Fans rejoice at 'not guilty' verdict
Fans and friends of Michael Jackson rejoiced around the globe as a jury in California delivered a verdict of not guilty in the pop star’s trial on child molestation and conspiracy charges.
Jackson was found not guilty on all 10 counts including molesting 13-year-old cancer survivor Gavin Arvizo, getting the boy drunk and conspiring to imprison his accuser and the boy’s family at his estate.
In Skovde, Sweden, Kent Vilhemsson, 21, returned home from the US where he had been waiting outside the court room in Santa Maria for two weeks.
“The minutes before the verdict were the most nervous moments of my life. Now, these are the happiest moments of my life,” said Vilhemsson, who was watching the verdict live on television from his apartment in Skovde.
“Now we’re going to party,” said Vilhemsson, a freelance journalist writing for computer magazines.
Media interest in the case was intense around the globe throughout the trial.
Interest in the verdict stretched into the Middle East, with Arab news channels al-Jazeera and al-Arabiya cutting to live footage of the courthouse as Jackson arrived for the verdict.
In Germany, several news channels carried the verdict live, and the top-selling Bild newspaper quickly posted the headline “Acquittal!” on its Web site.
Martin Stock, the founder a Jackson fan club in Germany who stayed up late to watch the outcome, said he was overjoyed, even though he had expected his idol’s acquittal.
“The whole trial was laughable, and Michael was treated inhumanly. I think people were trying to throw him into prison to get at his money,” said Stock, a 29-year-old employee at Frankfurt’s international airport. He said he would try to organise a party with others among his 40-strong “JAM” fan club.
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