Jackson's accuser expected to return to stand
Michael Jackson’s accuser was due back on the witness stand today as Jackson attorney Thomas Mesereau continues cross-examination.
Jurors in the pop star’s molestation trial went home last week following a combative and tense exchange between the pop star’s accuser and defence attorney - and were expected to see more of the same as the trial begins its third week at around 4.30pm today.
On Thursday, after Jackson arrived late to court complaining of a bad back and wearing pyjama bottoms, Mesereau alleged inconsistencies in the boy’s interviews with law enforcement and said the molestation claim was invented after a meeting with a lawyer.
“After you met with an attorney you came up with a story that you were masturbated by Michael Jackson,” Mesereau said.
“No, I never told him about anything,” the boy said, referring to the lawyer.
The accuser testified that Jackson twice molested him in Jackson’s bed at Neverland Ranch as he and the singer wore pairs of Jackson’s pyjamas, with the first incident occurring under a blanket.
The teen said he believed there were more incidents, but that he couldn’t remember them.
That testimony differed from his brother’s claimed eyewitness account and it was unclear if they were talking about the same incidents – a potential problem for prosecutors.
Also under cross-examination last week, the accuser, a cancer survivor, said he felt Jackson had not paid as much attention to him as he wanted.
“I didn’t see him much,” Arvizo said. “He was my best friend in the world and my best friend was trying to avoid me when I had cancer.”
Prosecutors allege that Jackson, 46, molested the boy at Neverland in 2003, gave him alcohol and conspired to hold his family captive to get them to rebut the damaging documentary in which Jackson said he shared his bed with children.
On Friday, jurors were not in court as the judge ruled that comedian Jay Leno, an expected witness, can continue to crack jokes at Jackson’s expense as long as he doesn’t discuss the facts of his testimony.
Prosecutors also argued that Jackson was “on the precipice of bankruptcy,” while the defence battled to prevent the release of Jackson’s financial records.
