Jackson's past dredged up
2005-03-02 20:38
Santa Maria - Prosecutors on Wednesday were able to raise child molestation allegations that Michael Jackson faced in 1993, but which did not result in charges.
The reference was made by a public relations specialist in front of the jury even though Judge Michael S Melville has not yet ruled on whether prosecutors in the current child molestation case will be allowed to present evidence from 1993.
Jackson, 46, is on trial on charges of molesting a 13-year-old cancer survivor at his Neverland ranch in 2003, giving him alcohol and conspiring to hold the boy's family captive.
He has pleaded not guilty to all the charges.
The mention of the 1993 allegation came when prosecutors were questioning Ann Marie Kite - also known as Ann Gabriel Kite - about public relations problems Jackson faced in February 2003.
Kite mentioned both the Martin Bashir-produced documentary Living With Michael Jackson, which triggered the current case, and the leaking of information from the 1993 allegations to the website thesmokinggun.com.
Kite said the latter allegations involved inappropriate actions with a young boy.
The document released by the website was an affidavit from Jackson's 1993 accuser in which the boy graphically described alleged molestation by the singer.
"In combination with the Bashir documentary I felt it was beyond a disaster," Kite said.
Defence attorney Thomas Mesereau objected to questions about 1993, and the judge cautioned jurors that they were only to consider the testimony as it related to explaining Kite's motivations and not for the "truth of the matter".
The jurors were asked during jury selection if they were aware of the 1993 allegations, although no details were discussed.
- AP