Last Shot At Jackson Jury

CBS' Andrew Cohen Previews The Closing Arguments

(CBS)  This is not a case about the victim's past. It's a case about the defendant, and the conduct he engaged in and condoned. It's a case about a pattern of abuse and cover-up, of threats and intimidation, of the controlling of the innocent.

The evidence shows, overwhelmingly, that Michael Jackson lured to his majestic, fantastical Neverland this victim and other young boys similarly situated, and systematically wore down their defenses until they were vulnerable to abuse. Games. Liquor. Freedom from discipline and supervision. Sexual images and conversation. All designed to wear down defenses, and morals, and the reasonable expectations that society places in the minds of young people about what is right and what is wrong.

And then the defendant struck. Perverting the innocence of childhood, the defendant is a grown man who acted like a child in order to seduce his child victims. Remember the testimony of these young men. Remember how similar their stories are. Remember how closely the details track one another.

Remember these things and then ask yourself what is more reasonable, what is more likely: that they all are lying or that the defendant and his lackeys are. The lackeys! They are the men and women who implemented the defendant's conspiracy against the victim and his family in this case. The defense wants you to believe that their actions were merely part of a marketing and public relations campaign designed to limit the damage caused by Michael Jackson's own sick statements to the world.

But the evidence shows otherwise. The evidence shows a dark, malevolent pattern of control and manipulation of the victim and his family. It shows a pattern of threats and coercion. It shows panic on the part of the defendant and his entourage. In short, it shows what you would expect to see from someone who did something terribly wrong and wanted to hide that from the world.

Don't let the defendant off the hook simply because he was not involved in every detail of every act designed to further this goal. The law does not require such involvement in order to convict. But it does allow you to use plain old common sense.

You know the old saying that goes: where there is smoke, there is fire? We've shown you columns of smoke in this case. You've seen it billowing from the mouths of witness after witness, who came forward to tell you that the defendant had the motive, the opportunity and the evil intent to commit this awful crime. You've seen patterns of it from the defendant's past. From past and current employees there, you've seen it cloud the air over Neverland.

We don't have a videotape of the molestation. We almost never do. And we don't have a confession to it by the defendant. We almost never do.

What we do have is a compelling story of predator and prey. Judge for yourself who is who in this case. And when you do, send the defendant a message that no matter how rich or famous or powerful he is, and no matter how sick and tragic were the events of his own childhood, there is no justification or excuse for taking advantage of a young cancer victim and his family.

The defendant so far has led a life of fantasy. It's time for you to bring him back down to Earth and to teach him, finally, what is right and what is wrong.