monitoring equipment.
Unless there are other unknown facts, it seems he should be punished. I think it will hinge on his actions and timings not just for the drugs administration, but for resuscitation and calling an ambulance etc. I can make head nor tail of what I’ve read regarding his time away from his patient, the calls he made and to whom – before the botched CPR. Who knows how long Michael jackson was dead before the ambulance even was called? I want to find out the answers to these questions but the whole fiasco seems very incompetent to me.
First do no harm.
February 6th, 2010 at 9:19 am
Conrad Murray should get the SAME treatment they gave Michael,handcuff and fingerprint him!!!!!!!!
February 6th, 2010 at 9:48 am
Anna: I see what you mean, but whereas the boys seem to not have been molested, Michael Jackson is actually dead. According to the coroner he died from propofol, and Murray admits he gave him propofol. On top of other drugs, to boot.
And then left him. And so on, one stupid act after another.
February 6th, 2010 at 4:02 pm
@Anna from what I know so far if I was on the jury Conrad Murray would be GUILTY. And I have no idea how long Murray was on the phone. If he was going to take this task on, why he didn’t have the right equipment there in case something went wrong. When he injected MJ with propofol, when did he leave MJ unattended and for how long? Why did it take so long to call 911? Why would you try to give someone CPR on a bed? This man should go to prison for 10 to 15 years. All of the things we are talking about are things Murray told the police, himself. This is just another case where the money is more important than the patient. And doctors like this need to be sent a harsh message. I don’t think involuntary murder is the right charge. Four years is the most he could get if found guilty of killing Michael. That’s all!!!!!
February 7th, 2010 at 7:23 am
Murry is noth Guilty,Michael jackson whas verry ill!!. for years.
February 7th, 2010 at 2:51 pm
@ Axon- I’ve wondered about the James Ray comparisons as well. He organized an event. He did not set up the tents or pipe in the toxins and his charge is full Manslaughter. Murray actually admits to administering the drug the coroner says killed MJ and it’s involuntary. Either Phoenix is overcharging or LA is slaaping Murray on the wrist.
February 7th, 2010 at 7:56 pm
@bobbi…..Murray is as guilty as sin! Michael had a problem with not being able to sleep. No reason for him to die. If Conrad Murray was any kind of doctor he would have done the right thing. He was a terrible doctor who was in it for the MONEY! He should go to prison and he should lose his medical license for good. You are right Murray is not guilty, YET. But hopefully soon he will be charge and found guilty. I would hope that he would rot in prison, but I don’t see that happening.
February 8th, 2010 at 2:45 am
Shannon: Yes, in one case the bail is 5 mill and in the other 25 thousand. Murray had one patient and killed him through a series of missteps, the other didn’t have a clue what was going on in the crowd and people were awake and could actually walk away if they wanted to.
They should shift the charges. Is the LA area law enforcement the worst on those things? We haven’t exactly forgotten what they did to Michael Jackson.
I don’t know if it’s true, but I’ve read the defense is planning do demonstrate what a drug addict Michael was. So? All the more reason for a certified doctor to be careful. I think it just talks against him.
February 8th, 2010 at 5:55 am
Axon, truthfully, that’s what I’d expect from the defense. They have to blame the victim to have a prayer of winning. This is why I really don’t want a trial. I don’t want to hear the ugly stories. You can bet Sony and AEG don’t want to hear it either. They’ve made a killing (pun-intended) off of MJ’s new found cleanliness.
I wonder if the story about Murray calling Prince into the room is true. If it is and Prince wants to testify… Murray can kiss it all goodbye.
February 8th, 2010 at 6:47 am
On top of all that we know thus far, Murray’s team is going to have a very, very hard time overcoming his “deadbeat dad” behaviour. Here you have a so-called “well-respected” doctor, who is living the high life in Las Vegas, but is not taking care of the FINANCIAL obligations of his children and at the same time, he is still making babies, i.e. the child he recently had with a Las Vegas stripper!
February 8th, 2010 at 7:14 am
Well, we all know about Michael’s prescription drugs by now, we know they sometimes made him very drowsy, and we know why he started taking them – lupus, blister in his lungs, and the Pepsi accident. Then he got artrithis. (Imagine dancing with that.) He took more than he should, especially after 1993, and he wrote lyrics about it in the song Morphine (1997).
But this drug habit of Michael’s does not excuse Murray in any way. He knew about the painkillers and should have acted accordingly. Instead, he turned out to be the worst doctor in the U.S.
Chef Kai Chase said it is not true that Prince was called to the bedroom. Murray came downstairs yelling: “Get security! Get Prince!” and talked to the boy at the bottom of the stairs, then ran up again, without him. What they have, though, is the 911 call where Alvarez tells the dispatcher that Michael is still on the bed, unresponsive, while the doctor is doing CPR. To judge from brown residue in a breathing tube, he probably cracked his patient’s ribs and caused bleeding in the lungs.
Some doctor.
February 8th, 2010 at 1:58 pm
I used to read your blog every day Roger, but I stopped a while ago. Now I just read it from time to time and every time I visit it I’m dissapointed. You are generally late, often wrong on legal matters, and very biased. If you are so smart then how come you commited a rookie error in reviewing a pirated movie? I knew the day you posted that review trouble was around the corner. Please stop bad mouthing others and instead do your research and give us info, not crappy personal opinions. What’s written above is just a bunch of donkey doo that TMZ had out last week if not earlier. On a realistic level it seems unimaginable that the LAPD never discussed the logistics of the arrest. There are so many issue that would have to be visited and considered it’s not even funny. After such a long and thourough investigation, there is no way they are so naive as to not plan for the day of the arraignment. What you are saying is plain and simple not true and doesn’t make any sense. Good bye Roger! 10 to 1 you will not post this entry for others to read!
February 8th, 2010 at 4:23 pm
I’m with Marcus 100%! In the past few months I’ve learn more about what’s really going on from reading the comments posted on your blog from people like “_mjuls_” then from you. At least he/she gets the facts right. Tsk, tsk, Roger!
(Even though I hate to admit it I look forward to your upcoming commentary on Joe & Majestic the Magnificent’s behavior today at the court house.)
February 8th, 2010 at 6:51 pm
Murray was offered $150,000 to be Michael’s doctor and do as Michael wanted. Nobody in their right mind turns down $150K a month. That’s the most money that man ever made, so I can understand why he would jump at the chance to make that kind of money. I know I would, and be arrogant enough to think I could keep the man alive. Murray probably knew Jackson was sick and needed help, and as far as we know he may have told Jackson that — but Michael was stubborn and wanted to do what HE wanted to do.
February 8th, 2010 at 7:36 pm
sally in Chicago – First do no harm – unless you just can’t resist the big bucks. Are you saying that if a doctor gets offered enough money, it’s okay for him to follow a course of action that is likely to kill his patient?
February 9th, 2010 at 12:47 am
That’s one reason why the world of celebrities is so weird – they constantly meet people who are willing to do anything for money. You have to work on keeping a steady course to survive fame and stay a normal grounded person.
Still, Sally, I believe several doctors turned Michael down, no matter what sort of money he offered them. I would, if I were a doctor and got the offer. I’d offer advice for free – go to hospital for a thorough sleep evaluation. Then, if a complicated sedation really is necessary, it should be done in a hospital environment. (This actually happens in cases of very severe insomnia – but of course not every night.)
March 15th, 2010 at 12:22 am
Being put under does NOT give you a good sleep. All Dr. Murray had to do was explain to Michael that if he gave him anything more than the drugs he had already given him, he would surely die. I doubt he explained that to him.