Judge Watches Michael Jackson Films

Yesterday, in an informal court session, the attorneys for the defendant in Michael Jackson’s involuntary manslaughter case asked the judge to monitor the jury members 24 hours a day—or at least during the hours when “Nancy Grace” appears on television.

Grace is known for her fiery, biased speeches. The defense attorneys are afraid that the jury members will be influenced by her words and become filled with hatred toward the defendant, Conrad Murray. Grace had also made harsh statements against Michael in the 2005 court case, angering his fans.

Judge Michael Pastor told the lawyers they could submit their request formally to the court. However, he added that he does not think it is necessary to monitor the jury members, and besides, the court budget does not allow such expenses.

The judge said that his case—O.J. Simpson—was the last time a judge issued an order to monitor jury members. Pastor explained that inside the courtroom, the jury members are kept away from the public, but he does not think it is appropriate to quarantine them for the entire duration of the trial, which might last several months.

Another issue discussed in court yesterday was the practice films of Michael Jackson for the This Is It concerts. The prosecution had previously said it intends to show part of the This Is It film in court to confirm Michael Jackson’s health at the moment of his death.

The judge said he himself will review the films for 12 hours. For this purpose, Pastor must go to Sony Studios in Culver City. The defense lawyers for Murray say these films are unrelated to the case and only show Michael performing on stage. But the prosecution believes these 12 hours of footage are related to the case and that part of it should be used in court as evidence to support the case against Conrad Murray.

The next hearing will be held on Monday of next week. Apparently, Judge Pastor intends to have Michael Jackson only watched over the weekend.

Source: eMJey.com / LA Times / AP