Jackson Defense Brings Down House
by Joal Ryan
Apr 12, 2005, 6:05 PM PT
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The stepfather of Michael Jackson's accuser still doesn't have his house.
That would be the house the man said one of the singer's lackeys promised his then-girlfriend's family in 2003 in return for her and her children's participation in a video rebutting Martin Bashir's infamous Jackson documentary.
"Did you accept the house?" defense attorney Thomas Mesereau Jr. asked the man.
"I still don't have it, no," the man said. "I don't see the house yet."
"Are you still looking for it?" Mesereau asked.
The man said no, but his testimony Tuesday in Jackson's molestation and conspiracy trial otherwise played right into the defense's game plan.
The stepfather's appearance came as the proceedings in the Santa Maria, California, courthouse shifted from the past back to the present, ending days of testimony about decade-old fondling allegations.
The appearance also came as ABC News reported the man's wife--aka the accuser's mother, aka the prosecution's most key adult witness, aka the defense's ultimate target--might not come to court. The woman had been billed to take the stand as early as Tuesday, or possibly Wednesday.
In an abbreviated session Tuesday, the witness box belonged to the stepfather, a career Army reservist who wed the accuser's mother last year. He acknowledged telling Jackson associate Frank Tyson in the frantic wake of the Bashir documentary, "You're making millions out of this. What is this family going to get?"
The man said he believed Jackson was going to pocket $4 million-5 million for starring in a Maury Povich-hosted Bashir rebuttal documentary for Fox.
"I basically said that...in my perception, [the Jackson camp] should compensate this family for helping out in this video," the stepfather testified.
The defense has long portrayed the accuser's family as being on the make for Jackson's millions.
Almost on point, the stepfather talked of being unimpressed by Tyson's offers of protection ("I said, 'Frank, the family doesn't need any protection. Who are you protecting them against?' "), college educations for the children ("They're in the eighth grade. They didn't need a college education."), and the aforementioned house. He even scoffed at an offer of $400-$500 from a British tabloid for an interview with the family.
"I said, "I don't think that's going to happen," the man said.
The tabloid offer eventually grew to $15,000. The man rejected that, too--giving the prosecution a chance to make a point.
"Have you accepted money from anybody?" prosecutor Ronald Zonen asked.
"Zero," the man said. "We have not accepted a penny."
Jackson, 46, is accused of molesting the man's eldest step son
http://www.eonline.com/News/Items/Pf/0,152...7,16326,00.html
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I am really floored by the nerve the accuser’s mother and step dad have. Michael has done so much for their family and all he asked of them in return was to do a rebuttal video. Michael was even nice to offer them a house and college educations for the children. Instead, Janet and Jay wanted large sums of money from Jackson. They were not concerned about Gavin being teased in school and called a faggot as James Masada had testified. They wanted money in the seven- figure through six-figure range for the rebuttal video.
They are a heartless and thankless family
