Conrad Murray was released early this morning from Men's Central Jail in downtown Los Angeles after serving two years for an involuntary manslaughter conviction for the death of Michael Jackson, reports the NY Daily News.

The former doctor was locked up in November 2011. He'd given Jackson a lethal concoction of drugs to use as a sleeping aid, including propofol, which is commonly used as an anesthetic for surgery. He told police he was monitoring Jackson, went to use the bathroom, and when he returned, Jackson was not breahing. MJ was pronounced dead at an L.A. hospital on June 25, 2009.

Murray was sentenced to four years. Overcrowding factored into his early release. Also, he was an "exemplary" inmate, said a spokesperson for the L.A. County Sheriff's Office. 

He spent his time separated from general population, for his safety, and had to exit through a back door of the jail to evade press and fans, who were waiting outside.

Jackson would have been "relieved" Murray is free, insisted Murray's lawyer Valerie Wass.

"Michael considered Dr. Murray family," she said. "... He would be absolutely appalled if he knew what's gone on the last several years."

Murray, who maintains that Jackson relentlessly requested propofol, is filing an appeal to have the felony conviction thrown out.

He's also already filed to have his medical license reinstated in Texas, the first state to revoke his license surrounding MJ's death.

"The truth is that a man like Dr. Murray, who's dedicated his life to helping people, will find a place to do it," said Charles Peckham, another one of Murray's lawyers.

Brian Panish, the lawyer who led Katherine Jackson's lawsuit against AEG Live! for the negligent hiring and supervision of Murray, has a different vision. "There's no question that Dr. Murray is the one who killed Michael," he said, "and we hope he'll never practice medicine again so he can’t harm anyone else in the future."

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 (Photo: AP Photo/Reed Saxon, Pool)