Prosecutors scramble to escape a major crisis

The fierce attacks by Michael Jackson’s defense team have left the prosecutor in a difficult struggle to preserve the credibility of his criminal case against Jackson. Over the past few days, Thomas Mesereau, Jackson’s lead attorney, tore apart the claims made by the complainant and his mother, brother, and sister—questioning their credibility. The defense attorney created a storm in court by forcing the complainant to admit that in 2003, during a conversation with his school principal, he denied any misconduct by Jackson. The brother and sister’s admission that they lied while testifying—especially after they had sworn an oath—weakens the foundation of the prosecution’s claims. The defense team is now waiting for the complainant’s mother to take the witness stand so they can bombard her with their questions, just as they did with her children. They have dubbed the complainant’s mother a financial predator—someone who prepares her children for court. The aggressive behavior of the 15-year-old complainant on the witness stand has prevented him from becoming beloved by the jury. In addition, his contradictory statements, his answers delivered with pauses, and his weakness in recalling key issues dealt a hard blow to the prosecution’s team. Legal analyst Andrew Cohen says, " With everything he did, he undermined his own credibility. The best thing the prosecution can do is to excuse him from the witness stand, bring in officers familiar with the legal rules to prevent further harm. " The coming days will be critical for the prosecution. Now that the complainant and his brother and sister have left the stand, adult witnesses will be called. Several legal experts believe that although serious blows have been dealt to the structure of this case, Tom Sneddon’s case is still far from being over—and the prosecutor may have some trick up his sleeve. Mesereau has a tougher task ahead with police officers, psychologists, attorneys, and other witnesses who will be called to the stand. Overcoming them won’t be as easy as it was with the young witnesses. Source: eMJey.com / US National & AFP