|
In Reply to: Not all jurors convinced King of Pop never molested a child posted by but on June 14, 2005 at 16:02:03:
"He's just not guilty of the crimes he's been charged with," said Ray Hultman, who told the AP he was one of three people on the 12-member jury who voted to acquit after the other nine persuaded them there was reasonable doubt about Jackson's guilt in this particular case. "He probably has molested boys at some point."
Prosecutors presented testimony about Jackson's allegedly improper relationships with several boys more than a decade ago, including the son of a maid who testified that Jackson molested him during tickling session between 1987 and 1990. Another, Brett Barnes, took the stand to deny that he was molested during sleepovers at Neverland.
But Hultman, 62, said he believed it was likely both boys were molested. He said he voted to acquit Jackson in the current case because he had doubts about the current accuser's credibility.
On Tuesday, three other jurors who appeared on ABC's "Good Morning America" raised their hands when asked if they thought Jackson may have molested other children but not the current accuser.
"We had our suspicions, but we couldn't judge on that because it wasn't what we were there to do," Eleanor Cook, 79, said on the show.
[...]
After the verdicts, some jurors noted they were troubled by Jackson's admission that he allowed boys into his bed.
"We would hope first of all that he doesn't sleep with children anymore and that he learns that they have to stay with their families or stay in the guest rooms or the houses or whatever they're called down there," jury foreman Paul Rodriguez said. "And he just has to be careful how he conducts himself around children."
He said the prosecution presented ample evidence that Jackson had a pattern of inappropriate behavior with boys, but not with the boy who had accused him. His not guilty vote, Hultman said, "doesn't change my feelings that he probably has molested boys at some point."
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/state/20050614-1137-ca-michaeljackson.html