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Most jurors very familiar with the case
By Quintin Cushner/Staff Writer
The average juror in the Michael Jackson child molestation case is a 45-year-old working woman from Santa Maria, married with children, who has seen media reports about the proceeding and has discussed it with friends.
Questionnaires completed by about 240 jurors eligible for the Jackson trial were released Wednesday by the Santa Barbara County Superior Court. The eight-page form quizzed jurors on their life experiences and their familiarity with the case and famous defendant.
Members of the jury pool range from 18 to 81 years of age, and they have lived an average of 22 years in Santa Barbara County. Women account for 55 percent of the pool, and men for 45 percent.
The majority - about 74 percent - are employed at least part-time, with only about 14 percent listing themselves as retired.
About 38 percent claimed a college degree, with the rest entering adulthood with a high school diploma, or in several cases less.
A surprising number - 34 percent - either have been arrested or know someone who has. Alternately, about 14 percent said they or someone close to them had been a victim or witness to a serious crime.
Seven percent admitted that they, a family member, or friend had been accused of inappropriate sexual behavior, while about 14 percent acknowledged being or knowing a victim of such misconduct.
About 43 percent know a law enforcement officer, and almost all listed themselves or a close relative as a military veteran.
A large number of jurors were either educators or retail workers, while others were engineers, bookkeepers and janitors.
Most jurors were from either Santa Maria or Lompoc, while a substantial number were Jackson's neighbors in the Santa Ynez Valley. Less-populated areas such as Ballard and Cuyama were also listed as hometowns.
The questionnaires are used as tools by attorneys and the judge to discover what jurors know about a case, and to screen them for potential bias.
Judging by responses on the questionnaire, most jurors know more about this case than they've been told in court.
A huge majority, 70 percent of the panelists, said they knew "a little" about the case from media reports, while 19 percent said they knew "a lot." Also, 66 percent of panelists said they had discussed the case with friends or family.
In addition, just over 60 percent had heard about a previous sexual-abuse investigation against Jackson conducted in 1993.
Prosecutors may want to examine the opinions of the quarter of jurors who said they or someone they knew had either met Michael Jackson or spent time at Jackson's Neverland Valley Ranch near Los Olivos.
"I went to Neverland w/ special ed for my sch. dist," wrote Juror No. 10, a local teacher.
"My disabled daughter was allow to go to Neverland, but Mr. Jackson was not present during her school visit," wrote Juror No. 243, a risk analyst from Santa Maria.
No. 194, a 47-year-old Solvang woman, said her son works at the ranch and another son, 15, had gone to the ranch with a friend of Jackson "to ride and hang out."
And 7 percent said they, a family member, or friend knew Jackson.
Juror No. 54, a 48-year-old pastor from Lompoc, said Jackson's cousin is in his church and a Jackson employee "is my son's best friend."
A 43-year-old Buellton woman answered in detail about whether she or any of her family or close friends knew Jackson: "My niece-in-law's sister has dated Ely, Michael's cousin, and we have attended family functions with Ely."
Defense attorneys may wish to scrutinize the 15 percent of jurors who said they had worked with groups interested in "child safety, child abuse or mistreatment, or children's rights."
One 38-year-old Guadalupe woman said that as a preschool teacher, she is a "mandated reporter," meaning the law requires her to report any suspicions that a child has been abused. The woman has four children, including a 10-year-old boy and a 13-year-old girl.
No. 40, a 38-year-old physical education teacher from Lompoc who said he had either met Jackson or spent time at his ranch, said it would be "nearly impossible" for him to be impartial.
"Having 3 children of my own, I am very sensitive to any type of child abuse. The actions that Mr. Jackson has admitted to with children are very disturbing to me," he wrote.
Most jurors said English was their first language. Other languages listed included Spanish, Korean and Tagalog, which is spoken in the Philippines.
Jury selection in the Jackson case resumes Monday, when attorneys will question the panel in person, and have an opportunity to dismiss jurors they believe might hurt their cause.
Twelve jurors will sit at Jackson's trial, along with eight alternates.
Jackson is on trial for four counts of engaging in lewd acts with a 13-year-old boy and four counts of administering alcohol to help him with the alleged molestations.
He has pleaded not guilty to those charges as well as to a count of attempted child molestation and a conspiracy charge involving child abduction, false imprisonment and extortion. |
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发表于 2005-2-9 00:00:00
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