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Dr. Conrad Murray was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter in the case of Michael Jackson‘s June 2009 death.
Twelve jurors reached the verdict Monday in L.A. The seven men, five women jury had to decide whether Dr. Murray, 58, was criminally negligent in his use of the surgical anesthetic Propofol to treat Jackson’s insomnia and if it significantly contributed to his death at age 50.
The jury deliberated for more than seven hours Friday before telling the judge it had not reached a verdict. The jurors heard from 49 witnesses throughout the course of the 23 day trial, including Murray’s girlfriends and patients, Jackson’s former employees, investigators and medical experts for each side.
Prosecutor David Walgren told jurors Thursday that the evidence that Murray caused Jackson’s death is “overwhelming” and “abundantly clear.”
Defense lawyer Ed Chernoff argued no crime was committed, but that it was a negligence case that should instead be heard by the state medical board. The defense contends that Jackson self-administered the fatal overdose of drugs in his desperate search for sleep without Murray knowing about it.
“Conrad Murray left Prince, Paris and Blanket without a father,” prosecutor Walgren said of the pop icon’s daughter Paris, 13, and sons aged 14 and 9. “For them, this case doesn’t end today, or tomorrow. For Michael’s children, this case will go on forever, because they do not have a father. They do not have a father because of the actions of Conrad Murray.”