Oct 28, 2013 2 min read

LOS ANGELES (AP) – The doctor convicted of killing Michael Jackson was released from jail Monday after serving nearly two years of a four-year sentence.

Conrad Murray was released from a downtown Los Angeles jail at 12:01 a.m., according to the sheriff’s office. A change in California law allowed his incarceration time to be significantly cut down.

“He was elated to be out of there,” Murray’s attorney Valerie Wass said. She said the former physician plans to spend time with his girlfriend and children and to readjust to his life outside jail.

The former cardiologist was convicted in 2011 of causing Jackson’s death in June 2009 by providing the superstar with an overdose of the powerful anesthetic propofol as a sleep aid.

Jackson was in the midst of preparations for a series of comeback concerts and Murray was serving as his personal physician.

Murray’s prospects are uncertain: At age 60, his license to practice medicine has been suspended or revoked in three states, and his face and name are well known due to his association with Jackson and his highly publicized involuntary manslaughter trial.

Wass said Murray did a lot of writing while incarcerated, but she didn’t know if he had plans for a book or any other projects that would allow him to earn a living.

The former doctor is appealing his conviction, although an appeals court has questioned whether it needs to hear the case.