As the jury returns today for its first full day of deliberations in the Michael Jackson trial, contrary to what his spokesperson Raymone Bain said on the matter, the King of Pop clearly IS "falling apart."
Jackson visited the emergency room of the small Santa Ynez Valley Cottage Hospital near his Neverland ranch yesterday for five hours for treatment of the back problem that has plagued him throughout much of the trial, and precipitated the infamous "jammies" appearance back in March.
Saturday a van carrying cardio care equipment was seen arriving at Neverland. The company specializes in Enhanced External Counterpulsation (EECP) machines, which are used to help angina patients reduce shortness of breath, chest pains or stabilize blood pressure.
Comedian and Jackson pal Dick Gregory said Jackson also went to Cottage Hospital last Thursday to obtain IV fluids to alleviate his dehydration. Gregory said, "When you are under stress for 12 months, for 18 months, no one can understand but the person going through it. He was so dehydrated I thought he was developing kidney stones. You can't drink enough water while you are standing in court."
All of that coupled with Jackson's extremely wan, gaunt and frail appearance of late would seem to indicate that he is not responding well to the stress of the situation.
This rather alarming set of affairs leads me to speculate: Would Jackson simply fade away if he is found guilty and required to do prison time, or would he rally and strengthen just to "show them? Recall that Jackson is responsible for three children of his own.
Does an innocent man cave under pressure such as this, or does inner certainty of innocence buoy the falsely accused? In other words, is Jackson's collapse an indication of guilt of some kind? Is his body telling a truth his mind can't or won't?
I don't have the answers, just the questions.
Article comments
— go to most recent comments1 - Iskander
Of course you are giving the answer and it is a stupid one.
Try to bear a 4 month trial where your freedom is at stake. At first you will stand up and fight but at the end the body cruches because of the STRESS, not teh CULPABILITY
2 - Eric Olsen
and you know this how?
3 - james mclaffery
Hi eric:-),i've got to say i'd of probably had a serious nervous breakdown if i was accused whether rightly or wrongly of what mj has mate.Can you imagine if you were innocent and you'd been pulled through all of this.We'll know once and for all this week.Really as i've said in other posts,you should hope he is innocent for the sake of another kid being hurt.And the mother shouldn't get away scot free either she should be lucky not to lose them,whether he's found guilty or not.Either way she would be guilty of neglect and also lying under oath about jc penney.
4 - jarboy
hey jim, i know i would be a basket case if i had to go through soemthing like this, even if i knew i was stone innocent.
i don't agree that "we'll know once and for all this week." all we'll know is if the prosecution proved their case to this jury. the jury may think mj is guilty as hell, but cannot convict him if they don't believe the case was adequately proven. does the name o.j. simpson ring a bell?
5 - james mclaffery
Hi jarboy how you doing?,that is true,and OJ was so GUILTY it's a wonder he didn't have guilty tattooed on his forehead.Iv'e got relatives in nyc i'll have to find out who they are cause i'd love to see the big apple.I've got a landscape portrait of the manhatten skyline with the twin towers centre stage it's breathtaking.
6 - DrPat
Obviously, standing trial is traumatic for anyone, innocent or guilty. Some defendants have the werewithall to endure the stress; some do not. MJ does not appear to have that endurance.
7 - jarboy
come on over, jim. i'll show you around. i live 2 blocks from times square.
8 - Eric Olsen
James and Jarboy, I agree with everything you guys just said - the stress would be great either way, but would it be worse if you know you are guilty?
9 - james mclaffery
Jarboy,Your'e a lucky person then,new york seems to have a certain magic about it don't you think?.
10 - jarboy
yep. hit me offline: dph10036@yahoo.com
11 - james mclaffery
Hi eric,yes is there is that ,but could the other side of the coin be that if you knew you were guilty but saw nothing wrong with it would you be nervous at all?.
12 - Eric Olsen
that's a good point too - it's very complicated
13 - james mclaffery
Hi,jarboy as soon as i find out where my relatives live i'll see if they are anywhere near you, got your e-mail address mate.The email i'm using is my sisters so i'll have to wait until i get my own pc again but if your'e a decent enough bloke if ever i get the chance to come to america it would be useful to have a contact there.I don't know if youv'e been but london is quite impressive as well if you avoid the slums(like any big city i suppose).
14 - DrPat
Think of the stony demeanor of Scott Peterson in court. Think of OJ's seeming to still exist as the beloved celebrity, in much the same way that Jacko still waves to his fans outside the courthouse, regardless of his stress.
I don't think you can draw any conclusions about guilt or innocence from the way people behave in court, or the way their bodies misbehave under the trauma. That would be like concluding that hanging is a sexual experience for the executed man, because an erection occurs.
15 - james mclaffery
Hi dr pat:-),i don't know how oj can live with himself,to me it was proven beyond a doubt that he killed the poor women and yet because of who he is and the fact the glove didn't fit everbody seems to of forgotten it,this is why even though i strongly believe mj is innocent if there was half the amount of proven evidence that was against oj,then my belief would be that he's guilty but,forgive me when i say i can't honestly see that mj is guilty.One thing i do know though i wouldn't be a good thief/murderer because they'd know straight away i was guilty by looking at my face.
16 - Eric Berlin
I think the stress and the toll might depend on your personality/constitution more than anything else. Think about the stone cold killers who stare at you with black holes in their eyes and they're told they'll someday be visiting Old Sparky.
That said, MJ: His Life & Times gives the appearance of smoke. Lots and lots and lots of smoke.
Is there fire? The jury is going to give their ruling on the matter soon enough.
17 - Nancy
I think it depends on your personality. I'm the type that feels guilty even when I haven't done anything. I think standing trial would kill me, just the shame of having been accused even if it weren't true, and the stress - because lawyers can twist things, and innocent people are convicted all the time based on lies and false arguments. Of course, this applies more to people who have no money and can't afford the best defense money can buy, like OJ and those like him fortunate enough to be able to buy the best defense and spinmeisters to ensure they at least get a fair trial, if not weasel out of charges altogether. Part of Jackson's problem is his reputation for "weirdness", which I'm sure hasn't helped any, even if he is innocent. I'm just glad I'm not on this jury.
18 - Eric Berlin
It's not just a reputation, Nancy. He's really really weird, even if he's 1,000% innocent of any charge.
How many people show up to court in their pjs? Hang infants out of hotel windows?
There are 3,000 of these anecdotes. We all know them.
19 - jarboy
i don't know, eric. no way i could be guilty and go thru a charade like this w/o cracking.
20 - Nancy
Yeah, he's done some abysmally stupid (dangling the baby off the balconey) and weird (too many to name) things; but I also am totally repelled by the accusers: what a total pack of - I can't even think of a word for them. Carney sharks? Grifters? Con jobs? Vultures? They're horrible, and they've made it patently clear both by their actions and their own previous behavior that they have no place to throw stones, either! Someone shouldn't be convicted just because they're strange. Like I said, I'm SO glad I'm not on this jury! I couldn't do it, either as a juror, or as a defendant.
21 - Eric Olsen
and then there is the issue of his economic future: he has huge expenses and doesn't have anythin like the income he needs to support them
22 - mel
I have been following this case since day one, and I seriously do not believe mj is guilty. Thomas messereau has been out of this world as a lawyer, and I cannot fault him. He has proved the Arvizo clan are liars and actors. He has made them look stupid even, especially the basketcase of a mother. I do feel nervous for him right now cos the jury could decide either way, but looking at the whole court case, like t messereau said, to bring back a verdict of not guilty on all accounts is the only right verdict, and that is so true. They have lied time and time again. I personally fell mj can make a comeback and bring out a record relating to the case that would just be such a big hit as he has made lots of music about the media, and that sneddon guy. For him to just give up music and dancing would be a waste of great talent. He has a mass of fans worldwide, and I believe that more people are for him than against him.
23 - Eric Olsen
whether he is actually innocent and whther the prosecution proved any of the charges beyond a reasonable doubt are two different matters, of course.
He is certainly more popular elsewhere tha nhe is here and if he is found innocent, he would be smart to tour Europe, Japan, to make some money and to stay the hell out of the U.S. for a while
24 - Eric Berlin
I read somewhere that he would "likely" sell Neverland and live abroad if he makes it out of this case a free man.
That would seem to be his best option, I would think -- and then tour outside the US to bolster his finances and reputation over a period of years.
Assuming his back heals.
I also read that MJ still expects to be offered the largest recording contract in history at some point.
25 - james mclaffery
We shall wait with baited(sp?) breath.