US: As the sixth day of jury deliberations in the Michael Jackson child molestation trial came to an end yesterday and the eight women and four men of the jury were sent home for the weekend, there was still no hint as to what the fate of the superstar would be.
It is conventional wisdom, however, that the longer a jury deliberates, the more likely it is that the defendant will be found guilty. That could explain the jubilant mood of District Attorney Tom Sneddon, when he and fellow prosecutors in the three-month trial were spotted dining at the Hitching Post restaurant just outside Santa Maria on Wednesday evening.
It is also conventional wisdom that the longer a jury deliberates in a celebrity trial, the bigger the subsequent book deal, a point made yesterday by Karen Holt, deputy editor of Publisher's Weekly, and seized upon by sceptics to explain why there was still no verdict after a total of 28 hours of deliberations.
However, the pressure on the jury is immense. They are being asked to pass judgment on the most famous celebrity ever brought to trial, and make decisions that could send him to prison for 18 years and eight months. They have to decide 10 counts, four of molestation of a boy, four of plying him with alcohol to perform lewd acts, one of conspiracy to kidnap and one of attempted molestation. They have to sift through three months of evidence, during which 140 witnesses gave testimony and 684 exhibits were presented.
On each count there are complications for them to consider. For example, if they find Jackson guilty of abusing the boy making the allegations against him, the pop star's punishment would depend on how serious they judge the incidents to have been. If they decide that he didn't ply the boy with red wine to commit lewd acts, then they have to say if they believe he is guilty of the lesser offence of supplying alcohol to a minor.
Judge Rodney Melville has also been extraordinarily tolerant of the jury's family needs. He allowed them to take a half-day on Thursday so that some could attend high school graduation classes.
Rarely has a verdict been anticipated with such impatience by those besieging the court. Over 2,000 journalists have been accredited to the trial and a small army of media must remain by humming trucks in hot sunshine over the weekend, though the two days of idleness could mean good business for the tasting bars in the local wineries.
Santa Maria is on the edge of Santa Barbara wine country, profiled in the recent film, Sideways. There is otherwise little to do in the central California town of 88,000 with six freeway exits, and a two-hangar Museum of Flight set amid strawberry fields near Vandenberg Air Force base. Many reporters have long ago written their stories of the most exciting events that occur in Santa Maria, like the annual beard-growing contest which residents take very seriously, with different categories such as bushy and goatee.
The trial has attracted a United Nations of Jackson fans, numbering up to 200 sometimes, including British, Polish, Germans and Japanese, many convinced that Jackson is being subject to the trial because he is black. The fans were restless all week and especially yesterday, keeping up a chant of "Innocent!" Police presence has been increased to keep them apart from the media. "Our job is to keep them from harassing the media," said a police spokesman.
On Thursday, a restraining order was issued against a Tennessee heckler who aimed abuse at a Court TV correspondent every day. There were also regular visitors claiming to speak on behalf of Jackson, like the Rev Jesse Jackson. Michael Jackson's lawyer, Thomas Mesereau, had to state categorically that only he was authorised to speak for the singer.