A California judge used the final pre-trial session in Michael Jackson's child molestation case to work through a stack of contested motions, with the trial set to begin Monday in Santa Maria.
Judge Rodney Melville weighed whether to close the courtroom during testimony from the 15-year-old accuser and the boy's 14-year-old brother. Prosecutors argued that public testimony would seriously harm both minors; defense lawyers opposed any closure and maintained the children should give evidence in open court.
Melville also considered whether erotic books, magazines, and films seized from Jackson's Neverland Ranch in a November 2003 raid could be admitted as evidence at trial. Separately, prosecutors sought permission to show jurors the television documentary whose broadcast initially triggered the investigation that led to Jackson's arrest.
Jury selection was expected to begin Monday and take three to four weeks. Opening statements were not anticipated before late February.
Historical summary. TurkishPress restated this AFP wire report, first published in January 2005, in its own words.