Michael Jackson Case, A Year Later
The only image Michael Jackson wanted the world to see in November of 2003 was his new music video, to be released in conjunction with a greatest hits album. Instead, the self-proclaimed King Of Pop, who was once used to being No. 1 on the charts, was now Santa Barbara County Arrest Booking Number 621785.
Santa Barbara District Attorney Thomas Sneddon seemed almost giddy at the prospect of prosecuting Jackson, after a young boy with cancer, who appeared with Jackson in a 2003 British documentary, accused the singer of molesting him, a charge Jackson denied on 60 Minutes: "Before I would hurt a child, I would slit my wrist."
Sneddon's previous attempt to convict Jackson collapsed in 1994, when the alleged molestation victim, another boy, refused to testify and settled for about $15 million.
As Jackson awaited the new charges, he brought in legal eagle Mark Geragos and hotshot New York lawyer Benjamin Brafman to defend him, then dumped them both, settling on respected criminal and civil rights attorney Thomas Meserau.
Now, the defense seems focused on showing the D.A. has a vendetta against the singer, who recorded a song about Sneddon (one line was, "Tom Sneddon is a cold man"), and trying to prove the family of the latest accuser, referred to as John Doe, is simply out for money.
Even though his fate may ultimately be in the hands of a judge and a jury, Jackson sometimes behaved as if he was in the driver's seat, dancing on top of an SUV for fans who showed up for a court hearing.
He's toned down his behavior a bit lately, as much as anyone who wears an all-white suit with glitter can.
Over the last year, we've all heard some titillating things about this case. But very little is coming out in court. Most of the nearly 20,000 documents and pieces of evidence in the case are sealed.
"We've watched and covered a number of high-profile cases over the years; I don't know that there's been a single case that has been shrouded in such secrecy as this case has," says CBS News legal analyst Trent Copeland.
A year ago, Jackson was preparing for a big comeback on the world stage; he probably didn't think it would be like this. Now, even while facing trial, he continues to be hit with other lawsuits.
The latest is from one of his un-indicted co-conspirators, former gay porn producer Marc Schaffel; he's claiming $3 million in unpaid loans.
It's just one of the some 1,500 times Jackson has been sued over the years, but his first criminal trial is still set to begin in January.
Jackson has pleaded not guilty to all the charges against him.