Following is a breakdown of the jurors and alternates tasked with judging Michael Jackson (search) in his trial on child molestation charges. The information presented here came from statements the individuals made during the jury selection process.
JURORS
Overview:
— Eight women/four men
— Age ranges from 20 years to 79 years
— One Asian, three or four Latinos, zero African-Americans; rest of jury is Caucasian
Juror #1
A 62-year-old married father of four adult children in their 30s and 40s, he is a plans examiner and civil engineer. He and his wife like to dance and they have season tickets to a local theater group. This juror mostly gets his news from local papers and local TV news stations… saying he does not like to watch cable news networks because of bias. During jury questioning, he said he would be "cautious" in accepting testimony from a child witness. He went on to state that parents have a strong influence on kids and what they say.
Juror #2
A retired 63-year-old married man with two adult children, he makes western art, specifically bronze casting. If he does watch the news, he said his primary source would be CNN and that is where he has gotten most of his information on the Michael Jackson case. During questioning, he said children are capable of telling white lies but more often than not they will tell the truth. But if a lie will benefit them, he said he believes they will tell one. Another comment from the juror was that parents can influence their children but if there is abuse in the family so kids may lie to avoid abuse. He does not like to follow celebrity news and will not be wowed by Jackson's celebrity status. He said he would be able to find Jackson guilty if need be and not guilty if necessary. Asked whether he trusts the government, he said he does but questions "things like our involvement in Iraq and Vietnam."
Juror #3
A 50-year-old married, part-time horse trainer and riding instructor, the juror also has judged horse shows — an experience she said taught her to be fair and to judge riders based on what she sees before her and not on the horse's prior history or past knowledge. She said she saw half of Martin Bashir's documentary on Jackson and said she thought he put his own "spin" on it. She said she understands the media needs captions and headlines that are exciting and with drama in order to sell more papers and attract more viewers.
Juror #4
A married 51-year-old with two teenaged children, this juror spent 12 years working as a programmer/analyst. She is also a former high school math teacher and is married to a university researcher studying part of the brain dealing with speech. She said she believes the "media is too sensationalized" and has a negative opinion of news coverage in general. Despite the media onslaught in the courtroom, she said America's legal system "can still be fair" but that it "just makes it harder to find jurors." From her experience teaching high school students, she has encountered kids lying and cheating on tests.
Juror #5
A 79-year-old retired widow with two adult children, this great grandmother said she knows someone with ties to Jackson. She has purchased perfumes and other items from a woman at JCPenny who knows Michael Jackson. The juror acknowledged her family has a sex offender in it; her grandson was arrested and he is now required to register himself in a nearby county. She said the situation has been an "education" for her and her family. She said she loves her grandson dearly despite this and believes he was treated fairly by the system. She is active in a number of organizations and is an old movie buff and self-described "Jeopardy freak."
Juror #6
A 22-year-old single woman living with a significant other, this juror has two young children and works as a physical therapy aide in a nursing home. Her aunt was invited to visit Neverland a few years ago by a coworker. She said while Michael Jackson "is a little before my time," he is still a person just like everyone else. She also said she believes it is unfair that celebrities get harassed so much by fans and the media.
Juror #7
A 21-year-old single male student, the juror is in a wheelchair. He said knows one of the defense's potential witnesses, a man who taught a 6th grade DARE class in 1995. He has had no contact with him since then. As for his career aspirations, this man would like to be a motorsports journalist after he graduates from school. He said he believes they are more accurate than others in hard news. This man is trying to spearhead an effort to stop a physically challenged man from filing numerous claims and lawsuits under the Americans with Disabilities Act because he said it made people in wheelchairs look bad. This juror also has visited Neverland with a cerebral palsy organization but Jackson was not there at the time. He said children like him because "they're taller than I am."
Juror #8
A 42-year-old woman with four kids, she is an educational aide for special education students. Her brother-in-law molested a niece who she took into her home. She reported him to police after her niece confided in her but nothing was done. He is now behind bars in Florida for a crime against a different child. Despite this, she said she feels she can be "totally open to both sides." Also, this juror's sister was raped when she was 12 years old but did not reveal the crime until she was in her 30s. She said her experience with this incident also will not affect her impartiality in this case. She spent six years in the U.S. Air Force.
Juror #9
A 39-year-old woman from Indonesia, this juror is a senior office clerk in human resources and is married to a reporter. She doesn't read newspapers but said she likes to watch FOX News' Bill O'Reilly. She said she believes "it is easier to get the truth" from a lying child as opposed to a lying adult. Parents are big influences in their children's lives and kids do learn from their parents, she said. She has a strong faith in the American jury system.
Juror #10
A 45-year-old married mother of three children, she works at a supermarket and used to sell radio advertising. Her family has had brushes with the law. Her husband was arrested 4 years ago for drunk driving and she said she feels he was treated fairly by the legal system during that incident. As for her own experiences, this juror recently was ticketed for running a stop sign. She feels she deserved it. She loves food and likes to get creative while cooking.
Juror #11
A 20-year-old man who lives with his partner in Santa Maria, this juror works as an assistant head cashier. His sister's boyfriend's sister used to work for Jackson's doctor in Santa Ynez. His sister and her boyfriend were also invited to visit Neverland but he has never met the singer and they did not elaborate much about the visit.
Juror #12
A 44-year-old divorced mother of an adult child, her ex-husband is a detective in Santa Maria. She also has a friend who is a detective in San Luis Obispo. She said she doesn't believe her connections to law enforcement will influence her as a juror or sway her opinions in favor of law enforcement testimony. This juror said she believes she is a good judge of character. She is currently an eligibility supervisor for the Department of Social Services. When asked about whether children can lie and give influenced testimony, she said she would "be cautious with a child witness." She said that she believes children can be influenced by parents and that her own stepson has lied to her in certain circumstances.
ALTERNATE JURORS
Overview:
- Four men/four women
- Appears to be one Latino female, one African-American male
- Age range is 19-years to 81-years
Alt Juror #1
An 81-year-old woman with four adult children (one is deceased), she is now retired. Her late husband was in the Navy for 22 years. She has a spotless driving record and has received a plaque from State Farm Insurance commending her for her safe driving history. She enjoys listening to country music and played the organ for 22 years but calls herself "lousy."
Alt Juror #2
A 36-year-old married man with three kids living at home, this alternate is a UPS truck driver. He has many ties to Neverland. He delivered packages to the home on several occasions and one of the defense's potential witnesses happens to be his mother in law. He said he believes she was the former head of housekeeping there. His children also play sports with two other potential witnesses. Despite these connections, he said he feels he could treat their testimony fairly and weigh their words in the same manner as other witnesses. This juror said he feels bad that Jackson can't live a normal life but recognizes that it comes with the profession. He said he believes people are too starstruck and doesn't understand the fans who wait outside the courthouse all day long for a glimpse of Jackson. He said he wonders if they don't have better things to do with their time. He has visited Neverland with his kids once before on family day. Of the visit, he said it was OK but not his thing.
Alt Juror #3
A 73-year-old married man with seven adult children, he is now retired. Coming from a military family, this alternate juror was in the U.S. Air Force for two years. His son is currently serving in the Air Force and his three brothers served in the Army and Marines. He manages a Solvang apartment building and one of his former tenants used to work security at Neverland. He also had a negative experience with law enforcement in his capacity as a building manager: a former tenant accused him of stealing checks and he felt the sheriff's department blew him off after he tried to report her antics. Despite this, he said he has put this incident behind him and he recognizes the importance of law enforcement and would not treat their testimony any differently from the other witnesses.
Alt Juror #4
A 64-year-old married father of four adult children, he is white and is semi-retired but does work part-time as a hotel night auditor. This alternate juror has many ties to the military. He was in the Army for more than 21 years, his daughter was in the military as a police investigator and his nephew was with the Los Angeles Police Department for 19 years. He is married to a German woman and said he would like to see the world. In his opinion, "the spin starts" with FOX's Bill O'Reilly, saying that everyone puts their own truth to discussions.
Alt Juror #5
A 44-year-old married woman with three children and also cares for her stepchildren on weekends. She has her own business doing home design including window treatments for those who cannot afford an interior designer. She has not been following the Jackson case because it just didn't interest her. When asked what she thought of the media, she responded that "we've all been raised with TV, movies and newspapers. Doesn't mean it is gospel."
Alt Juror #6
A 52 year old married mother of 2 adult children, she is a homemaker and works part-time in the family business. Her daughter played basketball with a potential witness. She believes she can be fair to this potential witness if she takes the stand. A close family friend was also employed by Michael Jackson over 10 years ago. When he first began his job, she had asked what it was like working for the singer but has not discussed it with him since then. She likes to think she is a pretty good judge of character and that she is a fair person.
Alt Juror #7
A 19-year-old single man, he works as a part-time flower delivery person. He has toyed with the idea of going to law or dental school at points in his life. He played basketball with a potential witness in school. He also knows a cousin of Jackson from high school. He said he believes if either of these men were on the witness stand, they have taken an oath and would tell the truth. He also mentioned that he thought Jackson's sisters Janet and LaToya were "pretty."
Alt Juror #8
A 26-year-old married woman with 2 young children, this alternate juror works as a bank teller manager. She likes to watch Telemundo and Univision, two Spanish-language channels. As a freshman in high school, she interned in the district attorney's office in Santa Maria for several weeks doing filing and photocopying. She said she knows a potential defense witness who is married to a coworker. She has visited the Neverland ranch and even saw a movie in the theater. A close friend of hers was arrested for breaking his probation for an unnamed crime. He spent three months behind bars in Santa Barbara.
Prepared by FOX News producer Eleanor Suhr and legal commentator Jim Hammer.
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