.

Michael Jackson's Former Doctor Regrets Not Testifying at Trial

Conrad Murray found guilty of involuntary manslaughter last November

Dr. Conrad Murray at the Los Angeles Superior Court
Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images
June 26, 2012 9:55 AM ET

Michael Jackson's former physician Dr. Conrad Murray now regrets not testifying at his trial over the death of the pop star, reports Reuters. Two of Murray's lawyers, attorney and co-counsel J. Michael Flanagan and appellate lawyer Valerie Wass, have revealed the doctor now feels he should have appeared on the witness stand in his defense during the trial.

Flanagan said Murray declined to take the stand at the advice of his lead trial attorney, Ed Chernoff, though Flanagan disagreed. Flanagan also claimed that because Murray was the only person with Jackson in the last hours of the singer's life, he could provide the proper insight into that crucial time. "Now he says that the biggest mistake he made in the trial of the case was not testifying," said Flanagan. "We had so many gaps in the case that needed to be filled, that could only be supplied by Dr. Murray."

Flanagan noted that if there were to be a retrial, the defense would attempt to put Murray on the stand. In February, Murray filed an appeal for his case, following his conviction of involuntary manslaughter last November. Murray is currently incarcerated at a Los Angeles County Jail while serving a four-year sentence.

To read the new issue of Rolling Stone online, plus the entire RS archive: Click Here

prev
Music Main Next

blog comments powered by Disqus
Daily Newsletter

Get the latest RS news in your inbox.

Sign up to receive the Rolling Stone newsletter and special offers from RS and its
marketing partners.

X

We may use your e-mail address to send you the newsletter and offers that may interest you, on behalf of Rolling Stone and its partners. For more information please read our Privacy Policy.

Song Stories

“Everyday People”

Sly and the Family Stone | 1968

"Everyday People" managed to trailblaze in two different ways -- it was one of the first pop hits to deal with the subject of racial harmony, and it utilized Larry Graham's "slap" technique on the bass guitar, which would soon be copied by countless other bassists. Graham once said about his pulsating style, "I'd never done that before … that's where the freedom of creativity came in for the band, that we'd be allowed to do that." In 1978, the song's line "Different strokes for different folks" would be borrowed for the title of the hit television show Diff'rent Strokes.

More Song Stories entries »