Dr. Conrad Murray to plead not guilty

Feb 8, 2010, 16:35 GMT

Dr. Conrad Murray will reportedly plead not guilty to the involuntary manslaughter of Michael Jackson.

The physician is expected to voluntarily hand himself over to the authorities later today (08.02.10) but will deny any involvement in the late singer's death.

The late pop legend - who died of acute Propofol intoxication in June 2009 - was last seen alive by Murray, and with his death ruled homicide by drug overdose last month, and the anaesthetic Propofol considered the primary factor, the medic has faced calls to be charged with the star's murder.

Gossip website TMZ claims tight security measures are in place for Murray's appearance at the Los Angeles courthouse, where he is expected to be arraigned after handing himself in, amid fears of attacks by the 'Thriller' star's fans.

The website said: "Law enforcement sources tell us 20 L.A. County Sheriff's deputies will be at the courthouse, some of whom will be evident and some who will not. We're told the Sheriff's Department has had its security plan in place for a while, in part because of crowd control concerns and partly because of security issues surrounding Dr. Murray.

"We're told there is a concern about Dr. Murray's safety because of intense feeling on the part of some Michael Jackson fans that Dr. Murray killed the singer."

According to reports, Murray will face a judge at 1.30pm local time.

Murray is expected to be accompanied by a bail bondsman who will post bail, which is expected to be $25,000 and will not waive his right to a preliminary hearing.

Law enforcement officials previously revealed that prosecutors planned to charge the doctor with involuntary manslaughter, alleging he gave Michael the powerful anaesthetic to help him sleep but that instead led to his death.