Posted on 03/29/2005 1:14:48 PM PST by Former Military Chick
SANTA MARIA, Calif. — The organizer of a comedy camp for underprivileged youth, who introduced Michael Jackson’s accuser to the entertainer, testified Tuesday about his efforts to help the boy through his recovery from cancer.
Jamie Masada, owner of the Laugh Factory in Hollywood, said the boy attended the camp with his brother and sister in 1999 and worked on a standup act. He also described going to see the boy in a hospital while the youngster was struggling through chemotherapy for cancer.
“Oh God, don’t bring that memory back,” Masada said of the boy’s illness.
Masada, taking the stand a day after the judge ruled that evidence also may be introduced about earlier allegations against Jackson, said he gave the boy gifts to encourage him.
“I would say, ‘If you eat I’ll give you 50 bucks.’ I would give him every week, maybe some money,” he said.
Prosecutors say the boy met Jackson through Masada when the club owner introduced him to celebrities to cheer him up, and Masada said he also took comedians to the hospital.
Jackson appeared upbeat as he arrived at court, waving to screaming fans and raising a fist.
On Monday, Judge Rodney S. Melville delivered a major setback to Jackson’s defense, ruling that prosecutors can introduce evidence that the pop star molested or had designs on five other boys, including actor Macaulay Culkin and two youngsters who reached multimillion-dollar settlements with the singer.
Prosecutors say the evidence will show Jackson’s alleged behavior with his current accuser follows a pattern of abuse.
“It will show the jury and other people that there’s more to this than what has been portrayed in this case so far,” said Jim Thomas, an NBC News analyst and former Santa Barbara County sheriff who investigated the earlier cases.
District Attorney Tom Sneddon said Jackson’s past inappropriate activities with boys included kissing, hugging and inserting his hands into their pants. He also said there was a pattern of “grooming,” or preparing the boys for molestation, but did not elaborate.
Jackson, 46, is on trial on charges he molested the former cancer patient — then 13 — at his Neverland ranch in 2003.
In most criminal cases, evidence of past behavior is not admissible against a defendant, but the California Legislature changed the state’s rules of evidence in 1995 so that it can be admitted in some cases of child molestation and domestic violence.
The incidents allegedly happened 12 to 15 years ago, and the prosecutor acknowledged that only one of the five boys has agreed to testify at Jackson’s trial. The boy received $2.4 million from Jackson in a settlement after he alleged he was molested in 1990.
Other witnesses are expected to include the 1990 accuser’s mother and the mother of a boy who received a multimillion-dollar settlement after alleging he was molested in 1993.
Defense attorney Thomas Mesereau Jr. asked the judge to exclude the allegations, saying many came from third parties who were after Jackson’s money. The reference was to former Jackson employees who previously sued the singer and lost, and were then ordered to pay him $1 million in court costs.
Mesereau also noted that Culkin, a frequent visitor to Jackson’s Neverland Ranch, “has repeatedly said he was never molested.” Culkin’s publicist, Michelle Bega, said Monday that the “Home Alone” star “is presently not involved with the proceedings and we do not expect that to change.”
Mesereau told the judge that he would put on a “mini-trial” on each allegation that the jury is allowed to hear. “You can’t stop the defense from putting on a full-blown defense and I mean just that,” the defense attorney warned.
He said, the reason he advised them to seek out an attorney, that the young man was forever being ridiculed by class mates calling him fag and the like. They wanted to stop if from being shown again, STOP the video, not asking for money.
I think Jackson's day's might be numbered. His actions are very questionable and I have a feeling a jury cannot ignore the accusations of this child and former children.
http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/nm/20050329/people_nm/crime_jackson_dc_14
Here's another story
An anchor on FNC said yesterday--John Gibson maybe?--that Judge Napolitano had said all along that the judge would only allow prior testimony if he personally felt Jackson was guilty based on the evidence and if it might have that effect on the jury. Interesting.
Ping for an MJ updated article.
Howdy, FMC. I enjoyed talking with you last night.
Yes..you have it exactly correct.....this evidence of previous indidents is allowed under the California law that was passed AFTER MJ beat the rap 10 years ago..and the law has been ruled constitutional by the Cal SC..Jacko's toast..
But Masada said that when he offered to introduce the mother of Jackson's accuser to a "particular person" who could give her as much money as she needed in 2003, she declined.
"She said, 'No, tell them all I need is friends. All I need is prayer. ...That's all we need,"'
~snip~
Those that leapt on media/defense accounts that the mother's credibility had already been ruined before one ounce of testimony had been elicited should think twice next time before believing pundits. These days pundits have a habit of being wrong.
To be clear...the judge in the Jackson case told the prosecution he would not allow the prior allegation testimony in order to buttress a weak case.
The pundits had been assuring us that the prosecution case was unraveling and they were predicting the judge would disallow the evidence. Hence the shock yesterday when he did allow it.
Heh
Thanks for the ping!
"Those that leapt on media/defense accounts that the mother's credibility had already been ruined before one ounce of testimony had been elicited should think twice next time before believing pundits. These days pundits have a habit of being wrong."
I suppose they were believing what the Jackson camp said about the mother and witnesses. Jackson went way out on a limb since their characterizations seem to be blown away one by one.
As did I, we have something to say and it appears some are taking notice. :)
Hope you had a restful night.
As for Jackson, I found this witness quite compelling. I think with the judges determination yesterday, that this trial has now taken a new turn. The verdict is a long way off, but, with witnesses like this one, it is just another nail in Jackson's bedroom door.
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