Created: Thursday, 10 March 2005
Day 8 in Michael Jackson’s trial brought the accuser to the witness stand. He said he once considered Mr. Jackson “the coolest guy in the world.” The 15-year-old was not asked about the molestation allegations before court ended for the day, but described viewing adult Internet sites with Mr. Jackson present and said the singer told him to “call me daddy” during the taping of a documentary.
With an expression that appeared to verge on a sneer, the young cancer survivor said ‘yes’ when District Attorney Tom Sneddon asked him if he recognized the defendant.
The accuser followed to the stand his 14-year-old brother, who testified amidst a list of conflicting stories.
Mr. Jackson’s defense contends the family has a history of filing false claims to get money.
The boy said Mr. Jackson invited him to Neverland the first time they talked. He said Mr. Jackson called his hospital room as he was being treated for cancer, and they later talked on the phone about 20 times.
Many times the accuser has been heard saying that Mr. Jackson is the reason he is alive today, that Mr. Jackson had a great deal to do with his recovery from cancer. However, today, under questioning by Sneddon, the boy stated that he had been told to say that.
When asked if that was true, the boy said, “Not really. He was hardly there during my cancer,” and that other celebrities such as comedian George Lopez visited him more often while he was sick.
“Did you admire Mr. Mr. Jackson?” Sneddon asked.
“I thought he was the coolest guy in the world. He was my best friend ever,” the boy said.
Earlier Wednesday, the accuser’s younger brother, under cross-examination by defense lawyer Thomas Mr. Mesereau Jr., admitted major contradictions between his testimony and his other accounts of allegedly seeing Mr. Jackson molest his brother.
During questioning by the prosecution the boy told of twice looking through the doorway of Mr. Jackson’s bedroom as the pop star molested his sleeping brother.
Mr. Mesereau confronted, pointing out another glaring discrepancy, the witness with a previous statement to sheriff’s investigators in which he said that during the second incident he was in the room curled up on a small couch pretending to sleep.
When Mr. Mesereau asked if his account of the second molestation had changed, the boy suddenly interjected that there were actually three incidents, although that has never, ever been alleged.
(Excerpts from Transcripts – March 8, 2005)
ACCUSER’S BROTHER: I was nervous while I was doing the interview.
MR. MESEREAU: Because you were nervous you didn’t get the facts right?
ACCUSER’S BROTHER: Yes.
————-
MR. MESEREAU: Now, you’ve indicated the first time you ever discussed any alleged inappropriate touching by Michael Jackson was with Psychologist Stanley Katz, right?
ACCUSER’S BROTHER: Yes.
MR. MESEREAU: And you have admitted that you gave Stanley Katz a different description than you’ve given in this courtroom, right?
ACCUSER’S BROTHER: Yes.
MR. MESEREAU: In fact, you never mentioned the third event that you’ve described today to Stanley Katz?
Accuser’s Brother: Because I might have forgot about it.
MR. MESEREAU: No further questions.
(End of Excerpts)
Mr. Mesereau also showed jurors a video of Mr. Jackson befriending his accuser, and another of the boy’s brother playing TV host for a glimpse at Mr. Jackson’s Neverland ranch.
“Hi from Neverland, USA,” the brother said on the second video. “I’m the host of the Neverland Channel.”
Contrary to all appearances on the video, the younger boy said he felt tired, not excited, when he interviewed Mr. Jackson’s elephant trainer and talked to children at Neverland’s amusement park, and indicated that Mr. Jackson wasn’t as close to his brother as the other video made it seem.
In a musically scored production that was apparently part of Mr. Jackson’s personal video archives, the singer is seen with the accuser, then a ghostlike figure with little hair during the time he was undergoing chemotherapy.
Jurors saw the boy in a wheelchair being pushed by his brother. Mr. Jackson walks alongside with his umbrella, then walks with the boy to a tree where he spreads a blanket for them to sit on and look out over the lake at his Neverland ranch.
Direct questioning of the accuser will continue Thursday, tomorrow. The judge has announced that the jury will not be present on Friday, instead it will be a day set aside to hear motions.
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