Michael Jackson found 'not guilty' on all counts

Monday, June 13, 2005

Background
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The jury hearing the Michael Jackson trial has come to a final decision today, drawing to a close the long and widely hyped trial centering on the famous performer.

On this June 13, 2005, the jury in the Michael Jackson trial announced a verdict of not guilty on all 10 counts. The charges which were brought up against Jackson included:

One count of conspiracy to commit child abduction, false imprisonment or extortion: Not guilty
Four counts of lewd acts with a child under 14: Not guilty
One count of attempted lewd act on child under 14: Not guilty
Four counts of giving alcohol to enable child molestation: Not guilty

Emotional jurors of the case, some shedding a tear or two at the verdict's reading, stated that while they initially did not expect the decision to be made by today, they all felt that the decision made was the correct one, and that they indeed had more than 'reasonable doubt' about the claims against the performer.

For a juror to return a verdict of not guilty, the US judicial system dictates that they should have reasonable doubt about whether or not the individual has performed the alleged actions. The jurors said that they did this, also commenting that they kept a close eye on the instruction pages provided to them by the judge, often referring back to them when discussing evidence in the case which contributed to the final outcome.

Jackson left the courtroom without comment to reporters, and has remained silent since.

Sources

Dree De Clamecy and Rusty Dornin. "Jurors reach verdict in Jackson trial" — CNN, June 13, 2005

Associated Press. "Michael Jackson jury reaches verdict" — Guardian, June 13, 2005

Dan Whitcomb. "Jurors reach verdict in Michael Jackson trial" — Wired News - Reuters, June 13, 2005

"Jury reaches verdict in Michael Jackson case" — CBC News, June 13, 2005

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