Conrad Murray is the Poster Child for Sociopaths in America

The title for this blog is a quote taken from an article that Dr. Barry Friedberg, renowned anesthesiologist, made about Conrad Murray and his treatment (or lack thereof) of his patient, Michael Jackson. The article can be read here. Friedberg states:

"In a California that could not convict the clearly guilty OJ Simpson, it is not clear that a conviction can be obtained for the equally guilty Conrad Murray.

That being said, no amount of defense attorney posturing or attempts to create reasonable doubt can ever relieve Murray of his responsibility to have watched and monitored Jackson.

I was interviewed by Michael Flanagan, one of Murray’s defense attorneys, as the first anesthesiologist chosen to be a witness on behalf of Murray’s defense.

Prior to this interview, when I had written the Michael Jackson chapter in ‘Getting Over Going Under,’ I assumed Murray was over his clinical training and expertise giving propofol .

Flanagan dispelled that impression when he described how Murray gave propofol for cardioversions (electrical activity delivered to a heart with atrial rhythm disturbance). Flanagan said, ‘Murray did not even start an intravenous. He simply ‘mainlined’ the propofol directly into a vein.’

I told Flanagan that he impressed me but not at all in the manner in which he had hoped.

There is no word in the English language to describe the recklessness of Murray ‘mainlining’ propofol for cardioversion. Not even a day one intern right our of medical school would be so reckless and cavalier.

The only thing more reckless than Murray’s conduct at Jackson’s home would have been to have taken Jackson up in a plane and pushed him out without a parachute.

‘Mainlining’ propofol along with Murray’s failure to provide child support for the multiple illegitimate children he has fathered with multiple women & his long history of failure to honor other financial obligations leads me to reassess my diagnosis of Murray’s personality.

Murray is the ‘poster child’ for Sociopaths of America.

He is not an ignorant fool but a person who does not think the norms of behavior apply to him.

When he disclaims responsibility for the death of Michael Jackson, it is the sociopath speaking who is convinced of his own words and clearly believes he will convince a jury as well.

Another attempt to rehabilitate Murray’s image to the public included a release saying he had never been sued for malpractice. As if never being sued would be to give testimony to his wonderful doctoring. An informed listener should quickly recognize this record is a greater testimony to a sociopath’s slick talking, not to great doctoring.

Do not believe a single Murray utterance that cannot be independently confirmed.

Sadly, even if convicted and deprived of a license to practice medicine, Murray is unlikely to stop practicing. The rules just don’t apply to him, at least, in his mind anyway."

While agree with Dr. Friedberg wholeheartedly, the issue is so simple here. Murray took the Hippocratic Oath, claiming he would "do no harm" to his patients. He used an anesthetic in a home setting, which unfortunately at this time, is not illegal. However, Conrad Murray administered propofol into Jackson's veins without a monitor and left him unattended. By the time Murray got off the phone and returned to the room, Jackson was already dead.

Yes, Murray is a sociopath. But what matters here is whether he is guilty of involuntary manslaughter. Prosecutor David Walgren must be able to prove that Conrad Murray's use of propofol unattended and unmonitored is the equivalent of California Penal Code 192b PC, which states "during the commission of a lawful act which involves a high risk of death or great bodily harm that is committed without due caution or circumspection." Conrad Murray used neither due caution nor circumspection while administering propofol into Michael Jackson's veins, unattended and unmonitored. It's really just that simple.