Jacko, His Rise and Fall: The Social and Sexual History of Michael Jackson (92 page)

Lisa Marie on Oprah's infamous couch

Michael's defense team suffered a near-mortal blow when Jerome
Johnson, one of the co-defendants, seemingly switched
sides during pre-trial hearings,
claiming that he backed up the
allegations of the former
Neverland employees. As an
elite member of the OSS,
Johnson said that his sole job
was to apply "pressure on the
staff by harassing them."
Johnson filed an official decla ration with the court, backing up the allegations of the "Neverland Five," even
though they were suing him. Privately, he told a reporter that he was deeply
religious and "I can no longer participate in the lies of Michael Jackson. I can't
sleep at night thinking about what I have done for Jackson."

In April of 1995, Jerome Johnson, for "his act of betrayal," was terminated at Neverland after seven years of employment there. In addition, Michael's
lawyers cut Johnson loose from the case, leaving him with no lawyer until he
hired the defense attorney, Charles Matthews.

On January 24, 1996, a blackmail note was delivered to Michael's business office, demanding that $7 million be wired to a bank account in San
Francisco. Each plaintiff was quizzed to see if he or she had sent the note. All
of them testified that they did not. Judge Zel Canter ordered that a DNA swab
be taken from each participant in the case. According to court reporter Diane
Dimond, a match came back. Apparently, the envelope that contained the note
had been licked by the wife of Jerome Johnson.

In 1996, when Johnson appeared at the trial, something akin to despair
showed on the faces of the plaintiffs. Apparently because of the incriminating note, Johnson pleaded the Fifth Amendment and refused to repeat or validate any of his earlier testimony-testimony that had verified the claims of
the plaintiffs. After this setback, it became increasingly obvious that the plaintiffs' case against Michael Jackson was lost.

Even so, reporters were astonished at the verdict. Michael was found
innocent of all charges. But in a countersuit the star had filed against these
employees, they were ordered by the court to pay one and a half million dollars to Michael for various transgressions. McManus, for example, was
charged with "stealing souvenirs from the ranch for resale to Jackson fans."
Having no money to pay the judgment, the plaintiffs filed for bankruptcy.

After the case, one juror, who refused to give his name, said, "Most of us
on the jury, with one notable exception, were very impressed with Michael's
talent and his stardom. It was hard to throw the book against him. Some of us
felt that he'd suffered enough humiliation-not to mention losing millionsin that Jordie Chandler case we'd all heard about. Most of the plaintiffs struck
us as disgruntled former employees hoping to catch a free ride on the gravy
train."

Disgruntled employees at Neverland were not the only ones hoping to
catch a ride on the MJ gravy train. Victor M. Gutierrez, an investigative journalist living in Los Angeles in 1995, wrote the most sensational book ever
written about Michael. It was called Michael Jackson Was My Lover, and it
was reported to be The Secret Diary ofJordie Chandler.

The story came to the attention of America when Gutierrez appeared that
year on Hard Copy, the TV show. On the air, he claimed that he knew of a videotape containing
footage of Michael
Jackson molesting a
boy.

Nicolas Cage with Lisa Marie, circa 2001

His source allegedly
was "the mother"
(unnamed) of the
young boy. It was
rumored that the child
was Jason Francia,
the son of Michael's
former maid, Blanca
Francia. Later
Gutierrez reportedly
told the National Enquirer that his source had been Margaret Maldonado, who
had been married to Jermaine. On hearing of the rumor that her son, Jeremy,
was filmed having sex with Michael, Maldonado threatened to bring a lawsuit
against the National Enquirer if the paper ran the story. "I will end up owning
the paper," she threatened.

Hard Copy correspondent Diane Dimond did report the allegations,
though the National Enquirer never published the story. Gutierrez had told
Dimond that he'd seen a "27-minute video of the King of Pop in a compromising position with a boy." The Hard Copy reporter later repeated those allegations on a Los Angeles TV station.

In retaliation, Michael issued a $100 million slander suit against both
Gutierrez and Hard Copy. An investigation into the matter revealed no copy
of the video to back up the journalist's claim.

At one point the writer claimed that Elizabeth Taylor and Gil Garcetti, the
Los Angeles County District Attorney, could verify the existence of the videotape. Of course, they could not and did not. On October 15, Judge Reginald
Dunn ruled that the story was false and that Gutierrez had "acted with malice"
and was therefore liable for presumed and punitive damages. On October 15,
1996, the jury awarded Michael $2.7 million in the slander suit, and Gutierrez
filed for bankruptcy in October of 1997.

"Jurors told us that they not only wanted to compensate Mr. Jackson and
punish Victor Gutierrez, but to send a message that they are tired of tabloids
lying about celebrities for money," Michael's attorney, Zia Modabber, told the
Associated Press.

In April 14, 1999, Modabber spoke to the press once again.
"Unfortunately, anybody can walk into a courthouse with a couple of hundred
dollars and file a lawsuit. It doesn't take any more than that. And if you hap pen to be suing Michael Jackson or any other celebrity for that matter, you are
going to find yourself all over TV. You can tell the whole world about your
scandalous accusations and people are going to listen to you."

Gutierrez fled to Chile and wrote his book Michael Jackson Was My
Lover. It was published in Santiago, Chile, in March of 1996, with a subsequent second edition printed in January of 1997. It was subsequently banned
from sale in the United States, and as such, the "tell all" has become a highpriced collector's item.

The book was illustrated with very intimate private photographs of young
Jordie, even of the bed where Evan Chandler found his son sleeping with
Michael in a sexual position. Candid photographs of Jordie's naked torso were
also published under the caption, "Jackson's Taste." One photograph displays
what are purported to be five pairs of underwear worn by Jordie, both boxer
and jockey shorts. Gutierrez alleges that "the singer kept these in his room,
including some with shit and urine stains."

In the book, private documents not previously available to the public were
also published, even the drawing that Jordie drew during the sexual abuse
scandal that depicted the boy committing suicide by jumping off a building. It
is not known how Gutierrez obtained these documents, which included some
of Evan Chandler's handwritten notes to his attorney, Barry Rothman. The
authenticity of these documents has never been challenged.

The most controversial diagram is a sketch of Michael's penis which was
drawn by Jordie and presented to his father on October 24, 1993 at 11:45pm.
The boy, staying up late that night, even dated the time of submission. The
following morning, after studying the sketch, which included notes about
"spots and marks" on Michael's body, Evan Chandler turned his son's document over to the police. It is not known how this secret document became
available to Gutierrez, but it did, and he subsequently published a replica of it
in his book.

In his author's acknowledgements, Gutierrez thanks many people whom
he alleges contributed to the book, including two of Michael's former maids,
Blanca Francia and Adrian MacManus. He also thanks such formerly intimate
friends of Michael as Wade Robson and even detectives of the Sheriff's
Department of Santa Barbara and officials and detectives of the Child Abuse
Unit of the LAPD.

Despite the controversy raging around them, Gutierrez's book and its
illustrations are far too detailed and "insiderish" to be easily dismissed. It is
obvious that Gutierrez had inside knowledge culled from many sources. It's
also obvious that he secured documents and illustrations not available to other
journalists and biographers.

In the book Gutierrez draws some shocking conclusions:

Jackson loved Jordie. The King of Pop had had sexual relations with
many children, but Jordie was special. Jordie was his lover his companion.
He desired him physically and couldn't be separated from him. He was his top
priority, his life, the only person he wanted close to him. Thats why he told
Jordie "I've never gone so far sexually with a boy as I have with you. " Jordie
felt the same. He was attracted to his friend, his idol, and lost his virginity, so
to speak, with him. He enjoyed sex with his fiend. He received his friend's
attention, care and gifts.

As late as April of 2005, Michael Jackson Was My Lover: The Secret
Diary ofJordie Chandler was still making news. Karma Longworth reported
that Fenton Bailey and Randy Barbato of "World of Wonder," the production
company behind films that included Inside Deep Throat and The Eyes of
Tammy Faye, had optioned Gutierrez's book for the movies.

The Spanish language edition of the book, unlike the English version,
contained a description of Michael's "alleged inappropriate dalliance with
singer Ricky Martin," according to Longworth.

Months after the event, it was revealed that the raid on Neverland had
turned up two trunks filled with pictures of young Ricky Martin.

In the Spanish language version appears a statement that was translated
into English as follows: "Amongst the photographs confiscated by the police
during the raid [a reference to the first raid on Neverland], the detectives
found some of an unidentifiable Hispanic boy. Later they discovered that they
were of Ricky Martin, the singer and ex-member
of the band, Menudo, who is now an actor on the
North American soap opera General Hospital.
Even though the photographs of the now-actor
were taken from magazines and promotional stills,
they sufficiently indicate a liking towards the exmember of Menudo."

Ricky Martin

There is no evidence that Ricky Martin, as a
member of Menudo or as a successful solo singer
of such hits as "Livia' La Vida Loca," ever had a
relationship of any kind with Michael.

Rumors about Martin's sexual preference have
appeared frequently in the press, but Martin has
denied charges of homosexuality.

Martin joined the Latin boy group, Menudo, in
1984 at the tender age of twelve, when he first
came to Michael's attention.

The police concluded that the then-minor, Martin, "never reached the
point of knowing Jackson." In an interview, the singer was asked about the
photographs found at Neverland. He indicated his surprise but admitted that
he had always thought "that the King of Pop had a platonic liking towards
me." At one point Michael invited the Menudo boys for some photographs but
Martin claimed that he was not a member of the group yet. "When I did join
the group, I was fully aware that Jackson liked Menudo. But I never would
have thought that this man would have kept photographs of me when I was a
young boy. The police never contacted me, because I never knew Jackson."