I've been asked a number of time how I can be sympathetic to Michael Jackson when he was a possible child molester.
As an expert in sexual abuse, I have long suspected that Jackson was sexually abused (along with the well-documented physical and emotional abuse he suffered). I've worked with both victims and predators, and every predator I worked with was repeating behavior that had once been done to them.
I can admire Michael Jackson's talents and gifts, and be sympathetic about his lost and difficult childhood, yet not condone behavior in him that may have been abusive to others. When I learned about the sexual abuse my father had experienced as a child, I was thankful to have an explanation for his abuse of me, although it did not in any way excuse his actions.
After watching every step of Jackson's trial, I personally thought there was evidence of guilt. However, the malicious prosecution by DA Sneddon made a fair trial impossible. So despite the evidence, I was relieved when Jackson was found not guilty. Post-trial, some jurors acknowledged that they felt Jackson had actually been guilty, but they reached their verdict based on the judge's appropriately narrow guidelines for conviction.
