Solicitors acting for Michael Jackson's former doctor Conrad Murray have said that their client should be granted probation instead of a custodial sentence.
Murray - who was found guilty of the singer's manslaughter on November 7 - will be sentenced next Tuesday (November 29).
In documents seen by the Los Angeles Times, Murray's lawyers argue that their client has already been severely punished due to the loss of his livelihood, the likely loss of his medical licence and the public contempt and abuse he has received.
Attorney Nareg Gourjian says in the documents: "Dr. Murray's life will never be the same. He will forever be stigmatized as the doctor responsible for the death of Michael Jackson."
The papers also refer to Murray's work with the disadvantaged - including a charity clinic that he founded, and are supported by character reference letters from 34 people, including Murray's patients, friends and his mother Milta Rush.
Californian prosecutors have argued for Murray to receive the maximum four-year state prison sentence for manslaughter in their own documents.
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They also believe that the doctor should make restitution of over $100 million (£64.3 million) to Jackson's three children, covering loss of earnings and the costs of their father's funeral and memorial service.
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Kate (they/she) is a freelance writer, editor, digital editorial trainer and data technician who first joined Digital Spy as an overnight freelance sub-editor in January 2011, after studying a postgraduate diploma in journalism at Salford University while working part-time as a social researcher.
In July 2013, Kate joined the DS staff team as chief sub-editor and following six years as the site's managing editor, their role expanded to incorporate Hearst UK's entertainment portfolio (including Digital Spy and its sibling titles Best and Inside Soap) between late 2024 and early 2026.
Kate has worked as a writer and editor since 2006, with bylines syndicated across the Hearst network and at organisations including Metro. They started their career as a TV production runner for the BBC and contributed to various music websites, blogs and zines while based in Manchester.
During her time at DS, Kate has previously been a freelance sub-editor and chief sub-editor.
Kate's team at Digital Spy were proudly nominated in the Best Subbing/Production Team category at the BSME Talent Awards 2022. Over the years, she has contributed to coverage of many, many Prime Days and Black Friday/Cyber Monday, and was part of the team that launched the DS weekly TV newsletter in November 2019 – followed by the Top of the Shops e-commerce newsletter in May 2024.
Kate's screen passions include Taskmaster (their biggest career regret remains turning down the opportunity to visit the house), nature documentaries, and live sport (up there with the greatest of all soap operas although if asked to choose, it's Corrie… every time).
Her highlights while working at DS have included interviewing Stevie Nicks on the red carpet for her documentary In Your Dreams, sitting at a press roundtable with Formula 1 commentary icon Murray Walker, watching a life-sized LEGO car being driven around Silverstone, writing an album-by-album retrospective of Lady Gaga's genre-defying career for Living Legends, and raising awareness of receiving and understanding a late-in-life ADHD diagnosis through the lens of Bianca and Freddie's EastEnders storyline.
Upon remembering to log off the internet, Kate enjoys live theatre, dance and comedy, appreciating nature, baking (badly), tending a recently-rented allotment (equally badly) and pampering one very spoiled rescue cat named Jolene.
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