Fifteen years after a jury found him guilty of involuntary manslaughter in the death of Michael Jackson, Dr. Conrad Murray is practicing medicine again just not in the United States.
The cardiologist, whose actions on June 25, 2009, led to the pop icon’s death and one of the most publicized criminal trials in entertainment history, has rebuilt a medical career in Trinidad and Tobago, the country where he was born. His journey from a Los Angeles courtroom to a Caribbean clinic is a complicated one, shaped by legal battles, suspended licenses and persistent efforts to return to a profession he nearly lost entirely.
How Murray became Jackson’s personal doctor
Murray first crossed paths with Jackson in 2006 under fairly ordinary circumstances. A member of Jackson’s entourage contacted him to treat his daughter, Paris Jackson, who had fallen ill during a trip to Las Vegas. The two men developed a friendship, and by 2009, Jackson had hired Murray as his personal physician ahead of the ambitious This Is It world tour. According to NBC News, Murray was set to earn $150,000 per month for the role a significant sum, particularly given that he was reportedly facing foreclosure on his Las Vegas home at the time.
The night everything changed
Jackson died of acute propofol intoxication, which triggered cardiac arrest. Murray told investigators he had been administering the powerful surgical anesthetic to help the singer sleep, a practice widely considered dangerous and inappropriate outside a clinical setting. Prosecutors argued that Murray acted with gross negligence giving Jackson the drug without proper monitoring equipment and waiting more than an hour before calling 911. His defense team countered that Jackson had administered the final dose himself when Murray briefly left the room. The death was ruled a homicide, and Murray was charged with involuntary manslaughter. He pleaded not guilty.
In November 2011, a jury disagreed with his defense. He was convicted and sentenced to four years in prison.
A shortened sentence and a difficult road out
Murray served just under two years at the Los Angeles Men’s Central Jail, released in October 2013. His attorney clarified at the time that the early release was not due to good behavior but rather a sentencing credit system that counted each day served as two. His medical licenses had been suspended in California and Nevada and revoked entirely in Texas.
Despite those setbacks, Murray made clear through his legal team that he intended to keep practicing medicine. He filed to have his Texas license reinstated while still incarcerated and later told a television program that he was offering pro bono consultations in Florida, which he described as legally permissible at the time.
Building a new practice in Trinidad and Tobago
Murray eventually relocated back to his homeland, and in May 2023 he opened the DCM Medical Institute in El Socorro, San Juan a move that came after years of friction with local medical authorities. The Trinidad and Tobago Guardian reported that as far back as 2018, Murray had taken legal action against the country’s Medical Board for refusing to process his annual registration fees, which would have allowed him to practice there legally. Before the institute opened, he had been working at a private nursing home in Chaguanas.
Murray has framed the opening of the institute as both a personal and professional vindication, suggesting that professional opposition pushed him toward building something independent.
Where things stand now
As of 2026, Murray‘s U.S. medical licenses remain suspended, and there is no indication that status is set to change. He continues to operate the DCM Medical Institute in Trinidad and Tobago, more than 15 years after the events that upended his career and ended the life of one of the most celebrated entertainers in history. Jackson was 50 years old when he died.
