Michael Jackson found not guilty on all charges
CTV.ca News Staff
Pop superstar Michael Jackson has been found not guilty of molesting a 13-year-old cancer patient and then holding him hostage at his mansion, vindicating the "King of Pop" who maintained his innocence all along.
The California jury cleared Jackson on all 10 charges in the child molestation and conspiracy trial after seven days of deliberations.
His lead defense attorney, Thomas Mesereau Jr., told reporters on his way out of the courthouse that "justice was done.
"The man's innocent. He always was," Mesereau said.
According to courtroom observers, Jackson dabbed his eyes with a tissue after he was cleared of all the charges.
Had he been convicted on all charges, the 46-year-old entertainer could have faced almost two decades in prison.
Flanked by several family members, Jackson emerged to the whoops and hollers of celebrating fans, but did not stop to make a statement.
Despite his subdued reaction in public, Jackson celebrated on his website, where his acquittal was compared to the fall of the Berlin Wall and Nelson Mandela's release from prison.
"Remember this date, for it is a part of HIStory," says the site, which Jackson set up to provide information during his trial.
Outside the courthouse, fans cheered and threw confetti, obviously prepared for such a victory. One woman released a white dove for every acquittal that was read.
"These are the people who have been here from the beginning," said CTV's Graham Richardson of the fans who hung in until the verdict.
D.A. careful with media
"Obviously, we're disappointed in the verdict ... but we believe in the system of justice," Santa Barbara District Attorney Tom Sneddon told reporters.
When asked about whether he was concerned that at least one of the jurors was peddling a book deal, Sneddon was vague in his response.
"Let's just say that it was taken care of by the court."
Meanwhile, there are unconfirmed reports that Jackson's legal troubles may not be over.
"There have been reports that the main prosecutor, Sneddon, has plans to refile charges right away," Richardson reported earlier.
But Sneddon would not, however, say whether his office would be launching any other legal battles against Jackson.
"No comment," Sneddon said, when asked by reporters.
The indictment contained one count of an attempted lewd act, four counts of administering an intoxicating agent - alcohol - for the purpose of committing a felony: child molestation, one count of conspiracy involving child abduction, false imprisonment and extortion.
"It's very impressive that they were able to come to an agreement on all of those counts, but at the same time I think what is interesting about this, is that it is something we will continue to argue and debate," media analyst Anne-Marie Kinahan said, appearing on CTV Newsnet.
While the jurors remained guarded about the the details of their seven days of deliberations, they offered reporters some insight during a news conference.
One juror said of the accuser's mother: "I disliked it intensely when she snapped her fingers at us."
She said she thought to herself: "Don't snap your fingers at me, lady."
Meanwhile, another juror, said: "I think we all just looked at the evidence and pretty much agreed."
None of the jurors were identified.
During the trial, Mesereau Jr., called the accuser's family's allegations "the biggest con of their careers."
He painted the accuser's mother to be a welfare cheat who exploited her son's cancer for profit. He also claimed she lived lavishly at a time when she said she was being held against her will.
Prosecutor Ron Zonen cast Jackson as a serial pedophile with a history of fondling boys. He used charts and graphics to show what he said was a pattern of criminal behavior and said Jackson carefully chose the kind of boys he wanted to prey upon.
Turning points in the trial
The jury had to weigh about 600 pieces of evidence and the testimony of more than 140 witnesses in their decision.
Many of those who had been scheduled to testify never appeared, including Larry King and Liz Taylor. But Macaulay Culkin, Chris Tucker and Jay Leno all grabbed headlines with their testimony.
The prosecution was dealt a blow when Jackson's ex-wife Deborah Rowe, the mother of his two eldest children, contradicted Sneddon's opening statement claim that she would relate being manipulated by Jackson associates.
Instead, she called the co-conspirators "opportunistic vultures" and said they conspired against Jackson, not with him, scheming to make millions from his troubles.
Later, the accuser's mother was grilled under cross-examination and admitted to lying under oath in an unrelated lawsuit.
While Jackson never took the stand in his own defence, his accuser did. He testified that Jackson showed him adult websites during his first visit to Neverland. He said he was later molested twice in Jackson's bedroom. A tape of his interview with police on July 6, 2003 was also shown.
In the tape, the accuser alleges that Jackson masturbated him "five or so" times. Analysts said that the video was particularly damaging and that the accuser came across more credibly than he did in courtroom testimony.
The trial seemed to take a toll on Jackson.
While he jumped atop an SUV and danced for cheering fans after his arraignment, his behaviour became decidedly more subdued as the trial progressed.
Throughout the trial, Jackson suffered a series of ailments, including a bad back and the flu.
He was admonished at the beginning of the trial for arriving late and then arrived later in the week clad in his pyjamas.
Even Monday after he was cleared of all charges, a gaunt-looking Jackson, who appeared to have lost weight during the ordeal, seemed frail and fatigued as the four-month long trial came to an end.
With a report from CTV's Graham Richardson
CTV.ca News Staff
Pop superstar Michael Jackson has been found not guilty of molesting a 13-year-old cancer patient and then holding him hostage at his mansion, vindicating the "King of Pop" who maintained his innocence all along.
The California jury cleared Jackson on all 10 charges in the child molestation and conspiracy trial after seven days of deliberations.
His lead defense attorney, Thomas Mesereau Jr., told reporters on his way out of the courthouse that "justice was done.
"The man's innocent. He always was," Mesereau said.
According to courtroom observers, Jackson dabbed his eyes with a tissue after he was cleared of all the charges.
Had he been convicted on all charges, the 46-year-old entertainer could have faced almost two decades in prison.
Flanked by several family members, Jackson emerged to the whoops and hollers of celebrating fans, but did not stop to make a statement.
Despite his subdued reaction in public, Jackson celebrated on his website, where his acquittal was compared to the fall of the Berlin Wall and Nelson Mandela's release from prison.
"Remember this date, for it is a part of HIStory," says the site, which Jackson set up to provide information during his trial.
Outside the courthouse, fans cheered and threw confetti, obviously prepared for such a victory. One woman released a white dove for every acquittal that was read.
"These are the people who have been here from the beginning," said CTV's Graham Richardson of the fans who hung in until the verdict.
D.A. careful with media
"Obviously, we're disappointed in the verdict ... but we believe in the system of justice," Santa Barbara District Attorney Tom Sneddon told reporters.
When asked about whether he was concerned that at least one of the jurors was peddling a book deal, Sneddon was vague in his response.
"Let's just say that it was taken care of by the court."
Meanwhile, there are unconfirmed reports that Jackson's legal troubles may not be over.
"There have been reports that the main prosecutor, Sneddon, has plans to refile charges right away," Richardson reported earlier.
But Sneddon would not, however, say whether his office would be launching any other legal battles against Jackson.
"No comment," Sneddon said, when asked by reporters.
The indictment contained one count of an attempted lewd act, four counts of administering an intoxicating agent - alcohol - for the purpose of committing a felony: child molestation, one count of conspiracy involving child abduction, false imprisonment and extortion.
"It's very impressive that they were able to come to an agreement on all of those counts, but at the same time I think what is interesting about this, is that it is something we will continue to argue and debate," media analyst Anne-Marie Kinahan said, appearing on CTV Newsnet.
While the jurors remained guarded about the the details of their seven days of deliberations, they offered reporters some insight during a news conference.
One juror said of the accuser's mother: "I disliked it intensely when she snapped her fingers at us."
She said she thought to herself: "Don't snap your fingers at me, lady."
Meanwhile, another juror, said: "I think we all just looked at the evidence and pretty much agreed."
None of the jurors were identified.
During the trial, Mesereau Jr., called the accuser's family's allegations "the biggest con of their careers."
He painted the accuser's mother to be a welfare cheat who exploited her son's cancer for profit. He also claimed she lived lavishly at a time when she said she was being held against her will.
Prosecutor Ron Zonen cast Jackson as a serial pedophile with a history of fondling boys. He used charts and graphics to show what he said was a pattern of criminal behavior and said Jackson carefully chose the kind of boys he wanted to prey upon.
Turning points in the trial
The jury had to weigh about 600 pieces of evidence and the testimony of more than 140 witnesses in their decision.
Many of those who had been scheduled to testify never appeared, including Larry King and Liz Taylor. But Macaulay Culkin, Chris Tucker and Jay Leno all grabbed headlines with their testimony.
The prosecution was dealt a blow when Jackson's ex-wife Deborah Rowe, the mother of his two eldest children, contradicted Sneddon's opening statement claim that she would relate being manipulated by Jackson associates.
Instead, she called the co-conspirators "opportunistic vultures" and said they conspired against Jackson, not with him, scheming to make millions from his troubles.
Later, the accuser's mother was grilled under cross-examination and admitted to lying under oath in an unrelated lawsuit.
While Jackson never took the stand in his own defence, his accuser did. He testified that Jackson showed him adult websites during his first visit to Neverland. He said he was later molested twice in Jackson's bedroom. A tape of his interview with police on July 6, 2003 was also shown.
In the tape, the accuser alleges that Jackson masturbated him "five or so" times. Analysts said that the video was particularly damaging and that the accuser came across more credibly than he did in courtroom testimony.
The trial seemed to take a toll on Jackson.
While he jumped atop an SUV and danced for cheering fans after his arraignment, his behaviour became decidedly more subdued as the trial progressed.
Throughout the trial, Jackson suffered a series of ailments, including a bad back and the flu.
He was admonished at the beginning of the trial for arriving late and then arrived later in the week clad in his pyjamas.
Even Monday after he was cleared of all charges, a gaunt-looking Jackson, who appeared to have lost weight during the ordeal, seemed frail and fatigued as the four-month long trial came to an end.
With a report from CTV's Graham Richardson
