LOS ANGELES The doctor convicted of killing Michael Jackson asked on Friday to be released from jail, pending an appeal that could take a year to be heard. Dr. Conrad Murray said in court papers filed in Los Angeles that he would agree to electronic monitoring or other conditions. But he asked to be set free while he appeals his conviction for involuntary manslaughter in the “Thriller” singer’s 2009 death.
Murray, 58, was sentenced to four years in November after a six-week trial. Witnesses testified that he was guilty of gross negligence for giving Jackson regular doses of the powerful anesthetic propofol as a sleep aid, and failing to monitor him.
According to his defense attorney on Friday, Murray is being held in a solitary cell and has his hands chained to his waist, or to a table, when he is allowed out.
Attorney J. Michael Flanagan wrote in a declaration to Los Angeles Superior Court that Murray’s sentence “is very severe” considering the circumstances of the case.
Flanagan wrote that Murray’s conviction stemmed from “an unusual situation, a close friendship with Michael Jackson and a desire to assist him through a difficult situation.