King arrives for Jackson case
2005-05-19 17:39
Santa Maria - CNN's Larry King arrived on Thursday to testify for the defence at Michael Jackson's molestation trial.
The defence has said the talk show host will testify that an attorney who has represented the family of Jackson's accuser had expressed doubts about their credibility.
On Wednesday, Michael Jackson's 12-year-old cousin testified that he saw Jackson's accuser steal wine and money and secretly watch pornography on television while masturbating.
Jackson, 46, is accused of molesting a 13-year-old boy in February or March 2003 and plying him with wine.
He is also charged with conspiring to hold the boy's family captive to get them to rebut a damaging documentary in which Jackson said he let children sleep in his bed, but that it was non-sexual.
Under cross-examination by prosecutor Ron Zonen, Rijo Jackson said he was scared to tell the pop star Jackson about the masturbation.
He also said he spent the night in bed with his cousin.
"Did you do that often?" asked Zonen.
"Yes," said Rijo.
Rijo also testified that he saw the boys steal wine, go through drawers in the house and take money that belonged to a chef and to another employee.
In other testimony, actress Vernee Watson Johnson said she became suspicious of the accuser's mother while planning efforts to raise money to help the boy when he was battling cancer in 2000.
The former Fresh Prince of Bel-Air star was called to support the defence claim that the mother has a history of schemes to get money from celebrities and Jackson was another target.
Johnson testified that she had been an acting teacher for the boy and was asked to help raise money for him.
She said she abandoned that effort, however, after the mother refused to set up a special bank account for donations to her son - seeking instead to have the money put directly into her account.
- SAPA