Michael Jackson Not Expected To Attend Hearings

There are waves of rumors, innuendos, lies and half-truths and there are search warrants and recovered items veiled in a shroud of secrecy. We have a young accuser who was spirited away to an isolated location to provide testimony before a Grand Jury.

The latest news is that prosecutors and Michael Jackson's lawyers were prepared to battle the pretrial issues in the pop star's child molestation case on Friday, but Jackson was not expected to attend. Jackson, who is charged with molesting a 14-year-old, is not legally required to attend the hearing where prosecutors and his legal team are expected to discuss procedural issues with Santa Barbara Superior Court Judge, Rodney Melville.

Jackson was invited to testify before the Grand Jury, but he declined the invitation. Deputy District Attorney, Tom Sneddon, made the decision to seek a Grand Jury indictment against the entertainer instead of waiting for a preliminary hearing, during which a judge determines if there is enough evidence for a trial. Sneddon has been branded Jackson's "nemesis" on numerous occasions and he chose this tactic to avoid a public spectacle while preparing his case. The prosecutor is known for secrecy and has taken great lengths to avoid and evade the press throughout the case.

The moonwalker has spent part of this week meeting with members of Congress in the fight against AIDS in Africa so he has neither been present during the Grand Jury hearings nor is he expected to appear for the pretrial summations.

There is speculation that Jackson is afraid to face the media, while his friends and family report that he is tired of the bombardment and assault on his character by the media. The media is pumping hard, as evidenced when they discovered the secret location and crashed the Grand Jury proceedings. They are now availing themselves of the justice system to hear arguments that the entire trial and all the proceedings become open to the public.

This writer doubts that the proceedings will be open to the public for fear of a biased jury pool, if an indictment is brought forward and the case proceeds to trial.

From day one, the paparazzi has clouded the issues on this case while shadowing the King of Pop from California to Colorado and back again. Although we live in a country where you are innocent until proven guilty, the public decides cases against celebrities long before anyone appears in a courtroom. There's no doubt that Michael Jackson's latest fight is not only being presented before a judicial audience, but also a fan-based audience. The charges levied against him have caused big drops in his usual record sales. He can't seem to catch a break as his appearances are cancelled and/or rescheduled. He tried to go shopping and citizens called the police. He tried to vacation with his kids and rumors circulated about drug addiction and rehabilitation.

For months following his charges, Jackson's masked face was on every conceivable news affiliate and his arrest was covered more widely than O.J. Simpson's infamous Bronco standoff.

We, the public, have a vision of a man that owns hundreds of dolls, installs a private zoo and amusement collection that would be any child's dream, openly appreciates the company of children, talks to giraffes, and has had more adjustment performed on his face than the government does to their paperwork, but the biggest oddity of all is that he freely admits that the most "natural thing in the world" is to have young boys spend the night at his "Neverland Ranch" and sleep in his bed.

Supporters, many in the celebrity arena, who initially supported the moonwalker, seem to have backed away in lieu of new evidence. Supposedly, the mother of the alleged victim has previously brought suit against Michael Jackson, claiming improper conduct with her son and, at that time, she settled for an undisclosed amount of money. Why woulda mother repeatedly leave her child unsupervised with a man she reportedly felt "uncomfortable" around.

Rumors have circulated that the mother of the alleged victim sought advice from a civil law attorney prior to seeking advice from a criminal law attorney. There are also rumors that the father of the boy believes the mother to be lying. Add these rumors to the Jackson camp claiming that these charges only stem from the singer cutting the family off financially and you have a real legal mess.

Both, the Santa Barbara prosecutors and Jackson's defense team, plan to pull no punches as they prepare for this legal battle so it's anybody's call as to the outcome. Regardless of what is real or fabricated by a zealous media to get ratings, the general public sees a complicated situation and has strong feelings in both directions. The public sees a young boy having to interrupt the fight for his life to speak before an intimidating media and a jury who has been empowered to decide whether or not he will endure a tough battle in a prolonged court case.

Michael Jackson was introduced to the alleged victim (and his family) when he was undergoing chemotherapy. Jackson, having a varied background in trying to reach out to children, asserts he was only trying to help the family. Evidence is circulating that the family had dinner with Jackson after they first sought legal advice on the alleged molestation of the child and the distribution of intoxicating agents. Many ask why? This is precisely why Jackson's supporters believe the mega-star chooses not to appear at the proceedings. His lastest album release went public almost in coincidental collision with the first round of accusations from the young boy and his family and radically lost momentum in the following weeks.

The family, contrary to early denials, now says that they plan to ultimately sue Michael Jackson in civil court regardless of the criminal case pending against him. Some say the one-gloved man is in deep financial trouble, yet his spokespeople say that assessment is "utterly false." He is embroiled in the midst of a custody hearing with his ex-wife for custody of his children, and, yet, her spokespeople claim, "there are no hard feelings."

Is this just hype from the media or is it based on fact? Either way, Jackson is stepping out of the limelight for now. The press will have to move on to some real news.