Each day the Michael Jackson trial seemingly has allegations sleazier and more troubling.
And it has weird twists and turns…such as the latest bulletin that
the mother of the current victim may choose not to testify — thus possibly putting the prosecution’s case at risk. Or will it? (Choose your theory)
Recent compelling testimony is a result of the judge allowing truly shocking pattern evidence in — including this latest:
The mother of a boy who received a multimillion-dollar settlement from Michael Jackson years ago told jurors that she allowed her son to sleep in Jackson’s bed after a tearful plea from the singer.
The woman, in testimony Monday, said she was treated to lavish gifts after she agreed to let the boy sleep in Jackson’s hotel room during a trip to Las Vegas in 1993. She also said Jackson told her there was “nothing going on.”
“He was sobbing, shaking, trembling. He said, ‘You don’t trust me. We’re a family. Why won’t you allow him to be in my bedroom?'” the woman said at Jackson’s child molestation trial.
If that was Harry Schmidlap down the corner who lived in a filthy house crawling with cockroaches do you think a mother would entertain that thought for a second — or immediately head for the door and perhaps alert police? What’s at play in this trial is that because Jackson was rich and famous the conventional wisdom that applied to the rest of us mortals was seemingly suspended time and time again.
Some more details:
The woman said her son is now 25 and she hasn’t spoken to him in 11 years. Asked if that was by her choice, she said no. Her son, who did not cooperate with a law enforcement investigation after receiving a settlement, has refused to testify in Jackson’s current prosecution.
The woman also testified that after the Las Vegas incident, the boy was constantly with Jackson, and the pop star even came to the family’s Santa Monica home and stayed with her son more than 30 times.
“And where would he stay?” asked District Attorney Tom Sneddon.
“In (my son’s) bedroom,” she said.
That’s natural, too.
We’re sure readers are asking: if an adult wants repeatedly to visit your kid and stay in his/her bedroom, who would object to that? Every adult who visits kids stays in the kid’s bedroom. After all, there is that good hospitality issue…. MORE:
She gradually began to see a change in her son. “He started dressing like Michael … was kind of smart-alecky. He was withdrawn. He didn’t want to be with (my daughter) and me,” the woman said.
She also testified that they made trips to Disney World in May 1993 and later to Monaco, where she and her daughter went on a shopping spree funded by the entertainer. Eventually, she said, her brother raised concerns about the relationship and she too became concerned.
She said there was another confrontation with Jackson and “he was upset that I wanted my son back. I didn’t like the situation. It was getting out of control.”
But all of this could wind up being a costly court case that document’s Jackson’s behavior and little more if the latest news report is any indication:
Sources told ABC News that there is discussion that the alleged victim’s mother may not want to testify at the trial. Sources said the mother, who is scheduled to take the stand today, sees potential legal problems if she testifies. In a motion filed under seal, the prosecution has asked that Jackson’s defense be prevented from asking the mother any questions about welfare fraud, sources close to both sides told ABC News. However, in opening statements, Santa Barbara County, Calif., prosecutor Tom Sneddon told jurors that the mother “obtained welfare funds when she wasn’t entitled to them. She’s going to tell you that, and she’s going to admit that.”
Sources told ABC News that the mother has now changed her mind and does not want to admit anything. She has threatened to plead the Fifth Amendment and refuse to answer any questions, which would put the rest of her testimony in jeopardy. The mother never saw any sexual molestation of her son and would not be able to testify about that aspect of the prosecution’s case. However, she is a key witness for the conspiracy case against Jackson.
Still, despite the concerns, the mother may still testify at Jackson’s trial.
Now we understand (we think).
Joe Gandelman is a former fulltime journalist who freelanced in India, Spain, Bangladesh and Cypress writing for publications such as the Christian Science Monitor and Newsweek. He also did radio reports from Madrid for NPR’s All Things Considered. He has worked on two U.S. newspapers and quit the news biz in 1990 to go into entertainment. He also has written for The Week and several online publications, did a column for Cagle Cartoons Syndicate and has appeared on CNN.