Alcohol charge against Michael Jackson is reduced
By Dan Whitcomb and Alexandria Sage
SANTA MARIA., California (Reuters) - The judge in the Michael Jackson child molestation case on Tuesday reduced one of the charges against the singer from a serious crime to a misdemeanor, a move that could help the prosecution.
Superior Court Judge Rodney Melville told attorneys in the case he would reduce the charge of supplying alcohol to a minor with intent to sexually abuse him, a felony, to the lesser charge of simply supplying alcohol to a minor.
The judge acted at the request of the prosecution and over the objections of Jackson's defense team. The main charge of molesting the then 13-year-old cancer patient remained unchanged, as did the other charges of conspiring to commit child abduction, false imprisonment and extortion.
Jackson has pleaded not guilty to all the charges.
Court observers said the move gave prosecutors an advantage as the misdemeanor charge might be easier to prove.
Jackson would have faced 2 to 4 years in state prison if convicted of the felony alcohol charge, while the misdemeanor charge carries a fine and the possibility of a shorter spell in county jail.
The accuser, both on the witness stand and in a videotaped police interview, said Jackson often gave him alcohol while he was staying with his family at the singer's Neverland Valley Ranch in central California in early 2003.
He also testified that Jackson masturbated him on several occasions after plying him with alcohol.
The judge made his decision on Tuesday while discussing with prosecution and defense attorneys how he would instruct the jury before handing them the case, and what boundaries he would set for closing arguments.
"They're arguing about the ground rules that will control everything that will happen from now on -- arguments, deliberations and verdict," said Jim Hammer, a former San Francisco prosecutor who is following the case as a television analyst.
Melville also said he would supply each juror with a set of written instructions before he addressed the panel and would allow jurors to consult them during deliberations. While not unprecedented, it is unusual for a judge in California to provide jurors with written instructions.
The prosecution and defense both ended the evidence phase of their cases on Friday and closing arguments were expected to begin on Wednesday with the possibility that the jury could be handed the case by the end of the week.
Two key players in the case, lead defense attorney Tom Mesereau and prosecutor Ron Zonen, were absent from the court room on Tuesday, presumably working on their closing arguments.
With jurors taking the day off while attorneys discussed what instructions the panel would receive from the judge, Jackson was also absent.
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Traduzco lo más importante:
Cargo de alcohol contra MJ reducido
El juez del caso por abusos contra Michael Jackson redujo el martes uno de los cargos contra el cantante de un serio crimen a un simple mal comportamiento, un movimiento que podría ayudar a la fiscalía.
El juez Melville le dijo a los letrados del caso que reduciría el cargo de administrar alcohol a un menor con la intención de abusar de él sexualmente, un crimen, al cargo de menor importancia de simplemente proporcionar alcohol a un menor.
El juez actuó por petición de la fiscalía y en contra de las protestas del equipo de la defensa de Jackson. El cargo principal de abusar del entonces paciente de cáncer de 13 años permance intacto, al igual que los demás cargos de conspiración para privar de libertad al chico y extorsión.
Observadores externos han dicho que la jugada daría ventaja a la fiscalía, ya que el cargo de mal comportamiento puede ser más fácil de probar.
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Así que no se ha añadido un cargo, sino que se ha sustituido por otro
