Michael Jackson and Conrad Murray: A Cauldron of Malpractice

Today, Conrad Murray received the maximum sentence for involuntary manslaughter: four years imprisonment. He has also been ordered by Justice Pastor to pay restitution to the Jackson family in the amount of $100 million, which he won't be able to pay because his medical license to practice is sure to be universally revoked.

This is a first offense for the 58-year-old cardiologist and a father of 6. He worked for almost 20 years as an MD without any prior contacts with the law. When it comes to Murray and the Jackson case, the whole scenario begs the question: why? What went wrong for this doctor to engage in criminal negligence and medical malpractice? The prevailing theory is that Michael Jackson secured Conrad Murray's services for a lot of money and behind closed doors, and thus the doctor was willing to inappropriately and improperly administer a potentially dangerous (and in this case, lethal) anesthetic without monitoring equipment. It is not difficult to imagine that Murray may have thought and performed differently under an alternate set of circumstances.

In Forensic Psychiatry, there is a sentiment that anyone can become dangerous if under a particular set of circumstances which increase that person's risk for dangerousness. Unfortunately, we are now aware of Conrad Murray's risk factors in hindsight. He was willing to accommodate or acquiesce to the dangerous demands of a drug-prone patient who employed him privately for a large sum. Had he and Michael Jackson never crossed paths, Conrad Murray would in all likelihood be practicing medicine, and would likely have done so without any incident for the remainder of his career. Now, he is a ruined man who made a series of bad decisions with respect to one case, and the patient died as a result.

It is scary to see the compromise that was made by Conrad Murray. It is also very unfortunate for Michael Jackson that he was able to get someone to go against better judgment and take such risks with his life. In this situation, no one came out a winner.