Michael Jackson's Accuser, in His Own Words
Jan. 13, 2005 -- -- The boy accusing Michael Jackson of child molestation has given a vivid, detailed account of his alleged sexual encounters with the pop star, according to grand jury testimony -- more than 1,900 pages -- reviewed by ABC News' "Primetime Live."
The witnesses include the boy, now 15, as well as his brother, sister and mother, and other key witnesses. The Santa Barbara County, Calif., grand jury consisting of 19 men and women, heard testimony from a total of 42 witnesses over 12 days last spring.
The accuser, 14 at the time he testified, spoke:
"We were laying on the bed and he [Jackson] told me that men have to masturbate … he told me that he wanted to teach me [to masturbate] … so we were laying in the bed, and then he started rubbing me … he put his hand down my pants and he started rubbing me … my private area … he was masturbating me."
The prosecutor asked him, "Did you look over to see his eyes at any time?" The boy answered, "Yes."
"What did you see?" the prosecutor continued. "His eyes were like squinching [sic] really tight," the boy said.
Jackson's lead defense attorney, Thomas A. Mesereau Jr., released a statement objecting to the release of the grand jury testimony. The transcripts had been sealed by the judge and was not supposed to be made public, Mesereau said.
"The witnesses who testified before the grand Jury were never subjected to cross-examination or impeachment by the defense. By law, no judge or defense lawyer was allowed to be present in the grand jury room," he said. "Furthermore, the defense had no opportunity to call its own witnesses to refute or criticize this one-sided proceeding."
"Primetime" co-anchor Cynthia McFadden, who read the entire grand jury testimony, says "it's important to remember a grand jury is an arm of the prosecution that is used to build a case and to obtain an indictment."
Witnesses are not cross-examined. Defense attorneys are not present. Prosecutors give an opening statement and a closing argument.
"It will also be important to cross-examine these witnesses and hear from witnesses for the defense," said McFadden.
The grand jury returned an indictment in April 2004 charging Jackson, 46, with child molestation and a conspiracy count alleging child abduction, false imprisonment and extortion.
The indictment also included four counts of lewd acts involving a minor child, one count involving an attempted lewd act upon a child and four counts of administering an intoxicating agent.
The alleged child abduction, false imprisonment and extortion are not individual charges but are alleged as the circumstances leading to the conspiracy count.
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