 |
Classifieds: Cars |  |
| Jobs |  |
| Dating |  |
| USA TODAY |  |
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
By USA TODAY staff
SANTA MARIA, Calif. — Michael Jackson was
acquitted of 10 felony charges Monday, bringing a dramatic end to a
trial that put a harsh spotlight on the troubled life of one of the
world's best-known entertainers.
The 'not guilty' verdicts were read, one by one, by Santa Barbara County Superior Court Clerk Lorna Frey to a packed courtroom as Jackson's fans screamed outside of the courthouse. (Video: Jackson acquitted) Jackson looked straight ahead as the verdicts were read and showed no visible reaction, other than to dab at his eyes with a tissue.One of his lawyers burst into tears as the first verdicts were announced, and Jackson later stood and was embraced by his chief lawyer, Thomas Mesereau Jr. Santa Barbara County District Attorney Tom Sneddon sat with his head in his hands. "Obviously, we're disappointed in the verdict ... but we believe in the system of justice," Sneddon later told reporters. Jurors later held a news conference in which they described how they reached their decision. "I can't really point to one specific item right now. There was tons of evidence to consider, and to pick one item out would be really difficult. I would just say we considered all of the evidence," juror No. 1 said. Jurors were not identified by name. Jackson, 46, had been charged with felony lewd conduct with a child, an attempt to commit that crime, conspiracy and giving alcohol to the child for the commission of a felony. (Related: Indictment | Background materials) Sheriff's deputies had announced about 12:30 p.m. PT (3:30 p.m. ET) that a verdict had been reached. The announcement came shortly after Santa Barbara Superior Court Judge Rodney Melville issued a statement saying that the jury asked and withdrew a question Monday morning. He also confirmed that on Friday the jury had a read-back of testimony and there were four meetings in chambers with attorneys. News organizations had filed motions seeking information on such developments. Accuser's credibility questioned In his opening and closing statements to the jury, Mesereau hammered the fact that the 15-year-old alleged victim and his 14-year-old brother were the only eyewitnesses to four alleged incidents of Jackson groping the boy at his Neverland Valley Ranch in 2003. In his opening and closing statements to the jury, Mesereau said the boys shouldn't be trusted because they were from a family of "con artists, actors and liars." Mesereau portrayed the mother as a habitual perjurer. To avoid answering questions about whether she had committed welfare fraud, the mother claimed her Fifth Amendment right not to incriminate herself. Prosecutors admitted to the jury that she had lied on welfare applications.
Mesereau proved she also had lied under oath in a personal-injury lawsuit against J. C. Penney when she said her former husband had never beaten her; in divorce proceedings and complaints to police about the former husband, she said he had repeatedly abused her. "We don't select our victims and we don't select the families they come from," Sneddon told reporters after the verdicts were read. He also said his office's past history with Jackson "had absolutely, unequivocally nothing to do" with this investigation. (Video: Verdict disappoints prosecutor) The verdict in Jackson's favor required the jury to dismiss testimony from seven witnesses that Jackson had molested five other boys during the 1990s, demonstrating a "propensity" for pedophilia. These witnesses included an alleged victim, now 24, who got a $2 million out-of-court settlement from Jackson; that witness' mother, a former Neverland maid; the mother of another man who received $20 million to settle his molestation claims, and four other former Neverland workers. Jackson was never charged with those crimes, but the California evidence code allowed Sneddon to bring in the witnesses who alleged past misconduct that demonstrated a "propensity" for pedophilia. But three young men who were described as past victims of Jackson, including actor Macaulay Culkin, 24, denied on the witness stand that anything inappropriate happened. The jury plainly believed Culkin and other pro-Jackson witnesses. Under California law, a "lewd or lascivious" act with a child is the willful touching of any part of the child's body "with the specific intent of arousing, appealing to or gratifying the lust or passions or sexual desires of that person or the child." Skin contact is not required. Conspiracy charge Jackson also was charged with conspiring with five former aides — none of whom were indicted — to hold the alleged victim and his family against their will at his Neverland Valley Ranch. The alleged objective was to force them to tape interviews saying Jackson didn't molest the boy.
The interviews were to appear in a Fox TV program. Produced by Jackson, it rebutted a British TV documentary that showed him holding hands with the alleged victim and saying he shares his bed lovingly and nonsexually with children. The family did tape the rebuttal interviews, but too late for inclusion in the Fox show. The conspiracy evidence consisted largely of testimony by the alleged victim's 37-year-old mother that she and her three children were kidnapped. Mark Geragos, who had been a defense lawyer for Jackson early in the case, testified that it was his idea, not Jackson's, to follow the family after they left Neverland and surreptitiously videotape them. "In taking full responsibility for the surveillance and other actions, Mark Geragos took the bullet," Smith says. "That's what really gave the conspiracy count its burial." Finding that no sexual abuse had occurred in this case obligated the jurors to find Jackson innocent on four charges of administering alcohol to enable the felony of molestation. But they also acquitted him the of the lesser alcohol-related misdemeanors. Jackson arrived at the Santa Barbara County courthouse about 1:50 p.m. PT (4:50 p.m. ET) to the scream of scores of fans who waited outside. Some chanted, "M.J., innocent, " as he entered the building. He was accompanied by several members of his family, including his mother and singer Janet Jackson. In the jury room were hundreds of exhibits, 98 pages of instructions on the law from Melville and notes written by the jurors during testimony from 140 witnesses. Jurors were not sequestered. The judge told them not to discuss the case outside the jury room. Jackson climbed to fame with the Jackson 5 and dominated pop music in the 1980s with the powerhouse "Thriller" and other albums.His career began to lose its luster after 1993 allegations of child molestation that ended with a multimillion-dollar civil settlement paid to a boy. His lifestyle, two marriages, and drastic changes in appearance became fodder for "Wacko Jacko" tabloid headlines. After the verdict, Jackson's fans celebrated — both at the courthouse and outside of his Neverland Ranch complex. "Oh my God, now he can go home to his kids," says Sakia Earp, blowing a party favor horn. Earp, 21, took a bus from Philadelphia to lend Jackson her support. "Hey, we're going to Neverland," said Linday Jay of Los Angeles. Contributing: USA TODAY's Martin Kasindorf and Bill Keveney in California, USATODAY.com's Randy Lilleston and The Associated Press. |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
