Michael comes to court in Pajamas after yet another hospital trip

Michael Jackson Forum

Jackson Trial Resumes After Arrest Threat

By TIM MOLLOY, Associated Press Writer

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tm...michael_jackson

SANTA MARIA, Calif. - A pajama-clad Michael Jackson arrived more than an hour late to his child molestation trial Thursday, but the judge who had threatened to arrest him resumed the case without taking any action against the singer in open court.


The singer's young accuser returned to the stand for a second day, saying Jackson gave him wine and called it "Jesus juice."


Superior Court Judge Rodney S. Melville had issued an arrest warrant when Jackson failed to arrive on time, but told defense attorney Thomas Mesereau Jr. he would hold it for one hour. The judge, obviously angry, had also threatened to revoke his $3 million bail.


Mesereau, who told the judge Jackson was being treated for a severe back problem, paced outside court and talked on his cell phone until the singer arrived, a few minutes past the judge's deadline.


Jackson walked in gingerly, dressed in a jacket over pajamas and looked distressed.


Attorneys met with the judge in chambers before court resumed and Melville addressed the jurors, telling them not to draw any negative inferences from the developments.


"Mr. Jackson had a medical problem and it was necessary for me to order his appearance," Melville said.


Hospital spokeswoman Janet O'Neill had said Jackson left Santa Ynez Valley Cottage Hospital — which is about 35 miles from the courthouse — shortly after the judge issued his order, but would not comment on Jackson's condition.


Jackson's own spokeswoman, Raymone K. Bain said outside court that the singer's back "gave out on him" after he woke up and he was rushed to an emergency room around 5:45 a.m.


"He knows the seriousness of this. He's not play-acting," Bain said.


When Jackson was arraigned in January 2004, the judge admonished him for arriving late and requesting a bathroom break. Last month, during the first week of jury selection, Jackson went to a hospital with flu symptoms, delaying the proceedings for a week and prompting the judge to tell jury prospects that "he really did have the flu." Jackson had been on time or early since then.


Jackson, 46, is accused of molesting a 13-year-old boy, giving him alcohol and conspiring to hold the boy's family captive to get them to rebut a damaging TV documentary in which Jackson said he allowed children to sleep in his bedroom. Jackson's defense contends the family has a history of filing false claims to get money.


On Wednesday, Jackson's young accuser faced the singer for the first time since March 2003, and described viewing sexually explicit images with the singer in his bedroom. The boy, now 15, followed to the stand his 14-year-old brother, who testified he saw Jackson fondle his sibling.


The accuser returned to the stand when the proceedings finally got under way again Thursday.


He described several private meetings with Jackson in Miami on the day the documentary aired, including one in which he did an "audition" for the singer in which he pretended to be a student in trouble and Jackson played his principal.


He also said Jackson gave him wine in a Diet Coke can, saying it would help him relax amid all the media reports about the documentary.


"He told me if I had ever heard of Jesus juice. He told me, 'Like you know how Jesus drank wine? We call it Jesus juice,'" he said.

"I drank a little bit of it and I told him it tasted ugly. ... He said he knew I was stressed out from all the media stuff going on and the Jesus juice would relax me."

The boy said he had previously sipped wine in church.

The boy was not asked about the molestation allegations before court ended Wednesday, but described viewing adult Internet sites with Jackson and others.

The accuser, who was a cancer patient when he met Jackson, talked about attending a Los Angeles comedy camp hosted by club owner Jamie Masada, whom he would later ask to put him in touch with Jackson.

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An anti-Michael Jackson protester demonstrates outside the Santa Barbara County Superior Court in Santa Maria, California. Jackson turned up more than an hour late for a court showdown with his child sex accuser after an angry judge issued a warrant for his arrest.(AFP/POOL/Joshua Gates Weisberg)

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Michael Jackson is supported by security as he enters the courthouse after arriving late at Santa Barbara County Superior Court on Thursday, March 10, 2005 in Santa Maria, California. (AP Photo/ Kimberly White, pool)

ok, now who's crediblity is at stake here now.....?

Come on, this is just getting pathetic

This makes Mike an idiot, a weakling, a cry baby and stupidly disrespectful of the courts but it doesn’t make him guilty. He didn’t try to flee you know. Can we keep some perspective here?

It is very disrespectful. It does make you wonder if he was trying to slow down the trial. Perhaps keep the kid off the stand until Monday? I know it is a strange idea. It must be my cold medicine.

No not a strange idea but one many people will jump to.

Look, before today Mike had momentum on his side, the prosecutor was doing damage control and the brother came off looking like the biggest liar since Nixon. So why would Mike want to slow that up?

I just think he's inmature. That's what got his stupid butt in this in the first place.

His lawyer didn't look too happy, that's for sure.
But Michael didn't seem to be doing so well either. He looked very weak and not well. It could be just an act to support his story of being sick, but he did look a little under the weather. Although, hard to tell with all the surgery he's had ...

Jack-o is a punk crybaby who wanted the attention to be on him, not the victim of this alleged crime. It is no coincidence that this is the day he was to go into detail about his allegations.

Anyone in the world would have been put in jail for showing up in court like that.

I've been inside a courtroom. The bailiff would bounce quite a few people who thought they could roll out of bed and into the court. It's a disgrace.

-HECK!

U can't imagine what Jackson is going through right now. If he is being set up- he must be very depressed. If he did molest that boy he probably knows this is the end of EVERYTHING for him as far as career, his life his freedom. He's probably having suicidal thoughts and and slowly degenerating in front of our eyes.

The alleged victim and family have a checkered past and he must feel like the ULTIMATE fool to have let them inside his life. If he is found guilty I don't think he'll be able to cope with ANY rehabilitation whatsoever. If found "not guilty" I think he'll continue with his weird behaviour. Michael is not going to fare well in either case.

The parents have some blame in this as well. After all, they let their children sleep in the same room as an alleged pedophile for fame and money.

wasnt he 3 minutes late as well (i mean an hour and three minutes late). The judge gave him an hour to get into court. And his loyer was pacing outside, one the phone ... I dont know if this was mentioned in previous posts, im too tired (even though its the morning here) to read through them, all, i did read about this in the paper though

Well at least he didn't come to court looking like Cap'n Crunch.

I was home on the couch last night. Just trying to relax because I have a nasty cold. I watched news programs because NOTHING was on , and I was very interested in what they had to say about MJ. They talked about him on O'Reilly and the opinion was put out by Bill that Michael is coming unhinged. On Larry King Live they had a forensic psychitrist on the show. He had the opinion that Michael is coming unhinged for these reasons.

1. Michael surrounds himself in his own world where he is in control of all
2. Michael is not used to anyone telling him no, so the court telling him what to do is very disturbing
3. He has no control of the court or the decision of the judge.
4. He is a delayed emotionally adult who has not the skills to cope with this trial.

On several programs the subject was broached about a competency hearing coming up for MJ if he continues to act in this bizarre manner. Thoughts?

I totally agree with it as it's totally consistant with his behavior patterns.

It all reverts back to Joe and how he dominated Mike (and the rest) as a child. Mike seems to have been the most susceptible to Joe’s method of raising his kids.

I am beginning to think that Michael is mentally ill. He has been shielded for so long by all his entourage and his family that he doesn't know what he is doing. I don't think he believes that what he does is wrong.

I suspect, that if MJ is found guilty.. that all of this nonsense will be his basis for appeal or getting conviction overturned due to competency... diminished capacity ... whatever you want to call it...

Its like a built in safety net for his lawyers if all else fails.

I hope .. if he is found guilty that his act will not get him off on psychiatric care... IF guilty he deserves TIME.

I htink Michael would be better off in a mental hospital than in prison. It's highly likely that if found guilty they'll go for that.

Can they do that? Instead of prison he gets help? I know you can be found innocent by reason of insanity, but then... guilty and insane at the same time?

I can see them pushing for it. If MJ went to prison, he wouldn't last 2 days

Lots of people get out of jail time by claiming some form of insanity, so it wouldn't be too much of a push in this case.

And I think he'd quite like being in a mental home.

Yes , the more I think about it... you don't get to be the head of your own creative empire by being stupid.

Micheal Jackson's courtroom antics seem awfully contrived as a means for appeal or sentencing mitigation.

I think he should go to a mentle institute no matter what the verdict. If hes guilty, send him to the institutuion, then give him jail time. ... he would fall apart in jail ... literally