The importance of the Michael Jackson Verdict: 14 years on.
June 13, 2019 • By Admin Team
Today marks the 14th anniversary of the day Michael Jackson was found not guilty of all counts in the trial of his life, a trial that pushed him to his physical and mental limits, where he was required to prove that the accusations lodged against him, again, were totally false. Over the last decade since his passing, this moment in Jackson’s life has been downgraded as almost insignificant. The verdict was largely accepted and the world moved on. Unfortunately in 2019, we must acknowledge the 13th June and the utmost importance that it holds, because once again, it’s become all too relevant.
The first few years that followed the verdict, I was a vocal advocate of the result, making sure that the public were reminded that Michael Jackson was found not guilty. We’d had these accusations thrust into every social gathering, every newspaper we read, every magazine, it was now our time to thrust the verdict back in their faces.
After the first three years, I decided that it was time to move on from the verdict. I’d had the satisfaction of reminding the public of his innocence and felt that any future acknowledgement of 13th June would only serve as a reminder that he was accused, not that he was found not guilty. Jackson wanted to move on from this terrible time and rebuild his life, so it didn’t need any of us harking back once a year.
However, times have changed and today it’s more important to speak about 13th June and the huge significance it has in the discussions of Jackson at present.
On reflection, what does the verdict actually mean? I think that’s really a two-fold question into what it ‘should’ mean and what Jackson’s detractors want it to mean.
Ultimately, the verdict asserts the fact that Michael Jackson did not abuse Gavin Arvizo. There was no room for ‘yes, but maybe’ or ‘not enough evidence’ to support the accusations. A four month, lengthy trial took place, with multiple witnesses, multiple pieces of ‘evidence’ presented by the District Attorney, which Jackson’s legal team, headed up by the calm and collected Tom Mesereau proved was utter nonsense. We’re to believe that the entire concept of Jackson being a paedophile rested on the fact he owned a selection of art photography books, selected from a library, of 10,000 assets. In addition, the apparent ‘eye witness’ testimony of Star Arvizo who claimed to have bypassed the alarm on Jackson’s bedroom, climbed the steps, which he re-told to the number, and claimed to have witnessed Jackson abusing Gavin. On cross-examination, Star’s testimony was blown out of the water and his claims were exposed for their ridiculousness.
But we don’t need to replay the facts of the trial. The court transcripts have long been available. Countless interviews from Mesereau, Conspiracy by Aphrodite Jones and countless other source materials will affirm for the reader exactly why, aside from the fact Jackson wasn’t actually guilty, he was found not guilty.
Furthermore, there’s the first witness testimony, opening the case for the defence, former dancer, turned now-Jackson-accuser, Wade Robson. His testimony is significant today for a number of reasons, not mostly because he sat on the stand and told the truth, that Jackson never behaved inappropriately with him in any way. This is a statement he stood by when interviewed in 1993 and countless times over the 20 years that followed.
Robson clearly stated his position and answered the questions as they were directed to him.
He started by outlining how he’d connected with Jackson after their initial meeting in Australia on the BAD World Tour
As I said, we’d had no contact with Michael or anything. Somehow my mother got in contact with Michael’s secretary at that time, who was Norma Stokes.
Followed by discussing his visits to Neverland with his mother and sister, the latter of whom also stayed in Jackson room. And yes sister means female here.
He was then asked twice if Jackson had ever molested, touched him in a sexual way or touched him inappropriately, all of which Robson confirmed Jackson had not. Additionally, he confirmed he understood exactly what Jackson was being accused of.
In closing, Mesereau asked Robson, “Has anyone told you what to say in this courtroom today?” Robson’s answer was a firm ‘No’.
All the responses Robson gave back then at the age of 22 are in direct contradiction to the claims he makes today as a fully-grown adult.
Today as he tries to make the ludicrous claim that he defended Jackson firstly because he claimed not to be aware sex between an adult and a child was wrong, but later claiming it was out of fear and and intimidation from Jackson, before finally claiming Jackson coached him on what to say. Each point contradicts the other and all contradict the responses he gave, under oath in the 2005 trial.
What’s interesting is that the questions asked by the prosecution in cross-examination were specific enough about whether Jackson touched Robson, “Mr. Jackson would periodically kiss you, would he not? Periodically hug you? Touch you? Put his hands through your hair? Touch you about the head and the face? Did he ever kiss you on the cheek? Did he ever kiss you on the lips? – Robson wasn’t asked to determine if these were prerequisite for abuse, he was asked it they happened. He confirmed he wasn’t periodically kissed, kissed on the lips, had hands through his hair, but that Jackson would hug him, something Jackson has been photographed doing with children and adults all over the world, for decades.
In the lead up to the defense’s case, 500 people were explored, contacted and interviewed as options and the Robson family were deemed some of the strongest. Jackson and his attorneys did not need Robson as they had another 499 people in the pipeline, but after extensive interviews to check his suitability, Robson took the stand. If there was any truth in the prospect that Jackson had abused Robson, it would have been a frankly idiotic move to put him on the stand, as oppose to anyone else from the pool of 499 people.
What the trial did serve to do is to put Robson’s true story of his experiences with Jackson in the public domain. Bear in mind that Jackson was not being accused of molesting Robson, that’s not what he was on trial for, but Robson’s testimony served as almost character-witness in nature. For those who claim Robson ‘helped get Jackson off’, again are over emphasising the Robson-agenda. Robson’s testimony and character-witness presence would have been rendered useless if the prosecution were able to prove that Jackson abused Gavin Arvizo, after-all, that’s what he was on trial for. Seeing as Arvizo’s claims had more holes than a colander, it wasn’t difficult for the defense to tear apart the thinly veiled attempts to accuse Jackson.
Where the trial testimony from 2005 becomes relevant once again is when we look at, what relevancy chaser, Oprah Winfrey refers to as ‘patterns of abuse’, No matter how hard they try and claim it, there is no ‘pattern’, and here’s why.
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