Popular trials have becoming increasingly more televised. The popularity of watching these events unfold on television skyrocketed around the time of the OJ Simpson trial. This year it was the verdict in the Casey Anthony case and Amanda Knox's appeal that dominated the "straight from the courtroom" live streaming.
Today, the verdict was announced in the Conrad Murray trial. Two and a half years ago, Michael Jackson died after ingesting a lethal dose of medication. Dr. Conrad Murray was hired as Jackson's personal physician (and was payed an astronomical $150,000 a month). Murray supervised Jackson's health while the singer rehearsed for his large-scale "This Is It" concert tour in the UK. Apparently Jackson was suffering from severe insomnia during the rehearsals, and he regularly asked Murray to provide him with sleeping agents.
Long after Jackson died, Murray was charging with reckless criminal negligence and prosecutors intended to prove that he recklessly shirked his responsibilities as a doctor and administered a dangerous amount of drugs to Jackson. Murray's defense team insisted that Jackson was the one who begged Murray to provide him with these dangerous amounts of drugs.
The jury ultimately believed the prosecution after deliberating for only two days and the verdict was announced this afternoon. Murray currently faces up to four years in prison and the loss of his medical license. After the verdict was announced, Murray was immediately taken into custody and will remain in jail until his sentence is given out by the judge.
I bet he won't see 1 day in jail, he'll get probation……and his own show on MSNBC.