Michael Jackson Acquitted Of All Charges

By Linda Orlando

Shouts and cheers of celebration erupted from a huge throng of fans outside the courthouse in Santa Maria, California, Monday afternoon as the not guilty verdict was read on the final charge against pop superstar Michael Jackson. Jackson, 46, had been charged with conspiracy to commit child abduction, false imprisonment and extortion, three counts of committing lewd acts upon a child, one count of attempted lewd acts upon a child, and four counts of administering intoxicating agents to assist in the commission of a felony. If he had been found guilty, he could have faced a possible sentence of more than 18 years in prison. The jury heard testimony for about 14 weeks, and then deliberated for about 32 hours before returning their verdict.

Jackson arrived at the courthouse under intense security, flanked tightly by several of his family members, turning his head slightly to give a feeble wave to his assembled fans before entering the courthouse. Before the verdicts were read, the judge admonished courtroom observers to keep quiet during and after the decisions were read. The courtroom was deathly silent except for the sound of the judge tearing open the envelopes for each jury decision. Jackson’s father sat stiffly upright with his hands clasped while his son stared at the jurors with an emotionless face. As the last verdict was read, Jackson dabbed his eyes with a tissue and his family members reached toward him and his mother in relief. After the verdicts, the judge read a statement provided by the jury, who said, "We the jury feel the weight of the world’s eyes upon us." They asked the media and the world to allow them to return to their "private lives as anonymously as we came." Not all the jurors were entirely anonymous, though; one of the male jurors was a 21-year-old paraplegic who said he once visited Neverland Ranch.

Santa Barbara County District Attorney Thomas Sneddon, when asked if the not guilty verdicts would finally end the state’s prosecution of the singer, said only, "No comment." Sneddon has doggedly pursued the prosecution of Jackson since the first allegations of improper conduct arose years ago from the family of a young cancer survivor. The lack of enough evidence to prosecute resulted in no charges being filed in that case, although the family filed a civil suit and settled with Jackson for an undisclosed amount. In February 2003, a television documentary by British journalist Martin Bashir caused the reappearance of suspicions about Jackson’s behavior with children visiting his Neverland ranch, and in November of that year he was booked on child-molestation charges and released on $3 million bail. The following month formal charges were files, and a grand jury indicted him in April 2004 on charges of molesting the boy shown in the documentary, giving him alcohol, and conspiring to hold him and his family captive. Jackson steadfastly proclaimed his innocence throughout the trial, and he did not testify on his own behalf.

During the trial, which lasted nearly 14 weeks, numerous prosecution witnesses painted a picture of a seedy Neverland environment the public never knew about, where Jackson plied young boys with alcohol and pornography and then coerced them into sexual acts with him. But the defense was able to paint their own picture, that of a conniving, sly mother who coerced her entire family into concocting lies and elaborate schemes to extort money from celebrities. Jackson, not the boy he was accused of molesting, was portrayed as being the victim, despite testimony to the contrary from security guards, housekeepers, and other people who had traveled freely in the innermost circles of Neverland. But the prosecution, in the absence of a believable accuser, was unable to prove to the jury that Jackson had committed any crimes against the boy and his family.

The reading of the verdicts was a very short and succinct event, and as Jackson emerged from the courthouse the already cheering crowd roared thunderously, some people weeping and hugging each other. Jackson was closely surrounded by his family, and he did not address or acknowledge the throng of supporters before leaving the courthouse in a caravan of black sports utility vehicles with darkened windows. Debbie Rowe, one of Jackson's former wives, released a statement through her attorney praising the outcome of the trial. "Debbie is overjoyed that the justice system really works, regardless of which side called her to testify at the trial."

This statement comes following a trial where the accuser wasn’t the first to claim molestation by Jackson; numerous credible witnesses testified to having seen improprieties with their own eyes; several defense witnesses uncomfortably gave vague responses to questions intended to elicit support for Jackson; and one of the jurors was a crippled man who had visited Jackson’s home himself. And Debbie Rowe says the justice system "really works?" Perhaps the question isn’t whether our justice system works, but instead, whether it works correctly.