Conrad Murray out of jail. What next for Michael Jackson's former doctor?

by **Admin** Mon Oct 28, 2013 4:50 pm

Conrad Murray out of jail. What next for Michael Jackson's former doctor?
By Elizabeth Barber, Contributor

Conrad Murray, convicted of involuntary manslaughter in Michael Jackson's death, was released from jail Monday after serving about half of his sentence. He has lost his medical license, but reports are full of other activities he might undertake.

October 28, 2013

The former cardiologist convicted of accidentally killing Michael Jackson was released from prison Monday, after serving about half of his four-year sentence

Conrad Murray was convicted in 2011 of involuntary manslaughter, for prescribing Michael Jackson the surgical anesthetic propofol, which officials say killed the "king of pop" in July 2009. California's recent efforts to alleviate inmate overcrowding led to Dr. Murray's release from a Los Angeles jail two years into his sentence.

As for Murray's next steps, his representatives have said he intends to return to medicine, although his medical licenses have been invalidated in all three states where he had been authorized to practice, Reuters reported. Murray's return to the medical field is contingent on an appeal he has filed to overturn his conviction, but a California appellate court is still weighing whether it will even hear the case.

“He's prepared to keep fighting this as long as it takes,” Valerie Wass, Murray's attorney, told Reuters ahead of her client's release.

Other news reports have said that Murray, once an anonymous if exceedingly well-paid doctor, plans to parlay his notoriety into singing stardom.

“Murray thinks he can make it as a singer in the future,” Jeff Adams, Michael Jackson’s former bodyguard, told the New York Daily News.

Murray is also courting publishers to write a book about his time with Jackson, unnamed sources told TMZ. That would put Murray in good company with other non-celebrities who have turned their incarcerations into a book deal. Among them are Amanda Knox, the American acquitted of murdering her roommate in Italy, who upon her release from an Italian prison accepted a $4 million advance for her book, “Waiting to be Heard,” released earlier this year.

Reports of bids for a pop career and million-dollar book deals are in keeping with Murray’s often-baffling forays into the limelight during the past two years. In June, Murray called into "Anderson Cooper 360" to sing on live television a personalized version of "The Little Boy That Santa Claus Forgot.” He also sent Jackson’s daughter, Paris, a perplexing audio message in which he said he loved her as if she were his own daughter and sang to her Jackson’s song “You Are Not Alone

Source: Christian Science Monitor