Jackson Prosecution Hope To Rest Case Next Week

Accuser's Mother finishes testimony

Wednesday, April 20, 2005

Janet Arvizo stepped down from the stand yesterday after what was her fifth day of testimony. Santa Barbara District Attorney Tom Sneddon also announced to Judge Rodney Melville that the Prosecution planned to rest their case as early as next week. "The good news is I think we're about to get to the endpoint," he said without the jury present according to the Santa Maria Times. Sneddon did state they may have a problem with witness availability on Friday and the Judge said he would grant a three-day weekend with no court on Friday if motions were completed.

After re-direct questioning by Senior Deputy District Attorney Ron Zonen concluded, lead Defence attorney Tom Mesereau had an opportunity to re-cross-examine the witness. The attorney questioned Arvizo about photos that Prosecutors presented as evidence during re-direct. The photos showed a bruised and battered Arvizo after an alleged incident with JC Penney security guards in 1998. Arvizo acknowledged that in a deposition for the JC Penney case she stated the bruises did not show up immediately, however her in her testimony she stated that her then husband took her to have her photos taken immediately to document the bruising, which she claims are the ones presented into evidence by the Prosecution.

"But didn't you testify that you didn't have these bruises immediately?" asked Mesereau. Fumbling, the witness then provided a confusing answer, "When the Defence attorney told us that's the time." A mug shot of Arvizo taken from that day in 1998, which featured no bruising was mentioned by Mesereau, "I was wearing makeup," she said. Concerning the pictures the Prosecution entered, Mesereau asked, "Did your attorney have these photographs taken?" "Yes," she answered. "But you didn't go to a lawyer 'til a year later," he said. Contradicting what she had just said, the witness stated, "Those pictures were taken with the criminal case," she said. "I had these photos already." Arvizo claimed a lot of her actions were by the instruction of her Defence attorney who was representing her as JC Penney charged her with assault and battery, burglary and petty theft, the charges were eventually dropped according to the Associated Press. Mesereau then asked if the witness had ever told a woman who worked at the attorney's office if the bruising was actually from beatings by her husband, "That's incorrect," she said. However Arvizo did admit she did not file a lawsuit against the store chain until a year later, the family eventually received over $150,000.

The witness stated she was unaware of fundraisers being held for her son Gavin Arvizo's cancer treatment, or that donations were being made into an account she set up for his benefit. She claimed her then husband was the one who handled everything. "You had no idea why anyone put money in it. You just withdrew it?" asked Mesereau. "I did what (my husband) told me," Arvizo said. "And you had no idea that Chris Tucker was going to wire money in to that account," he asked. "This is correct," she answered. Mesereau also asked the witness if she had used the donated money for her own cosmetic surgery, she denied it claiming she used her own credit card. Arvizo denied ever asking Louise Palanker, George Lopez or Jay Leno for money. A common theme of Arvizo's testimony is speaking to the jury, and she did so again, "He's mixing up things purposely," she said referring to Mesereau.

Once Arvizo left the stand a detective testified and then Maria Ventura, Arvizo's Mother, then took the stand. Speaking in Spanish with a translator and referring to Michael Jackson as "Miguel," Ventura's testimony was short and didn't receive a cross-examination by the Defence, the first Prosecution witness out of 55 not to do so according to the news-press. The witness testified that she received phone calls at all hours from Michael's employees, they left messages and although she could not understand English she heard her grandchildren's names and the phone display would say the calls were from "Neverland" or "Frank," referring to un-indicted alleged co-conspirator Frank Tyson. Discussing her grandchildren, Ventura stated she had witnessed a change in their demeanour, "They weren't the same kids ... and even up until now, Gavin is not the same child," she said.

Michael Davy, a Los Angeles Unified School District administrator, was next to testify. Davy stated he witnessed no change in the Accuser after February 2003, and that he was a discipline problem before and after that date.


Source - MJNI.COM