Entertainer Michael Jackson was indicted yesterday on child molestation charges, setting the stage for another celebrity trial. The Los Angeles Times said that details of the indictment remained sealed. “Mr. Jackson and his attorneys remind the public that an indictment is merely a formal ‘accusation.’ We also remind the public that Michael Jackson, like any other person accused of a crime, is ‘presumed to be innocent,’ ” said his defense team.
Prosecutors allege that Jackson committed sexual acts with a 12-year-old boy at his Neverland Ranch last year. He has been charged with seven felony counts of child molestation and two counts of using an intoxicant to seduce a minor. Jackson’s attorneys have laid the groundwork for a legal challenge. In an April 2 hearing, a defense attorney contended that prosecutors had failed to adequately present grand jurors with evidence favorable to his client, as the law requires.
Link: http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-jackson22apr22,1,725541.story?coll=la-home-headlines