A California appellate court has upheld Dr. Conrad Murray's conviction in the case of Michael Jackson's death, verifying the death was a case of involuntary manslaughter, according to The Washington Post. In a 68-page ruling, there was substantial evidence that Murray had administered the lethal dose of anesthetic propofol that killed the King of Pop.
Over six-weeks, the trail focused on the care Jackson was given by Murray, such as the nightly doses of propofol used as a sleep aid.
The new ruling said that Murray's "callous disregard for Mr. Jackson's health and safety was shown throughout the trial from the manner in which he administered a number of dangerous drugs to Mr. Jackson without the appropriate medical equipment, precautions or personnel in place, and to the manner in which he left Mr. Jackson unattended. ...The evidence demonstrated that Mr. Jackson was a vulnerable victim and that (Murray) was in a position of trust, and that (Murray) violated the trust relationship by breaching standards of professional conduct in numerous respects."
As the article points out, this ruling comes less than three months after the former cardiologist, who had served two years in jail for causing Jackson's death in 2009, was released. He was originally given the maximum sentence, four years, but his early release was part of a new law to reduce prison overcrowding in California.
When Murray filed his appeal, he argued that the original judge should have sequestered jurors from hearing key evidence. However, the appeals court did not agree and found neither procedural errors nor prejudice against Murray, including allowing the trial to be televised.
In related news, Jackson's mother's bid for a new trial in the wrongful death suit against concert promoter AEG was rejected last Friday, according to The Associated Press. She had accused AEG of negligence when hiring Murray as Jackson's caretaker.
