As we saw in a recent rape trial involving a certain influential banker and a maid, judging someone on their character is a big deal in the American legal system. Basically, if you’re a dodgy sod, people are less likely to believe your defence.
However, with Michael Jackson, he gets special rules because he’s really famous.
See, in the upcoming manslaughter trial, starring Dr Conrad Murray ‘as himself’, many aspects of Jackson’s dark past won’t be taken into account. That sounds fair doesn’t it?
Of course, there are MJ fans who will think that this is exactly the way we should go about our business, not judging people by the things they’ve been accused of in the past. Although, that said, they weren’t quite so forgiving of Gene Simmons and Kiss when they were announced on the bill of a Michael Jackson tribute show to be held in Cardiff.
And so, even though it is widely accepted that Jackson battled an addiction to painkillers in his past, Murray’s attorneys won’t be able to bring this up because Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Michael Pastor has barred testimony from a half-dozen doctors who have said that Michael was drug-dependent.
Basically, all they’ll be able to do is agree that Conrad Murray should go to prison.
Murray has admitted that he gave Jackson Propofol, but the defence attorneys suggest that it was Jackson who administered the fatal dose himself, while Murray was out of the room.
Arguing this seems like a near-impossible task. More tricky is finding an impartial jury. It’s obvious that there is a very good chance that, whoever is called upon, they’ll either love him or hate him.
If a jury panel can be found, the show starts in the last week of September.
This means that fans of the King of Pop should start making their fancy dress outfits now and update their banners that said “WE’LL NEVER FORGET YOU MICHAEL” to “CONVICT THIS BASTARD OF MURDER OR WE’LL ANNOY YOU TO SUICIDAL POINT”.
Of course, these mental fans will sway the jurors as they walk to the courthouse and, chances are, they’ll be so grated by people in red sequin jackets and half mast drainpipe disco trousers, that they side with Murray, even it transpires that he actually choked Jackson to death with the plug flex from a penis pump.
Let the circus commence.
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Cookie Monster says
The burden of proof is on the prosecution, though that legal subtlety may be lost on the jury. On impartiality, I am doubtful that most of those showing-up for jury duty will have anything other than a slight twist on the notion that MJ was a.k.a. Whacko Jacko, and ‘that accused child toucher’, etc. The jury selection wonks will be hard at work, in any case.
Then, with the legal system in any civilized country, it ain’t over ’till the fat lady sings “heehee” on tippy-toes whilst grabbing her (or a child’s) junk.
Thank-you Hecklerscrunch for reminding me of the banality of this entire MJ crap. I look forward to nutter fans reminding me of how much it means to them in something resembling monkeys speaking.
DaddyMagner says
A man died and you think it’s funny to raise spurious questions about a crime he was completely exonerated of.
You are not legally training nor did you sit on the jury, yet you cling to you pathetic version of the facts because it pleases you to do so.
It pleases all of you speak of the father of three children in this way, without ever meeting him or pointing out the laughable credibilty of the liars of 1993 and 2005 — because that’s what you want Michael Jackson to be.
Keep it up frat boys. This site and your views are an internet joke.
jkr says
you are surely a comic reader going by your comments which are uniformed and ignorant of the facts of mj. maybe you use to read the news of the world when it was around you know the one that makes lies up along with the other comics. He was proved innocent have you read that one. ?
Cookie Monster says
“This site and your views are an internet joke”
Finally, somebody gets it! Wait… no, false alarm. As you were, everyone.
Avril says
@Cookiemonster
As you were?
No problem. Stuck in the smear infested trough of tabloid opinion then.
Goody!