(October 27, 2011) — The shock of Michael Jackson’s death in 2009 has simmered in recent years; the cause however, has not. Conrad Murray, the King of Pop’s personal physician, has yet to receive a break from court officials and his former patient’s millions of adoring fans, one of which is senior Alyssa Mathew-Joseph. Sept. 27 marked the beginning of Murray’s trial (People v. Conrad Murray) for involuntary manslaughter. Murray was accused of intentionally intoxicating Jackson. Mathew-Joseph, a fan since the age of five, was shocked after hearing that Murray has not already been found guilty. “He was Michael’s personal physician. He was in charge of Michael Jackson’s health,” said Mathew-Joseph. “I don’t understand why he shouldn’t be held responsible for his death.” While some students sympathize with Jackson’s fans, other students side with Murray, believing that he didn’t cause Jackson’s death. “Conrad Murray did try to stop him, but Michael’s drug addiction overpowered any chance of him reaching sobriety,” said sophomore Anna Hakobian. Murray pleaded not guilty, admitting his patient’s self-medication. Offended by the thought of Jackson committing suicide, some students believe that his death was caused by Murray. Murray, regardless of whether or not he prescribed Jackson the fatal dose of drugs, will still receive some form of punishment: imprisonment, abuse from fans, or both. “He neglected the fact that the drug is so powerful,” said Mathew-Joseph. “He was too busy with his personal life to properly care for Michael Jackson,” said Mathew-Joseph. Jackson’s upcoming concert at the time—a financial success in terms of ticket sales—caused many to question why he would kill himself. However, junior Brenda Macias—after listening to Jackson’s slurred speech in his propofol phone call—believes that Jackson killed himself. “He already had large amounts of propofol and sedatives by the time the doctor was out of the room,” Macias said. Hakobian feels that although Murray can be accused of patient neglect, Jackson’s drug addiction was the main cause of his death. “Doctors aren’t necessarily responsible for their patient’s dependency on drugs,” Hakobian said. Some students believe that neither Jackson nor Murray caused his death. Senior Kevin Gallegos believes that someone else killed Jackson and used the doctor to cover up their actions. “He was trying to expose secrets the ‘elite’ class didn’t want the ordinary people to know,” Gallegos said. “So they needed someone to take the blame for his death, the doctor- probably bribing him with money.” According to Gallegos, the pop star tried to expose secrets through his music videos. “If you watch his music videos for ‘They Don’t Care About Us,’ you can see Michael trying to send some hidden messages,” said Gallegos.