Several times I’ve reported on Michael Jackson’s 1993 fling with a 13 year-old that resulted in $20 million in hush money to the kid https://adultfyi.com/read.aspx?ID=4148. But now a judge will determine whether that kind of hush remains all over the Jackson world.
LOS ANGELES – Michael Jackson thought his $20 million bought the silence of a boy who accused him of molestation in 1993.
That could turn out to be a very expensive mistake.
A judge will decide this week whether that boy’s tale can be told in the pop star’s upcoming trial on new kiddie sex charges – possibly giving prosecutors the critical edge they need to convict Jackson.
The prosecution and defense will square off over the issue in Santa Maria Superior Court on Wednesday, just weeks before jury selection, set for Jan. 31.
Judge Rodney Melville will decide what, if anything, prosecutors can tell the jury about the older accuser and whether the now suave, dark-haired college graduate, may tell his tale himself.
It’s testimony the prosecution needs desperately because the current boy leveling charges – a cancer survivor who is now 15 – and his family have major credibility problems, including repeatedly changing their story.
They initially told child welfare investigators on Feb. 20, 2003, that Jackson was a “father figure” who did nothing wrong. Months later, they said that it was in February and March – while they were backing Jackson – that the singer was molesting the boy and holding them hostage at Neverland.
The family also has waffled on their claims of how many times Jackson molested the boy, and they have a troubled past that includes shoplifting, prior charges of sexual abuse, a lawsuit for financial gain and alleged shady fund-raising scams when the boy got cancer in 2000.
“The baggage they carry will be hard for a jury to ignore,” said Southwestern Law School Prof. Robert Pugsley.
But backup testimony from the 1993 accuser “could be very persuasive.”
His tale is remarkably similar to the newer accuser’s claims of getting extravagant gifts and trips from Jackson before being slowly coaxed into sexual activity during sleepovers.
Even Jackson’s favorite pet names “Doo Doo Head” and “Apple Head” show up in both boys’ accounts.
“If the judge lets this in, he’ll be doing the prosecution a huge favor. It would be the answer to [the new accuser and his family’s] prayers,” said Pugsley.
Legal experts say a 1995 change in California law made it much easier for prosecutors to bring in evidence of prior uncharged sex-abuse allegations to show a defendant’s “propensity, pattern and practice.”
“I think the judge is inclined to let it in,” said Loyola Law School Prof. Laurie Levenson.
But even if the judge gives the okay, the older accuser, who is now 25, can’t be forced to testify, said Levenson.
It’s unclear what the young man, who lives in New York City, wants to do. He can’t be reached for comment. Even his uncle, who recently penned a tell-all book “All That Glitters” about the 1993 case, doesn’t know for sure.
“I don’t know how he feels. I think he should come in and help this boy out. It’s the moral thing to do. He should put his personal concerns aside,” the uncle, Raymond Chandler, told the Daily News.
Chandler, an attorney, scoffed at reports that the boy “can’t wait to testify” against his former idol. “I don’t think that’s the case. I think it’s more like, ‘If you really need me to make your case, I’ll do it. If not, I’d rather not.'”
And he said his nephew fears “exposure to the limelight” and “the danger that a fanatic Jackson fan wants to take a shot at him.”