California judge jails Michael Jackson doctor

Dr. Conrad Murray, the doctor of the deceased singer Michael Jackson, has been given a four year prison sentence by a judge in the US city of Los Angeles, California, based on a charge of involuntary manslaughter, the maximum sentence he could receive for this offense. Steve Whitmore, a spokesperson for Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, told CBS News that Assembly Bill 109 would automatically halve the sentence to two years.

In November of this year, after a six week trial, a jury found Murray guilty of providing Jackson with an excessive amount of propofol, which caused his death in 2009. Judge Michael Pastor condemned Dr. Murray's actions, calling his behavior a "continuous pattern of lies and deceit" and him a "danger to the community", having committed a "horrific violation of trust". Murray may also lose his medical license.

In the aftermath of the sentencing, Katherine Jackson, the mother of Michael Jackson, told KTLA: "Four years is not enough for someone's life. It won't bring him back but at least he got the maximum." Jackson expressed thanks to the prosecutors and the judge, calling the latter "very, very fair". Meanwhile, Jermaine Jackson, Michael Jackson's brother, said "[o]ne hundred years is not enough".

The defense had requested probation as Murray already faced "a lifetime sentence of self-punishment" and life-long reputation as "the man who killed Michael Jackson". The judge refused to allow probation, saying it wasn't justified by Murray's actions.