Jackson jury completes another day of deliberations

SANTA MARIA, Calif. (AP) _ Fans outside the courthouse gates chanted ``Michael's innocent'' as jurors wrapped up another day of deliberations in the Michael Jackson child molestation case.

Thursday, May 19th 2005, 8:47 am

By: News On 6

SANTA MARIA, Calif. (AP) _ Fans outside the courthouse gates chanted ``Michael's innocent'' as jurors wrapped up another day of deliberations in the Michael Jackson child molestation case.

The jury put in only 2 1/2 hours Thursday. The reason for the abbreviated day was not released by the court, but Judge Rodney S. Melville noted last week that some jurors had school graduation ceremonies to attend.

Since receiving the case on June 3, the eight women and four men have met for more than 22 hours over five days.

Jackson is charged with molesting a 13-year-old boy in 2003, plying him with wine and conspiring to hold him and his family captive to get them to rebut the TV documentary ``Living With Michael Jackson.''

The documentary showed the boy holding hands with Jackson and the pop star saying he let children into his bed for innocent, nonsexual sleepovers.

During the trial, the prosecution portrayed Jackson as a pedophile who has preyed on boys for years. The defense sought to show he is a victim of a family of con artists who target celebrities.

Jackson, who has made several trips to emergency rooms during the trial, went to a hospital again Wednesday for treatment of back problems, according to his spokeswoman, Raymone K. Bain.

Bain said the visit to Santa Ynez Valley Cottage Hospital had been scheduled as a follow-up to a hospital trip Sunday for what she described as a back problem exacerbated by stress.

Jackson first reported the back problem in March, when he made an early morning emergency room visit on one of the days his accuser testified. Jackson rushed to the courtroom wearing pajama bottoms when the judge threatened to have him arrested if he didn't appear.

Later that day, the boy testified that Jackson molested him while they were both wearing pairs of the singer's pajamas.