Michael Jackson’s Trial Making Him Sick

By Linda Orlando

Almost two weeks ago Santa Barbara County Superior Court Judge Rodney Melville threatened to put Michael Jackson in jail and revoke his $3million bond because Jackson arrived late to court. Jackson finally arrived more than an hour late to court, wearing pajamas and slippers and blaming his tardiness on severe back pain. Since that time Jackson has been punctual in his arrival, until today. Monday morning a feeble-looking Michael Jackson arrived at the courthouse a few minutes after the scheduled start time of 8:30 a.m. The judge made no comment about his being late, but testimony was 45 minutes late in starting because the judge conferred in chambers with lawyers and a doctor who had accompanied Jackson into the courtroom. No explanation was given for what was discussed in the judge’s chambers, but the doctor, dressed in hospital scrubs, took a seat behind Jackson during the day’s testimony.

When he arrived at the courthouse, the 46-year old Jackson seemed visibly shaken and distressed, offering a quick, weak wave to supporters before making his way inside. He walked very slowly and stiffly, trembling with each step, supported by a bodyguard and his brother Jackie, with his hair hanging disheveled in front of his face. After he was seated in the courtroom and testimony began, he appeared increasingly uncomfortable and distressed, at times shaking, sobbing, and covering his face. At one point he appeared to feel nauseous, and he got up to leave the courtroom, grabbing a handful of tissues to cover his face and mouth.

Jackson’s health issues have delayed court proceedings on previous occasions. In February, jury selection was delayed for a week while Jackson was hospitalized for the flu. Then in early March he was late to court for what his representatives said was a back injury. According to Jackson spokeswoman Raymone Bain, the problems with his back were the cause of his being late on Monday, the beginning of the fourth week of his trial. She spoke with the singer on Sunday and he said that his back pain "was killing him," and was sometimes excruciating.

Jackson is charged with committing a lewd act on a child, conspiracy to commit child abduction, false imprisonment and extortion, and administering an intoxicating agent to assist in the commission of a felony. Prosecutors this week expect to turn the jury’s attention toward the alleged conspiracy by Jackson and his associates to coerce the family of his accuser to deny any wrongdoing by Jackson, even to the point of holding them against their will. The morning’s testimony included comments from a child abuse expert who described the typical behavior exhibited by children who have been molested. Anthony Urquiza, a child psychologist called by the prosecution, told the jury about "child sexual assault accommodation syndrome," where youngsters feel trapped by the abuser and become secretive, feel helpless about the situation, and either delay telling anyone about the abuse or learning to cope with the abuse while keeping it a secret. He added that boys who are assaulted by men are more troubled by the abuse than young girls are, since adolescence is already a troubled time. "To be sexually abused and have this issue of whether you are a homosexual or not is added into this very difficult time," he said. Apparently Michael Jackson is now having his own difficult time, if his increasingly frail health is any indication.