Jurors Still Working on Jackson Verdict

Jurors in the Michael Jackson child-molestation trial ended Day Three of deliberations Tuesday without a verdict.

As dozens of reporters looked on, the eight women and four men on the panel climbed into two rented white vans in the courthouse parking lot shortly after 2:30 p.m. and were driven to their cars, which were at an undisclosed location.

The jurors followed the routine laid out by Santa Barbara County Superior Court Judge Rodney S. Melville during the trial, starting their day at 8:30 a.m. and taking three 10- or 15-minute breaks without lunch.

For hundreds of reporters and fans massed in front of the courthouse, the day passed without incident. A day earlier, Jackson’s father, Joe, had arrived at the courthouse unexpectedly, triggering a mini-stampede as reporters tried to interview him and fans tried to protect him.

On Tuesday, the Rev. Jesse Jackson held his second news conference in two days outside the courtroom where the 46-year-old pop star’s trial is being held. The activist cleric, who confers frequently with the entertainer and his family, said the pop star had asked him to come to Santa Maria to lend support.

“Michael Jackson asked me to meet with him, to pray with him, to fortify his faith and his confidence,” the minister said.

He described the pop star as “amazingly optimistic” while awaiting the jury’s verdict at his Neverland ranch, 30 miles south of Santa Maria.

At the end of the day, a fan released 11 doves in front of the courthouse. Ten were for the 10 criminal counts pending against Jackson, she said, and the 11th was for Jackson himself.