Session Fifty-Four — The Accuser’s Mother and Her Children Were Kept Away from Michael

Azja Pryor, a friend of Chris Tucker, the Hollywood comedian, took the witness stand today.

She said that in early March 2003—at the time when the accuser’s family and the prosecutor claimed that the accuser had been sexually abused by Michael Jackson—she had been told by the accuser’s mother that Konitzer and Weisner, two German employees of Michael, did not allow her and her children to get close to Michael.

“I asked her whether Michael knew about this, and she said they didn’t allow her family to get close to Michael because they knew the children would trigger deep emotions in him.”

The date Pryor mentioned was very significant. Because the prosecutor claimed that Michael Jackson sexually abused the accuser from February 20 to March 12, 2003.

But according to Pryor’s testimony, during that period the accuser’s family could not meet Michael.

Pryor also said that the accuser described Michael as an “angel,” and he personally was eager to appear to defend Michael in the second part of the documentary “Living with Michael Jackson.”

She said the accuser’s mother’s presence in the film was entirely voluntary.

Recalling her memories of her first meeting with the accuser’s mother and children in 2001, as well as her meeting with the accuser, who at the time was suffering from cancer, Pryor said it was hard for her to talk about this because she loves the children so much.

Pryor said she and the accuser’s mother talked on the phone for hours, and in none of these conversations did the accuser’s mother complain about Michael or being at Neverland.

As Pryor said that the accuser’s mother had never told her she intended to escape from Neverland, she smiled.

When Mesereau asked her why she was smiling, Pryor replied:

“Because it’s Neverland there. I don’t know who would want to escape from Neverland.”

In court, the accuser’s mother had claimed that Michael Jackson, in collusion with his two German employees, had imprisoned them at Neverland.

Pryor added that she had given money to the accuser’s family, and the accuser’s mother and sister tried to persuade her to buy a car for them.

Pryor also said that the accuser’s mother was eager about her trip to Brazil.

The prosecutor claimed that Michael and his employees intended to send the family to Brazil despite their wishes, to keep them away from the controversy that had been sparked after the television broadcast of the documentary “Living with Michael Jackson,” and to prevent them from contacting the media.

Thomas Mesereau, Michael’s defense attorney, asked Pryor whether the accuser’s mother had been excited about going to Brazil.

Pryor replied: “I don’t know whether she was excited or not.” She added that the accuser’s mother always seemed excited. “Either she’s excited or she’s upset.”

Mesereau: “Did the accuser’s mother ever tell you that Michael Jackson committed a crime against her son?”

Pryor: “Of course not.”

She then said the only thing that upset the accuser’s mother was how her son was portrayed in the documentary “Living with Michael Jackson.”

“She said she wanted people around the world to know that her son’s friendship with Michael Jackson was innocent and pure.”

In a scene from this documentary, Michael Jackson says he allowed the accuser to sleep in his room.

Pryor also stated that during the interview of the accuser’s family with Irene Peters, the social services worker who had testified in court yesterday, she was present.

Pryor said that after that interview ended, the accuser’s mother had asked her to take her and her children back to Neverland.

She said that on that day the accuser and his brother had been playing at Neverland the whole time, and they even asked the person in charge there to let them stay in Michael’s room overnight. According to Pryor, Michael was not at Neverland that night.

Pryor continued that the accuser’s mother always praised Michael and said he was a very great man.

At the beginning of today’s session, and in the absence of the jury members, Larry King, a television host from CNN, told the court that Feldman, the accuser’s family attorney, had told him that the accuser’s mother was looking for money and had called him and his son (the current accuser) a “lunatic and unnatural,” and called her son a “liar.”

King also said that Feldman had stated he had refused to take on the family’s representation in this case because he had found the mother’s claim to be without credibility and believed she was only thinking about getting money.

Feldman denied this claim.

Following Larry King’s statements, Judge Melville announced that the defense attorneys could not call him to the witness stand in front of the jury because his testimony was unrelated to the core of the case.

The judge said the reason for this decision was that it could not be proven that Feldman was referring to the accuser’s mother in question.

Therefore, Larry King left the court before the jury arrived.

However, the judge allowed the defense attorneys to show the jury a video tape that had been filmed in different parts of Neverland.

In addition to the amusement park and the Neverland zoo, this film shows many hours that are installed throughout Neverland.

The film conflicts with the accuser’s family statements claiming that during the time they were imprisoned at Neverland they were unaware.

While strongly objecting to this film, the prosecutor said the film was more of a promotional piece.

In this regard, he referred to a scene from the film. In that scene, the text “Dad, I love you” appears on a blackboard written by one of Michael’s children.

Source: Los Angeles Times / Santa Maria News / Associated Press / Reuters