Day 49: Ranch Manager Testifies He was Never Asked to Hold Family Against Their Will

Created: Saturday, 21 May 2005

Tuesday, May 10, 2005

On day 49 t he property manager at Michael Jackson’s Neverland ranch testified Tuesday that Mr. Jackson had special relationships with girls and women as well as boys.

“Besides his wives?” asked Joe Marcus, a witness for the defense. “He has friends. Elizabeth Taylor. … There were other women.”

Mr. Marcus, an 18-year employee, was called by the defense to counter former ranch employees who testified against Mr. Jackson.

Mr. Marcus spent a second day on the stand Tuesday attempting to explain why he gave a written directive to security guards Feb. 19, 2003, not to let Mr. Jackson’s accuser and his two siblings leave Neverland.

He said an order in the ranch log instructing guards not to let the boy or his brother leave was there for safety reasons, because the boys often drove vehicles around the property. He said he did not want them taking the vehicles onto the open road.

Mr. Marcus said it had been his decision to post the order on a gate log that stated: “The kids are not to leave, per Joe. Kids meaning [the boy, his brother], etc.”

“The children had been known to pull up to the gates in vehicles,” Mr. Marcus testified about his concern the boys would drive off the property without adult supervision.

Mr. Marcus testified that he was never ordered to hold the family members captive and that they seemed excited to be there.

“Did you ever receive any instructions from anyone to hold the (family) against their will?” Mr. Jackson attorney Robert Sanger asked.

“No,” Mr. Marcus said.

Prosecutors also claim Mr. Jackson associates planned to send the family on a one-way trip to Brazil. But Mr. Marcus said the family never objected to the trip and only wanted to know where to have passport pictures taken.

Investigators first interviewed Mr. Marcus for about 90 minutes during a raid of the 2,700-acre property on Nov. 18, 2003.

However, during the last five minutes of court Tuesday, he claimed that, at the time, District Attorney Tom Sneddon denied his request to have his attorney present.