Jackson not guilty on all counts
Singer acquitted in alleged child molestation case



MSNBC staff and news service reports
Updated: 10:06 p.m. ET June 13, 2005

SANTA MARIA, Calif. - Michael Jackson was found not guilty Monday on all counts in his trial on child molestation charges, ending a two-year legal saga for one of the world's most well-known pop stars.

The courtroom sat silently as Judge Rodney Melville opened jury envelopes and silently read the verdict forms before allowing the court clerk to read the verdict out loud. Lead defense attorney Tom Mesereau Jr., who scored a dazzling legal victory in the case , patted Jackson on the shoulder after the verdict was read. Two jurors dabbed their eyes with tissues.

Jackson showed no visible reaction in court. He then slowly, silently walked out of court surrounded by family and his bodyguards, looking slightly stunned. The singer briefly waved to fans.

His fans, kept behind barriers at a distance from the courthouse, shouted and wept with joy over Jackson's acquittal, celebrating a complete victory for the singer's defense team, though one that may not repair his tarnished and ever more bizarre public image .

"Justice is done. The man's innocent. He always was," Mesereau later said in a statement on Jackson's official Web site.

Tito Jackson told MSNBC by phone that Michael was resting in the hours after the verdict, and the family was "just trying to absorb everything."

In the same interview, Michael's brother Jermaine Jackson thanked his brother's longtime fans for their support throughout the trial and said the family was heartened by the results. "Being a family and staying together we can overcome anything,"Jermaine Jackson said.

Michael Jackson, 46, was indicted on 10 counts for allegedly molesting a then-13-year-old cancer patient, serving him wine and then conspiring to hold him and his family captive. The charges included four allegations of molestation, one of attempted molestation, four of serving alcohol to a minor and one for conspiracy.

He could have faced nearly 20 years in prison if convicted on all charges. Instead, he got into his black SUV with his family and aides, and quickly departed the courthouse complex, arriving back at Neverland shortly after 6 p.m. ET to another throng of cheering fans.

Defeat for D.A.
Jackson's acquittal was an astounding defeat for District Attorney Thomas Sneddon , who long pursued charges against the singer. Not only did the jury acquit Jackson on all 10 charges but also found him not guilty on a series of lesser charges, such as serving alcohol to a minor.

"I think we all just looked at the evidence and pretty much agreed," said juror No. 5, a 79-year-old widow, at a news conference after the verdict.

Asked at a separate news conference why he went forward with a case based around an accuser that had serious credibility issues, Sneddon said he always felt confident about his case.

"We don't select our victims and we don't select the families they come from," he said.

When asked whether his office would stop pursuing charges against Jackson, the district attorney replied, "No comment." But he insisted that his prior efforts to indict Jackson in 1993 had "absolutely, unequivocally nothing to do with our evaluation of this case."

Jurors sat through 14 weeks of testimony, then deliberated for seven days before reaching their decision. The jury of eight women and four men ranged in age from 21 to 79; eight were parents and six acknowledged they were fans of Jackson's music.

Two were Hispanic, one was Asian and the rest were white. Jackson supporters had protested that no black jurors were chosen for the trial.

As the trial unfolded, dozens of witnesses described the intricate and often unsettling details of life at Jackson's Neverland ranch.

Prosecutors argued that the singer molested the boy, now 15, in late February or early March 2003, shortly after the airing of a documentary, "Living with Michael Jackson." On that program, viewed worldwide by an audience of millions, the accuser held hands with Jackson, and the singer confessed that he allowed young boys to sleep in his bed - but insisted it was an innocent, loving act.

Jackson's handlers viewed the documentary as a P.R. nightmare, according to testimony, and worked to prepare a so-called "rebuttal" video to counter the details revealed in the British-produced film, which was seen by many at the time as a confirmation of longtime suspicions about Jackson's relationships with children.

Now, what do you people think about all this?!?