Jury members have been selected

Yesterday, the selection of jurors for Michael Jackson’s murder case came to an end. This jury consists of 12 people: 7 men and 5 women. Six of the members are white, five are Spanish, and one is black. Michael Jackson and Conrad Murray are both black. There are also 5 alternate jurors, made up of 3 women and 2 men. One of the women, who was black, was struck from the list because her answers spilled into the courtroom during questioning. The prosecution also removed two other black jurors, one of whom was a man and a social worker. Among these men is someone who had seen Michael up close three decades ago. He said that in the 1980s, when both were working on a Disney project, he was introduced to Michael. What questions were asked of the jury in court? Most of the questions focused on Michael Jackson’s personality and life. Conrad Murray’s attorneys asked the jurors: - Do you think Michael Jackson’s ability to make decisions was less than that of other people due to his age? - If Michael Jackson was "childlike," does that mean he couldn’t make decisions? - Should the standard of accountability for Michael Jackson be different from others? - Is Conrad Murray, to some extent, responsible for Michael Jackson’s death? The prosecution asked whether these jurors could still find Conrad Murray guilty if they learned that Michael Jackson also played a role in his own death. The prosecutor painted a mental picture for the jurors: a careless driver runs a red light and hits and kills a pedestrian who was also crossing the street carelessly. In that case, isn’t the driver 100% at fault? Would you vote to convict this driver? Advertisements about the 12 jurors 1. Man, 51 years old, Spanish A mail carrier who believes prominent people get around the law and behave however they want. He likes Michael Jackson’s music. 2. Woman, 57 years old, Spanish A homemaker. Former accountant. She had followed the O.J. Simpson trial to some extent. Her younger brother is a drug addict. She has served on the jury five times. She has never even bought a CD of Michael Jackson’s works. (O.J. Simpson is a former football player who was tried in the U.S. in the 1990s for the murder of his wife and was acquitted.) 3. Man, 45 years old, white Management consultant. His wife is a children’s nurse at a hospital. He has served on the jury twice and also watched the film This Is It—though only out of curiosity. 4. Man, 32 years old, white Book seller and acting trainee. He read about this case in the news and followed the Simpson trial to some extent. He has served on the jury once. As a child, he was a Michael fan and has the Thriller, Bad and Dangerous albums. He believes Michael was a good person. 5. Woman, 48 years old, white A legal clerk with 30 years of experience. She followed the Casey Anthony trial. She believes the law is lenient with famous and wealthy people because prisons are so crowded that if a prominent person is there, the police won’t be able to provide security. As a result, the police don’t imprison these people at all. (Casey Anthony was accused of murdering her 2-year-old child, but in July of this year she was acquitted.) 6. Man, 39 years old, white Tech-savvy. In his family, there is a member addicted to alcohol. Occasionally, he reads websites that publish news and photos of celebrities. He has served on the jury once. He is a Michael fan and has a large number of CDs of him and other members of his family. 7. Woman, 54 years old, Spanish Office manager. Her daughter had an addiction to alcohol and drugs five years ago. She thinks the law treats famous people differently from ordinary people. She followed the Casey Anthony trial. She has served on the jury twice. When she was young, she liked Michael’s music. 8. Man, 52 years old, Spanish A school bus driver. His father was addicted to alcohol. His wife’s father died due to alcohol addiction. He follows the news more through radio. He has served on the jury once. He believes the judicial system doesn’t convict prominent people. He has never bought any of Michael’s CDs, but he thinks he is a good artist. 9. Man, 54 years old, black Technical director on television. One of his relatives is a judge and another is a lawyer. His father died due to alcohol addiction. He doesn’t think the judicial system is racist and believes people are treated according to the law. He has served on the jury three times. As a child, he liked the Jackson 5 group and now he is a Jay-Z fan. 10. Woman, 43 years old, white Head of communications at an international marketing company. She thinks the law sometimes shows compassion and leniency toward celebrities. She has read in newspapers about Michael’s children, and she called serving on the jury a blessing because it allowed her to do the right thing. She has served on a jury in a court in England once. She is not a Michael fan, but she bought the Thriller album. 11. Woman, 36 years old, Spanish Customer service representative. She followed the Casey Anthony trial. Her father was addicted to alcohol and went missing. She has served on the jury once. She is a Michael fan. 12. Man, 54 years old, white A university professor in the field of art and animation. He worked on creating animated images for Disney and, once in the 1980s, he met Michael at Disneyland during the project for the film "Captain EO." He followed the O.J. Simpson trial. He thinks the court makes a difference between celebrities and ordinary people. He knows about the accused and also knows how Michael died. He is a Michael fan and considers him a great artist. Source: eMJey.com / LA Times / CNN / AP