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Verdict
A little after 2 yeaars after Michael Jackson's mysterious death, Dr. Conrad Murray has been found guilty of involuntary manslaughter. After 49 witnesses and over 400 pieces of evidence, the jurors finally came up with a unanimous verdict.
What is the charge of involuntary manslaughter?
Involuntary manslaughter is the unlawful killing of another person in an unintentional manner. The person charged with involuntary manslaughter behaved with a reckless disregard to human life. However, this reckless behavior does not mean that they intended to kill the person. This charge requires that Dr. Murray acted or failed to act in such a way as to be criminally negligent. Involuntary manslaughter differs from murder in that the defendant lacks the intent to cause death. Instead, it is the reckless conduct that caused the death that is the culpable event.
Sentence:
Involuntary manslaughter is a state crime, meaning that Murray will serve his term in a state prison. The maximum sentence for involuntary manslaughter in California is four years. However, it is likely that even if Dr. Chad Murray receives the maximum sentence, he will not serve the full four year sentence. Why will this likely be the case? Well, as we have seen in the Lindsay Lohan revolving door jail terms, overcrowding is a major problem in California prisons. As such, if the criminal is not a threat to the public and has not been disobedient, the prisoner will likely be released early. This appears to especially hold true with high profile inmates. Moreover, Dr. Chad Murray's sentence may be reduced based upon good behavior, work release, or therapy. Ultimately, it is up to the judge's discretion to determine how to appropriately sentence Dr. Murray in light of various aggravating or mitigating factors.
Implications:
Dr. Chad Murray's sentence will carry several implications. First, he will lose his medical license since the act occurred in connection to administering medicine to a patient. Additionally, Dr. Chad Murray can kiss working in the health profession goodbye. When employers do a background check and find out that his negligent conduct caused his patient to die, he will not be allowed to work with patients. Second, this is a felony, which means that he will lose several liberties. First, he will lose the right to vote in California while he is in prison and until he completes his parole. This is known as felony disenfranchisement. Moreover, Murray will most likely lose the right to carry a firearm (this is a hot topic in the Second Amendment realm). Chad Murray will also be banned from joining the military, unless there is a severe demand such as during concurrent wars. In the rare instance that Dr. Chad Murray decides to run for public office he will be barred from doing so based on his felony record. There are a host of other positions relating to work with children to security that he will be ineligible to work in.
Interestingly, Dr. Chad Murray will be subject to some rather peculiar decisions if he decides to move to Florida or New York. If he lives in Florida, he will not be allowed to administer acupuncture needles, cosmetology, or speech-related pathology. Conversely, if Dr. Murray moves to New York he will not be able to work as a professional boxer or wrestler; own a barber shop; work as an Emergency Medical Technician; or work as a commercial distributor.
Filed under: Crime, Uncategorized
Tags: California, Chad Murray, Closing argument, Conrad Murray, Criminal negligence, Death of Michael Jackson, Jury, Lindsay Lohan, Manslaughter, Michael Jackson, Murray
