AEG Trial Session 38: Full Text of Prince Jackson’s Testimony + Photos and Downloadable Videos of Michael and the Kids

This morning, Prince Jackson—the eldest child of Michael Jackson—arrived at the Los Angeles courthouse. Having turned sixteen this February, he will enter the third year of high school in the coming academic term. On this day, three members of the Jackson family accompanied Prince: Katherine Jackson, the grandmother and legal guardian; T.J., the cousin (the son of Tito) and second guardian; and Trent, the father’s cousin and Katherine Jackson’s assistant, appointed to the role by Michael.

Many fans were present in the courthouse building. When they saw Prince coming out of the elevator and entering the courtroom, they broke into tears.

Katherine, T.J., and Trent were seated in the front row. When the jury entered the courtroom at 9:55 a.m. to take their places, they stood up to show respect. Prince sat in the designated area for attorneys and court reporters before giving his testimony. He looked around and kept everything under observation. He was then called to the stand. At 9:57 a.m., Prince swore to tell the truth. Katherine held a tissue, and during Prince’s testimony she kept removing her glasses from her eyes to wipe away her tears.

The session began with questions from Brian Panish, the Jacksons’ attorney.

Panish: “Have you testified in court before?” Prince: “No, sir.” Panish: “Are you nervous?” Prince: “A little.” Panish: “Don’t worry. You’re among family and friends.”

Prince was dressed in a black suit, a white shirt, and a dark gray tie, with his long brown hair tucked behind his ears. He appeared very calm and dignified at the stand. During testimony—at times emotionally very difficult for him—he held up well and prevented his tears from spilling over. Prince spoke in a soft, gentle voice and, as always, was very polite.

Prince’s testimony had two aspects. Thanks to him, the Jackson family’s attorney was able to show the emotional harm caused by his father’s death on the three children left behind. Prince also provided important information about the AEG case to the court. Including that the payment to Conrad Murray had to be made by the company, and that the night before his father’s death, Phillips had gotten into an argument—and even a physical altercation—with his doctor.

What are Michael’s children’s names?

At the beginning of the session, Prince said that on February 13, 1997, he was born at Cedars Sinai Hospital. He is sixteen years old. His sister, Paris Michael Katherine Jackson, was born on April 3, 1998; she is fifteen years old. The last child, known as “Blanket,” was born on February 21, 2002; he is eleven years old. His real name is Prince Michael Joseph Jackson.

The full name of this sixteen-year-old witness was discussed in court. At Michael’s birth, he named him Prince according to an old family tradition. Katherine’s father’s name and his male ancestors were Prince. When Blanket was born five years later, Michael changed the name of his eldest son to Michael Joseph Jackson Jr. and gave the name Prince to his youngest child. From then on, we refer to Michael’s eldest son as “Prince,” and the youngest child as “Blanket.”

Panish asked how the name “Blanket” was invented?

“From the family of monkeys (a nickname for Michael J. Beaty—Michael’s child is not the child’s name, but he grew up with the kids at Michael’s house and they consider him their brother— Read). And maybe his stepfather brought it up. We always used to call him Blanket. Blanket means blessing. If we said ‘Big Blanket,’ it meant ‘a lot of blessing.’ So when my brother was born, my father called him a blessing—and that’s how he got the name Blanket.”

Panish: “So the reason for this naming wasn’t that he was carried around in a blanket (the Persian meaning of blanket)?” Prince: “No.”

First day of school

For nearly the first fifteen minutes of the session, unseen home photos and videos of Michael and his children were shown. Prince said he had helped the attorneys select them. During Prince’s testimony, more photos were displayed. The first photo showed him and his sister Paris alongside their grandmother as they headed to their first day of school.

Prince’s life: School, work, sports, and community service

Prince said that he attended school at Buckley School in the “Sherman Oaks” area of Los Angeles, and that he had recently finished his second year of high school; this was his third year at the school. He is currently taking a summer term class in United States history, which is a compressed course. He is a member of the United States National Honor Society and received an art award. (This award is given to outstanding students who demonstrate exceptional abilities. In addition to being an honor student, other capabilities are required for membership in the NHS, including research and investigation, leadership ability, decision-making and guiding group activities, performing community service and participating in charitable activities, moral conduct, responsibility, and commitment to obligations, as well as understanding and grasping values such as freedom, equality, and democracy. In short, Prince is an outstanding student.)

Prince played football (American football/rugby) and basketball at school. He is currently doing martial arts (jujutsu) outside of school. This sixteen-year-old boy also has artistic activities. At school, he works with metals and makes jewelry from them.

Prince is a member of the school robotics team. He is a mechanic—he works with his hands and builds robots. Their team has several designers who design the robots and programmers who give instructions to the robots. Their team competes against other teams in the country. Prince goes to Las Vegas every year for competitions. Last year, their team placed second among 63 American teams. Prince said he is not satisfied with that achievement.

Prince: “Last year, our work wasn’t that great. We had changed our department and had to adapt to the conditions.” Panish: “So you blame the coach?” Prince: “Yes.”

Besides that, Prince also does charitable work. He said that 20 hours of community service is one of the school requirements, and he chose to volunteer at the Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles. Of course, the number of hours Prince spends doing good there is far more than what the school requires, because “I enjoy it.” He brings books to children in the cancer ward and reads to them. He said he wants to help others as much as he can, and that his passion and desire to help others came from his father.

Panish: “Did your father ever tell you anything about the importance of community service?” Prince: “All the time. He always said that you should serve the community and do as much as you can. I got my passion for helping others from my father.”

Prince’s average GPA is 3.68. Scores between 3.5 and 4 are considered excellent/A grades, which is the standard for selecting top American universities such as Princeton and Harvard. Students with A averages can be admitted to these universities. Of course, neither of these two universities is Prince’s goal. He wants to go to USC—University of Southern California. George Lucas, the creator of Star Wars and one of Prince’s favorite directors, is a graduate of USC’s School of Cinematic Arts, which is the best film college in the world. The late Neil Armstrong, the astronaut who stepped on the Moon, was another USC graduate. USC is one of the most prestigious universities in the United States and one of the largest leading private academic/research centers in the world. USC is among the most selective universities in the country, and getting in is very difficult.

Prince said: “I want to go to USC for film and business. Maybe I’ll choose mechanical engineering and business.” He said that education and studying are important to him because that is what his father taught them. Michael always told him: “In life, everything is a lesson. Always learn from your experiences.”

Prince then described his cinematic lessons from his father. Michael had taught him how to find good scenes in movies. His father had given him a necklace with a viewfinder camera attached to it. That way, he could see how he should film objects.

Panish: “Why did you become interested in filmmaking?” Prince: “When I was a kid, me and Dad used to make short films. Dad taught me how to find good scenes for filming and how to learn from good films. I always wanted to make stories and films.”

His father encouraged him to learn more about films. Prince said that with his father, they didn’t just watch movies—they analyzed and reviewed them. They watched the films twice: the first time without sound, so they could pull out the good scenes and understand the importance of sound design.

“Then we watched the film with sound, and he showed me how sound can make a movie—or ruin it.”

Prince said that the interest in making films was shared between him and his father. They also wrote screenplays, and his father taught him techniques to activate the right half of his brain—the center of creativity and emotions.

“We wrote many screenplays. Dad taught me how to write screenplays. He helped me think with the right side of my brain.”

One of the photos shown in court was a picture of young Prince beside his father playing the piano. Prince explained that his father was playing the piano and Prince was trying to play music alongside him.

Panish asked whether he had any interest in pursuing a career in music.

Prince said he loves music but doesn’t have his father’s talent: “I can never play an instrument, and I definitely can’t sing. My father was a master at this.”

While the jury members enjoyed the discussion with laughter, Prince added that he hadn’t inherited musical talent from his father, but he had mentioned that he could become an actor as a way of compensating for his father. Over the years, Michael had also acted in films, and he was interested in acting, directing, writing scripts, and producing films.

Life at Neverland

When Prince referred to Neverland as “a warm and pleasant home,” Panish showed the jury photos and videos of the zoo, amusement park, and the rest of the places on this ranch. Prince, who had helped select the photos and videos, spoke about life and growing up at Neverland.

A video showed Prince at one year old alongside his newborn sister, as well as a birthday party at Neverland where Prince was holding a blue toy gun. Prince said his father hated violence, so he didn’t support Prince’s play with a gun. In another photo, the kids were walking on a wall by the road.

Panish: “You’re wearing beautiful clothes in these photos.” Prince said his father always dressed them in nice, stylish outfits and took pictures of them so that when they had children of their own, he could show them their childhood photos. Prince said his father loved filming them, and they have footage of all the events of their lives.

A video from Prince and Paris’s childhood showed them running around on their toy cars at Neverland. In this video, Prince and Paris speak into a microphone and introduce themselves.

Little Paris: “My name is Daddy’s sweetheart.”

Prince explains the duty assigned to his sister: “My Paris has to talk into this (microphone). And she has to talk about you and about me, okay? Hi, my name is Prince Michael Jackson and I’m Daddy’s sweetheart, and I love Daddy.”

Prince talked about life at Neverland and in France. He had spent a lot of time at Disneyland Paris. He explained Neverland as:

“When my father bought the house, he made it for children. He wanted to have (kids), he built it for us.” Prince said that Neverland was a family home. It was as if everyone there was part of one family—from the servants to the babysitters. The Neverland fireplace was always lit, and classical music was always playing. They had a zoo and an amusement park at Neverland. In the zoo, they kept some domesticated giraffes and alpacas (a type of llama). Prince said they only took them to the amusement park and zoo on special occasions so they wouldn’t get spoiled: “Dad wanted us to stay humble.”

One of the videos showed a giraffe and several alpacas at Neverland. Unfortunately, these animals have a bad habit. Prince explained: “I never got close to them because they spit at us.”

In one video, a message from Michael appeared. Around Neverland, messages and/or poems from their father were written on boards or places. One of them said: “When children play, tyrants cry.”

Prince said that similar writings can also be seen around the house at the ranch in Haynears—where their father bought it for their grandmother.

Michael wrote the song “The Lost Children” from the album Invincible for his children. He taught them to sing it. A video in which Michael was singing along with his young children was played in court.

At the end of this song—released in 2001 on Invincible—Prince says: “Look at all the lovely flowers.” A short video of this song was played in court. When Panish asked whose voices could be heard in the song, Prince said: “Me and my brother, Omar/Michael Beaty.” Prince also said that they call Omar by the nickname “Monkey.”

Leaving Neverland and traveling around the world

Neverland was owned by his father, and Prince lived there until he was six years old. But everything changed in 2005. After Michael was acquitted of sexual charges, they left Neverland and went to the Middle East, Ireland, and Las Vegas.

In reference to the police raid on Neverland and the accusations against his father, Prince said: “After the criminal case, the police created a series of complications in the house. I think they destroyed the house for him.”

After leaving Neverland, they began traveling. They went to Bahrain, Ireland, Dubai, Aspen in the state of Colorado, New York, and then to Vegas. Prince said his father was more involved in business matters in the Middle East, and in Ireland he was focused on music. Prince loved traveling with his father. A nanny or teacher would accompany the kids and their father. They traveled a lot. Prince said he also got his love of travel from his father.

“Dad had many businesses, not just music, and he wanted to take us with him. He didn’t want to leave us alone.”

Eventually, they went to Vegas, where Michael intended to buy a house: “Dad wanted to buy a house for us. We saw a house that the royal family of Brunei had started building but left unfinished. Dad wanted to buy it. Teme was involved in the work.”

Educating the children

Despite all the traveling, Michael put all his effort into making sure his children weren’t deprived of education. The kids’ teachers always accompanied them, and Michael made sure his children learned the manners and customs of different cultures. Prince said they spent six days a week with their father and/or a teacher at school. Their father would ask them how they were doing in school and how they wanted to build a better world.

“He wanted to know what we were learning. He wanted to know how our work was at school. How we could make the world better.”

Michael talked a lot about other cultures and religions, and Prince learned from him. Their father told them to always think and reflect about everything: “He taught us to have our own thoughts and ideas.”

Michael wanted his children to build a better world

The jury saw a video of Michael and his children in which Michael asked them how they wanted to change the world when they grew up. Prince said the video was recorded on Christmas, when he was nine years old. Happy Christmas in 2006.

Michael: “What day is it today?” Prince: “December 25.” Michael: “What day is December 25?” Prince: “Christmas.” Michael: “Exactly. What does Christmas mean?” Blanket: “Love.” Michael: “Love for what?” Blanket: “Family.” Michael: “Who takes care of you?” Blanket: “You.” Michael: “Me and the ones who love you.”

Michael then asks the kids to say their ages: “9, 8, and 4.” Michael: “We’ll start with Blanket. What’s your goal? What do you want to do? Who do you want to be in the future? Tell me right now. Who does Blanket want to be to change the world?” Blanket: “I don’t know.”

Prince mischievously says: “Spider-Man,” and then helps his brother: “When you grow up, what do you want to do?” Blanket: “A film director.” Michael: “Woooow, that’s what I want to do.” Paris to her father: “You’re doing it (even now).” Michael to Paris: “What does Paris want to do? Be honest—listen to what your heart says. Think first, then tell me what you want to do in the future.” Paris: “Help the poor.” Michael: “That’s very good. And then what? An art job?” Paris: “Gymnastics.” Michael: “And Prince?” Prince: “I want to be a film director and an architect.” Michael: “First, tell me why you want to be a film director.” Prince: “Because I want to direct films with my dad.” Michael: “And why an architect?” Prince: “Because I like making things.” Michael: “And what kind of film do you want to make?” Prince: “Action.”

In this video, Prince was wearing a black shirt and pants with a red tie. Paris wore a beautiful pink shirt, and Blanket matched his white shirt and black pants with a red tie.

In court, Panish asked Prince who had tied the tie he was wearing that day. “Himself.” Prince said in court that on that day, his father had taught him for the first time how to tie a tie.

Prince also said: “He would ask every time how we would help the world in the future. As you saw in the video, his ideals had seeped into us.”

Michael’s habit of writing

Prince said his father had a habit of writing parts of his songs and poems, or messages from religious leaders or clergy, on the back of his hand or on the bathroom mirror. Some of these writings were: “There is no love and eternal violence,” and “Thank you for the miracles I receive.”

Panish: “Did your father write?” Prince: “All the time, wherever we went. On mirrors, in bathrooms. Sometimes it was a song, or words from religious leaders or clergy like Gandhi and Martin Luther King—historical figures. That’s something Dad always did throughout his life.”

Michael loved working and was work-obsessed

Panish: “Did you learn anything about work from your father?” Prince: “I learned the importance and necessity he placed on working from my dad. He worked all the time. If he didn’t work, he would get depressed. He could never just sit around doing nothing. I’m the same way—I don’t remember ever sitting and resting. We always worked, always running around and exercising. He taught me how to drive. He was always making music, or we were working on a film.”

This spring, Prince started working on television at a very young age. He said he had asked his aunt (Latoya) to find him a job.

Panish asked whether he described his father as “lazy.” Prince rejected the claim made by AEG executives who had called Michael lazy: “That description doesn’t apply to him at all.”

The kids didn’t know their father was a global icon

“We always listened to his music, but we never knew how famous he was. He didn’t want us to know. ”

Prince and Paris watched one of their father’s performances on film, and when they saw fans going crazy and being carried out of the stadium on stretchers, they felt that their father was a famous person.

“Me and my sister once found a video tape of a concert. We saw the girls crying and being carried out on stretchers.”

As kids, they wore masks on their faces

While showing the photo, Panish asked about the masks the kids wore on their faces when they left the house with their father so they wouldn’t be recognized—because when they were with Michael, photographers would chase them.

Prince: “He wanted to make sure nobody saw our faces. So if we went out without him, nobody would recognize us and we could be normal kids.” Panish: “Did your father protect you?” Prince: “Very much.”

Prince said that now, everywhere, they are chased by photographers and reporters: “I know why he did it. When I was little, the masks were annoying. It was hot and the feathers would stick to my face. But now that I’m older, I understand why he did it.”

Grace the nanny

Prince said their nannies sometimes changed, but most of the time Grace Roa was their nanny. He said that Grace worked for his father at his company for twelve years before Prince was born, and after Prince and/or his sister Paris were born, she began working as their nanny. He said she was with them for almost twelve years.

Michael didn’t allow them to go out alone, but he allowed them to leave the house with Grace the nanny.

Panish asked questions about Paris. In previous court sessions, Paris’s deposition video had been shown in which she talked about Grace. Paris had said in that video that her father didn’t like Grace and tried to keep her away from the kids. (News)

Panish: “Did you see the film in which Paris talks badly about Grace?” Prince: “Yes.” Panish: “Why did she say that?” Prince: “After Dad passed away, each of us had our own problems that we had to deal with. She is going through hard days right now. But I saw her a few days ago with Grace, and they were happy.” Panish: “Was Grace fired by your father?” Prince: “Yes.” Panish: “Do you know why Grace was fired?” Prince: “Based on what I was told, she had some personal issues that she had to solve herself.”

After Michael died, Grace was brought back by Katherine and told that the kids wanted her. Prince said in court that he, his sister, and his brother were happy about Grace’s return.

Panish: “After your father died, did your grandmother ask her to come back to help you?” Prince: “Yes.” Panish: “When Paris saw her, how did she feel?” Prince: “Me, my sister, and my brother were happy to see a familiar face.”

Grace was fired in December 2008. In earlier court sessions, it was established that Gang Ware, the head of AEG, had told Grace that they no longer needed her services because AEG was looking to reduce Michael’s costs.

Michael made songs for his children

Panish: “Did your father make a song for you?” Prince: “Yes.”

Panish then showed a montage of photos of Michael and the kids set to the song You Are My Life. At the end of the video, the jury saw Michael’s three children being surprised with a valuable gift from their father—a dog named Kenia. Prince ran into his father’s arms and thanked him, and then the kids took turns holding Kenia. The video was shown on the first day of the case opening, but today it was officially considered one of the case exhibits. Michael wrote You Are My Life from the album Invincible for his children.

Michael’s sacrifices as a father

Michael made small and big sacrifices for his children. One of them was buying a dog named Kenia. Prince said that a few years earlier, on Christmas morning (in 2006), they received a chocolate-colored Labrador from their father as a gift. He said his father was afraid of dogs, but he wanted his children to have one.

Panish asked Prince how he felt that day. Prince: “I was very happy.” Panish: “When you, your brother, your sister, and your father were living in Las Vegas, how did you feel?” Prince: “We had happy days.”

Back to Los Angeles

Prince said that before moving to Carolwood in December 2008, they lived at the Bel-Air Hotel in Los Angeles. Prince had learned that his father planned to hold a concert tour. Prince was familiar with Teme in Las Vegas, but he first saw Randy Phillips in Los Angeles.

At the Carolwood house, a maid, a babysitter, and a cook lived with them. Omar would also sometimes visit. Grace had been fired, and her place was taken by a woman named Sister Rose. The first cook was a woman named Kai. After some time, she was fired, and in May a male cook replaced her. After some time, he left, and Kai returned to her job before Michael’s death.

AEG and Randy Phillips

Prince talked about AEG and its CEO, Randy Phillips. He said his father “was very excited about the tour. This was probably the last time, and we could see his performance.” But “according to what he told me, he wasn’t satisfied with the situation. He wanted more time to rehearse and prepare.” He said that when his father came home after rehearsals for the TII tour, he was tired.

Prince said he had once watched his father’s stage performance as a child, but he didn’t remember much. (The 2001 concert at Madison Square Garden.)

Prince witnessed his father’s phone conversations. Most of the time, he spoke with Randy Phillips or Dr. Teme. He said that when his father talked to Phillips on the phone, he would get upset.

“When he hung up, sometimes he would cry. Once he said, ‘They’re hurting me, they’re hurting me.’”

When Panish asked who he was talking about, Prince said: “AEG people, Randy Phillips, Dr. Teme.” He said his father was afraid of Phillips. Prince said Phillips often whispered into Murray’s ear.

Dr. Teme

Prince didn’t have a good feeling about “Dr. Quarabi” Teme. He had known him for three years. Teme gave them negative energy. He recalled a memory of a day when his father, in anger, tried to fire Teme from behind the phone. Teme was the manager.

In describing his father, Prince said: “Dad wasn’t a fighter. He was like my grandmother—always very kind. That’s why he called my grandfather.”

“When we were at the Bel-Air Hotel, Dad tried to fire Dr. Teme. He yelled at him and cursed him. Me and my sister encouraged him. We didn’t want Dr. Teme near us. He gave us bad energy and upset Dad. Dad was always calm and optimistic and smiled, but when he talked to Teme, he would get upset.”

Prince said he thinks that was the last time his father spoke with Teme. Of course, Teme showed up again, and Prince thinks it was because Teme was involved in buying a house for them. He didn’t know the details.

Conrad Murray

Prince said he met Dr. Conrad Murray for the first time in Vegas. He worked as a family doctor: “He would come to our house to treat many illnesses—colds and things like that.”

He said that when they moved to Carolwood, at first a nanny named Sherylyn Lee came to their house. Lee connected a drip to his father in the living room on the first floor. Prince said he thought the injections were to ensure his father received the necessary protein because he was working intensely and needed calories.

After that, there was no more sign of Lee, and Murray replaced her. In the months leading up to Michael’s death, Murray came to the house every day and stayed at night. When they were in Las Vegas, Murray didn’t stay at their house, but things were different in Carolwood:

“Dr. Murray came every day, except Sunday. At night. He stayed at night. At first, when they were on the lower floor, I saw him inject Dad once. It was a clear liquid.”

Prince said he thought vitamins were being injected into his father. He said that at the beginning of Murray’s time at the house, he performed injections on his father in the library. Then it moved to the living room on the lower floor, and then to the large room on the upper floor—the bedroom of Michael.

A map of the Carolwood house and the location of Michael’s room and the kids’ rooms was shown. Paris and Prince had separate rooms. Blanket stayed in their rooms—sometimes with Prince and sometimes with Paris.

He said he never saw the treatments Murray carried out on his father inside the bedroom because the door was closed.

Panish: “Was it locked?” Prince: “I tried once, and it was locked. That day Dad was meditating with someone in India via Skype, and he locked the door so he could focus.”

Prince had said in his deposition that once, while playing hide-and-seek with his sister and brother, he wanted to enter that room but it was locked.

Prince said security officers weren’t allowed to enter the house. Other people couldn’t go to Michael’s room, but Dr. Murray could. Prince said that when his father was meditating or when Murray was treating him, the room was closed. He didn’t know whether it was always locked or not because he had only tested it once. He said in the mornings the room was open. Murray came to Carolwood in the evenings. When the door was closed, Prince didn’t go there and he hadn’t asked his father about it.

When Panish asked whether Prince had ever seen medical equipment in their home, he said he had seen oxygen tanks and IV stands. This equipment was either outside the front door near the guard hut, or inside the house at the bottom of the stairs. Prince said he hadn’t seen this equipment in their previous homes.

Panish: “Did you think it was strange to have oxygen tanks?” Prince: “No, I was twelve years old. And according to my understanding, (Dr. Murray) his job was to make sure Dad stayed healthy.”

Payment to Murray

Prince said that according to what his father told him, AEG was responsible for paying Murray’s wages, but they weren’t paying, and Michael felt bad about that.

He said his father gave him and his sister Paris money several times (about ten times) to hand to Murray (unopened stacks of one-hundred-dollar bills tied with a ribbon). Prince said the amount of money wasn’t very large. This teenager said his father had told him that Murray wouldn’t accept money from his hands and had asked the kids to give it to him. Murray also didn’t accept all the money the kids gave him, and he would take part of it. Prince said his father tried to help Murray until AEG’s payroll checks were paid by the company. This money was given to cover his basic expenses like food, water, and gasoline.

During questions from Marvin Putnam, the company’s attorney, Prince said he had witnessed his father offering Murray money at Carolwood, but Murray never accepted it. Prince said he understood that Murray felt bad about it.

Marvin Putnam showed part of Prince’s deposition video in which he said his father had paid Murray. In the stand, Prince explained that his father paid Murray cash in Las Vegas, and Murray accepted it. But after signing a contract with the company and moving to Carolwood, this procedure changed. The company was responsible for paying Murray, and since they weren’t paying, Michael tried to help Murray with the expenses, but Murray wouldn’t accept money from Michael. Prince also emphasized that in Vegas, his father didn’t write checks for Murray and paid him in cash.

Phillips and Murray’s argument the night Michael died

Prince said he had seen Randy Phillips at Carolwood several times. Sometimes his presence at Prince’s house surprised him, because Phillips would come without prior notice and in his father’s absence. Phillips sometimes came to their house with Dr. Teme or with other men Prince didn’t know. Prince had seen Phillips talking with Dr. Teme at the bottom of the stairs.

Prince said about Dr. Teme: “Based on what I’ve heard, he isn’t a doctor at all.”

Prince: “I was surprised that they were all in the house. I hadn’t seen Dr. Teme for a while. I still didn’t like him.”

Prince said he witnessed Phillips talking with Murray twice, and in both instances Phillips was holding Murray’s elbow. Phillips whispered slowly to Murray. He said Phillips seemed aggressive. Prince hadn’t heard what they were saying.

First incident: “He (Phillips) was talking to Murray. There wasn’t anyone else with him. He was whispering softly. I brought him water. He was talking to Dr. Murray, holding his elbow, and he seemed aggressive.”

Panish asked Prince again to describe Phillips’s behavior. Prince said: “He was holding his elbow behind him. They were very close, and he was moving his hands.”

Panish: “Did it surprise you?” Prince: “Yes.”

Michael wasn’t at home; he was rehearsing for the tour. Prince couldn’t remember the exact date of the incident, but he said it was in the evening—the same time Murray came to their house. In his deposition, Prince said he had informed his father the next morning.

Second incident: Prince also witnessed Phillips and Murray’s confrontation once again, one or two nights before his father died. He stated that this event was most likely on the night of June 24—the night before his father died. Michael wasn’t at home; he had gone to Staples Center to rehearse for the tour. Prince called his father from outside the guard hut and told him that Phillips was at the house. Michael told Prince to offer Phillips something to eat and drink. Prince was twelve years old.

Prince returned to them. They didn’t want anything to eat, but according to his father’s teachings, Prince went to the kitchen to prepare food for them. He explained: “Dad always said, ‘Bring chips or salsa or an appetizer (for the guest).’”

Prince returned with chips and salsa and saw that Phillips and Murray were talking at the bottom of the stairs, and Phillips was still holding Murray’s elbow.

Marvin Putnam tried to challenge Prince’s testimony. He showed the deposition video in which Prince said he had informed his father in the morning after the incident, while Prince hadn’t seen his father at all on the morning of June 25. Prince stuck to his statement and said these were two completely separate events.

Outside the courtroom, Valerie Wass, Murray’s attorney, and Marvin Putnam, the company’s attorney, said that the meeting between Phillips and Murray had never happened. Putnam said they would call Prince back to the stand again. Prince was a witness for the Jacksons that day. Putnam said: “When he comes back for us to the stand, we will show that what he described wasn’t the case. He was a twelve-year-old boy who had to face such great suffering.”

When Michael died, Prince was twelve years old, but he said his father told him confidential matters. Michael had told Prince which people he could trust and which he couldn’t, and he had also told him what he feared and worried about when preparing for the tour.

Putnam asked Prince how people entered the house in his father’s absence. Prince: “(The guards) would let Randy Phillips, Dr. Teme, and AEG people in, but people like my grandfather were not allowed.”

Michael’s physical condition before his death

Prince: “At that time, in my view, he was healthy and fine. I didn’t see him eat much. He ate a lot when he was alone. I don’t know if he ate during rehearsals. I knew he was working intensely. I looked at photos of my grandparents’ wedding anniversary (the last family party of the Jacksons with Michael present, which was some time before his death). He was very, very thin—skin and bones. He was almost malnourished.”

Panish asked whether in the last few weeks he had noticed anything strange.

Prince: “Sometimes I would come down the stairs and be freezing, even though it was summer. I didn’t know why I felt cold. And some days he would say it was hot. His body temperature would go up and down. Sometimes he didn’t have enough energy. He definitely wasn’t strong enough.”

Day of Michael’s death

Prince’s last meeting with his father was one day before his death, and the last conversation that night before his father died—when he called him to tell him that Phillips was in their house.

On June 25, Prince was in the living room on the lower floor with his sister, brother, and Rose, when:

“I heard screaming and shouting from upstairs, and someone quickly jumped out of a room. I heard him come down the stairs. I ran to the kitchen to see what was happening, and I saw Dr. Murray running back up the stairs to the upper floor. Kai looked worried. She said Dr. Murray had called me upstairs. At that same time, Alberto (Alvarez, the security guard) came in.”

On the upper floor, where Michael’s room was, Prince witnessed the heartbreaking scene of his father’s death thanks to Dr. Murray.

“I saw Dr. Murray screaming and giving Dad artificial respiration on the bed. Dad was hanging slightly off the bed, and his eyes were rolled back into his head. A little later, Alberto came in. My sister came upstairs. She was screaming the whole time and kept saying she wanted her father.”

Little Prince cried the whole time. The kids were then taken downstairs. Prince continued: “I stood at the bottom of the stairs crying, waiting for the ambulance to arrive.”

Prince saw his father being taken to the hospital on a stretcher. They rushed to find the ambulance. In the car, twelve-year-old Prince tried to calm his eleven-year-old sister and his seven-year-old brother.

“I told my sister something that Dad always told us—that angels are everywhere—and I said that the angels were taking care of Dad.”

When Prince recounted this terrifying day in court, his eyes turned red, but he didn’t let his emotions take over and he didn’t cry. Throughout his time in the courtroom—where adults were breaking down—he kept control over his nerves and emotions.

Prince said that in that moment he was optimistic and hopeful that his father would be saved—until Dr. Murray came into a room at the hospital and told him, his sister, and his brother that their father had died: “I’m sorry, kids. Dad is gone.”

In addition to them, Rose, the security officer, and Frank Delio, his father’s manager, were in the room. Prince said Frank Delio told them that their father had suffered a heart attack.

Prince remembered: “We just cried.”

Michael’s memorial service

Prince then spoke about his father’s memorial service on July 7, 2009—twelve days after his father’s death. At the end of the ceremony, the kids came on stage, and Paris, with a few words, brought many tears.

A video of Paris’s speech at the memorial service was shown, and Paris said: “Since I was born, Dad has been the best father you could ever imagine. I just wanted to say that I love him so much.”

Prince explained that his sister’s speech at the memorial service was unplanned: “She just grabbed the microphone and started talking.”

Read the description of Michael’s memorial service here.

Life after her father’s death

Prince said that he now lives with his grandmother, his father’s cousin Trent, and his sister and brother in Calabasas. He said that every summer they go to his childhood home in the city for their father’s memorial service, where a memorial has been built for him.

Panish showed a photo of them at a baseball game in Grace, where they had thrown the opening pitch. (News)

Prince explained another photo taken at a charity event in Germany called Bombi. He said he was wearing clothes similar to what his father had worn at this event years ago. Children from charitable organizations surrounded Prince. (News)

Prince said another photo shows him at the hospital where he works. In 2011, copies made of Michael’s paintings by his children were donated to the Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles. (News)

Another photo showed Katherine next to Michael’s children. Prince couldn’t remember which ceremony the photo was taken at. The photo was from a tribute ceremony for Michael at the Chinese Theater. (News)

Another image was shown. Prince said this photo was taken at the Pasadena Hotel, where he was interviewing directors and actors from the film OZ for the AT network.

Last winter, Prince worked for a few days as a special reporter for the AT television network (News). Also this spring, a series aired on television in which he acted, though his role was very short. (News)

Prince said he had told his aunt (Latoya) that he wanted to work, and she suggested AT. Prince said he accepted because he thought it would be a big and new experience. He said he enjoyed the program and found it entertaining.

The impact of his father’s death on the kids’ lives

After the morning break, Prince returned to the stand. When Panish asked him to describe the effect of his father’s death on his life, he said that his grandmother and his cousin T.J. are his guardians. Prince confirmed that they do their best to help them, but: “Nothing will be like before anymore.”

He said that sleeping at night has become difficult for him: “At night, I can’t sleep. Sleeping has become hard for me.” And his father’s death was a major emotional blow: “For a long time, I kept emotionally distant from many people.”

He also suffers from not being able to share some events of his life with his father: “The first day of school, my first girlfriend, my driver’s license, joining the honor society, all my art work with jewelry.”

Panish: “Did your father feel proud of your work on the robotics team?” Prince: “Maybe. I tried to make him proud.”

He then talked about his sister Paris: “She’s been hit more than the rest of us. She was my dad’s princess. She deals with things in her own way.” Prince said his sister is going through hard days. All of them, especially T.J., try to help her.

Prince said that he and Paris don’t celebrate birthdays anymore after their father’s death. Without him, there’s no joy: “We used to celebrate with Dad. Without him, it’s not like before.” But they do celebrate Blanket’s birthdays.

Prince: “I’m not sure Blanket knows what he’s lost. He’s very young. He’s still growing, like I was. And he doesn’t have a father to guide him or tell him right from wrong. Of course, someone is there for that—but not the way my dad did it.”

Prince said that as a family, they do their best in this regard. He said Blanket’s performance at school is excellent; he does martial arts (karate). At home, he plays video games with him and/or his cousins.

Panish: “Do you miss your father a lot?” Prince: “Yes.” Panish: “Is there a day when you don’t feel homesick?” Prince: “No.”

Questioning the kids before the trial and Paris’s emotional distress

Prince and Paris were each questioned by the company’s attorneys over two days in March this year. Prince said his first questioning was on Saturday at Marvin Putnam’s office.

Panish: “When Mr. Putnam asked questions, were you scared?” Prince: “Not too much. Honestly, I wanted to apologize. I didn’t know that day that I had to wear a suit. I didn’t know what kind of event it would be. Nobody wants to spend their weekend like that.”

When Prince apologized for not wearing a suit, the audience laughed.

The second day was held during the week, when Prince was studying at school. He left his class to attend the questioning session. On that day, Putnam asked Prince 353 pages of questions over a few hours.

Panish noted that Paris’s questioning took seven hours. After the questioning, Paris suffered emotional problems. Prince knew that his sister’s questioning would upset her emotionally, and he was worried about that. Prince said: “When my questioning ended, I told T.J. that Paris shouldn’t take part in the questioning. I said that my sister: ‘had problems before, during, and after the questioning.’”

Prince said his sister’s questioning was also conducted by Putnam. The questioning was supposed to be in Putnam’s office, but T.J. requested that the location be moved to the jury room in the courthouse.

When Panish talked about the hardships of the company’s attorneys, it was Marvin Putnam’s turn.

Putnam: “Do you remember that your grandmother thanked us for our cooperation?” Prince: “No.” Putnam: “Do you remember that you said you were tired and wanted to leave the questioning, and we agreed?” Prince: “Yes.” He also noted that he wanted the second session to end early so he could go, but he continued answering questions.

Panish then asked Prince whether Putnam treated him rudely during the questioning. Prince: “I don’t know what you mean by rude behavior.” Panish: “Let me ask it this way—did he behave like a lawyer who tries to give the best defense for his client?” Prince: “Yes, as a defense attorney. I don’t want to spend my Saturdays like this (questioning).” Panish: “All right, I understand, but did he behave rudely?” Prince: “I don’t know. I’m not dealing with defense attorneys. I don’t know if it was rude or…” Panish: “All right, so Mr. Putnam didn’t treat you rudely. Right?” Prince: “Yes.”

Putnam said they would call Prince as their witness. Panish said: “All right, bring him back.” The judge then told Prince he could leave the stand. After the testimony ended, Prince hugged his attorney Deborah Cheng, and then went over to Marvin Putnam and shook his hand. It seemed that Cheng told Putnam some things about Prince’s grades.

The court then adjourned for lunch. The next day’s witnesses would be T.J. and Taj Jackson, Michael’s nephews. Panish said Katherine is extremely proud of Prince. He said he had no news about Paris’s testimony, and that decision would be up to her doctor. The company’s attorney had also requested that Blanket be called as a witness. The judge rejected Putnam’s request, considering the recommendation of a psychologist who said this would be harmful for her.

Source: eMJey.com / ABC News & AP & AFP & CNN & LA Times