Tensions rise as Jackson jury resumes deliberations
The Michael Jackson trial eases into week 16 today as jurors return to their deliberations amid increasing tensions at the California court house.
As the clock ticks, contingency plans are being fine-tuned for the highly anticipated word of a verdict guaranteed to spark chaos amongst the crowds congregated outside.
Jackson will have one hour to get to court from his Neverland ranch where he is believed to be awaiting his fate. The singer has not been seen in public since the jury was given the case on June 3.
His convoy of black SUVs is likely to be followed by scores of hysterical fans who have kept a constant vigil outside the gates of his home.
At Santa Maria court photographers and camera crews from 34 countries will race for the best positions, already carefully staked out. Others will head for Santa Barbara prison to await his arrival in the event of a conviction.
The number of police officers at the court has been doubled in recent days.
The news is expected to spark such mobile phone activity that several television networks have installed landlines on site in case signals go down.
The verdict will be broadcast live via pooled audio as hundreds of reporters packed inside the small court and overflow room monitor Jackson’s reaction.
The race will then be on to buy up the jurors each able to tell the story of exactly what went on behind those closed doors.
Most major US networks are believed to have assigned one person to each juror, who, cheque books at the ready, will embark on a mad dash to get that exclusive story.
Those eight women and four men, who range in age from 20 to 79, will become valuable commodities, each able to make a small fortune if they so choose. They have already been told they can keep the extensive notes made during the trial, ensuring that book deals are almost guaranteed.
But as the hordes return to court today, the calm before the storm continues.
The jury will be back to work, weighing up the evidence on ten counts of molesting 13-year-old Gavin Arvizo, plying him with alcohol and conspiring to hold him and his family captive. The pop star faces the possibility of almost 20 years in prison.
Jurors have 98 pages of instructions on how to deliberate on the case and have so far asked lawyers just one question as well as a reported request for read backs of Gavin’s testimony.
Despite endless speculation, there is no way of telling how long it will be before the waiting game ends.
