Jackson Trial: Prosecution Witnesses

The Journalist — AP/Pool/Santa Maria Times

British journalist Martin Bashir arrives at Santa Barbara County Superior Court to testify, March 1, 2005, in Santa Maria, Calif. He was the first witness called to the stand. Prosecutors showed jurors the Bashir documentary which led to the case against Jackson. On cross-examination by the defense, Bashir refused to answer dozens of questions and his attorney repeatedly invoked California's shield law for reporters and the First Amendment.

The Lead Investigator

Santa Barbara Sheriff's Sgt. Steve Robel, who was the lead investigator who first interviewed the accuser and his family, arrives at the Santa Barbara County Courthouse in Santa Maria, Calif., March 16, 2005. He showed items seized from Jackson's ranch, including a sex magazine. Under cross-examination, he acknowledged he encouraged the family to go forward with its claims, telling them, "We're going to try our best to make this case work," saying such remarks were a way to reassure the family "because they were terrified when they came forward."

The Housekeeper

Kiki Fournier, a former housekeeper at Neverland, leaves the courtroom accompanied by Santa Barbara Assistant DA Mag Nicola, right, March 17, 2005, in Santa Maria, Calif. She said that on several occasions at Neverland she saw children who appeared to be intoxicated, and that many young guests became rowdy and unruly. This included Jackson's accuser and his brother, she said, who trashed their living quarters toward the end of their stay. She said, however, that she never saw the singer give alcohol to minors.

The Producer

Louise Palanker, a comedian and producer who helped organize a benefit for the family, arrives at the Santa Barbara County Courthouse in Santa Maria, Calif., March 22, 2005. She testified that when she tried to get in touch with the accuser's family after seeing the Martin Bashir documentary, the mother returned her call sounding frightened. "She was extremely agitated and she was almost whispering. ... This was fear-based agitation," she said.

The Fingerprint Expert

Robert Spinner, a retired sergeant with the Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Department, arrives at the Santa Barbara County Courthouse in Santa Maria, Calif., to testify, March 25, 2005. The prosecution called Spinner to aid in the presentation of its most important and controversial piece of evidence - a sexually explicit magazine containing three fingerprints from Jackson's accuser and one from the pop singer himself.

The Comedian

George Lopez, star of the ABC sitcom "George Lopez," arrives at the Santa Barbara County Courthouse in Santa Maria, Calif., March 28, 2005. Lopez took the stand and told about helping the accuser as the boy battled cancer. He said he came to believe the boy's father was more interested in money than helping his son. He testified the father accused the comedian of stealing $300 from the boy's wallet.

The Club Owner

Jaime Masada, owner of The Laugh Factory in Hollywood, arrives to testify at the Santa Barbara County courthouse in Santa Maria, Calif., March 29, 2005. Masada said the accuser's mother once called him from Neverland "upset, crying" and said she and her children were being held against their will. He also told jurors that the mother once turned down an offer of large amounts of money from an unnamed benefactor.

The Psychologist

Psychologist Stan Katz leaves the courtroom after testifying, March 30, 2005, at the Santa Barbara County courthouse in Santa Maria, Calif. A key prosecution witness, Katz was the first person to tell authorities about the accuser's molestation claims. He told the court that it would be "extremely rare" for a 12- or 13-year-old to make such a charge falsely.

The Maid

Adrian McManus, a former maid at Neverland, arrives at the Santa Barbara County courthouse, April 7, 2005, in Santa Maria, Calif. She testified that she saw Jackson touch actor Macaulay Culkin on the cheek while his hand was on Culkin's bottom. She described a similar scene with two other boys and third incident involving a boy who settled with Jackson in 1994. But McManus also testified that in a 1994 deposition she did not say what she had seen. When the defense asked how many times she'd lied under oath, she told the court, "The whole time," she said. "I believe I didn't tell the truth."

Neverland Security Guard

Former Neverland Ranch security guard Ralph Chacon, foreground, arrives at the Santa Barbara County courthouse in Santa Maria, Calif., April 7, 2005. Chacon told of looking through a window one night at Jackson's pool house in late 1992 or early 1993 and seeing him perform oral sex on a 10-year-old boy. The defense attacked Chacon as making the whole thing up "to get even" with the singer following a lawsuit in which he and other ex-Neverland employees were ultimately ordered to pay more than $1.4 million in a judgment won by the singer.

Accuser's Mother

The mother of Jackson's accuser hides her face as she passes through a magnetometer at the Santa Barbara County courthouse, April 18, 2005, in Santa Maria, Calif. The witness told a complex story in which Jackson's associates shuttled her family from one location to the next to protect them from "killers." She also said she saw Jackson once lick her son's head, but did nothing. "Please don't judge me," she said of the incident. She often departed from attorneys' questions to criticize Jackson and his associates, and admitted to twice lying under oath in her lawsuit against JC Penney.

Neverland Security Guard

Brian Barron, a former security guard at Michael Jackson's Neverland Ranch, enters the Santa Barbara County Courthouse to testify, April 21, 2005 in Santa Maria, Calif. Barron testified that a notice was posted in a guard station saying Jackson's young accuser was not to be allowed to leave the estate. Under cross-examination, he said Neverland's general policy for any child visiting the ranch without a parent was to "not let them go off the ranch without supervision."

The Travel Agent

Travel agent Cynthia Montgomery passes through a magnetometer at the Santa Barbara County Courthouse during a break in the trial, April 26, 2005, in Santa Maria, Calif. Montgomery was called to support the prosecution's claim that Jackson was planning to kidnap the accuser and his family and send them to Brazil for an indefinite period. At the last minute, Montgomery said, Jackson associate Marc Schaffel cancelled the trip, telling her, "his plans had changed."

The Ex-Wife

Debbie Rowe, Michael Jackson's ex-wife and mother of two of his children, is seen arriving at the Santa Barbara County courthouse in Santa Maria, Calif., April 28, 2005. Rowe surprised prosecutors by saying the pro-Jackson video interview she did in early 2003 was unscripted, and she did it willingly, because, "I promised ... I would always be there for Michael and the children."

Final Witness

Rudy Provencio, who was called by the prosecution to support conspiracy allegations against Jackson, is seen arriving at the courthouse in Santa Maria, Calif., May 4, 2005. The last witness to take the stand before the prosecution rested its case, he talked about phone discussions with associates about Jackson's response to the Bashir documentary.