Show Michael Jackson acquitted of all 1 10 0 charges Stuart Pfeifer Steve Megan Garvey Los Angeles Times Michael Jackson the pop superstar who is one of the selling best-selling recording artists of all time was acquitted Monday of all 10 charges of conspiracy supplying a minor with alcohol attempted attempt attempt- ed child molestation and molesting a year then old cancer patient from Los Angeles The verdict reached after more than 32 hours of deliberations deliberations deliberations in Santa Barbara County Superior Court brought to a close a more than month four-month trial that featured witnesses including defense testimony from celebrities Macaulay Culkin Chris Tucker and Jay Leno From the start the case was marked by odd moments Jackson danced on the roof of his SUY after his arraignment cheered on onby onby onby by fans that had come from as far away as Europe and Japan Then he invited everyone to picnic at his ranch the sprawling acre 2700 compound compound compound com com- pound in the Santa Ynez Valley where the abuse allegedly took place In March on the day his accuser testified Jackson rushed to court wearing blue pajama bottoms after the judge issued a warrant for his arrest Jackson had failed to show up on time after he sought treatment at a hospital hospi hospi- tal for what his spokesmen said was back pain The case against Jackson hinged on irreconcilable portrayals of his character and behavior Prosecutors described a cunning sexual predator who targeted young boys from troubled backgrounds backgrounds backgrounds back back- grounds the defense depicted depict depict- ed a childlike innocent who was an easy mark for a family family family fam fam- ily of liars and con artists As they made their closing closing closing clos clos- ing arguments both Santa Barbara County Senior Deputy District Attorney Ronald J. J and Jacksons Jackson's defense lawyer Thomas A. A Jr asked jurors to use their common sense to decide which portrait was accurate Prosecutors argued that Jackson had honed his seduction and molestation of teen or preteen boys into a well-defined well pattern Two vo previous times Jackson had paid settlements to boys after allegations of molestation molestation molestation molesta molesta- tion more than 20 million in one case and roughly 2 million in the other although jurors were not allowed the hear the amounts Prosecutors said the alleged victim in this case who was being treated for cancer when he met Jackson shared characteristics tics with several of those boys He looked like them He came from a broken home His mother grew to trust Jackson after he had befriended her family showering showering showering show show- ering them with attention and gifts The reality prosecutors said was that Jackson was sharing his bed with the boy showing him pornography giving him alcohol telling him that boys who dont don't masturbate grow up to rape Jackson Continued on Page 12 Jackson Continued from front women or have sex with ani ani- mals Jacksons Jackson's attorneys depicted depict depict- ed the accusers as a family of liars trying to pull off the biggest con of their careers In particular they sought to shift jurors' jurors attention away from Jackson and onto the accusers accuser's mother They stressed that she had committed committed committed com com- welfare fraud and according to one defense witness had fabricated evidence evidence evidence evi evi- dence to win a settlement in inan inan inan an unrelated case insisted the prosecutions prosecution's timeline was nonsensical Prosecutors said the fondling took place weeks after the airing of a British documentary about Jackson The documentary a rare look at the reclusive stars star's lifestyle triggered widespread outrage after Jackson unrepentantly admitted that he often shared his bed with boys in what he described as nonsexual Ironically even as built a case that the accuser and his mother had plotted to extort money from Jackson he opened the thedoor thedoor thedoor door for what became some of the most damaging evidence evidence evidence evi evi- dence against his client the accusers accuser's first interview with detectives The boy now 15 had seemed prickly and at times evasive on the witness stand He came across very differently differently differently differ differ- in the videotaped interview interview inter inter- interview view made two years ago Speaking haltingly to Santa Barbara County Sheriffs deputies he seemed reluctant reluctant reluctant tant to talk about what had happened At the end he pleaded with investigators not to tell his mother a request that seemed to contradict contradict contradict con con- defense claims that she had coached the boy on what to tell police The tape presented during the prosecutions prosecution's rebuttal was the last evidence jurors heard before closing ments And it appeared to be bea a turning point in the case Jacksons Jackson's involvement with the teenager began innocently with a telephone call to the boys boy's room at a aLos aLos aLos Los Angeles hospital in 2000 His body ravaged by cancer the boy had a 16 pound tumor removed from his abdomen and lost a kidney kidney kidney kid kid- ney his gallbladder and part of his spleen The boy who had told a family friend he wanted to meet the pop star was delighted to accept an offer to visit him at a few weeks later The two shared long night late-night phone calls and exchanged gushing letters But for a year the visits to toN N everland ceased and resumed only when Jackson invited the family back to the ranch for the thc taping of the British video Aired in February 2003 the video was a rare and extensive look at Jacksons Jackson's private world an endeavor Jackson apparently hoped would portray him in a flattering flattering flat flat- flattering light and help regenerate regener regener- ate a flagging career Instead his own words put him in criminal jeopardy Jackson told British TV interviewer Martin Bashir that he enjoyed nonsexual with children Questioned repeatedly on the point by Bashir Jackson cast the interludes as a beautiful thing innocent pajama parties parties parties par par- ties with milk and cookies and called people who would object to them ignorant The news that a grown man who had previously paid millions to settle child- child molestation charges continued continued continued contin contin- to cultivate close friend friend- I ships with unrelated children created an uproar The fact that he openly admitted sleeping in the same bed with the thc boys seemed incredible incredible ible to many The public later learned that Los Angeles social workers had investigated and that the boy and his mother denied any abuse saying that Jackson was a marvelous father figure In a report that was leaked to the media during during during dur dur- ing trial preliminaries the thc social workers concluded that allegations that the 13 year-old year boy had been sexually sexually sexually ally abused were unfounded But in Santa Barbara County District Attorney Tom office had begun investigating On Nov 18 2003 their case exploded into public view when police raided All day and most of the night about 70 Santa Barbara County Sheriffs deputies searched the grounds interviewing employees and plucking computers magazines books and assorted documents documents docu docu- documents ments from Jacksons Jackson's lavishly lavish lavish- ly appointed residence Two days after the raid Jackson was arrested on suspicion suspicion sus sus- suspicion sus- sus of child molestation and released on 3 million bail Only one alleged former victim testified The young 24 had received a man now settlement ment from Jackson in inthe inthe in inthe the neighborhood of 2 mil mil- lion His testimony was emotional emotional emotional emo emo- and riveting He said it took five years of counseling to help him deal with the alleged molestation Youre a little kid he said Its supposed to be innocent Its It's not right Defense attorneys challenged challenged challenged chal chal- the mans man's account noting that he had denied being molested when questioned questioned questioned ques ques- by sheriffs deputies in 1993 They repeatedly attacked the credibility of the accuser and his mother hammering home their portrayal of a money-hungry money family counting counting counting count count- ing on Jackson to make a payout as the easiest way to rid himself of fabricated accusations Doubts were raised about the mothers mother's truthfulness when she took the stand and said she would invoke her Fifth-Amendment Fifth right against self incrimination if asked any questions about welfare fraud For five days the mother gave testimony that was often confusing and sometimes hostile Based largely on her account prosecutors had charged Jackson with conspiring conspiring conspiring con con- to hold her and her family at against their will after the Bashir video aired But the mothers mother's testimony about being held hostage was undercut by other witnesses including a aspa aspa aspa spa owner who told of giving her a leg waxing in nearby nearby Los Olivos during her alleged captivity The owner said the woman gave no sign that she was under duress or wanted to escape i l ij |