Students react to Jackson verdict

Michael Jackson was acquitted in a court of law Monday of charges relating to the alleged sexual molestation of a 13-year-old boy at his Neverland Ranch in 2003, but the courtroom of Bloomington's public opinion believes justice was not served in his case.\nA Santa Barbara County jury of four men and eight women concluded Jackson was not guilty of four counts of child molestation, four counts of supplying alcohol to a minor, one count of attempted child molestation and one count of conspiracy. The four-month trial, mirroring a tabloid fish fry of Jackson's "eccentric" behavior and his "bizarre" lifestyle on his California Neverland Valley Ranch, provided the jury with more than 600 exhibits of evidence and testimony from more than 140 prosecution and defense witnesses.\nSimilar to millions of Michael Jackson fans across the nation and around the world, IU sophomore Jamie Cory said the "King of Pop" has been one of her idols all her life. She said she believes Monday's "not guilty" verdict is going "to make people hate him even more." \n"I don't think he did it, but I think people are weirded out by his appearance -- his skin color, nose -- and his actions -- the whole sleeping with little boys thing," Cory said. "They don't want to accept him because he's different. If it happened, it happened -- if it didn't, it didn't. If parents are stupid enough to keep letting their kids go to his house that is their choice. Of course I would love to meet him, but I wouldn't want to stay all night."\nAttorney Thomas Mesereau Jr., Jackson's defense lawyer, told NBC's "Today" the international pop-music star was no longer going to share his bed with young people. Jackson was also accused of child-sexual abuse at his Neverland Ranch in 1993, but a multi-million dollar civil settlement kept the case from the spotlight of criminal courts. \nThe King of Pop has maintained his innocence against both sets of charges. The mental image of Jackson as a pedophile, however, continues to linger in the American public mind as it has throughout the last decade. \nChild molestation allegations against Jackson were sparked by a 2003 British Broadcasting Corporation documentary in which the pop star said he often shared his bed with children in a nonsexual way, including the 13-year-old boy who later accused him of sexual misconduct.\nThe jury verdict of not guilty on all counts polarized about 20 TV watchers who had gathered in the Indiana Memorial Union's Burger King food court to hear the live-audio feed broadcast from the Santa Maria courthouse. Jackson supporters were heard breathing a deep sigh of relief between sporadic claps after each count flashed on the television screen. Others shook their heads side-to-side in seeming disbelief, and profane grumblings about Jackson's "sickness" were heard as some frustrated campus community members stomped from the scene. \n"I like his music, but I wouldn't say I'm a Michael Jackson fan," said IU junior Scott Adamo. "If he did it, it's kind of sick. I think the media blew it way out of proportion -- if it was a regular case the media wouldn't have been there. If it were a regular guy there might have been a different verdict. He needs to quit sleeping with little kids -- it's sick."\nProsecutors branded Jackson a deviant who used his playland as the ultimate pervert's lair, plying boys with booze and porn, according to The Associated Press. Prosecution witnesses described other bizarre behavior by the pop star: they said he licked his accuser's head, simulated a sex act with a mannequin and kept dolls in bondage outfits on his desk.\n"We all did our job and we did it conscientiously ... We don't select victims of crimes and we don't select the family," said Prosecutor Tom Sneddon, the Santa Barbara County district attorney who has accused Jackson of sexual misconduct with children since the early 1990s. "When a victim comes in and tells you they've been victimized, you look at the evidence -- you do the right things for the right reasons."\nDefense lawyers described Jackson as a humanitarian who wanted to protect kids and give them the life he never had while growing up as a child star, according to The Associated Press. The defense said the family exploited the boy's illness -- he thought he was dying of cancer -- to shake down celebrities, then concocted the charges after realizing Jackson was cutting them off from a jet-set lifestyle that included limo rides and stays at luxurious resorts. \nThe mother of the alleged victim settled a personal-injury lawsuit with J.C. Penney for more than $150,000 in 2001, according to various media reports. \nMedia polls conducted across the nation since Monday questioning the "fairness" of the trial reflected a polarized American public opinion about Jackson's guilt, despite the courtroom verdict of "not guilty" pronounced by a jury of their peers who witnessed firsthand the courtroom drama, heard every word of testimony and examined all the evidence. For example, a USA TODAY/CNN/Gallup Poll taken after the verdict showed that 48 percent of Americans disagreed with the pop star's acquittal, 34 percent agreed and 18 percent had no opinion.\nThe jury issued a statement after the verdict claiming their acquittal is testament to their beliefs in the justice system and the truth. As Michael and the Jackson family boarded black SUVs Monday for the trip back to the 2,600-acre Neverland Ranch, one of his fans held up a sign for the world to observe: "Michael -- on behalf of mankind -- we're sorry"