Amid shouts of "murderer!" from the onlookers, Michael Jackson's personal physician surrendered Monday to a courthouse to face a charge of involuntary manslaughter.
Dr. Conrad Murray, 57, who once was paid $150,000 a month to treat Jackson before a major comeback concert series, pleaded not guilty to the charge filed earlier in the day by the Los Angeles District Attorney.
Superior Court Judge Keith Schwartz set bail for $75,000 – rejecting prosecutors' request for $300,000 – and ordered Murray to surrender his passport. Murray was granted permission to continue practicing medicine as long as he doesn't administer anesthesia.
"I'm talking about deep anesthetic, where you put somebody to sleep," the judge said. "You can be in a room where another doctor is doing it, but you can't do that."
The county coroner says that Jackson was given an overdose of the hospital-strength anesthetic propofol that the pop star was using for insomnia. Jackson was under Murray's care at the time.
The Caribbean-raised physician was driven up in an SUV at the court building near Los Angeles International Airport. Sheriff’s deputies escorted him inside as the crowed yelled.
Earlier, Jackson’s family members, including his parents, also arrived for the hearing.
No comments:
Post a Comment