The Michael Jackson Case
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THE DISTRICT ATTORNEY

- After having spent millions of dollars on the Michael Jackson investigation in 1993, District Attorney Tom Sneddon did not find enough evidence to bring charges against the pop star.

- Over the next few years, Sneddon and several of his employees made numerous statements to the press where they implied that there was indeed evidence to corroborate Jordan Chandler's story. They failed to explain, however, why two grand juries did not indict Michael Jackson if such evidence actually existed.

- According to reporter Geraldo Rivera, members of the Santa Barbara Police Department were shown footage of the strip search of Jackson's genitalia. "I’ve got a videotape that was shown to every cop in Santa Barbara of Michael Jackson’s penis," Rivera said.

- In 1995, Jackson wrote a song about Tom Sneddon that appeared on his album HIStory: Past, Present and Future Book I. In the song, Jackson claims that he was over-targetted by the DA's office and accuses Sneddon of being obsessed with attaining political fame. Click here to read the lyrics.

- Many legal experts dismissed the idea that Sneddon would prosecute Jackson solely for his own self-aggrandizement but perhaps there are other motives involved. According to Thambiah Sundaram, a dentist who filed and won a lawsuit against Santa Barbara prosecutors in 1996, the commercial prospects of Neverland might be one factor influencing authorities’ relentless pursuit of Jackson.

- In 1994, Sundaram attended a private fundraising event where he allegedly heard Sneddon discuss a plan to run Jackson out of Santa Barbara and turn Neverland into a winery. According to Sundaram, Sneddon planned to do this by finding another child to accuse Jackson of sexual abuse. While Sundaram's allegations are difficult to prove or disprove at this point, it is a widely known fact that winemaking is the leading agricultural industry in Santa Barbara, accounting for about $360 million of the county’s annual economy. The Santa Ynez Valley, where Jackson owns almost 3,000 acres of land, is particularly well suited for growing grapes because of its ideal climate and soil conditions. Numerous wineries located in the Santa Ynez Valley are looking to expand but there isn't enough available land in the area to do so.

- Whether or not Sundaram's allegations have any merit remains to be seen, but there are other facts that point to Sneddon having a vendetta against Michael Jackson. Sneddon said in a press conference that after 1993, he changed certain California laws pertaining to child molestation specifically because of the Michael Jackson case.

- In 1995, Sneddon told Vanity Fair magazine: "The state of the investigation [of Jackson] is in suspension until somebody comes forward."

- Upon viewing the Living with Michael Jackson documentary that aired in February 2003, Sneddon saw an opportunity to re-open the case. In a press statement released on February 6, 2003, Sneddon said: "After conversations with Sheriff Jim Anderson, it was agreed that the BBC broadcast would be taped by the Sheriff’s Department. It is anticipated that it will be reviewed."

- Regarding Jackson’s comments that there is nothing wrong with sharing a bedroom with a child, Sneddon replied by saying it was, "unusual at best. For this reason, all local departments having responsibility in this are taking the matter seriously." He then urged any victims to come forward. Read the full press release here.

- Shortly after this statement was released, Sneddon gave an interview to tabloid reporter Diane Dimond where he discussed the 1993 case.

- Coincidentally, the boy who appeared in Living with Michael Jackson - the documentary that Sneddon taped and watched - is the same boy who ended up becoming Jackson's second accuser. Did Sneddon have something to do with this boy coming forward?

- During his testimony at a pre-trial hearing, Sneddon admitted to having met with the second accuser's mother in an empty parking lot to give her papers that would qualify her for a state victim's fund. He also personally investigated the second set of allegations against Michael Jackson, a job that is supposed to be carried out by investigators.

- Linda Fairstein, a leading sex crimes prosecutor, said of Sneddon's actions: "It's way too personal. It's way out of line. If he does any substantive parts of an investigation, he may become a witness in the case." She continued: "It lets these very talented defense attorneys take him apart before the jury and explain that it's not his place to do that. He creates trouble in and out of the courtroom for himself by taking on that role."

- Although the accusing family's story had numerous holes in it, Sneddon went forward with the case and pressed charges. Read on to learn about the second set of allegations against Michael Jackson.



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