Lawyer for Conrad Murray gets death threats from Michael Jackson fans
An attorney for Michael Jackson’s physician, Dr. Conrad Murray, said she has received death threats from some fans of the late pop star.
Valerie Wass, 56, said the emails started after a verbal confrontation with a woman the night of Murray’s release last month from Men’s Central Jail in downtown Los Angeles. The two bantered about Murray’s charges and release.
“I was trying to educate that fan, not mock her, about the difference between murder and manslaughter,” Wass said.
Murray was convicted by a jury of involuntary manslaughter in Jackson’s 2009 death from an overdose of propofol, a powerful anesthetic.
In an email provided Wednesday by Wass, one sender wrote, “Just wait… Wait & see… They gonna kill himmm! & if u know to much they’ll kill you tooo!”
The writer wished Wass luck, claiming she would need it.
“If you think MJ fans are insignificant….. you are dead wrong, dead wrong,” another email provided by Wass stated.
Wass said she alerted the FBI on Monday to the threats against her and Murray. The FBI would not confirm or deny its investigation in the case.
Wass said she, too, is a Jackson fan and said she knows the threats are coming from only a very small portion of his fan base.
Michael Jackson died June 25, 2009, from an overdose of the anesthetic administered by Murray.
Murray served nearly two years of the maximum four-year jail term he received. Under state sentencing laws, most inmates can receive a day of credit for every day spent behind bars in addition to other credits standard for county inmates, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.
Wass is representing Murray as he challenges his conviction and tries to have the verdict overturned.
As of now, Murray resides in a remote and undisclosed location, Wass said, adding that she is being careful because of the threats.
“It’s getting a bit beyond a comfort level, so to speak. I don’t say where I am, or what I’m doing,” Wass said. “Michael Jackson was a man of peace and nonviolence, and this isn’t honoring his legacy.”
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