Posted on 06/14/2005 1:53:54 AM PDT by Mo1
SANTA MARIA, Calif. -- One of the jurors who acquitted Michael Jackson on all counts said he believes the pop star is "probably" a molester, but the prosecution didn't prove it.
In an interview on CNN, juror Raymond Hultman questioned the way Jackson has shared his bedroom and bed with young boys. Hultman said "that doesn't make sense" to him.
But, he said, that didn't make Jackson guilty of the charges presented in this case.
Jackson is back home at his Neverland ranch after being found not guilty on all 10 counts in his molestation and conspiracy trial.
Jackson looked straight ahead as the not guilty verdict was read, vindicating the pop star who insisted he was the victim of mother-and-son con artists and a prosecutor with a vendetta. The singer dabbed at his eyes while hearing the court clerk announce his acquittal on all counts.
One of Jackson's lawyers burst into tears as the verdict was announced. He later got hugs from her and from head lawyer Thomas Mesereau.
Jurors also acquitted Jackson of conspiring to imprison his accuser and the boy's family at his storybook estate. It was a total legal victory for Jackson and his defense team.
Screams of joy rang out among a throng of fans outside the courthouse as the not guilty verdict was read on the final charge. Jackson had been facing a possible sentence of more than 18 years in prison.
The jury heard some 14 weeks of testimony, then deliberated for more than 30 hours.
Jackson appeared stone-faced as he began to walk out of the courthouse, flanked by sisters LaToya and Janet. His brother, Jermaine, could be seen smiling while waiting for him to exit.
Jackson held a hand out in front of him in a mini-wave while being escorted to his vehicle by security guards
As the screams from supporters grew louder, Jackson touched his heart twice and waved again before blowing a kiss to the crowd. He was then put into his black SUV before his caravan drove away -- chased by some fans.
"This proves that justice can prevail in America," one fan said.
"We love you Michael!" shouted Tara Bardella, 19, who was in the crowd outside the courthouse.
Cheers of "innocent" erupted outside the courthouse after the verdicts were read. More than 300 anxious fans and onlookers had waited for the verdicts outside the courthouse in Santa Maria. They chanted "innocent" in unison as they pressed against a chain link fence that served as a barrier.
Some waved signs that read "Keep Michael Free" and stood atop stepladders to get a better look.
Jurors in the Jackson trial are hoping it's from here to obscurity for them.
After the innocent verdicts were announced, the judge read a statement from the jury that said: "We the jury feel the weight of the world's eyes upon us." The jurors asked to be allowed to return to "our private lives as anonymously as we came."
The jurors did meet with reporters after the trial. One juror said the process of reaching a verdict was simple -- they all "just looked at the evidence and pretty much agreed" that Michael Jackson was innocent.
The jurors who acquitted the singer on all counts said they made it a point from the beginning to look at Jackson as an ordinary person, not a star. They said from there, it was easier to deal with the case.
They said the intense media glare on the case didn't make them uncomfortable. What did make one juror uncomfortable was the mother of Jackson's accuser.
Juror No. 5 said she remembered the woman snapping her fingers at the jury. The juror said she thought to herself, "Don't snap your fingers at me, lady."
Another juror said she wonders why the accuser was allowed to stay with Jackson so long -- saying no mother "in her right mind" would let her child just go off and sleep with someone, Michael Jackson or anyone else.
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.
Mesereau said justice was done in the case.
"The man's innocent. He always was," Mesereau said in a statement on a Jackson Web site.
Pedophilia tends to be a chronic condition, and recidivism is high. Its a compulsion. Sometime down the road, probably in some resort in Bankok or someplace, MJ is going to be caught in this type of thing again.
And that is it, fellow FReepers... In America, "probably" is not enough enough to deprive even a circus freak of it's freedom. This in itself is a good thing, believe it or not, even in this case.
It's the judgement and performance of the prosecutors and the defense that has lead to this, not Jackson's actions, IMHO.
The defense was able to adequately cast enough doubt on the case due to the lack of credibility of the witnesses. As I learn more and more, the whole case appears more and more shakey.
Is Jackson a pedophile, child molesting freak? Is the sky blue?....
Did they prove it in court? If they couldn't prove it beyond a doubt given Jackson himself, you know there's a major problem here.
If nothing else, this case came down to the grifter versus the pedophile. This time the pedophile won. If it's commentary on our society, I don't know what sort of message that it is, I don't think the message has been completely spelled out yet.
If pedophiles in this nation think it's a green light to "go to town" they will have an entirely unexpected response waiting for them.
Pedophilia tends to be a chronic condition, and recidivism is high. Its a compulsion. Sometime down the road, probably in some resort in Bankok or someplace, MJ is going to be caught in this type of thing again.
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I don't know if he is guilty or not, but you are sort of expousing one of the defense lines in this case. It went like this:
1. Pedophilia is a compulsion.
2. Thousands of children went through Neverland.
3. Only this one or maybe two or three ever alledged anything improper went on.
4. The DA even advertised for more victims when he brought these charges.
4. A man with a complusion would have behaved improperly with many many more of the children who visited him at Neverland.
Thus by your logic, he is not guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
The jurors, one of whom said MJ was 'their' celebrity...with some pride, will see young boys ferried in and out of Neverland again, and maybe one of those kids will belong to someone they know. MJ probably won't be prosecuted again because the cost is too high.
What is hard for me to believe is that even after the civil suits/settling out of court with victims, parents still allow their children to go to Neverland and sleep with Michael Jackson.
Yeah, he'll be caught again, but if it happens at Neverland, it's too much of a double jeopardy risk.
What gets me is the guy admitted on National TV that he slept with boys, calling it the "most beautiful loving thing in the world"...So how did the jury reason this out? That sleeping with other peoples kids although strange, doesn`t prove molestation? Then I would assume if they feel he is safe enough to put back into society, then they wouldn`t mind their kids sleeping with him.
What... did the jury need to see a thriller type video to believe it?
It should be pointed out that at least in some cases, this was a lot more innocent than it sounded. If a kid fell asleep in Jacko's bed while watching a movie, I don't think that's all that bad. I think Jackson is an idiot for phrasing this in such a way that it sounds like he's spooning ten-year-olds.
Being odd never made anybody guilty of anything. IMO
Only God dispenses absolute justice. It was this jury's job to bring a sliver of justice on this earth.
They didn't do that.
"We the jury feel the weight of the world's eyes upon us." The jurors asked to be allowed to return to "our private lives as anonymously as we came." ,
Except for the book deals and paid interviews, right?
…but the prosecution didn't prove it.
...parents still allow their children to go to Neverland and sleep with Michael Jackson.
So this guy is the type of dunderhead they picked for a juror?
If I had any question a man was a pervert intent on raping little boys, there would be NO QUESTION how I would vote. These perverts need to be removed from society. Dear Lord! Where is the sense of duty and common sense thinking here? A case is not about the defense proving something, how well they prove it; it is about evidence. I think there was more than enough evidence, if you take the stupid mother away even, to prove this case.
But I am not a dunderhead. What is going ON with the jury pools of California? (Peterson excluded).
I sometimes think that maybe people don't like seeing a black man on trial by a white lawyer (though calling Jackson a "black man" at this point is a stretch) but I think that even if O.J. had tried this case, they would have acquitted him.
IDIOTS!!!!!!!!!!! They probably did terribly in math when they were in school, since Mathematics requires reasoning skills.
I would be very interested to know who in this bunch is a Democrat.
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