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Witnesses: Boy's mom didn't act like captive
Statements contradict mother's testimony
By DAWN HOBBS
NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER
Several defense witnesses testified Monday that the mother of Michael Jackson's accuser was out and about in Solvang and Los Olivos spending the entertainer's money while she says she was being held against her will at Neverland Valley Ranch in the spring of 2003.
The mother asked to be taken to an orthodontist, clothing stores and a day spa, said former Neverland employee Katie Bernard, who one day drove the woman to Bare Skin Aromatherapy in the Santa Ynez Valley for a body wax.
Ms. Bernard testified about how she was taken aback when the mother became intensely personal on the drive into town. "I didn't really know her too well . . . and she started to talk about her ex-husband and how she was trying to get away from him and going into detail about how bad she had it. And then about how well Michael was treating her, how he's a father figure to the kids and how much he's helped them out."
Ms. Bernard testified she paid $140 for the luxury services and then left the mother at the day spa while she went back to the ranch.
The defense called Ms. Bernard and eight others Monday in an effort to undercut the heart of the prosecution's conspiracy theory. Their statements drastically contradicted the testimony of the mother, who emphatically told jurors she was under constant surveillance and scared for the lives of her family. One witness testified he saw her drinking bottles of champagne and flirting with one of her alleged captors, Dieter Weisner.
Ms. Bernard testified it was customary for Mr. Jackson to pick up the tab for his guests. Defense lawyers assert the mother has a history of attempting to glom onto celebrities. They insist she made up the allegations after failing to get a chunk of the pop star's money.
Witnesses also testified Monday that the boys had been caught with alcohol and a backpack full of pornographic material on the ranch when Mr. Jackson wasn't home. This undermined the testimony of the accuser and his brother, who said the entertainer introduced them to alcohol and adult material and insisted they only drank or perused the magazines with him.
Mr. Jackson, who is free on $3 million bail, has pleaded not guilty to child molestation, administering alcohol to a minor to commit a felony and conspiracy to abduct, falsely imprison and extort the family.
While left unattended at the day spa on Feb. 11, 2003, the mother never asked to use the phone or tell anyone there she was being held captive, testified Carole McCoy, who gave the mother a full body treatment.
"I asked her where she was from and if she had any kids," Ms. McCoy said. "She told me she was from South America and she did have children."
The mother, who is from East Los Angeles, testified she never met Ms. Bernard, who picked her up that day and scheduled a hair appointment at her request. Ms. Bernard said she also called her one day asking for someone to take her shopping because she had lost her suitcase. But another person in the office overheard the conversation, Ms. Bernard said, and told her he had already taken her out shopping for new clothes and shoes.
The mother also called Ms. Bernard to set up an appointment to have her boys' orthodontic braces removed. The orthodontist, Dr. Jean Seamount, testified she recommended the mother not remove the braces because the teeth were not yet ready to do so. Dr. Seamount testified the mother told her the orthodontist who placed the braces wanted more money from her and insisted they come off so she could mail them back to him.
Dawn Hobbs is also a news analyst for NBC and MSNBC. You may e-mail her at dhobbs@newspress.com.
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