Striper Talk Striped Bass Fishing, Surfcasting, Boating - View Single Post

likwid · 06-14-2005, 08:08 AM

Boy's ma KO'd case

'Don't snap your fingers at me, lady,' said Juror No. 5

BY BILL HUTCHINSON
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER

The Michael Jackson jury said the prosecution's molestation case was tainted by the mother of the pop star's accuser, whom they found annoying - and a likely scam artist.
It was hard to give the mom the benefit of the doubt when the defense blasted her as a liar and a thief, jurors said, and her behavior on the stand did little to win their sympathies.

"I disliked it intently when she snapped her fingers at us," said Juror No. 5, a 79-year-old great- grandmother.

"That's when I thought, 'Don't snap your fingers at me, lady.' "

The judge ordered that the jurors' names be sealed, and except for a few, most asked to be identified only by number. Juror No. 1, who identified himself as Raymond Hultman, 62, a civil engineer, said he was initially leaning toward conviction, but changed his mind during the deliberations.

"I feel that Michael Jackson has probably molested boys," Hultman said on CNN. "To be in your bedroom for 365 straight days and not do something more than just watch television and eat popcorn, that doesn't make sense to me.

But that doesn't make him guilty of the charges that were presented."

Most jurors believed the accuser's mother took advantage of previous sex abuse allegations against Jackson, and put her son up to lying.

Juror No. 10, an unemployed mother, said the accuser's mom left her stunned at times.

"What mother in her right mind would allow that to happen?" she said. "Just freely volunteer your child to sleep with someone. Not so much just Michael Jackson but any person for that matter. That's something that mothers are naturally concerned with."

Juror No. 8, a 42-year-old special-education aide, said she actually felt sorry for the accuser, a cancer survivor who claimed Jackson molested him in 2003.

She said it was obvious the boy's mother did not instill good values in her children.

"As a mother, the values and stuff she has taught them and they have learned is very hard to comprehend," she said. "I wouldn't want any of my children to lie for their own gain."

She also said the long trial made Jackson, who came to court in makeup and outlandish clothes, seem more "normal."

"Even though he is a superstar, he's a human," said Juror No. 8. "Watching him during this trial, to me he's just a normal person. It made him real."

Juror No. 3, a 50-year-old horse trader, said all the defense evidence that showed the mother to be a welfare cheat and scam artist stayed in her mind.

"You couldn't help but wonder," she said. "Things just didn't add up."

Juror No. 4, a 51-year-old ex-high school math teacher, said she didn't like the way the accuser's mother looked at the jury.

"I was very uncomfortable with that," the woman said. "She didn't take her eyes off us. So that was a very uncomfortable feeling."

Jury foreman Paul Rodriguez, 63, a retired school counselor, said he was put off when the mom, who is also Hispanic, singled him out.

"The mother when she looked at me and snapped her fingers three times and she says, 'You know how our culture is?' and winks at me. No, that's not the way our culture is."

The family's different stories also didn't help. "They didn't have the same story," Rodriguez said, adding that it appeared the boy was "taught to lie."

The jurors insisted they closely examined all of the evidence during the 32 hours they deliberated over six days.

"You're hoping that you can find a smoking gun . . . and in this case we had difficulty finding that," Hultman said. Several jurors insisted Jackson's celebrity status didn't play into their deliberations. "We decided to look at him just like any other individual, not just as a celebrity," Rodriguez said.

He also said the stash of pornography found in Jackson's home and allegations that he slept with young boys was troubling, but not solid evidence that it added up to molestation.

"Those are adult magazines and anyone can own them," the foreman said. "It doesn't prove the charge."

He also had a tip for the pop star: "We would hope he doesn't sleep with children anymore."

06-14-2005, 08:08 AM	#3
likwid lobster = striper bait iTrader: (0) Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: Popes Island Performing Arts Center Posts: 5,871	Boy's ma KO'd case 'Don't snap your fingers at me, lady,' said Juror No. 5 BY BILL HUTCHINSON DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER The Michael Jackson jury said the prosecution's molestation case was tainted by the mother of the pop star's accuser, whom they found annoying - and a likely scam artist. It was hard to give the mom the benefit of the doubt when the defense blasted her as a liar and a thief, jurors said, and her behavior on the stand did little to win their sympathies. "I disliked it intently when she snapped her fingers at us," said Juror No. 5, a 79-year-old great- grandmother. "That's when I thought, 'Don't snap your fingers at me, lady.' " The judge ordered that the jurors' names be sealed, and except for a few, most asked to be identified only by number. Juror No. 1, who identified himself as Raymond Hultman, 62, a civil engineer, said he was initially leaning toward conviction, but changed his mind during the deliberations. "I feel that Michael Jackson has probably molested boys," Hultman said on CNN. "To be in your bedroom for 365 straight days and not do something more than just watch television and eat popcorn, that doesn't make sense to me. But that doesn't make him guilty of the charges that were presented." Most jurors believed the accuser's mother took advantage of previous sex abuse allegations against Jackson, and put her son up to lying. Juror No. 10, an unemployed mother, said the accuser's mom left her stunned at times. "What mother in her right mind would allow that to happen?" she said. "Just freely volunteer your child to sleep with someone. Not so much just Michael Jackson but any person for that matter. That's something that mothers are naturally concerned with." Juror No. 8, a 42-year-old special-education aide, said she actually felt sorry for the accuser, a cancer survivor who claimed Jackson molested him in 2003. She said it was obvious the boy's mother did not instill good values in her children. "As a mother, the values and stuff she has taught them and they have learned is very hard to comprehend," she said. "I wouldn't want any of my children to lie for their own gain." She also said the long trial made Jackson, who came to court in makeup and outlandish clothes, seem more "normal." "Even though he is a superstar, he's a human," said Juror No. 8. "Watching him during this trial, to me he's just a normal person. It made him real." Juror No. 3, a 50-year-old horse trader, said all the defense evidence that showed the mother to be a welfare cheat and scam artist stayed in her mind. "You couldn't help but wonder," she said. "Things just didn't add up." Juror No. 4, a 51-year-old ex-high school math teacher, said she didn't like the way the accuser's mother looked at the jury. "I was very uncomfortable with that," the woman said. "She didn't take her eyes off us. So that was a very uncomfortable feeling." Jury foreman Paul Rodriguez, 63, a retired school counselor, said he was put off when the mom, who is also Hispanic, singled him out. "The mother when she looked at me and snapped her fingers three times and she says, 'You know how our culture is?' and winks at me. No, that's not the way our culture is." The family's different stories also didn't help. "They didn't have the same story," Rodriguez said, adding that it appeared the boy was "taught to lie." The jurors insisted they closely examined all of the evidence during the 32 hours they deliberated over six days. "You're hoping that you can find a smoking gun . . . and in this case we had difficulty finding that," Hultman said. Several jurors insisted Jackson's celebrity status didn't play into their deliberations. "We decided to look at him just like any other individual, not just as a celebrity," Rodriguez said. He also said the stash of pornography found in Jackson's home and allegations that he slept with young boys was troubling, but not solid evidence that it added up to molestation. "Those are adult magazines and anyone can own them," the foreman said. "It doesn't prove the charge." He also had a tip for the pop star: "We would hope he doesn't sleep with children anymore."
	Ski Quicks Hole