Conrad Murray's lawyer asked for his release pending appeal of his involuntary manslaughter conviction, but Superior Court Judge Michael Pastor said he saw little chance that Murray would prevail in getting his case overturned.
Pastor made it clear that his view of Murray had not softened since he gave him a tongue-lashing and the maximum four-year sentence in the superstar's death. He suggested Murray hurt his own chances for freedom in a documentary interview broadcast after the trial saying use of the powerful anaesthetic propofol in the home was appropriate.
Jackson died in 2009 of an overdose of the drug that Murray administered in his bedroom as a treatment for insomnia. Expert witnesses testified they never heard of anyone administering the drug outside a hospital.
"I didn't tell Dr Murray to give an interview for a documentary," the judge said. "When he did, I listened to it and saw it and I was concerned about his attitude toward the use of propofol in the home. What he believes scares me."
Pastor also believes Murray, who was born and raised in the Caribbean, would pose a flight risk. He said the doctor could go to a foreign country that might allow him to practise medicine, and anyone encountering him as a patient would be in danger.
