Michael Jackson's Doctor Conrad Murray Was Imprisoned for Killing the Singer. Now, He's Opened a Practice Abroad

Conrad Murray served two years in prison for his role in Michael Jackson's 2009 death

Conrad Murray
Dr. Conrad Murray ; Dr. Conrad Murray in 2013. Credit :

 Frederick M. Brown/Getty; Shutterstock 

NEED TO KNOW

  • Dr. Conrad Murray was convicted of involuntary manslaughter in 2011 for his role in Michael Jackson's death
  • After serving nearly two years in prison, he was released for time served
  • He continued pursuing a medical career despite suspended licenses in three states and opened a medical institute in Trinidad and Tobago in 2023

In 2011, Dr. Conrad Murray was convicted of involuntary manslaughter for his role in the death of pop icon Michael Jackson.

He maintained his innocence after the trial— telling CNN in April 2013 that he was "in the wrong place at the wrong time" — and continued to work in the medical field after he served just shy of two years in prison.

"He's very hopeful," his attorney, Valerie Wass, told ABC News in October 2013 of Murray's suspended licenses in California, Texas and Nevada. "He's going to practice medicine somewhere is my understanding. ... He's prepared to go to federal court to fight."

A decade later, he opened up a medical institute in his native country, Trinidad and Tobago, the Trinidad and Tobago Guardian reported.

So, where is Conrad Murray now? Here's everything to know about the doctor's life, 15 years after he was found liable in Michael Jackson's death.

Murray met Jackson in 2006

 Michael Jackson waves to supporters as he arrives at the Santa Barbara County Courthouse for proceedings in his child molestation trial May 16, 2005 in Santa Maria, California.
Michael Jackson in 2005.

Christina Barany/Getty 

The "Thriller" singer was introduced to the cardiologist in 2006 by a member of his entourage, who called him to treat his daughter, Paris Jackson, who had fallen ill on a trip to Las Vegas.

The two men became friends, and three years later, Jackson hired Murray to be his personal physician for his upcoming This Is It world tour.

NBC News reported that the doctor would earn $150,000 a month from Jackson and was facing foreclosure on his home in Las Vegas at the time.

He was convicted of involuntary manslaughter in Jackson’s death

In this booking photo provided by the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, Dr. Conrad Murray is seen in a booking photo November 7, 2011 in Los Angeles, California.
Dr. Conrad Murray in 2011.

y Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department/Getty

On June 25, 2009, Jackson died of acute Propofol intoxication, which caused him to go into cardiac arrest, per NPR.

His death was the result of a fatal dose of the anesthetic, which Murray claimed he administered at the singer's request to help him sleep.

Jackson's death was ruled a homicide, and the Las Vegas cardiologist was later charged with involuntary manslaughter, per CNN. Murray pleaded not guilty, with his defense attorneys arguing that the late singer injected the Propofol himself when his doctor's back was turned.

The prosecution said Murray "repeatedly acted with gross negligence" by administering the drug without the right monitoring equipment and waiting over an hour to call 911.

In November 2011, he was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter, according to The New York Times.

Murray was released from prison in 2013

 Dr. Conrad Murray looks on during his involuntary manslaughter trial on October 20, 2011 in downtown Los Angeles, California.
Dr. Conrad Murray in 2011.

Reed Saxon-Pool/Getty

Though he was sentenced to four years in prison, Murray was released from the Los Angeles Men's Central Jail after two years.

His lawyer told ABC News that his shortened sentence wasn't due to good behavior but credit for time served, as he was given an additional day of credit for every day he spent in jail.

"Dr. Murray's position is and always been he will be vindicated in all of this," his Texas attorney Charles Peckham told the outlet at the time. "He is a good doctor and he needs to get back to the practice of medicine for the patients who need it."

He opened up a medical institute in Trinidad and Tobago

Dr. Conrad Murray arrives for his arraignment of at the Airport Los Angeles Courthouse on February 8, 2010 in Los Angeles, California.
Dr. Conrad Murray now.

Frederick M. Brown/Getty 

Since his release, Murray has made several attempts to return to the medical field, even though his medical licenses were suspended in California and Nevada and revoked in Texas.

ABC News reported that he filed to have his Texas license reinstated in 2013 while he was still in jail, and he told Inside Edition in May 2016 that he was legally providing pro bono consultations to patients in Florida.

"I have lost a great deal," Murray said at the time. "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 May 2023, he opened the DCM Medical Institute in El Socorro, San Juan in Trinidad and Tobago. He told the Trinidad and Tobago Guardian that it was established after his colleagues made him feel like he "was too much of a threat to be present."

"All I was willing to do was to collaborate, further educate and instill care for more and more," Murray claimed. "So they decided to eventfully lock the doors when they saw the cases I was performing."

He continued, "It was tough. I dealt with the country locking its borders for two years but I did not give up. I felt that I had to be relentless."

Where is Conrad Murray now?

Conrad Murray
Dr. Conrad Murray in 2013.

Shutterstock 

Though Murray was reportedly living near Fort Lauderdale, Fla., in 2016, he later moved back to his native Trinidad and Tobago.

The Trinidad and Tobago Guardian reported that in 2018, he took legal action against the Medical Board of Trinidad and Tobago (MBTT) for refusing to accept his annual registration fees, which would allow him to practice medicine in the country.

Before opening DCM Medical Institute, Murray practiced private medicine at a nursing home in Chaguanas. His licenses appear to still be suspended in the U.S.

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    1. Comment by A..

      Malpractice at it’s worst.

      • Comment by Mary.

        Ony 2 years for ending a life. Now he's back at it in another country. Be careful T&T!

        • Comment by KM1957.

          Didn't he have a whole bunch of girlfriends? or ex-wives & kids, I don't remember exactly but the doctor was hurting for money. He was negligent & careless for sure, it was proven he didn't monitor MJ properly while MJ was under anesthesia, that's criminal behavior

          • Comment by Trinkets.

            I wouldn’t let Conrad remove a splinter from my pinky but most definitely … grant him a medical license so he can - yet against n - practice his witch craft on unsuspecting patients. To think MJ would have been safer with a local pusher vs his private physician.

            • Comment by Michelle.

              Matthew Perry's dealer got 15 years in prison and Murray only served 2 years in jail...what's wrong with this picture? ALOT!!! dude should have got the same amount if not more

              • Comment by Myra.

                He should still be in prison

                • Comment by Jovita.

                  "DR." MY BEHIND, CONRAD THE CONVICTED CRIMINAL NEEDS TO STILL BE IN PRISON WHERE HE BELONGS! I JUST HOPE AND PRAY THAT NO ONE ELSE FADES TO DEATH ON HIS WATCH.🙏🏽

                  • Hidden comment.

                    Your avatar
                    • Reply by Lesia.

                      Grammar would help. That was a mishmash of words.

                  • Comment by Lynn.

                    He should have received the death penalty for what he did to Michael.

                    • Comment by Peggy.

                      The Dr should have got a lot more years 15-20 in prison. And never got his license back ever! And his response not guilty? There is no way Michael could have gave himself the fatal dose. In the wrong place at the wrong time? Why was he collecting the check every month? He must not of been that good of Dr to be loosing everything back then. I don’t feel sorry for him one bit… he knew he was in the wrong by working with Michael like that. I hope he never gets his license back! I didn’t understand why he only did two years in prison. More or less the Dr was a drug dealer not a Dr. By the way it states he lost everything…. that’s Karma!

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