Viswa Vanapalli
In June 2009, the King of Pop’s sudden and unexpected death left the world reeling. At the time, Michael Jackson was prepping for 50 shows at the O2 Arena in London, England, as part of his comeback tour. But in the time leading up to the shows, Michael died, and the manner of death was ruled as a homicide. Back then, his personal physician, Dr. Conrad Murray, was blamed for his administration of propofol, a powerful anesthetic. Fox’s ‘Who Really Killed Michael Jackson?’ focuses on the reasons behind the legendary singer’s death and what role Conrad played in it. So, if you’re wondering where he might be today, here’s what we know.
Who is Dr. Conrad Murray?
Conrad Murray was born on the island of Grenada in the Caribbean. He was initially raised by his grandparents and had an absent father whom he didn’t meet until the age of 25. After schooling, Conrad worked as a customs agent, an insurance underwriter, and a school teacher. Eventually, he moved to the United States and got his medical degree, setting up practices in Texas and Nevada. Over time, Conrad’s medical practices took off; besides having celebrity clients, he also served people from lesser privileged backgrounds.
Sometime in 2006, Michael’s daughter, Paris, fell ill during a trip to Las Vegas, Nevada. Someone from his entourage knew Conrad and called him over, leading to their meeting. Conrad treated Paris and ended up becoming friends with her father. Then, in May 2009, Michael hired Conrad as his personal physician for the comeback tour, reportedly on a salary of $150,000 a month. However, the comeback show’s promoter, Anschutz Entertainment Group (AEG), claimed a contract was not yet in place before everything happened.
On June 25, 2009, Conrad found Michael dead after claiming to step away from him momentarily to go to the bathroom. The autopsy revealed that he had died from lethal levels of propofol in his system. During the initial investigation, Conrad told the police that he had been treating Michael for insomnia and had been administering a cocktail of drugs to help with sleep. Conrad had given Michael propofol every night for about two months before the incident.
While Conrad claimed to give Michael 50mg of propofol every night, he hoped to wean him off the drug over time. So, in the days leading up to the death, Conrad began giving Michael a combination of different drugs, and on June 25, it was 25mg of propofol diluted with lidocaine. He was also given Valium, Ativan, and Versed. However, the autopsy report indicated Michael had high levels of propofol in his system, more than what Conrad suggested.
Conrad was eventually tried for involuntary manslaughter. During the proceedings, a paradoxical image of the doctor emerged. While there were no complaints about Conrad’s medical record, his personal life wasn’t the same. He had fathered at least children with different women despite being married. In 1999, during a court visit over child support in relation to a kid Conrad fathered with another woman, he admitted to having a history of having kids and leaving the mothers.
It was also revealed that Conrad was in dire financial straits. He owed more than $780,000, including unpaid rent for office space and medical equipment in Nevada and Texas, $100,000 in mortgage on his home in Las Vegas, and outstanding student loans worth $70,000. This was around when he accepted the lucrative job as Michael’s physician. The trial also featured testimony from his former girlfriends. Furthermore, Conrad was criticized for not calling 911 after finding Michael unresponsive. However, he maintained that he tried to resuscitate the singer.
Dr. Conrad Murray Was Released in 2013
At Conrad Murray’s trial, the defense tried to argue that Michael gave himself the propofol while the doctor was not in the bedroom. The prosecution asserted that Conrad was reckless in using propofol without the proper monitoring equipment. In November 2011, he was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter and sentenced to serve four years behind bars. All throughout, Conrad maintained his innocence.
Conrad was released from prison in October 2013. By then, his license to practice medicine was suspended in California and Nevada, in addition to being revoked in Texas. In 2016, Conrad released a book called ‘This Is It: The Secret Lives of Dr. Conrad Murray and Michael Jackson.’ Post-release, Conrad lived in a condo near Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and hoped to maintain a low profile.
Conrad said, “I just want my privacy. I have lost a great deal. I’ve lost everything. Everything I’ve amassed has been taken from me as a result of an unjust verdict. I am, and I remain an innocent man.” In 2016, he was still seeing patients but said they were only consultations; he wasn’t prescribing medication or getting paid. As of 2019, Conrad practiced medicine in the Caribbean and still hoped to get his medical license reinstated in the US. He has maintained that Michael administered the propofol himself and claimed that the singer hid his opioid addiction.
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