Michael’s First Day in Court

At 8:00 a.m. this morning, Michael Jackson entered the Santa Barbara courthouse grounds in his limousine. Michael’s mother and father, his brother Jermaine, and his sister Janet accompanied him. A crowd of about 1,500 people—made up of fans, photographers, reporters, and video crews—had gathered in the courthouse grounds for hours. Fans, who were cheering Michael loudly, formed a ring around his car. Michael raised his hand out of the window and, with his fingers, made a victory sign. He got out of the car and spoke with fans along the way until he reached the courthouse’s interior grounds. Michael spent a long time among his supporters, which caused him to arrive at court 21 minutes late and angered the judge. The judge addressed Michael and warned him: "Mr. Jackson, you have displayed inappropriate behavior here. I want to officially tell you that I will not accept such conduct. This is an insult to the court." Shortly before that, Michael—walking toward the courtroom hall—had, in a moment of nerves, shouted at one of the cameramen who was surrounding him, telling him to give him some space. When he entered the courtroom hall, he was still aware of his supporters who had gathered outside and were calling his name. At that moment, Mark Geragos, his lawyer, tried to direct his attention into the courtroom. In court, six seats were reserved for Michael, members of his family, and his lawyers, while sixty seats were allocated to reporters and another sixty to members of the general public. A series of formal steps were carried out to complete the case file. After the judge read the charges to Michael, he asked whether Michael considered himself innocent or guilty. Michael said he was innocent. He spoke in a calm but firm voice, stared straight ahead, and there was no visible movement in his face. After that, Michael left the courtroom to go to the restroom and did not return. The court session ended after two hours. This made the judge even more furious. The judge scheduled the next court session for February 13 at 6:30 a.m. On that day, the judge would decide whether a criminal trial was necessary for Michael’s charges. Judge Melville also prohibited everyone involved in the case from making any comments to the media. Although Michael was completely serious throughout the trial, after leaving the courtroom hall and being in the outer grounds, he happily climbed onto the roof of his car, which was surrounded by the crowd, and—matching the rhythm of the music playing—showed some dance moves. After that, the fans went to Neverland at Michael’s invitation to take part in a small celebration arranged from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Source: eMJey.com / AP