Having trouble with "and therefore". Is it a conjunction?

Therefore is defined in [Merriam-Webster] as:

[Adverb] for that reason : because of that

Therefore, it is not a conjunction which doesn't require a coordinate conjunction such as "and", "but", etc. In otherwords, you need to use a conjunction or semi-colon before therefore to complete a sentence.

People perceive him as manipulative, and therefore (people) do not trust him.

The above sentnece is the only one which is grammatically correct as there is "and" as a conjunction and "people" is omitted as it is repeated. "(people) do not trust him" is an independent clause.

Or:

People perceive him as manipulative; therefore, they do not trust him.

In (B) and (C), they don't work as "and therefore not trusting him" and "therefore not trusting him" are not independent clauses.