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.
Arm of the Prosecution
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.
Jackson has pleaded not guilty. His representatives have said the entertainer is being falsely accused in an attempt to wring a financial settlement from him. Jury selection in the trial is set to begin Jan. 31.
"This case will be won in the courtroom and not through 'leaks' in the media," Mesereau said in his statement. "When he has his day in court, Michael Jackson will be acquitted and vindicated."
The following are some of the new details that emerge from the grand jury interviews.
Accuser's Account of Alleged Sexual Encounters With Jackson
Prosecutor: Did you ever talk to Mr. Jackson about those occasions where he masturbated you?
Accuser: No
Prosecutor: Did he say anything to you when he was masturbating you?
Accuser: No
Prosecutor: OK, [accuser's name], I'm going to ask you a very difficult question. Did you at any time touch Mr. Jackson?
Accuser: No. He -- he wanted me to, but I didn't. I said no and I pulled my hand away.
Accuser Account of Alleged Incidents When Jackson Provided Him With Alcohol
Prosecutor: Did you ever -- did you ever mention to Mr. Jackson that it probably wasn't a good idea for you to be drinking?
Accuser: Yes
Prosecutor: Tell us about that ...
Accuser: Well, it wasn't really a good idea for me [sic] drinking because I only had one kidney, I only have one kidney. And so it harms my kidney for I drink that stuff [sic]. But he would just say, 'it's OK.' And he would just keep on telling me to drink.
Accuser's Younger Brother on Activities That Allegedly Happened During the Private Plane Ride Back to California From Miami
Prosecutor: Had you seen your brother with some kind of a can with liquor in it?
Accuser's younger brother: Yes
Prosecutor: Drinking during the trip?
Accuser's younger brother: Yes
Prosecutor: And was your brother acting weird at some points, too?
Accuser's younger brother: Yeah ...
Accuser's younger brother: ... He [Jackson] picked up the phone and he started dialing. And I guess somebody picked up and he's like ... 'We're having a consensus,' or something, 'And we just want to know how big your [female genitalia] is.' And then he hung up the phone.
Accuser's Younger Brother's Account of Jackson's Alleged Behavior While Watching a Horror Movie Called 'The Devil's Backbone' While at Neverland Ranch
Prosecutor: Did you see Michael walk into the room while you were watching the movie?
Accuser's younger brother: Yes
Prosecutor: How was he dressed?
Accuser's younger brother: He was nude … he started to tell us it was natural … it's just normal …
Prosecutor: Could you tell whether or not his penis was erect? …
Accuser's younger brother: It was. It was. He had [an erection].
The Accuser's Younger Brother on the Entrance to Jackson's Bedroom
Prosecutor: Now is there something about the room when you go into it that is unusual?
Accuser's brother: There's a bell. There's a sensor … there's seven locks …