Michael Jackson, one of the world’s biggest pop stars, was acquitted on Monday on all charges of molesting a teenage boy at his Neverland ranch. The 46-year-old singer, who faced up to 18 years in prison had he been found guilty, reached for a tissue and wept as the clerk of the court finished reading the not guilty verdicts.
In a packed courtroom in the small town of Santa Maria, north of Los Angeles, the clerk began reading the verdicts at 2.12pm. As they were read, the prosecution slumped back in their chairs.
Jackson left the 20-minute session to be greeted by screams and cheers from 100 fans outside the court.
Accompanied by his family and holding his mother’s arm, he got into a waiting black car. He acknowledged the fans by blowing a kiss but there was no repeat of the grandstanding that accompanied some of his previous court appearances.
Inside the courtroom the verdict was greeted with gasps and tears of relief from the public gallery as the 40 fans allowed inside took in the implications. Some of the women jurors wept as the verdicts were read out.
Jackson — dressed in a black suit, white shirt and black tie — sat immobile, as he had been throughout most of the trial.
After the verdicts Jackson’s attorney, Thomas Mesereau, gripped the singer’s forearm. Once the jury had left the court, the judge said: ”Mr Jackson, your bail is exonerated and you are released.”
Jackson embraced each member of his defence team and then stood alone in the court, looking bewildered and saying nothing. When asked his reaction, Mesereau said: ”Justice was done.”
In a post-trial press conference, the jurors admitted that they had been influenced in their decision by the demeanour of Janet Arvizo, the mother of Gavin Arvizo, whom Jackson was accused of molesting.
”I disliked it intensely when she snapped her fingers at us,” said one juror.
Another juror said: ”She never took her eyes off us. I was uncomfortable with that.”
Asked if they agreed with the defence’s assertion that the accusers were thieves and scam artists, another juror said: ”The thought was definitely there. Things just didn’t add up.”
The jurors reached their unanimous decision after taking two votes and another juror said the decision was made cautiously. ”We actually challenged one another in the deliberations. It wasn’t a slam-dunk with 12 people agreeing.”
Tom Sneddon, the district attorney who led the prosecution, and also failed in an attempt to prosecute Jackson in 1993, denied that this case was motivated by a grudge.
”Obviously we’re disappointed,” he told a press conference.
”My past history with Michael Jackson had absolutely unequivocally nothing to do with this case. I’m not going to look back and apologise for anything we’ve done. We did what we did for the right reasons. We thought we had a good case this time.”
The jury sent word that they had reached a verdict on the 10-count indictment at around 12.30pm. The eight women and four men had deliberated for 32 hours over seven days after listening to 14 weeks of testimony.
The singer was given a little over one hour to make his way to the courthouse.
Jackson looked apprehensive as he made his way into the court, flanked by members of his family, including sisters Janet and LaToya Jackson.
The extraordinary course of events that led to the eventual acquittal began when Jackson was arrested on charges of child molestation in November 2003.
The charges arose from a British television documentary, Living With Michael Jackson, broadcast in February 2003.
In the documentary, Jackson was shown holding hands with the then 13-year-old Gavin Arvizo.
He also defended sharing his bedroom with children, describing it as an innocent, childlike practice. ”What could be more natural?” he asked his interviewer, Martin Bashir. However, he denied that he shared his bed with the children, saying that he would sleep on the floor.
Jackson’s trial started on January 31 with jury selection. The eight women and four men in the panel withdrew after 66 days of hearings spread over nearly 14 weeks. The prosecution case lasted more than two months while the defence took just three weeks.
About 140 witnesses testified, including 85 for the prosecution. About 662 items of evidence were submitted.
The courtroom drama reached a peak when Jackson was late for the hearing on the day his young accuser was to testify against him and the judge threatened him with arrest and detention.
Jackson eventually turned up late dressed in slippers, faded blue pyjama bottoms, a white t-shirt and a black jacket — his usually-immaculately tended hair uncombed following a pre-dawn visit to a hospital emergency room. Jackson’s lawyers said the star had been rushed to hospital in ”terrible pain” after tripping while getting dressed.
The 10 charges
1 Conspiracy involving child abduction, false imprisonment and extortion, including 28 specific acts between February 1 and March 31 2003
Not guilty
2-5 Lewd act upon a child under the age of 14, between February 20 and March 12 2003
Not guilty
6 Attempt to get a child under age 14 to commit a lewd act upon Jackson between February 20 and March 12 2003
Not guilty
7-10 Administering an intoxicating agent – alcohol – to assist in the commission of child molestation
Not guilty – Guardian Unlimited Â