Jackson Jury Is Seated
By Sally Connell and Michael Muskal, Special to the Times
Eight women and four men were sworn in today to weigh the fate of Michael Jackson, accused of sexually molesting a 13-year-old boy.
The jury was officially seated after a morning session of questioning. Eight alternates are still to be chosen. That process could be completed Thursday, paving the way for opening statements on Monday.
The jury is overwhelmingly white with at least three Latinos and one Asian, ranging in age from 20 to 79. No African Americans were picked.
As is common in any case, regardless of the notoriety of the defendant, the jury becomes a lens into the life of the region. At least three jurors said they or someone they knew were invited or had visited Jackson's Neverland ranch, where prosecutors maintain the pop star molested the boy. At least two have relatives who were either a victim or a perpetrator of a sex crime.
One of the jurors said he did not follow the news much, but another is an aspiring journalist. One juror said she liked Bill O'Reilly, the controversial television host on Fox News.
Among those on the jury are a 50-year-old horse trainer who said she could be fair in judging Jackson because she had experience in judging competitions among horses and riders. She also said she worked with the Special Olympics and a child abuse group.
A Latino woman, who is divorced from a Santa Maria police detective, said she had a best friend who was a police detective in San Luis Obispo. About 44% of the original pool said they, a relative or friend were involved in law enforcement.
Not every juror spoke positively of the police. One said she was dissatisfied with the official investigation into the sexual assaults of two of her relatives. She also said a relative had been molested as a child.
One woman said she had a relative who was a registered sex offender, but that would not compromise her impartiality. "It opened my eyes," she said of dealing with the relative's case. "We got an education."
Among the men is a 21-year-old in a wheelchair who wants to be a journalist covering motor sports because he said that is a fairer type of reporting than many others. He also said he had visited Jackson's Neverland ranch as a child, as part of a group of children with cerebral palsy.
Jackson has frequently said he viewed himself as a patron of children, particularly those with a serious illness, and enjoyed inviting them over to experience the animals and amusement rides at the ranch.
Jackson's accuser, who said he was molested, suffered from cancer and was invited to the ranch.
Also on the jury is a 63-year-old sculptor who specializes in bronze works of the Old West.
A distinguished looking 62-year-old juror said he wanted to join the Elks. He was also the juror, who on questioning about celebrity witnesses, said of New Age author Deepak Chopra, "I think he's a rapper."
Jury selection began at the end of January and had been expected to take at least a month. But there were two, weeklong delays, when Jackson got the flu and when the sister of defense attorney Thomas Mesereau Jr. died.
Superior Court Judge Rodney S. Melville pushed the selection process into overdrive this week. In just two days, the proceedings went from the early questioning, or voir dire phase, to a sitting panel.
Race continued to be an issue during this morning's questioning of potential jurors.
The defense has submitted a motion dealing with race, though the details are unknown.
The only dismissal that caused friction was when the prosecution released an African American woman over defense objections Tuesday. The soft-spoken woman had told attorneys that she did not know much about the case, although a jury questionnaire she filled out indicated that she had been following it closely.
Another African American was questioned today and was highly critical of authorities, especially former Sheriff Jim Thomas, now a television commentator for the trial.
During today's questioning by defense attorney Mesereau, the woman said: "How can he [Jackson] get a fair trial anywhere when even the ex-sheriff of Santa Barbara County gets on the news and tells the world he [Jackson] is a child molester and was a child molester back when I was sheriff."
Thomas, who was in the press overflow room, replied: "I guess she is not going to lunch with me." (you stupid ****)
.
As Mesereau probed, the woman went further: "The only thing I question is a jury of your peers. How is this man [Jackson] going to get it here in this area?"
Jackson, who sat quietly through most of the questioning, nodded vigorously in agreement. Jackson supporters have raised the issue of race before, arguing that as a popular African American pop star, Jackson was singled out for prosecution.
The African American woman was released by the prosecution.
The prosecution used five of its 10 peremptory challenges while the defense used seven to seat the jury. Each side gets eight peremptory challenges to use during the selection of alternates. A peremptory challenge doesn't require a reason for dismissal. There are an unlimited number of challenges available for cause.
With at least half the arbitrary challenges for the jury gone, both sides were restricted in their ability to object, so selection went quickly. Limiting the questioning of jurors to 10 minutes by each side also speeded up the selection process, as did the lack of a lunch break.
Mesereau and prosecutor Ron Zonen have also asked prospective jurors about their attitude to the media, which has covered Jackson for decades through his rise as a pop star, his Peter Pan-like lifestyle and his cosmetic surgeries.
Jackson faces more than 20 years in prison if convicted of molesting a 13-year-old cancer victim at the star's Neverland ranch in 2003. He is also charged with feeding the boy alcohol and conspiring to keep the boy and his family from leaving the ranch.
Jackson arrived at court promptly this morning around 8. He was wearing a black suit, with his trademark armband and a red shirt.
Times correspondent Connell reported from Santa Maria; Times staff writer Muskal from Los Angeles.
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-02230...-home-headlines
