Michael Jackson found 'not guilty' on all counts
{{date|June 13, 2005}}

{| border="2" style="border-collapse:collapse; float:right; margin:5px;" cellspacing="2" cellpadding="2" rules="none" width="30%"
|-
| colspan="2" align="center" style="background:lightgrey" | '''Background'''
|-
| [[Image:Wikipedia.png|50px|none|Wikipedia]]
| Wikipedia, Wikinews' sibling project, has in-depth background articles on:
|-
| colspan="2" |
*[[w:Michael Jackson|Michael Jackson]]
*[[w:2005 trial of Michael Jackson|2005 trial of Michael Jackson]]
*[[w:Sexual abuse#Child sexual abuse|Child sexual abuse]]
*[[w:Conspiracy|Conspiracy]]
|}

The jury hearing the [[w:2005 trial of Michael Jackson|Michael Jackson trial]] has come to a final decision today, drawing to a close the long and widely hyped trial centering on the famous performer.

On this June 13, 2005, the jury in the [[w:2005 trial of Michael Jackson|Michael Jackson trial]] announced a verdict of ''[[w:acquittal|not guilty]]'' on all 10 counts. The charges which were brought up against [[w:Michael Jackson|Jackson]] included:

*One count of conspiracy to commit child abduction, false imprisonment or extortion:  ''Not guilty''
*Four counts of lewd acts with a child under 14:  ''Not guilty''
*One count of attempted lewd act on child under 14: ''Not guilty''
*Four counts of giving alcohol to enable child molestation:  ''Not guilty''

Emotional jurors of the case, some shedding a tear or two at the verdict's reading, stated that while they initially did not expect the decision to be made by today, they all felt that the decision made was the correct one, and that they indeed had more than 'reasonable doubt' about the claims against the performer. 

For a juror to return a verdict of ''not guilty'', the US judicial system dictates that they should have ''reasonable doubt'' about whether or not the individual has performed the alleged actions. The jurors said that they did this, also commenting that they kept a close eye on the instruction pages provided to them by the judge, often referring back to them when discussing evidence in the case which contributed to the final outcome.

[[w:Michael Jackson|Jackson]] left the courtroom without comment to reporters, and has remained silent since.

==Sources==
*{{source|url=http://www.cnn.com/2005/LAW/06/13/jackson.trial/index.html
|title=Jurors reach verdict in Jackson trial
|author=Dree De Clamecy and Rusty Dornin
|pub=CNN
|date=June 13, 2005}}

*{{source|url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/jackson/story/0,15819,1505806,00.html
|title=Michael Jackson jury reaches verdict 
|author=Associated Press
|pub=Guardian
|date=June 13, 2005}}

*{{source|url=http://wireservice.wired.com/wired/story.asp?section=Breaking&storyId=1048445&tw=wn_wire_story
|title=Jurors reach verdict in Michael Jackson trial
|author=Dan Whitcomb
|pub=Wired News - Reuters
|date=June 13, 2005}}

*{{source|url=http://www.cbc.ca/news/story/2005/06/13/jackson-verdict050613.html
|title=Jury reaches verdict in Michael Jackson case
|author=
|pub=CBC News
|date=June 13, 2005}}

{{PD-Article}}
{{archive}}
[[Category:Crime and law]]
[[Category:Culture and entertainment]]
[[Category:Michael Jackson trial]]
[[Category:Michael Jackson]]
[[Category:Published]]
[[Category:United States]]

[[de:Michael Jackson „nicht schuldig“ gesprochen]]
[[es:El jurado declara inocente a Michael Jackson]]
[[pl:Jackson uwolniony od zarzutów]]
[[pt:Jurados dizem que Michael Jackson é inocente]]
'Background'

 Wikipedia

 Wikipedia, Wikinews' sibling project, has in-depth background articles on:


*Michael Jackson
*2005 trial of Michael Jackson
*Child sexual abuse
*Conspiracy

The jury hearing the Michael Jackson trial has come to a final decision today, drawing to a close the long and widely hyped trial centering on the famous performer.

On this June 13, 2005, the jury in the Michael Jackson trial announced a verdict of not guilty on all 10 counts. The charges which were brought up against Jackson included:

*One count of conspiracy to commit child abduction, false imprisonment or extortion:  Not guilty
*Four counts of lewd acts with a child under 14:  Not guilty
*One count of attempted lewd act on child under 14: Not guilty
*Four counts of giving alcohol to enable child molestation:  Not guilty

Emotional jurors of the case, some shedding a tear or two at the verdict's reading, stated that while they initially did not expect the decision to be made by today, they all felt that the decision made was the correct one, and that they indeed had more than 'reasonable doubt' about the claims against the performer. 

For a juror to return a verdict of not guilty, the US judicial system dictates that they should have reasonable doubt about whether or not the individual has performed the alleged actions. The jurors said that they did this, also commenting that they kept a close eye on the instruction pages provided to them by the judge, often referring back to them when discussing evidence in the case which contributed to the final outcome.

Jackson left the courtroom without comment to reporters, and has remained silent since.

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de:Michael Jackson „nicht schuldig“ gesprochen
es:El jurado declara inocente a Michael Jackson
pl:Jackson uwolniony od zarzutów
Jurados dizem que Michael Jackson é inocente
Crime and law Culture and entertainment Michael Jackson trial Michael Jackson Published United States