Jackson Witness List Studded With StarsMonday, February 14, 2005
SANTA MARIA, Calif. — Judging from the list of potential defense witnesses, Michael Jackson's (search) child molestation trial could be a star-studded affair.
Among those who could be called to the stand are Jackson's own children and a variety of celebrities, among them Kobe Bryant (search) and Elizabeth Taylor (search), his lawyer told jury prospects Monday.
The glimpse into defense plans came as jury selection resumed in the case. Attorneys from both sides faced the difficult task of narrowing down the pool of 250 potential jurors to 12, plus eight alternates.
The pop music superstar's attorney, Thomas J. Mesereau Jr., told prospective jurors Monday that the defense witness list includes Bryant, Taylor, illusionist David Blaine (search), TV newsman Ed Bradley, Backstreet Boy Nick Carter (search) and his younger brother Aaron, as well as relatives of actor Marlon Brando (search).
The celebrity-filled list was read as the process of selecting jurors resumed after a week's delay. The defense didn't tell the prospects why each potential witness might be relevant.
Bradley, for example, interviewed Jackson after the molestation allegations arose. The list also included journalist Martin Bashir (search), whose 2003 TV documentary "Living With Michael Jackson" showed Jackson and his accuser holding hands and Jackson defending his practice of sharing his bed with children.
Some of the celebrities on the list are friends of Jackson and others have met his accuser. Jackson supporters claim the accuser's mother was eager to meet celebrities.
As juror questioning got under way, prosecutors and defense attorneys immediately agreed to dismiss an 81-year-old man who said he has a serious health condition.
Jackson, who stood and smiled as the prospective jurors entered, came to court in a black suit with a red satin shirt, gold and red brocade vest, with a sunburst pin on his pocket and a jewel-encrusted accessory on his vest.
He arrived at court Monday morning with his usual flourish. Trial observers said the fan base camping out at the courthouse has thinned, though there were still screams of "Michael!" as the pop music superstar strode into the building.
The entertainer is accused of molesting a 13-year-old former cancer patient, giving the boy alcohol and conspiring to hold him and his family captive.
Santa Barbara County Superior Court Judge Rodney S. Melville began the second round of jury selection by telling about 240 prospects that attorneys will question them to make sure they could be fair.
Melville said a litigant's greatest fear is that a judge or juror in a case has been "bought and paid for" and has already made up their mind.
"I'm not bought and paid for. I have not made up my mind in this case and I want to select a jury that feels exactly the same way," Melville said.
Both sides immediately agreed to dismiss an 81-year-old man who said he has a serious health condition.
When Melville questioned an initial group of 18 about whether they had seen any news coverage of the case that would keep them from judging Jackson fairly, all but two said they could be fair.
A 56-year-old woman with no children said she has twice been falsely accused of something, which she did not describe. She said she was "leery" of press reports and wanted more time to decide.
A 52-year-old woman with a 21-year-old daughter and 16-year-old son said she has followed "just about everything written about" the Jackson case and "I question whether I could give a good judgment on him."
A pool of 242 prospective jurors was formed in an initial round of jury selection in which the judge screened people for hardships that would prevent them from serving on the case, which could last six months.
Last week, Melville released juror questionnaires that previewed some of the issues attorneys will focus on. Jurors were asked whether they or someone they knew had experienced improper sexual conduct, if they could judge people of a different race fairly, and if they had followed the 1993 molestation allegations involving Jackson.
The questionnaires suggested a jury pool from all walks of life: prospects' job titles ranged from engineer to student to janitor, and their ages spanned from 18 to the early 80s. The average was 46, which is also Jackson's age.
The possible jurors were predominantly white, and about a third Hispanic, with only a half-dozen black prospects. All but 16 of the 242 said they could judge someone of another race fairly.
Sixty-seven people, or more than one in four of the respondents, said they knew someone who has met Jackson or spent time at his ranch. A few potential panelists said they, a relative or close friend had been the victim of "inappropriate sexual behavior of any kind."
Defense attorneys were expected to try to weed out parents of young children who might be especially fearful of child abuse. Prosecutors were likely to look for jurors who looked up to law enforcement.
The questioning of potential jurors was scheduled to begin last Monday, but was delayed by the death of lead defense attorney Mesereau's sister.
The last person I want to testify about character or sexual matters is Kobe Bryant.
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