Bored Jury Hears Jackson Fingerprint Evidence

Friday proved to be a difficult day for jurors in the Michael Jackson trial as prosecutors pored over relatively uninteresting fingerprint evidence. A central part of the prosecution’s case hinges on the singer allegedly showing his accuser adult material whilst at Neverland. Jurors appeared bored through most of the day as they listened to often specialist and seemingly irrelevant material. One alternate juror even fell asleep. This has been a difficult point for prosecutors to prove, as only one magazine actually contained prints from both Mr. Jackson and his accuser - and those prints were not even on the same page. An October 2000 edition of ‘Hustler Barely Legal Hardcore’ was found to contain only Mr. Jackson’s left thumb print on page 54, while three fingerprints from the accuser were found on page 92. Other fingerprints from the boy were found in one other magazine and also in a calendar, while his younger brother’s prints were also found in one magazine. All the boys’ fingerprints were found on magazines contained in a briefcase found in a bathroom adjoining Mr. Jackson’s bedroom. Twelve fingerprints belonging to the pop superstar were found on various other magazines. Lawyers for the singer attacked the evidence, pointing out that the fingerprint analysis was only done months, and even up to a year, after the items had been found. The defense claims that fingerprints from the boy were placed on the magazine when he was asked to identify it during a grand jury hearing. Alicia Romero, who supervises court exhibits, testified that she and a colleague had handled the items without wearing gloves. She said she was only told to use gloves later on but added that everyone else who viewed the evidence had worn gloves. The defense added further doubt to the evidence when Timothy Sutcliffe, a sheriff’s forensics expert, conceded that labels on two fingerprints had been switched. Fingerprint technician Nancy Torres also testified that she was in training when she analyzed the prints. She said that had been the first time she had ever used a special device to process the fingerprints. Speaking to reporters after the proceedings, Mr. Jackson appeared to be in good spirits. "I'd like to say hello to the people of Santa Maria, my friends and neighbors," he said. When asked how he felt having many of his family attending the trial, the singer replied “It's great love, great bonding.” Source: AP/MJJForum/eMJey