Conrad Murray Not Expected To Serve Full Four Years

Legal expert Mike Cavalluzzi tells MTV News he isn't surprised by sentence but doesn't think it's justified.
By Gil Kaufman


Dr. Conrad Murray sits in court after he was sentenced for the involuntary manslaughter of singer Michael Jackson at the Los Angeles Superior Court on November 29, 2011 in Los Angeles, California. Judge Michael E. Pastor sentenced Murray to four years in the Los Angeles County Jail for the involuntary manslaughter of Jackson. A restitution hearing has been scheduled for January 23, 2012 to determine the amount of restitution to be paid to the Jackson family.
Photo: Mario Anzuoni-Pool/ Getty Images

<P>Though he dodged a potential four-year prison term, former Michael Jackson physician Conrad Murray was sentenced to an equal amount of time in Los Angeles County Jail on Tuesday (November 29) in the death of the pop singer. </p><div class="player-placeholder right" id="vid:714975.id:1673923" width="240" height="211"></div><p> But the same overcrowding problems that spared the cardiologist from doing time in a federal pen might also save him from serving his entire sentence in county as well. Shortly after the sentence was handed down by Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Michael Pastor, Los Angeles Sheriff spokesman Steve Whitmore told E! News that Murray would likely end up serving "a little less than two years." Due to overcrowding, most county jail sentences are immediately cut in half, and given the 46 days credit Murray has already been given, he is looking at even less than that. Do you think Conrad Murray deserved the maximum sentence? Let us know on Facebook. Murray's lawyers said afterward that they believed the sentence was unnecessarily long. "Yes, of course [Judge Pastor] was harsh. He gave the stiffest penalty he was entitled to give under the law," Murray's attorney, J. Michael Flanagan, told reporters. "He was openly hostile. ... [Murray has] led 56 years of exemplary life. He was really dreading [sentencing]. I think anybody would dread going into it. He's an honorable man, and he'll get through this. The family is suffering more than Dr. Murray is. ... Dr. Murray is the provider in that family." Pastor had leeway in the sentencing, with options ranging from probation to the full sentence, but in a lengthy ruling from the bench, he said Murray's lack of remorse and negligent behavior called for the highest possible penalty. "He is and remains dangerous ... the request of probation is denied, the court imposes the high term of four years imprisonment in this case," Pastor said during the 90-plus-minute hearing. Los Angeles-based criminal defense attorney Mike Cavalluzzi told MTV News that he wasn't surprised by the sentencing but that he didn't believe it was justified. Cavalluzzi said Pastor had incentive to give the full sentence because of the prominence of Jackson and his family and to create the perception that he is tough on crime. "He gets that perception by sentencing him to the max while not having to surrender the defendant to the full sentence," said Cavalluzzi, who was not involved in the case. "He gets the self-satisfaction of being perceived as being tough on crime and making the Jackson family happy, but I don't think it was a fair sentence." Cavalluzzi said when deciding prison versus probation, judges have to look at someone's criminal history and whether a person is likely to complete the terms of their probation, which he believes Murray would. "I'm not seeing aggravating factors here, and I think it was just a chapter in [Murray's] life and he does not have a history of being a mercenary doctor always after money, but of being a good, responsible doctor who was seduced by the celebrity and money that Jackson offered," he said. </p><div class="player-placeholder right" id="vid:708788.id:1673923" width="240" height="211"></div><p> As to why Pastor gave such a dramatic, lengthy explanation for why he was sentencing Murray to the max, Cavalluzzi said the judge has to have a justification for his actions in the public record. "Because he doesn't have the discretion to give a high prison term, [Pastor] has to justify his sentence in the record and have very specific reasons for it. I don't think there's any way that anyone truly believes that from this day forward Dr. Murray truly represents a threat to society. That's just ludicrous." And while he doesn't agree with the four-year term, Cavalluzzi said the high-profile nature of the case and the glare of the media could have played into the sentence. "It probably gives [Jackson's family] great comfort to have someone to blame," he said. " 'If not for this awful man, my son, brother, father would be alive.' But it's not fair to do that and it feels like a capitulating judgment in favor of feeding the emotional needs of the family." Upon leaving the courthouse, Michael's brother Jermaine, when asked if the four-year sentence was enough, shook his head and said, "No." Mother Katherine Jackson told local TV station KTLA, "Four years is not enough for someone's life. It won't bring him back. But at least he got the maximum, and I thought the judge was very, very fair." The prosecution, however, was satisfied with the ruling. "We're pleased. That's what we thought was appropriate. The judge obviously agreed with us," deputy district attorney David Walgren said. "It was our position that it was not a simple, one-time mistake; it was a series of mistakes culminating in the abandonment of Michael Jackson when he died ... the judge agreed with that sentiment. A brother and a son and a family member was killed, and whatever the sentence may be, the family of the victim deserves justice. And we did everything to bring them that justice." As for how much time Murray will spend locked up, Cavalluzzi said it is likely to be less than two years and, frankly, he predicted, the doctor could be out even sooner than that. "He might be eligible for house arrest very quickly," he said.</p>

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'Safe House' Rules Holiday Weekend Box Office

Denzel Washington's latest ekes out a win over 'Ghost Rider' sequel and 'The Vow.'
By Ryan J. Downey


Denzel Washington and Ryan Reynolds in "Safe House"
Photo: Universal Pictures

Denzel Washington topped the box office over the holiday weekend as a comic book sequel flamed out.

Two holdovers from last week, "Safe House" and "The Vow," were neck and neck for the top spot during the four-day Presidents' Day weekend and helped push box-office receipts to 11 percent over the same period last year. Washington's "Safe House" was #1, with a four-day total of $28.4 million. "The Vow" followed just behind with $26.6 million, according to studio estimates.

"Journey 2: The Mysterious Island" was #3 with $26.4 million thanks to a very strong Monday. "Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance" opened at #4 with $25.7 million, followed by the debut of the Reese Witherspoon-starring "This Means War" at #5 with $20.4 million.

"Safe House" has made $82.6 million thus far, making it the second-best 10-day run for Washington, just behind "American Gangster." The drama looks likely to pass the $100 million mark, which will make it the fourth movie in the 57-year-old actor's career to do so. "The Vow" has earned $88.5 million thus far, which means it is now the highest-grossing movie ever for the Sony/ Screen Gems brand.

The second "Ghost Rider" film, based on the Marvel Comics antihero, opened with less than half of the 2007 original's $45.4 million debut. Nicolas Cage reprises the role of Johnny Blaze in "Spirit of Vengeance," which, despite featuring a darker take on the supernatural motorcycle rider (courtesy of the directing duo behind "Crank"), suffered even worse reviews than its predecessor. At press time, "Ghost Rider" sat at 27 percent on Rotten Tomatoes' Tomatometer, which averages reviews from critics, while the sequel sat at 15 percent.

The weekend's other new wide release, "The Secret World of Arrietty," was #9 on the box-office chart with $8.1 million. The debut for the animated film, which features English-speaking actors recording new performances in the Japanese film, met with Disney's reported expectations. Similarly, the romance-meets-action of "This Means War" wasn't far off from the debuts of similar fare like "Knight & Day," "The Tourist" or "Killers," all of which had mostly negative reviews and opened between $15 and $20 million.

"Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menance" in 3-D suffered a bigger second-week decline than the similar 3-D re-release of Disney's "Beauty and the Beast," but still added enough to the prequel's all-time box-office total to push it past the original "Star Wars" to become the fourth-highest-grossing film of all time. "Phantom Menace" made $10.2 million over the four-day weekend for a domestic theater total of $36 million for the 3-D version.

Two smaller but critically acclaimed pictures continued to benefit from awards season momentum over the weekend. The latest picture from Alexander Payne ("Sideways"), "The Descendants," starring George Clooney, passed the $75 million mark, while silent film "The Artist" passed $25 million. Both movies are up for Best Picture at this year's Academy Awards, among other nominations.

Check out everything we've got on "Safe House" and "Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance."

For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com.

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Justin Bieber 'Too Humble' To Give The Wanted Advice

U.K. boy band wrapped their first-ever U.S. tour Wednesday night in L.A.
By Jocelyn Vena


Justin Bieber
Photo: Getty Images

<P>The Wanted landed on U.S. shores last month for their first-ever tour here in America, and what ensued was Beatlemania-like fandom. On Wednesday night, the U.K. boy band wrapped up the trek in L.A., and fans (including the Beckham family) came out in full force when they took the stage at the El Rey. </p><div class="player-placeholder right" id="vid:732653" width="240" height="211"></div><p> The five Brits couldn't believe the enthusiasm felt by the crowd, tweeting that the excitement for them was "unbelievable." Even though the tour is over, the interest in the guys has hardly waned. Their song "Glad You Came" (from their 2011 album <i>Battleground</i>) will be featured on "Glee" this season and continues to climb the charts and gain radio play. The guys are prepared for all the attention: Touring with Justin Bieber has shown them what it's like to become an international pop sensation. So what kind of advice has the Biebs given them? "I think he's too humble for that, in that way. ... He's not someone that really gives advice, because I think he just appreciates what happens to him rather than thinks he's God," Max George told MTV News. "And so, I mean, we don't really talk music. When we speak to him, it's more we talk about football or basketball." Bandmate Jay McGuiness added: "I think he knows that we know how to do what we want to do in the same way that we could never tell him how to do what he does, 'cause he does it a lot better than we ever could." The Wanted will head back home to their native U.K. to kick off an arena tour that will run through March. They are also up for Best British Single at the Brit Awards this month for "Glad." <i>Have you been following the Wanted's burgeoning career? Let us know in the comments!</i></p>

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Brad Pitt On Work And Parenting

If you hadn’t heard yet (I won’t say too much to avoid spoiling it), Brad Pitt’s character in ‘Tree of Life‘ isn’t the most, well, nicest guy. He’s not the most nurturing parent. I guess that’s a good way to … Continue reading

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Jennifer Lopez & Casper Smart's Rio de Janeiro Departure

Ready to jet out of the South American locale, Jennifer Lopez had boyfriend Casper Smart by her side at Rio De Janeiro International airport on Monday (February 20).

The "Papi" singer made a quick trip to Brazil this weekend with her dancer beau for the annual Carnival festival.

The previous day, J Lo tweeted, "Just landed in Rio!!! Hello everyone!! My first time here during carnival!!!! #ILoveBrazil".

Lopez did a Carnival-themed commercial for the beer company, Brahma, who set up and paid for her visit.

The commercial features the 42-year-old pop star effortlessly dancing the fast-paced Samba and has been airing in Brazil for the past few months.

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