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The verdict made one person scream in the courtroom and several lawyers said it should be making doctors scream too because they could be held accountable for their patients' actions.
More than two years after his death, Jackson's fans got one last reason to cheer for the King of Pop. The colorful throng gathered outside the Los Angeles County Superior Courthouse celebrated the jury's decision to hold Dr. Conrad Murray accountable for the singer's death. Jackson's family wept in the courtroom, then joined in the joyous sentiments outside.
"Michael loves everybody out here," said his sister Latoya Jackson. "We all love him and guess what? He was in that courtroom and that's why victory was served."
Bailiffs handcuffed Dr. Murray at the defense table and escorted him to jail, where he'll await sentencing. Prosecutors say the image should serve as a warning to other doctors who carelessly prescribe drugs that could potentially kill their patients.
"To the extent that someone dies as a result of them playing the role of Dr. Feelgood, they will be held accountable," said L.A. County District Attorney Steve Cooley.
But the verdict is unlikely to fill doctor's veins with fear, according to a Porterville physician. Dr. Dwight James was approached about prescribing Propofol for Jackson about two months before the star's death. He refused.
"Conrad did it, but I don't know anybody else who's ever done that before," Dr. James told Action News. "So that wasn't a real problem and it wasn't like, OK, now that this has happened to Michael, people are going to stop using it like that because they weren't using it that way in the first place."
Dr. James says it's no surprise his colleague is being punished, but the verdict can't fix what happened.
"It's a sad situation because, you know, Michael's gone and now you've got a doctor who's facing some pretty serious consequences," he said.
Dr. Murray is set for sentencing on Nov. 29. The maximum sentence for involuntary manslaughter in California is four years.
