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Though Dr. Conrad Murray has been convicted of involuntary manslaughter in the 2009 death of Michael Jackson, he still claims that he's innocent of any wrongdoing.
The doctor who cared for Jackson in his final days sat down with the Today show days before his conviction was read to discuss the trial. In the interview, he reiterates that he doesn't fault himself for Jackson's death, and thus doesn't feel remorseful. (Watch below.)
"I do not feel guilty because I did not do anything wrong," Murray says. "I am very, very sorry for the loss of Michael. Michael is a personal friend. It's heartfelt. It's been painful."
Adds Murray: "I regret that Michael has passed."
During the trial, Murray's main defense for his actions was that the 25-milligram dose of the drug propofol he gave Jackson wasn't enough to prove dangerous. So, the defense argued, Michael might have given himself the lethal dose that caused him to go into cardiac arrest. That, Murray explains, is why he didn't tell the paramedics who responded to his delayed 911 call that Jackson had taken propofol, and is also why Murray says he didn't need to keep a close eye on Jackson during his treatment.
One of the major points of the case -- and the reason Murray was ultimately convicted -- was that Murray admits to leaving the room to make calls and send emails while he was supposed to be watching Jackson. Murray defends himself by saying that he didn't want to be doing his business dealings while Jackson -- "the man who was already denied of sleep, who was so desperate for sleep, and finally is getting some sleep" -- was getting some much-needed rest.
But Murray admits to Today that he was not using his phone from a location where he could see Jackson, or even from a place where he could tell if Jackson was calling to him. Still, the doctor does not accept responsibility.
"He was not on an infusion that would cause him to stop breathing," Murray says. "I was not supposed to be monitoring him at that time because there was no need for monitoring.
"Something happened when I was not in that room," Murray continues. "As to how it happened and the mechanisms, I don't know."
