Dr. Conrad Murray, Michael Jackson‘s former doctor, has opened his own medical institute in Trinidad and Tobago more than a decade after he was convicted of the legendary pop singer’s death.
According to PEOPLE, Murray, who initially lived in Trinidad and Tobago with his family after they migrated from Grenada, cut the ribbon for the DCM Medical Institute last month. During the ceremony, the 70-year-old touched on why he decided to set up his own institute.
“When I came back to Trinidad, most of the colleagues whom I had trained felt that I was too much of a threat to be present, when all I was willing to do was to collaborate, further educate and instill care for more and more. So they decided to eventfully lock the doors when they saw the cases I was performing,” the Trinidad and Tobago Guardian quoted him as saying.
“It was tough. I dealt with the country locking its borders for two years, but I did not give up. I felt that I had to be relentless,” he added.
Murray relocated to the United States in 1980 and practiced as a doctor before Jackson hired him as his personal physician. He was sentenced to four years in prison in 2011 after he was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter following Jackson’s death in 2009. The “King of Pop” reportedly died from acute cardiac arrest from acute propofol and benzodiazepine intoxication.
The individuals who took to the stand during Murray’s trial included Jackson’s children. “This is a crime where the end result was the death of a human being,” Los Angeles Superior Court Judge, Michael Pastor, said during the trial, per PEOPLE. “That factor demonstrates rather dramatically that the public should be protected.”
During the trial, prosecutors described Murray as an unprofessional doctor who put Jackson on propofol drip every night as a treatment for the deceased pop singer’s insomnia. The anesthetic in question cannot be predicted and can also be fatal. Murray was allegedly paid $150,000 a month for his services.
Prosecutors also accused the doctor of being negligent, as he did not use the right monitoring equipment and gadgets to ensure Jackson wouldn’t have issues breathing after being put under strong anesthesia. He was also accused of failing to be around Jackson as he repeatedly left him to attend to phone calls and emails.
However, Murray’s attorneys argued that Jackson had already determined propofol was the only solution for his insomnia before the accused was even hired as the deceased pop singer’s doctor for his This Is It concerts. His attorneys and a medical expert said Jackson had probably taken many tablets of the lorazepam sedative that morning, adding that it could have happened while Murray had turned his back – suggesting what caused Jackson’s sudden death and Murray’s inability to save his life, PEOPLE reported.
Murray returned to Trinidad and Tobago to continue his career after serving two years of his conviction. His medical licenses in Texas, California, and Nevada were, however, suspended following his conviction.
