Today was a big day for Santa Barbara, with media from all over the world focusing their cameras here.
At the Santa Barbara Courthouse, the entrance was already packed with thousands of people, and the numbers were still growing.
Reporters made up only a very small portion; the majority were Michael's fans.
They held various support signs and banners, enduring the hot weather to come from all over the country.
Especially after Tom Schneider's recent raid on Neverland Ranch, which caused such a huge uproar, Michael gained the sympathy of countless people.
So, in addition to his devoted fans, many righteous and compassionate individuals also joined in.
Fearing a loss of control, the Santa Barbara Police Department deployed hundreds of police officers to maintain order, practically mobilizing all available police forces from across the city, with helicopters circling overhead.
But even with so many police officers, it was still not enough compared to the vast number of people.
"Oh my goodness, so many people!"
Seeing such a large crowd, little Elizabeth was incredibly surprised.
Beside Eric, besides Elizabeth, Gadot also flew over from home specifically for this.
As agreed, all three of them would attend the trial to cheer Michael on.
"Michael's fan base is truly terrifying. If the trial result is unfavorable to him, I'm afraid there might be radical fans storming the courthouse," Gadot said, also very surprised.
Eric nodded. The scale was indeed massive, reminding him of the scene where Trump's followers stormed the White House.
If Michael were to rally them, it's likely that radical fans would indeed do so.
Of course, given Michael's kind nature, this was impossible; he would only advise his fans to be rational.
"Let's go, more and more people are coming. We should go in first."
Inside the courtroom, Eric, with the two girls, one big and one small, sat in the seats behind the defense, finding a spot in the front row.
There were still more than ten minutes until the trial began, and Michael had not yet arrived.
On the opposite side, in the plaintiff's seats, Janet Avizo and Gavin Avizo were whispering, with Lawyer Larry Feldman, who was the lawyer for the 1993 case, standing beside them.
On the other side were the twelve jury seats, which were now all occupied.
They were all residents of Santa Barbara, from various walks of life, chosen randomly.
Some wore suits and uniforms, looking like office workers. Others wore casual clothes, looking like housewives.
This was where America differed from China: the jury system.
Of course, these jury members had to undergo certain tests to ensure they had a certain level of education and common sense, enabling them to distinguish right from wrong.
In China, when a case is heard, the final judgment is made by the judge, who determines guilt, the specific charges, and the length of the sentence.
In America, judges and juries share power; the jury is responsible for determining whether the defendant is guilty, and the judge is responsible for sentencing.
For typical criminal cases, if the twelve-person jury cannot reach a unanimous decision, a vote can be taken.
As long as a minimum of nine people find guilt, the charge is established.
For murder cases, however, all twelve must be in complete agreement; not a single person can disagree.
If, after multiple rounds of discussion, no agreement can be reached, a new jury will be selected, and the case will be re-tried.
The process could last several years, with several juries being replaced in between, until a unanimous decision of twelve people is reached.
A classic film, "12 Angry Men," depicts the jury system, and China remade a good version called "12 Citizens."
So, for Michael's case, as long as a minimum of four people find him innocent, he can be declared victorious.
Oh!
A few minutes later, a huge cheer suddenly erupted outside, and many people couldn't help but look back.
Soon, Michael and his lawyer, Mesereau, quickly walked down the aisle to the defense table. He was wearing a handsome new suit today, his expression calm, showing no signs of worry.
"Michael!"
Little Elizabeth waved and called out.
Hearing the sound, Michael looked over. Eric and Gadot waved at him, and Michael immediately smiled.
"Silence!"
At this moment, the judge walked out. The clock struck nine, and the trial officially began.
First, both sides took an oath, expressing respect for the law, taking responsibility for their statements, and affirming that everything they said was true.
Then came the case presentation stage. The whole of America knew about such a big event, but the procedures still had to be followed.
After the presentations, the most important stage, court debate, began, where lawyers from both sides asked questions, sought out weaknesses in the opposing side, and called witnesses and evidence to appear in court.
This segment was also the most crucial part influencing the jury's judgment.
"Your Honor, I have finished."
Gavin Avizo concluded his statement. The judge looked at Lawyer Mesereau, signaling that he could begin questioning.
Mesereau nodded, then walked out of the defense area, directly approaching Gavin Avizo, staring at him with sharp eyes.
"Gavin Avizo, you just claimed that Jackson molested you in the bedroom, but this statement contradicts your previous declarations."
"In February of this year, after Martin Bashir's documentary slandering Jackson aired, Fox Television interviewed your family. Both you and your mother stated that Jackson had never committed any unlawful acts against you. How do you explain this?"
"Uh… I was forced."
"Forced by whom? Her or him?"
"What?"
"Objection! Your Honor, Gavin is just a thirteen-year-old child; he is easily misled. I suggest Janet answer this question, as it is something they were both involved in," said opposing lawyer Larry Feldman.
The judge nodded, and Janet quickly interjected, "Jackson forced us to say that. If we didn't help him clarify, he would have people beat us, and he even threatened to keep us locked up in Neverland Ranch forever, never to leave."
"But you were not restrained. You gave interviews, moved freely in society, and showed no signs of being coerced."
"That's because the media was present, and everyone was paying attention to this matter, so he didn't dare."
"Then why didn't you say so during the interview, and only brought it up today?"
"Because… because I forgot, and Jackson threatened us privately; no one else knew, so saying it might not have been useful," Janet stammered in response.
Mesereau suddenly shouted loudly, "Then the bedroom molestation that Gavin Avizo spoke of, there was no third person present either, only his oral account. Why should that be brought up? Is this not a matter of the same nature?"
"Or is it that your goal is Jackson's money, which is why you deliberately used the charge of child molestation, and Lawyer Larry Feldman is precisely the plaintiff's lawyer from the 1993 case?"
Gadot squeezed Eric's hand hard: "The lawyer Michael found seems very capable."
"Heh heh. Just watch, the big stuff is yet to come," Eric whispered.
"Objection! The opposing lawyer is suspected of leading and misleading. My client merely forgot, which does not mean the incident did not occur."
Mesereau looked forward: "Your Honor, what I am saying is not to mislead, but merely to demonstrate that Ms. Janet Avizo is a woman full of lies, and her character has serious issues."
"She is already a professional litigant with multiple prior records. Even though Jackson paid hundreds of thousands of dollars in medical expenses for them, she not only showed no gratitude but instead targeted my client's assets."
"No, this is slander! You bastard, you're slandering me!" Janet Avizo roared furiously.
Larry Feldman couldn't help but frown, quickly pulling on her sleeve, knowing that she hadn't even finished middle school and had poor manners.
But this was no reason to curse, especially in front of the judge and jury, as it would lower their impression.
"This is certainly not slander; I have witnesses."
With the judge's permission, some of the people Eric had found, who had been extorted by Janet Avizo, appeared in court one by one.
"Janet Avizo accused me of sexual abuse, and I eventually paid her 15,000 dollars, but she couldn't explain the specific origin of the marks on her body."
"It was merely an accidental touch. I swear I had no intention of sexual harassment, but this woman kept harassing me, and my family and work were affected. Out of helplessness, I could only give her 10,000 dollars."
"Yes, I remember that awful woman. She urinated outside my store. I tried to stop her, but she threatened to report me for sexual harassment. I didn't want to make a big deal out of it, so I could only let her leave."
Eight witnesses appeared in succession, accusing Janet Avizo. Each spoke convincingly, portraying her as a villain who would stop at nothing for money.
Janet Avizo's face became extremely ugly. She kept biting her fingers but couldn't refute anything.
Because several of these incidents had criminal records, and such things could not be faked.
When the judge and jury saw these files, even if a few people hadn't reported it at the time, if even half had records, the jury would naturally tend to believe that all incidents were true.
As for Janet's lawyer, Larry Feldman, he had no idea there was so much behind the scenes and didn't know where to begin to interject.
Mesereau continued his offensive: "Furthermore, our investigation revealed that Janet Avizo is currently engaged in charity fraud."
"Gavin Avizo's illness had clearly been cured with Michael's help, but she continued to falsely claim that he was not cured and opened a donation account."
"Her card number is XXXXXX, and she has repeatedly spoken on live television and online, soliciting public donations."
"No, my illness is not cured," Gavin Avizo quickly tried to explain.
Mesereau immediately produced the medical record: "Then how do you explain this medical record?"
Gavin Avizo immediately lowered his head and fell silent. Illness is an objective thing; if you say it's not cured, a check-up will confirm it.
A series of evidence followed, causing not only those present in the gallery to shake their heads repeatedly but also the jury to look solemn.
Seeing Janet's "good mother" persona collapse, Larry Feldman quickly said, "Your Honor, regardless of whether the opposing party's human and material evidence is true or false, Janet's character is irrelevant to whether Michael Jackson molested Gavin. These are two separate matters."
The judge nodded: "That's well said. Even the worst criminals have human rights. We cannot judge a person to always be wrong because of their poor character."
"Regardless of whether Janet Avizo's crimes are true or false, public and civil prosecutions will naturally be awaiting her, but they do not fall within the scope of this court's discussion. Continue!"
Subsequently, both sides continued to invite their respective witnesses to appear in court. Gavin Avizo's witnesses were all his family relatives.
Although they consistently claimed Gavin had been molested, they still couldn't produce a single piece of physical evidence, merely inciting emotions and seeking pity.
Michael, on the other hand, called upon Neverland Ranch's bodyguards, servants, Gavin Avizo's friends, and teachers, among others.
"Gavin wasn't a good child. He didn't do his homework and liked to argue with classmates."
"I asked Gavin why he didn't try to escape from Neverland Ranch, and he said he liked it there, that it was as fun as Disneyland."
"Gavin always told me he was going to get rich, that he would become a multimillionaire, and Michael Jackson would pay him a large sum of money."
"I was always responsible for the Avizo family's safety at Neverland Ranch. Michael never spent time alone with this child, and he never slept in the same bed with him. Only once did he sleep on the floor. I swear what I'm saying is true."
Even Macaulay Culkin, the child star from "Home Alone," appeared in court.
"I visited Neverland Ranch many times as a child, but Michael never laid a hand on me. He always played with me when my parents were present."
After a round of debate, although Gavin Avizo garnered some sympathy, more people saw through his character.
Especially the evaluations from his classmates, friends, and teachers, which portrayed him as a typical bad child.
Seeing the situation becoming increasingly unfavorable for his side, Larry Feldman had no choice but to use his trump card, requesting to summon psychologist Mathis.
Mathis submitted a psychiatric evaluation report to the judge and jury, which indicated depression.
He said with a heavy tone, "This incident has had a profound impact on Gavin's mental state. You must understand that in his heart, he always regarded Michael Jackson as a father."
"But this person he considered a father turned out to be a devil, who committed the most vulgar and disgusting acts against him."
"Gavin suffered multiple sexual assaults. Perhaps he might misstate the number of times, or perhaps he might appear unfriendly and unsociable; all of this is due to mental trauma."
"So please do not look at him with strange eyes. He is just a twelve-year-old child. What kind of evil intentions could such a young child have?"
"Even if he does, it's a sequela of mental trauma, not from his own volition; he is kind."
"Now he has also developed depression. I have seen him cry silently many times. Michael Jackson, you devil, you must be held responsible for this!"
Mathis's righteous and impassioned statement, using a mental trauma that could not be accurately determined, directly reversed Gavin Avizo's public image.
His meaning was clear: the child was kind, and his poor behavior was entirely due to depression, with Michael still being the culprit.
Many people present couldn't help but change their minds about Gavin Avizo, thinking, after all, he's just a child; what evil intentions could he have?
And seeing that the key figures had finally all arrived, Mesereau, imperceptibly, smiled, then took out a cassette tape from his bag.