SANTA MARIA, Feb 1: After months of delays and intense pretrial publicity, Michael Jackson took his seat in court on Monday as the task of selecting a jury began in the child molestation case that has put his career, reputation and freedom at risk.
By the end of the first day, more than 300 people had been asked whether they would be able to spend up to six months on the jury. Finding a panel to hear the case is expected to take up to a month.
More than 175 potential jurors said they would serve, while about 140 said it would be an ordeal and asked to be excused. The 46-year-old self-described "King of Pop," who said on Sunday that he would be "acquitted and vindicated," is accused of molesting a 13-year-old boy who lived at Jackson's fairy tale-like Never land ranch in the hills above the central California town of Santa Maria.
The potential jurors were brought into Santa Barbara Superior Court Judge Rodney Melville's courtroom about 150 at a time, starting about an hour after Jackson sat down with his lawyers at the defence table.
The superstar was dressed totally in white - a symbol of innocence - with a jewel-encrusted belt and gold braided arm band. He looked upbeat, smiled and joked with his lawyers, shook hands with the court clerk and occasionally dabbed at the pink lipstick he was wearing with a tissue.
When jurors were being questioned, Jackson sat completely still. Some did not want to serve the anticipated six months. "Your honor, I am too old to serve. I am 75 years old," one woman said. "You don't look a day over 60," the judge responded. -Reuters
