6/13/2005

25 Responses to “Verdict”

1. At the very least, guilty of giving Jesus juice to minors. Most likely, guilty on all counts.

   Josh Martin (48854e) — 6/13/2005 @ 1:11 pm

   
   

2. Guilty on 4 of 10 – don’t have a clue as to which or what for. MJ will never get to jail- This is a sick bunch of people.

   Ray Simpson (75a3b5) — 6/13/2005 @ 1:12 pm

   
   

3. I went ahead and registered a prediction with my colleagues. I was in a roomful of about 15 prosecutors and only three of us predicted NG. I take no satisfaction in having been right.

   Patterico (99b9ee) — 6/13/2005 @ 2:25 pm

   
   

4. I’m predicting he’s going to walk on all counts.

   Xrlq (ffb240) — 6/13/2005 @ 2:26 pm

   
   

5. That’s it. I’m going to embark on a life of crime here in California. As long as a Frey doesn’t draw my case I ought to be fine.

   See Dubya (094dd2) — 6/13/2005 @ 2:27 pm

   
   

6. Sorry, forgot the scare quotes around “predicting.” Though I did half-predict this outcome here.

   Xrlq (ffb240) — 6/13/2005 @ 2:28 pm

   
   

7. Our judicial system is a fucking sham.

   Angry Clam (f05866) — 6/13/2005 @ 2:41 pm

   
   

8. Clam, Dubya, etc–

   I just don’t see how the prosecution can present so many contradictory and impaired witnesses and NOT expect the jury is going to have serious doubts.

   Kevin Murphy (9982dd) — 6/13/2005 @ 3:01 pm

   
   

9. I have to agree with Kevin. While I still believe Michael was guilty, the victim’s mom was his own worst enemy. After her performance, nothing less than a Perry Mason like breakdown on Michael Jackson’s part would have turned this thing around.

   This isn’t an OJ jury situation here. The state simply (and unfortunately) wasn’t able to prove its case.

   Sean P (256007) — 6/13/2005 @ 3:36 pm

   
   

10. At the press conference, the jury basically admitted that they acquitted MJ because they didn’t believe a sane mother would let her son get molested. Then, in a round-about sort of way, they said the mom was insane.

    The most telling moment was the juror who was asked if she would have felt comfortable with her child sleeping with MJ.

    The sign says “Don’t Feed the Bears.” She fed the bear. Not guilty.

    Jury insanity prevailed.

    David Hiersekorn (49471d) — 6/13/2005 @ 4:47 pm

    
    

11. We had a similar jury sitting on the Galveston County Texas murder trial of heir and suspected multiple murderer Robert Durst.

    Durst, who is greatly feared by his family, actually shot his elderly neighbor, cut up the body and disposed of it by throwing it in the bay, and a local jury actually swallowed criminal mouthpiece Dick Degeruin’s idiotic assertion that it was “self defense.”

    As it has been suggested today, perhaps it is time to begin administering IQ tests to potential jurors.

    ttyler5 (77d0e0) — 6/13/2005 @ 4:56 pm

    
    

12. As long as a Frey doesn’t draw my case I ought to be fine.

    Don’t cheat on your wife with a Frey either. That hurt Scott Peterson. (Amber no relation.)

    Patterico (756436) — 6/13/2005 @ 7:12 pm

    
    

13. The prosecution would have won if they didn’t press the conspiracy/imprisonment thing. “They hid all the clocks from us to keep us in the dark, including the 30 foot wide flower lawn clock that can be seen from space.[1] And when we weren’t in the dark, we were shopping!” – Good Grief. They needed more testimony from the Chandler guy who got paid $20 million, and who looks surprisingly identical to the current accuser. They needed much less testimony from the mother, who was supremely insulting to the jury.

    [1] Neverland Main Residence. (Scroll NE to view the Amusement Park)

    Ladainian (91b3b2) — 6/13/2005 @ 8:16 pm

    
    

14. Link: Neverland Main Residence

    Ladainian (91b3b2) — 6/13/2005 @ 8:30 pm

    
    

15. ….A pedophile with the most elaborate scheme in history for enticing, lickering-up, and raping little boys just walked free. And, somewhere his victims are sitting there wondering why they weren’t believed and why the most recent cancer-battling victim’s mother was put on trial instead of Michael Jackson. For a rich celebrity pedophile to be convicted, it would be necessary for the victim to also be rich enough to not be accused of being “in it for the money” and not from a dysfunctional family. That’s why pedophiles go after children from dysfunctional, struggling and needy families.

    The jury convicted the mother, ignored the victims, and let the child molester-pedophile walk. If Michael Jackson had been a Catholic Priest, he would have been convicted. I feel sick just thinking about it.

    Jacqueline (9e2de7) — 6/13/2005 @ 9:47 pm

    
    

16. And now we all know why pedophiles prey on children with other problems and children with less than ideal parents. We also know why children don’t tell just because the molestor says “no one will believe you.”

    Justene (0c1886) — 6/13/2005 @ 9:58 pm

    
    

17. This, and border control, is why vigilante justice isn’t so bad a thing.

    Angry Clam (f05866) — 6/13/2005 @ 10:13 pm

    
    

18. “This, and border control, is why vigilante justice isn’t so bad a thing. ”

    At least we still have the tort system.

    actus (3be069) — 6/14/2005 @ 5:58 am

    
    

19. Tort should be abolished.

    Angry Clam (f05866) — 6/14/2005 @ 7:09 am

    
    

20. “Tort should be abolished.”

    And replaced with what? vigilanteeism?

    actus (cd484e) — 6/14/2005 @ 7:33 am

    
    

21. Torts have become a super- (and private) criminal legal system, lacking the burdens of proof and, increasingly, the basic standards of notice required in criminal law.

    Besides, the civil law system, which is the basis for the legal system something like 4/5 of the world’s population lives under, works just fine without torts, so it isn’t like this is some insane idea.

    Angry Clam (f05866) — 6/14/2005 @ 8:00 am

    
    

22. I should add that it works pretty well without juries too.

    Juries pretty much only fuck stuff up in our system.

    Angry Clam (f05866) — 6/14/2005 @ 8:01 am

    
    

23. “Juries pretty much only fuck stuff up in our system.”

    Those effin founders and their 7th amendment!

    actus (cd484e) — 6/14/2005 @ 9:59 am

    
    

24. Fortunately, the right to a jury trial in civil cases, even for amounts over $20, has never been incorporated against the states.

    Who here wants to get an initiative petition started to ban all juries in civil trials in California?

    Angry Clam (f05866) — 6/14/2005 @ 1:10 pm

    
    

25. Hey, Clam,

    We should do that all over the country. Justice in an American civil court? It doesn’t exist much any more. Preponderance of the evidence is all that is needed; and, when combined with the jury composition in the lawsuit lottery counties being what it is, believe me, settle for the least amount you can when you have been sued. Winning against that stacked deck is a longer shot than winning the PowerBall.

    You do realize that most convictions in criminal cases are via plea agreements. There is a real reason why that happens, and no conspiracy theory is needed to explain it.

    Charles D. Quarles (593219) — 6/14/2005 @ 2:37 pm