Chapter 173 173 Michael Appears in Court, Bombards

Chapter 169 169. Michael appears in court, bombarded

Today is a big day for Santa Barbara, and media from all over the world have focused their cameras here.

At this time, the Santa Barbara City Court was crowded with people, conservatively estimated to be thousands of people, and the number is still increasing.

Reporters only accounted for a very small part of them, and the majority were Michael's fans.

They held various cheering signs and slogans, and came here from all over the country even in the hot weather.

Especially recently, Tom Schneider's raid on Neverland Manor was too big, and Michael won the sympathy of countless people.

So in addition to his true fans, there are many righteous and caring people who joined in.

Fearing that it might get out of control, the Santa Barbara Police Department dispatched hundreds of police officers to maintain order, and almost all the police forces in all districts of the city were deployed here, and there were helicopters hovering in the sky.

But even with so many police officers, it was still not enough compared to the vast number of people.

"Oh my God, so many people!"

Seeing such a big scene, little Elizabeth was extremely surprised.

Beside Eric, in addition to Elizabeth, Gadot also flew over from home.

It was agreed that the three of them would attend the trial to cheer for Michael.

"The number of Michael's fans is really terrifying. If the trial result is not favorable to him, I am afraid that some fanatical fans will attack the court." Gadot was also very surprised.

Eric nodded. The scene was really big, which reminded him of the scene of the followers of the Bao Chuanbao attacking the White House.

If Michael raised his arms, I am afraid that some fanatical fans would really do so.

Of course, with Michael's kind character, this is impossible to happen. He will only persuade fans to be rational.

"Let's go, there are more and more people, let's go in first."

Inside the court, Eric took two girls, one big and one small, to sit in the seats behind the defendant's seat and found a seat in the front row.

There were still more than ten minutes before the trial began, and Michael had not arrived yet.

On the opposite side of the plaintiff's seat, Janet Arvizo and Gavin Arvizo were whispering, and standing next to them was Larry Feldman, the lawyer of the 1993 case.

On the other side, the jury of twelve people has arrived.

They are all residents of Santa Barbara, from all walks of life, and are randomly selected.

Some wear suits and uniforms, looking like white-collar workers. Some wear casual clothes and look like housewives.

This is the difference between the United States and China, the jury system.

Of course, these members selected as juries must undergo certain tests to ensure that they have certain qualities and common sense and can distinguish right from wrong.

In China, when hearing a case, the judge makes the final judgment. The judge decides whether the defendant is guilty, what crime he has committed, and how many years he should be sentenced.

In the United States, the judge and the jury share power. The jury is responsible for deciding whether the defendant is guilty, and the judge is responsible for sentencing.

For general criminal cases, if the jury of twelve people cannot reach a consensus, they can vote.

As long as at least nine people think he is guilty, the charge is established.

For murder cases, the twelve people must agree completely, and one person cannot disagree.

If no consensus can be reached after multiple rounds of discussion, a new jury will be selected for a new trial.

The process may last for several years, with several juries replaced in the middle, until a unanimous result of twelve people is finally reached.

There is a very classic movie "12 Angry Men" that describes the jury system. China has also remade a good movie "12 Citizens".

So for Michael's case, as long as at least four people think he is not guilty, then he can be declared a winner.

OH

After a few minutes, there was a huge cheer outside, and many people couldn't help but look back.

Soon, Michael and lawyer Tom Meserio walked quickly to the defendant's seat in the corridor. He was wearing a handsome new suit today, and his face was calm without any worry.

"Michael!"

Little Elizabeth waved and shouted.

Hearing the voice, Michael looked over, Eric and Gadot waved at him, and Michael smiled immediately.

"Silence!"

At this time, the judge came out, the clock fell to nine o'clock, and the trial officially began.

First, both parties swore an oath to express their respect for the law, to take responsibility for their own statements, and to say that everything they said was true.

Then the case statement phase began. The whole United States knew about such a big thing, but the procedure still had to be followed.

After the statement, the most important court debate phase began. Lawyers on both sides asked questions, looked for loopholes in the other party, and invited witnesses and evidence to appear in court.

This link is also the most critical part that affects the jury's judgment.

"Your Honor, I'm done."

Gavin Arvizo finished his speech, and the judge looked at lawyer Meserio, indicating that he could ask questions.

Meserio nodded, then walked out of the dock and came directly to Gavin Arvizo, staring at him sharply.

"Gavin Arvizo, you just said that Jackson molested you in the bedroom, but this statement contradicts your previous statement."

"In February of this year, after Martin Basher's documentary slandering Jackson was broadcast, Fox TV interviewed your family. You and your mother said that Jackson had never done anything illegal to you. How do you explain this?"

"Well I was forced."

"Forced by whom? Her or him?"

"What?"

"Protest! Mr. Judge, Gavin is just a thirteen-year-old child. He is easily misled. I suggest that Janet should answer this question. This is a matter for them to participate in together." Opposite lawyer Larry Feldman said.

The judge nodded, and Janet hurriedly spoke: "It was Jackson who forced us to say this. If we didn't help him clarify, he would have people beat us, and threatened to keep us locked up in Neverland, and we would never be able to get out in this life. ”

"But you were not restrained. You were interviewed and could enter and leave society freely without any appearance of being coerced."

"That's because there is media and everyone is paying attention to this matter, so he doesn't dare."

"Then why didn't you say it during the interview instead of saying it today?"

"Because... because I forgot, and Jackson threatened us in private. No one else knows about it, and it may not be useful if he says it." Janet stuttered in reply.

Messerio suddenly shouted loudly: "Then what Gavin Arvizo said about the obscenity in the bedroom also did not exist from a third person, only his dictation. Why do you say it again? Isn't this something of the same nature?"

"Or is it that your goal was Jackson's money, so you deliberately used the charge of child molestation, and attorney Larry Feldman was the plaintiff's attorney in the 1993 case."

Gadot squeezed Eric's hand hard: "The lawyer that McQueen hired looks very powerful."

"Haha. Just watch, the big one is at the back." Eric whispered.

"Protest! The other party's lawyer is suspected of misleading. My client just forgot. It doesn't mean it didn't happen."

Messerio looked forward: "Mr. Judge, I am not saying this to mislead, I am just saying that Ms. Janet Arvizo is a woman who tells lies and there are huge problems with her character."

"She is a professional litigator with many cases against her. Even though Jackson paid hundreds of thousands of dollars in medical expenses for them, instead of being grateful, she focused on my client's property."

"No, this is slander, you bastard is slandering me!" Janet Arvizo shouted angrily.

Larry Feldman couldn't help but frown and hurriedly pulled her sleeve, knowing that you had never been to middle school and your quality was not high.

But this is no reason to curse, especially in front of the judge and jury, which will lower the impression score.

"Of course this is not slander. I have witnesses."

With the judge's permission, some of the people Eric sent to find who had been blackmailed by Janet Arvizo appeared in court one by one.

"Janet Arvizo sued for sexual abuse, and I ended up paying her $15,000, but she couldn't tell the exact origin of the injuries."

"It was just an accidental touch. I swear there was no intention of sexual harassment, but this woman kept harassing me, and my family and work were affected. In desperation, I could only give her $10,000."

"Yes, I remember this nasty woman. She peed in front of my store. I wanted to stop her, but she wanted to report sexual harassment to me. I didn't want to make the matter a big deal so I had to let her leave."

Eight witnesses took turns to appear and make accusations against Janet Arvizo. Each one of them spoke clearly and portrayed her as a villain who would do anything for money.

Janet Arvizzo's face became extremely ugly, and she kept biting her fingers, but could not refute.

Because many of them have criminal records, this thing cannot be faked.

When the judge and jury see these files, even if a few people did not call the police in the first place, but even if only half of them are recorded, the jury will naturally tend to believe that all the incidents are true.

As for Janet’s lawyer Larry Feldman, he had no idea there was so much going on behind the scenes, and he didn’t know where to start even if he wanted to interrupt.

Messerio continued to output: "In addition, we also investigated that Janet Arvizo is currently engaged in charity fraud."

"Gavin Arvizo's disease has obviously been cured with the help of Jackson, but she still claims that it is not cured and has opened a donation account."

"Her card number is XXXXXX, and she has spoken out on live TV and online many times, asking for public donations."

"No, my illness has not been cured yet." Gavin Arvizo hurriedly wanted to explain.

Messerio immediately threw out the medical record: "Then how do you explain this medical record?"

Gavin Arvizo suddenly lowered his head and said nothing. Disease is also objective. If you say it is not cured, just check it out.

After a series of evidence came down, not only the onlookers shook their heads, but the jury also looked solemnly.

Seeing the collapse of Janet's character as a good mother, Larry Feldman hurriedly said: "Mr. Judge, regardless of whether the other party's witness and physical evidence are true or false, Janet's character has nothing to do with whether Michael Jackson assaulted Gavin. It’s irrelevant, it’s two different things.”

The judge nodded: "That's right. The worst criminals also have human rights. We cannot always judge a person wrong because of his poor character."

"Regardless of whether Janet Arvizo's crime is true or false, there will naturally be public and civil prosecutions waiting for her, but they are beyond the scope of this court's discussion. Continue!"

Subsequently, both sides continued to invite their respective witnesses to appear in court, and Gavin Arvizo’s side were all his family members and relatives.

Although they always said that Gavin had been violated, they still couldn't produce even a shred of physical evidence. They just incited emotions and begged for mercy.

Michael invited the bodyguards, servants, Gavin Arvizo's friends and teachers from Neverland.

"Gavin is not a good kid. He doesn't do his homework and likes to quarrel with his classmates."

"I asked Gavin why he didn't try to escape from Neverland. He said he liked it there. It was as fun as Disneyland."

"Gavin always told me that he was going to get rich. He would become a multi-millionaire. Michael Jackson would pay him a lot of money."

"I was always responsible for the safety of the Arvizo family in Neverland. Michael never spent time with this child alone, and he never slept in the same bed with him. Only once did he sleep on the floor. I swear I was telling the truth."

Even Macaulay Culkin, the child star of Home Alone, appeared in court.

"I went to Neverland many times when I was a child, but Michael never touched me. He always played with me when my parents were present."

After a debate, although Gavin Arvizo also won some sympathy, more people saw his character.

Especially the evaluation of him by his classmates, friends and teachers made him a typical bad boy.

Seeing that the situation was becoming increasingly unfavorable to him, Larry Feldman had no choice but to use his ultimate move and request to summon psychiatrist Mathis.

Mathis submitted the mental evaluation report to the judge and jury, which showed depression.

He said in a sad tone: "This incident has a great impact on Gavin's mental state. You know, in his heart, he has always regarded Michael Jackson as his father."

"But the man he regarded as his father turned out to be a devil, who did the most obscene and disgusting things to him."

"Gavin was sexually assaulted many times. Maybe he said the wrong number of times, or maybe he was unfriendly and unsociable. This is all because of mental trauma."

"So please don't look at him with strange eyes. He is just a twelve-year-old child. What bad intentions can such a young child have?"

"Even if there are, it is the sequelae of mental trauma. It is not his original intention. He is kind."

"Now he has depression. I have seen him cry silently many times. Michael Jackson, this devil, you must be responsible for this!"

Mathis's righteous and impassioned speech directly reversed Gavin Arvizo's personality with a mental trauma that could not be accurately identified.

His meaning is very clear. The child is kind. The reason why he behaved poorly is all because of depression. The culprit is still Michael.

Many people at the scene could not help but change their opinion of Gavin Arvizo, thinking that he was just a child after all, how could he have any bad intentions?

Seeing that the key figures had finally arrived, Meserio smiled imperceptibly and then took out a tape from his bag.