Comedian Testifies in Jackson Trial

The mother of the boy accusing Michael Jackson of sexual molestation placed a chilling call to a friend in 2003, suggesting that she and her children were being kept against their will at the singer’s Neverland ranch, the friend testified Tuesday.

Comedian Louise Palanker, who befriended the family after meeting them at a Hollywood comedy club, was the first independent witness to support the prosecution’s claim that Jackson conspired to hold the accuser and his family against their will.

Palanker said she became concerned about the family after viewing a British documentary in which Jackson and the accuser were seen holding hands while the singer talked about how he enjoyed sleeping with children in a nonsexual manner. The comedian sent a letter to the boy’s grandmother, and the mother called a few days later, Palanker said.

“She was almost whispering. She may have been crying. She was very frightened,” Palanker said. “She started by saying, ‘If you have caller ID, this is not a safe line. Don’t call me back here. They’re listening to everything I say.... These people are evil. They’re keeping us.’ ”

Prosecutors allege that Jackson molested the boy, a cancer survivor who was then 13, four times in early 2003, provided the boy with alcohol and conspired to keep the family at his Neverland ranch in the Santa Ynez Valley against their will. If convicted of all charges, Jackson could face 20 years in prison.

While Palanker’s testimony seemed to bolster the conspiracy charge, defense attorney Thomas A. Mesereau Jr. scored some potentially significant concessions during cross-examination.

The comedian testified that the boy and his family repeatedly called celebrities soliciting cash and that the boy’s father once accused comedian George Lopez of stealing $300 from the boy’s wallet. Palanker also said she has had misgivings about the mother’s honesty. Mesereau has suggested that the boy’s mother fabricated the molestation allegation in an effort to win money in a civil lawsuit against the pop star.

Jackson, 46, arrived 10 minutes early to court Tuesday and said after a short day of testimony that he felt better than he did before. On Monday, Jackson hobbled into court five minutes late, saying he was suffering severe back pain and then spent 30 minutes in a courthouse bathroom while the judge consulted with his doctor.

Palanker testified that she had met Jackson’s accuser, the boy’s brother and sister in 1999 during a comedy camp for underprivileged children at a Hollywood club.

In 2000, the accuser’s mother called and told her that the boy was hospitalized with life-threatening cancer, Palanker said.

Palanker started visiting the boy in the hospital and decided to give the family $10,000 so the father could take time off from work to spend with the boy and so the family could remodel the boy’s bedroom.

Palanker said she became suspicious three weeks later when the father asked for more money, but she eventually wrote another $10,000 check.

She said she told the father she would not be able to give them more, but he continued to ask for money, she said.

Later, Palanker said she learned the boy’s parents did not pay the contractor who worked on the boy’s room and had spent some of the money on a flat-screen TV and DVD player.

Palanker said that despite the pleas from the boy and his father, the mother never asked her for anything. They remain friends, Palanker said.

That testimony contradicted a central point of Mesereau’s opening statement.

The defense lawyer told jurors that the boy’s mother solicited cash from Palanker and other celebrities before approaching Jackson.

Testimony is scheduled to resume this morning.