EXCLUSIVE: How Michael Jackson's Drug Doc Was Marked for Murder After He Was Jailed for Killing Superstar 17 Years Ago
Michael Jackson's drug doc Conrad Murray was blamed for the singer's death.
June 25 2026, Published 3:45 p.m. ET
Michael Jackson's drug doctor became a murder target as he faced charges over the King of Pop's tranquilizer-related death 17 years ago, RadarOnline.com has learned in a chilling exclusive.
As he faced criminal charges for Jackson's shocking death on June 25, 2009, experts said there were "huge fears" Dr. Conrad Murray would be killed by thugs hellbent on carrying out "jailhouse justice."
Dr. Conrad Murray faced criminal charges for the singer's shocking death.
Murray, Jackson's former personal physician, now 73, was convicted of involuntary manslaughter in 2011 for his role in the singer's death after dosing him with the propofol tranquilizer to help the hitmaker sleep.
He served about two years of a four-year prison sentence. Since his release, he has relocated, faced medical licensing suspensions, and opened a medical facility in Trinidad and Tobago.
Following his conviction, Murray had his medical licenses in California, Nevada, and Texas suspended or revoked.
He served just under two years in a Los Angeles jail and was released in October 2013 due to prison overcrowding and credits for his time served.
After leaving prison, he returned to his home country of Trinidad and Tobago, where he could practice as a physician.
In May 2023, he launched the DCM Medical Institute in Trinidad and Tobago. Over the years, he has continued to maintain his innocence, release memoirs, and do interviews regarding his time working with Jackson.
'Doctor Who Murdered Their Idol'
Outraged music fans sent death threats directly to the medical doctor, insiders claimed.
Sources now tell us Murray was so hated during his trial there were fears it was unlikely he'd survive incarceration long enough to see his freedom.
Murray had already gotten death threats from outraged fans who accused him of killing Jackson with a fatal drug overdose by the time he faced the courts.
The terrified medic hired his own bodyguards and was even urged to wear a bulletproof vest during the proceedings, sources recalled. His lawyers were also said to have confessed they feared for his safety.
Top California forensic psychologist Dr. Glenn S. Lipson told us at the time of his trial: "Dr. Murray couldn't leave his home because of countless death threats. It will be much worse for him in prison because he'll find himself universally despised there."
Lipson added cops had advised Murray to wear body armor for his court appearances just in case a deranged fan tries to blow him away.
He continued: "But that won't help if he ends up in prison – inmates aren't allowed to wear Kevlar vests. Warring factions, including the Mexican Mafia and the Nation of Islam, will unite because they all grew up to Michael Jackson's music.
"They'll see Conrad Murray as the doctor who murdered their idol."
Prison Fears Intensified
The doctor chatted on his cell phone instead of monitoring his patient.
Lipson, who has worked on many prisoner evaluations, said one particular threat came from "narcissistic twinning."
That's where an inmate who thinks he's Jackson's avenger may feel a connection with the singer by taking out Murray.
"Plus, Murray will be a big-name inmate, so he could be a trophy kill," said Lipson in a previous interview. "If he's in protective custody and away from the general population, he's still at risk in the shower, cafeteria, exercise areas or even on the bus that takes him to court."
Jackson died just hours after Murray sedated the 50-year-old superstar at a rented Holmby Hills, California, mansion. Murray admitted he administered the powerful anesthetic Propofol, which an autopsy revealed was the primary cause of the tragedy.
Propofol is supposed to be handled by an anesthesiologist in a hospital setting.
Instead of monitoring his patient, Murray, who once ran a Las Vegas medical business, reportedly chatted to a female friend on his cell phone.
And even after discovering the frail star was on the verge of death, Jackson's life could have been saved had Murray not wasted valuable minutes instead of calling for help, sources charge.
Family Wanted Longer Sentence
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The Jackson family believed 'Dr. Death' deserved a much longer jail sentence.
As previously revealed by Radar, experts insisted Murray tried to cover up how Jackson died. Jackson family members believed "Dr. Death" should have been jailed for much longer, sources told us.
Murray was not held in jail during his actual criminal trial.
He was free on bail throughout the duration of the court proceedings, which took place in the Los Angeles County Superior Court in late 2011.
The disgraced doc was only taken into custody and sent to jail immediately after the jury found him guilty of involuntary manslaughter on November 7, 2011. Following his conviction, he served roughly two years of a four-year sentence in the Los Angeles Men's Central Jail before being released early in October 2013.
