March 8th, 2005 Trial Analysis: Star Arvizo Cross-Examination, Part 3 of 3

Mesereau catches Star in yet another lie when he asks Star to confirm that he and Gavin saw clocks everywhere at Neverland as they freely roamed the grounds, yet they told police that Jackson had forbidden their family from knowing what time it was!

4 Q. Okay. Now, did you tell the sheriffs that

5 Michael Jackson kept your family away from clocks.

6 A. Well, we never knew the time.

7 Q. Well, did you tell the Santa Barbara

8 Sheriffs that, “Michael Jackson would never let us

9 look at clocks,” or words to that effect.

10 A. Words — could I see it.

11 Q. I’m just asking you.

12 A. No. Well, yes. Probably said it to an

13 extent like that.

14 Q. Well, just tell the jury, if you would, how

15 you remember saying it.

16 A. I just remember saying that — I don’t

17 remember how exactly how I said it.

18 Q. Well, you said words to the effect, “Michael

19 Jackson kept my family away from clocks and time,”

20 right.

21 A. Were those my exact words.

22 Q. No, I’m saying, words to that effect. Do

23 you remember exactly how you said it to the sheriff.

24 A. No. I don’t know exactly.

25 Q. Do you remember roughly how you said it to

26 the sheriffs.

27 A. Not really.

28 Q. Did you say anything like that to the 1294

1 sheriffs.

2 A. Yes.

3 Q. Please tell the jury what you told the

4 sheriffs.

5 A. I’m going to be guessing, because I don’t

6 know my exact words.

7 Q. Okay. I’m not asking for your exact words.

8 I’m just asking you for generally what you said.

9 A. They kept us away from the clocks. We

10 didn’t know the exact time or the date or nothing.

11 Q. Would you agree that overlooking Neverland

12 is a huge clock.

13 A. Yes. It’s a flower clock.

14 Q. Yes. And to the right of that big flower

15 clock is another clock, correct.

16 A. Probably.

17 Q. There are clocks all over Neverland,

18 correct.

19 A. Yes.

20 Q. And you and your brothers used to run all

21 around Neverland, right.

22 A. Yes.

23 Q. You wanted the sheriffs to think that you

24 and your family were imprisoned and kept away from

25 clocks.

26 A. No.

27 Q. That’s why you told them that lie, right.

28 A. No. 1295

1 Q. If there are clocks all over Neverland, if

2 there’s a big flower clock on a hill overlooking

3 Neverland, and if you and your brothers were running

4 freely around Neverland, why did you tell the Santa

5 Barbara Sheriffs “We were kept away from clocks and

6 time”.

7 A. Because they were wrong and we were kept

8 away from them. We weren’t able to know the time.

9 Q. Your mother told you to say that, didn’t

10 she.

11 A. No.

12 Q. It was a lie, wasn’t it.

13 A. No.

14 Q. It defies common sense, doesn’t it.

15 A. Can you explain that.

16 Q. You don’t know what that means.

17 A. I know what common sense is.

18 Q. Everywhere you go at Neverland, you can see

19 clocks, right.

20 A. Not everywhere.

21 Q. Most places, right.

22 A. Yes, most places.

23 Q. And you and your brother were up on a

24 hill —

25 A. They weren’t always correct. Yeah, they had

26 clocks there, but they weren’t always correct.

27 Q. Well, if you didn’t know what time it was,

28 how do you know they weren’t correct. 1296

1 A. Because the clocks were — one clock was

2 saying five o’clock and another clock was saying

3 nine o’clock. That’s how I knew they were wrong.

4 Q. Star, you knew what time it was at

5 Neverland, didn’t you.

6 A. No.

7 MR. SNEDDON: Object as argumentative, Your

8 Honor.

9 THE COURT: Sustained.

Mesereau then moved on and questioned Star about the cards that he and his family sent to Jackson during 2000-2002, which included phrases like “I love you, I love you”, “My super, super, best, best friend”, and “Thank you Michael for being our family”. Mesereau was trying to show the jury that the Arvizo family had become emotionally attached to Jackson and viewed him as their meal ticket. Star admitted that his mother Janet referred to Jackson as being a part of their family, and being a “father figure” to her kids. Star claimed many of the overly effusive praises that he wrote about Jackson were merely “plugged in”, and not from the heart. He also claimed that none of his family was involved with those cards, but when questioned why their names appeared on them, he said that they must have signed the cards after he was finished writing them!

This was a deliberate technique by Mesereau to convey to the jury that the Arvizos referred to Jackson as “daddy” and “father” on their own volition, and not because they were forced to do so in the rebuttal video.

10 Q. BY MR. MESEREAU: Did you ever send letters

11 or cards to Michael Jackson.

12 A. Yes.

13 Q. Do you know when you did that.

14 A. When we first met Michael.

15 Q. And approximately when was that again.

16 A. When I was 10, 11.

17 Q. And do you know approximately when you first

18 met Michael.

19 A. While my brother was having cancer.

20 Q. Was that probably the fall of 2000.

21 A. I don’t know the date.

22 Q. Was it 2001.

23 A. I don’t know the date.

24 Q. Was it 2002.

25 A. I just know it was between when my brother

26 was having cancer.

27 Q. Did your mother help you write your letters

28 to Michael. 1297

1 A. Hmm, no.

2 Q. Did you write them yourself.

3 A. Yes.

4 Q. You wrote a letter to Michael, Star, where

5 you said — you thanked him, “Because even when your

6 hearts get broken and shattered into tiny little

7 pieces, we always still love, need and care about

8 you with every tiny little piece of our hearts,”

9 right.

10 A. Are you reading that from a card.

11 Q. I’m asking you if you remember saying

12 anything like that.

13 A. No.

14 Q. Never said it.

15 A. No.

16 Q. Would it refresh your recollection if I show

17 you a card —

18 A. Yes.

19 Q. — that you sent to Michael.

20 A. Yes.

21 MR. MESEREAU: May I approach, Your Honor.

22 THE COURT: Yes.

23 MR. SNEDDON: Your Honor, could I see the

24 card before counsel shows him.

25 MR. MESEREAU: Sure. My mistake.

26 MR. SNEDDON: That’s okay. My mistake; I

27 just didn’t….

28 MR. MESEREAU: May I have this marked as the 1298

1 exhibit next in order, Your Honor.

2 THE COURT: Yes.

3 MR. SNEDDON: Excuse me, Your Honor. If

4 he’s going to refresh the individual’s recollection

5 first, and that —

6 MR. MESEREAU: Excuse me, Your Honor, I’m

7 doing it.

8 THE COURT: He’s changed his —

9 MR. SNEDDON: I object.

10 THE COURT: He’s changed his approach.

11 MR. MESEREAU: I’m doing it.

12 THE COURT: He was going to refresh. Now

13 he’s asking if the exhibit may be marked. He can

14 have the exhibit marked.

15 MR. MESEREAU: Thank you, Your Honor.

16 THE CLERK: It’s 5001.

17 MR. MESEREAU: 5001.

18 MR. SNEDDON: No objection that it come in.

19 MR. MESEREAU: Your Honor, that would be a

20 card and an envelope. Would you like them to be two

21 exhibits or can they be the same.

22 THE COURT: I think they can be the same.

23 MR. MESEREAU: Okay. Thank you.

24 Q. Star, I’m going to show you a card and

25 envelope that have been marked as Exhibit 5001.

26 Okay.

27 A. I think I wrote this off another card.

28 Q. Okay. But you did write it, right. 1299

1 A. Yes.

2 Q. Have you seen that before.

3 A. I haven’t seen this in a long time.

4 Q. But that’s your handwriting, isn’t it.

5 A. Yes, when I was really little. Yes.

6 Q. And how about the envelope. Have you seen

7 that envelope, the purple envelope. Have you seen

8 that before.

9 A. Yes.

10 Q. That’s the envelope the card came in.

11 A. I don’t remember if the envelope came with

12 this card.

13 Q. Okay. And you gave Michael Jackson your

14 phone number, right, at the bottom.

15 A. Looks like it.

16 Q. Okay.

17 A. Wait. I don’t remember that being my phone

18 number. But if it is, it was.

19 MR. MESEREAU: I would move this document

20 into evidence, Your Honor.

21 MR. SNEDDON: I already said no objection,

22 Your Honor.

23 THE COURT: It’s admitted.

24 Q. BY MR. MESEREAU: You said to Michael

25 Jackson, “My super, super, best, best friend,”

26 right.

27 A. Yes.

28 Q. You said, “I love you, I love you,” 1300

1 repeatedly, right.

2 A. Yes.

3 Q. And you referred to Father’s Day, right.

4 A. I didn’t read the card.

5 Q. Would it refresh your recollection if I show

6 you the envelope.

7 A. Sure.

8 MR. MESEREAU: May I approach, Your Honor.

9 THE COURT: Yes.

10 THE WITNESS: “Happy Father’s Day.”

11 Q. BY MR. MESEREAU: Yeah, you said “Happy

12 Father’s Day” on the envelope, right.

13 A. Wait. Can I see it one more time.

14 Q. Sure.

15 May I.

16 THE COURT: Yes.

17 THE WITNESS: Sorry. Okay.

18 Q. BY MR. MESEREAU: You sent the card on

19 Father’s Day, correct.

20 A. Sure. I don’t remember, but, okay.

21 Q. You told Mr. Jackson, “You always heal us in

22 a very special way,” right.

23 A. I wrote that off another card.

24 Q. What other card did you write that off of.

25 A. It was a card that already had it written on

26 there.

27 Q. Where did you get that card.

28 A. Probably from a supermarket or — 1301

1 Q. Excuse me.

2 A. Probably from a supermarket.

3 Q. Okay. So you took a card from a

4 supermarket —

5 A. Yes.

6 Q. — and wrote the words.

7 A. It was a card lying around. My grandmother

8 got a lot of cards from her grandchildren.

9 Q. You said, “Michael, you are special to us,”

10 right.

11 A. Okay.

12 Q. “We loyally and faithfully love you more,”

13 right.

14 A. Yes.

15 Q. “We love you unconditionally, to infinity

16 and beyond forever,” right.

17 A. Okay.

18 Q. And you said, “Thank you, Michael, for being

19 our family,” right.

20 A. Okay.

21 Q. “Love, your Blow Hole, Star Arvizo,” right.

22 A. Okay.

23 Q. 626-452-1693, right.

24 A. I don’t even remember having that phone

25 number, but —

26 Q. The card is signed “Davellin, Gavin, Star

27 and me,” right.

28 A. “Me”. Okay. 1302

1 Q. Well, there’s other people’s writings on

2 there also, correct.

3 A. Yes.

4 Q. And you all used to write to Michael and

5 tell him about how he had healed your family, right.

6 A. What do you mean. We never — we probably

7 wrote to him like —

8 Q. Pardon me.

9 A. I only wrote to him, like, three times.

10 Q. Okay. But you would write to him and tell

11 him how he had healed your family, true.

12 A. I don’t remember that.

13 Q. Your mother would ask you to do that, right.

14 A. No.

15 Q. And your family often referred to Michael as

16 a father figure, right.

17 A. Um, sure.

18 Q. You did that often, right.

19 A. Refer to him as a father figure.

20 Q. Yes. You always referred to Michael as

21 being part of your family, didn’t you.

22 A. Yes. Part of our family.

23 Q. Your mother used to do that, correct.

24 A. What do you mean.

25 Q. You don’t know what I mean.

26 A. No.

27 Q. Your mother used to refer to Michael Jackson

28 as being part of your family, didn’t she. 1303

1 MR. SNEDDON: Your Honor, I’m going to

2 object as to vague as to time.

3 MR. MESEREAU: I’ll rephrase it, Your Honor.

4 Q. From the time you first met Michael Jackson,

5 you used to refer to him as being part of your

6 family, didn’t you.

7 A. Yes.

8 Q. From the time your mother first met Michael

9 Jackson, she used to refer to him as being part of

10 your family, right.

11 A. I can’t speak for my mom.

12 Q. You never heard her say that.

13 A. Not really.

14 Q. From the time your sister first met Michael

15 Jackson, she used to refer to him as being part of

16 the family, right.

17 A. I don’t know.

18 Q. Did you ever hear her say that.

19 A. No.

20 Q. But you started doing it yourself, correct.

21 A. Yes.

22 Q. And you say you did it by copying a card

23 from a supermarket.

24 A. Yes, I just plugged his name in.

25 Q. Okay. So this handwriting of yours all

26 comes from a supermarket card; is that correct.

27 A. No, not from a supermarket card. I rewrote

28 the supermarket card. 1304

1 Q. Okay. So when you said to Michael, “Thank

2 you, Michael, because even when our hearts are and

3 get broken and shattered into tiny little pieces, we

4 always still love, need and care about you with

5 every tiny little piece of our hearts, because you

6 always heal us in a very special way,” did you get

7 that from a supermarket card.

8 A. I plugged some words in, I plugged his name

9 in, and that’s how I got that paragraph.

10 Q. And you recall sending it to him.

11 A. What.

12 Q. Do you recall sending it to him.

13 A. Not really.

14 Q. Do you recall giving it to him.

15 A. Not really.

16 Q. Yesterday you told the jury that when you

17 were interviewed on that rebuttal tape and your

18 family said things about Michael healing Gavin and

19 being a father, that that was something scripted,

20 correct.

21 A. Yes.

22 Q. But nobody scripted the words in this card,

23 did they.

24 A. No. But that was before all that happened.

25 Q. Before what happened, Star.

26 A. Before the Miami trip, and before we finally

27 left.

28 Q. So what you’re saying is before the Miami 1305

1 trip, you always, you and your family always

2 referred to Michael as “Daddy” and as someone who

3 would heal.

4 A. We never had a constant connection with

5 Michael during that time.

6 Q. Then why would you write a card like this to

7 him.

8 A. Probably when we came back from Neverland.

9 I don’t know. I was really little when I wrote that

10 card.

11 Q. Your mother asked you to write it, didn’t

12 she.

13 A. No.

14 Q. Your mother never asked you to write to

15 Michael.

16 A. No.

17 Q. Your mother — how old were you when you

18 wrote the card; do you think.

19 A. Probably — I don’t know. I don’t know.

20 Q. Well, how old do you think you were. Ten.

21 Nine.

22 A. I can’t guess. I don’t know.

23 Q. Well, how old are you now.

24 A. 14.

25 Q. We’re talking about a couple of years ago,

26 right.

27 A. I don’t know. I don’t want to say the wrong

28 age. 1306

1 Q. Pardon me.

2 A. I don’t want to say the wrong age.

3 Q. No, just do your best. Just estimate.

4 We’re talking about a couple of years ago, correct.

5 A. No.

6 Q. Huh.

7 A. No.

8 Q. Well, how long ago do you think you were

9 visiting Neverland.

10 A. Back in 2000 and 2001.

11 Q. All right. How old do you think you were in

12 2000 and 2001.

13 A. Ten.

14 Q. Are you saying that when you were ten years

15 old nobody told you what words to write on this

16 card.

17 A. Yes.

18 Q. You wrote it all yourself when you were ten.

19 A. No, the card helped me.

20 Q. Well, what about the words, “When we get

21 broken and shattered into tiny little pieces we

22 always still love, need and care about you with

23 every tiny little piece of our hearts, because you

24 always heal us in a very special way”. Did you make

25 those words up at the age of 10.

26 A. No, the card did.

27 Q. The card did.

28 A. Yes. The card already had them written on 1307

1 there.

2 Q. Oh, I see, so you took a card and copied it.

3 A. Yes, I told you.

4 Q. And your mother wasn’t involved in that.

5 A. No.

6 Q. And your father wasn’t involved in that.

7 A. No.

8 Q. And Gavin wasn’t involved in that.

9 A. No.

10 Q. And Davellin wasn’t involved in that, right.

11 A. No.

12 Q. You did it all yourself, right.

13 A. Yes.

14 Q. Then how come you got other family members

15 writing on the same card.

16 A. Well, they probably wrote on the card after

17 I was done with it.

18 Q. Did you see them do that.

19 A. No, I just wrote on it, and I left it there.

20 Q. Are you saying they probably did that, or

21 you know they did that.

22 A. They probably did that.

23 Q. Okay. But what you’re telling the jury –

24 and correct me if I’m wrong – is long before the

25 rebuttal video, your family was referring to Michael

26 as “Daddy,” and as someone who had healed the

27 family, true.

28 MR. SNEDDON: Object, Your Honor, as 1308

1 compound.

2 MR. MESEREAU: I’ll rephrase it, Your Honor.

3 I think it is compound.

4 THE COURT: All right.

5 Q. BY MR. MESEREAU: Long before the rebuttal

6 film, your family was referring to Michael as a

7 father figure, right.

8 A. It was long before the Miami trip, too.

9 Q. You say long before it.

10 A. Yes.

11 Q. Well, in the year —

12 A. And —

13 Q. Pardon me.

14 A. And my brother was referring to him as a

15 father figure.

16 Q. Okay. Long before the Miami trip, correct.

17 A. Yes.

18 Q. And long before the Miami trip, your mother

19 was referring to him as a father figure, right.

20 A. My brother.

21 Q. Is that true.

22 A. Yes, my brother needed a father at that

23 time. He was barely coming out of his terminal

24 illness.

25 Q. And long before the Miami trip, you were

26 referring to Michael Jackson as a father figure,

27 right.

28 A. I don’t remember doing it, but okay. 1309

1 Q. Well, did you do that.

2 A. No.

3 Q. Pardon me.

4 A. No.

5 Q. You didn’t do it.

6 A. No.

7 Q. What about the card.

8 A. So. That’s what — that’s what the card had

9 on it, so I — I rewrit it on a piece of paper

10 and — and I plugged in his name.

11 Q. Now, “Blow Hole” was a nickname for a fish,

12 right.

13 A. Yes.

14 Q. Your nickname was based on a fish, right.

15 A. I made it up. I was going to give it to

16 Michael. We had a rock/paper/scissors, I lost, so I

17 got stuck with that name.

Here are examples of some of the cards and photos that the Arvizos sent to Jackson:

As the day’s testimony began to wrap up, Mesereau challenged Star about the discrepancies in his initial statements to Dr. Stan Katz in May 2003, and his later statements to police and grand jury. For example, he initially said that he witnessed Jacksons’ pants outside of Gavin’s pants in order to feel him, but later said it was inside Gavin’s pants in order to masturbate him, and that Jackson was rubbing his penis against Gavin’s buttocks! He also claimed that he “forgot” to mention during his direct testimony that Jackson allegedly served him Vodka, in addition to red and white wine. He also told Katz that he smelled marijuana when he entered Jackson’s room during those occasions when he allegedly witnessed Jackson abusing Gavin. Star denied it, and insinuated that Katz is a liar.

18 Q. Okay. Do you remember meeting with

19 Psychologist Stanley Katz to talk about what you

20 claim Michael Jackson did to your mother. Do you

21 remember that.

22 A. Yes.

23 Q. You told Stanley Katz that Michael Jackson

24 gave you red wine and vodka, correct.

25 A. I don’t remember saying that.

26 Q. Would it refresh your recollection if I show

27 you his testimony.

28 A. Whose testimony. 1310

1 Q. Stanley Katz.

2 A. I never said that to him, so —

3 Q. Would it refresh your recollection if I just

4 show you what he says you told him.

5 A. That’s what he said.

6 Q. Okay. Would it refresh your recollection if

7 I just show you what he said.

8 A. Okay, but it’s not going to help.

9 Q. It’s not going to help you.

10 A. Yeah, I remember saying red and white wine,

11 and there’s one time we got vodka, yes.

12 Q. You told Stanley Katz that you were given

13 vodka.

14 A. Yes.

15 Q. But yesterday you told the jury it was just

16 wine, right.

17 A. I forgot.

18 Q. You might have forgot yesterday.

19 A. Yes.

20 Q. Okay. You told Stanley Katz that the first

21 time you observed your brother in bed with Michael

22 Jackson, that Michael Jackson had put his hand on

23 your brother’s crotch, right.

24 A. Yes.

25 Q. You then changed that to say he had put his

26 hand inside your brother’s pants, right.

27 A. He might have said it, but I know what I

28 said. 1311

1 Q. Excuse me. I’m sorry.

2 A. Repeat the question.

3 Q. Originally, you told Stanley Katz that

4 Michael Jackson had put his hand near your brother’s

5 crotch, right.

6 A. Near.

7 Q. Yes.

8 A. Okay.

9 Q. Is that right.

10 A. No.

11 Q. Well, you said he put his hand on his

12 crotch, correct.

13 A. In his underwears.

14 Q. And as time went on, after interview and

15 after interview, you changed that to masturbation,

16 true.

17 A. Masturbating my brother.

18 Q. Let me rephrase it.

19 A. Okay.

20 Q. You told Stanley Katz that the first time

21 you saw Michael Jackson in bed with your brother,

22 the time you went up the stairs, that Michael

23 Jackson had put his hand on your brother’s crotch,

24 right.

25 A. When they were going up the stairs.

26 Q. Yes.

27 A. While they were going up the stairs.

28 Q. While you’re going up the stairs. 1312

1 A. Okay.

2 Q. Let me rephrase it. Don’t answer it if

3 you’re confused. Okay.

4 A. Okay.

5 Q. You told the jury yesterday you went up the

6 stairs one night, right.

7 A. Yes.

8 Q. You got into the room yourself, right.

9 A. Yes.

10 Q. You said the bell went off, right.

11 A. When I first walked in through the hallway,

12 yes.

13 Q. And even though the bell went off, you kept

14 going up the stairs, right.

15 A. The bell went off while I was — made my way

16 through the hallway.

17 Q. The bell went off when you opened the door,

18 didn’t it.

19 A. No, it stopped.

20 Q. Pardon me.

21 A. It stopped.

22 Q. It just stopped.

23 A. Yeah. It goes for a couple more minutes and

24 then it stops.

25 Q. And then what happens.

26 A. That’s it.

27 Q. It never goes on again.

28 A. No. 1313

1 Q. It goes off so Michael can hear it, correct.

2 A. If the door’s closed, you can’t hear

3 nothing.

4 Q. Can’t hear anything upstairs.

5 A. No.

6 Q. Is that what you’re saying.

7 A. Yes.

8 Q. Okay. The bell goes off. You say Michael

9 doesn’t hear it, right.

10 A. Yes.

11 Q. And you say that you open his door to the

12 stairway, right, and you say you go upstairs, right.

13 A. Okay.

14 Q. The first one you say you describe that to

15 was Stanley Katz, correct.

16 A. Yes.

17 Q. You told Stanley Katz that Michael Jackson

18 had his left hand on Gavin’s crotch, right.

19 A. Yes.

20 Q. Never told him that Michael Jackson was

21 masturbating Gavin.

22 A. He wasn’t masturbating. He was just

23 feeling.

24 Q. He was just feeling him.

25 A. Yes.

26 Q. Do you remember yesterday you told the jury

27 he was masturbating him.

28 A. No, I said Michael was feeling my brother 1314

1 while he was masturbating.

2 Q. Okay. Did you ever tell the jury yesterday

3 that Michael was masturbating your brother.

4 A. No.

5 Q. Did you ever tell that to anybody.

6 A. No.

7 Q. Okay. Do you remember when you described

8 for Stanley Katz the second time you claim Michael

9 Jackson was observed by you in bed with your

10 brother. Do you remember that.

11 A. What.

12 Q. Do you remember telling Stanley Katz there

13 was a second time that you went up the stairs and

14 observed Michael Jackson touching your brother.

15 A. Yes.

16 Q. Did you tell Stanley Katz that Michael

17 Jackson had his hand on your brother’s crotch.

18 A. Yes.

19 Q. That’s really not what you told him at all,

20 is it.

21 A. What are you talking about.

22 Q. Well, you told Stanley Katz that Michael

23 Jackson was rubbing his penis against Gavin’s

24 buttocks, didn’t you.

25 A. When. The second time.

26 Q. Yes. Did you tell Stanley Katz that.

27 A. No.

28 Q. Would it refresh your recollection if I show 1315

1 you his grand jury testimony.

2 A. I know what I said, though.

3 Q. Are you denying telling Psychologist Stanley

4 Katz —

5 A. The second time.

6 Q. — that you told him the second time you

7 observed Michael Jackson touching your brother in

8 bed, that Michael Jackson was rubbing his penis

9 against your brother’s buttocks.

10 A. No.

11 Q. You never told that to Stanley Katz.

12 A. No.

13 Q. If I showed you his testimony, would that

14 jog your memory.

15 A. No. I know what I said, though.

16 Q. Okay. You tried to tell Stanley Katz that

17 you smelled marijuana, didn’t you.

18 A. I don’t know how marijuana smells.

19 Q. Didn’t you tell Stanley Katz you smelled

20 marijuana.

21 A. No.

22 Q. Would it refresh your recollection if I show

23 you that page of his testimony.

24 A. No.

Next, Mesereau asked Star about the alleged threats that Frank Cascio made to him and his family to get them to film the rebuttal video, and Star answered that he told sheriffs that Frank made those threats to him because Frank knew that Jackson had abused Gavin and wanted to protect Jackson. He also claimed that the reason why he has forgotten so much information is because he had to study for his school work, and that caused him to forget many of the details of the case, but only during his cross-examination!

25 Q. Okay. Now, you told the Santa Barbara

26 Sheriffs that Frank threatened you and your family,

27 right.

28 A. He just threatened me. 1317

1 Q. He just threatened you alone.

2 A. He probably threatened my family.

3 Q. Did he threaten you alone.

4 A. Yes.

5 Q. Do you know when that was.

6 A. I don’t know the date.

7 Q. Was it when you first got to Neverland.

8 A. I don’t really remember.

9 Q. Was it after the Miami trip.

10 A. Yes.

11 Q. Do you know how soon after the Miami trip.

12 A. I think it was right before the rebuttal.

13 Q. Right before the rebuttal.

14 A. I was trying to go talk to my mom.

15 Q. So this would be before, if I represent to

16 you the rebuttal was June 20th, right.

17 A. Yes.

18 Q. Excuse me, February 20th, pardon me.

19 February 20th was the rebuttal tape, right.

20 A. Okay.

21 Q. And you’re saying that Frank threatened you

22 right before the rebuttal tape.

23 A. While I was trying to walk to my mom’s guest

24 unit.

25 Q. Okay. But it was — as far as you know,

26 it’s before the rebuttal tape, right.

27 A. Yes.

28 Q. Okay. And in one of your sheriffs’ 1318

1 interviews, you were asked why Frank made that

2 threat, right.

3 A. Yes.

4 Q. And you told the sheriffs, “Because he

5 already knew that what Michael did to us, and if we

6 told them the truth, he would have went to jail,”

7 right.

8 A. Can I read that.

9 Q. Yes.

10 May I approach, Your Honor.

11 THE COURT: Yes.

12 Q. BY MR. MESEREAU: Have you had a chance to

13 look at that page.

14 A. Yes.

15 Q. Do you remember saying that to the sheriffs.

16 A. Yes.

17 Q. And you told them, essentially, that Frank

18 said that to you, threatened you, because he knew

19 that if you told anybody what Michael had done,

20 Michael would go to jail, right.

21 A. Yes.

22 Q. That was right before the rebuttal tape,

23 right.

24 A. I think so, yes.

25 Q. Have you discussed the charges in this case

26 with the sheriffs.

27 A. No.

28 Q. Have they told you they’re claiming that 1319

1 molestation went on starting the 20th of June.

2 A. Okay.

3 Q. February, I mean. Have they told you that.

4 A. Okay. No, they haven’t told me.

5 Q. Did you ever give them dates.

6 A. No. I knew more back then than I do now.

7 Q. You knew more back then than you do now.

8 A. Yes, it was fresh in my memory back then.

9 Q. Did someone tell you to say that.

10 A. No, I’m saying it right now, because I have

11 school, I have tests to study for, and most of that

12 stuff leave my memory, most of the details.

13 Q. That’s because you’re studying for tests in

14 school.

15 A. Yes. Yes.

16 Q. And you think if you weren’t studying for

17 tests in school, you’d know a lot more today.

18 A. It’s not just tests. It’s just learning.

19 Q. So the learning you’ve done in school has

20 interfered with your memory about this case.

21 A. No, I know — I know — I know everything

22 happened. I just don’t know it in detail like I did

23 in those testimonies.

24 Q. Okay. Okay. You had a lot of details

25 yesterday, didn’t you.

26 A. Well, yeah. I do remember details. But not

27 all the details.

Mesereau then asks Star if he had been given a transcript of his interviews with police prior to testifying in the trial, in order to make sure his testimony is consistent with his earlier statements, and he admits that Sneddon mailed it to him, told him to read through it, but he didn’t do it until the last minute because he was busy with school (and when you consider all of the discrepancies in his testimonies, he obviously wasn’t lying about not reading those transcripts!)

28 Q. Okay. But you said you’ve reviewed a 1320

1 transcript of your police interview, right.

2 A. Yes. I didn’t memorize 300 pages.

3 Q. They told you to memorize it.

4 A. No, I’m just telling you I didn’t memorize

5 them. I just read through them.

6 Q. Now, where did you get 300 pages.

7 A. I’m just saying, I’m just giving you an

8 example.

9 Q. Please tell the jury how many pages you were

10 mailed to review before you testified.

11 A. I didn’t count them.

12 Q. Do you know approximately how many.

13 A. No.

14 Q. Didn’t you just say 300.

15 A. I was showing you an example.

16 Q. Okay. And when did you get these pages,

17 however many there were.

18 A. When did I get them.

19 Q. Yes.

20 A. About a month ago.

21 Q. Do you know where they came from.

22 A. No.

23 Q. No idea.

24 A. No.

25 Q. They just popped up in the mail.

26 A. Yes.

27 Q. And when you got them, what did you do.

28 A. I didn’t read them. 1321

1 Q. Where did you put them.

2 A. Put them right near my bed.

3 Q. Never looked at them again.

4 A. No. Until — until I almost came up here.

5 Q. So when you almost came up here, you looked

6 at those pages for the first time, right.

7 A. Yes.

8 Q. And how many of them did you look at.

9 A. How many.

10 Q. Yeah. Roughly.

11 A. I don’t know.

12 Q. Did you look at all of them.

13 A. Yes.

14 Q. Did someone tell you to read them.

15 A. Yes.

16 Q. Who.

17 A. Tom.

18 Q. Prosecutor Sneddon.

19 A. Yes.

20 Q. Told you to read all the pages, right.

21 A. Yes. Just to look through them.

22 Q. Told you to read them, to get ready for your

23 testimony in this case, right.

24 A. Yes. Just to look through them.

25 Q. And that’s how you knew your sentence to the

26 sheriffs about AOL dropped off and wasn’t completed,

27 right.

28 A. I didn’t know about that. 1322

1 Q. You didn’t know about that.

2 A. No.

3 Q. Didn’t you just testify about that.

4 A. I said I read through them.

5 Q. Read through what.

6 A. My transcripts.

7 Q. Okay. You read through them because

8 Prosecutor Sneddon wanted you to make sure that you

9 testified consistently with what you had in the

10 reports, right.

11 A. Okay.

12 Q. Is that what he said.

13 A. No. He just told me to thumb through them,

14 to look through them.

15 Q. He told you just to thumb through them.

16 A. No, just to look through them.

17 Q. Okay. Now, when did he do this.

18 A. Hmm, about a month ago.

19 Q. Did you do what he asked you to do.

20 A. No. I had school to concentrate on. I had

21 a final.

22 Q. Okay. So you didn’t do what Prosecutor

23 Sneddon asked you to do; isn’t that correct.

24 A. I eventually did it.

25 Q. Eventually you did. And can you just tell

26 us when.

27 A. What.

28 Q. Can you just tell us when you eventually did 1323

1 what Prosecutor Sneddon asked you to do.

2 A. Four weeks after he told me, or three weeks.

3 Q. Okay. And was that in the last month.

4 A. Yes.

5 Q. So you read all the documents you were sent

6 by Prosecutor Sneddon, right.

7 A. Yes. I didn’t memorize them. I just read

8 them and — yeah.

9 Q. Well, did anyone tell you to memorize them.

10 A. No, I’m telling you I didn’t memorize all

11 those pages.

Next, Mesereau catches Star in yet another material inconsistency! Star claimed that his mother never left her guest unit, but he also admitted that his mother watched a movie with Jackson and his siblings in the movie theater. Star’s excuse for this discrepancy is that he was “thinking of something else” when he answered Mesereau’s original question about his mother never  leaving the guest unit, and that Mesereau was “mixing up his memories”. This is important testimony because later on in the trial, Mesereau will reveal that Janet had each of her children pray with “Daddy Michael” while they were in the movie theater! Here is what Mesereau said about this incident during his opening statement:

Ladies and gentlemen, Michael Jackson will

18 tell you one time at Neverland he got a very bad

19 feeling and intuition. They were in the theater

20 that you’ve heard about. There is a theater at

21 Neverland, where you can just go in, and kids can

22 have their seats. It’s on an incline. You got a

23 stage and you got a big screen.

24 He was there with Janet Arvizo and the three

25 kids, Gavin, Star and Davallin. And all of a

26 sudden, Janet Arvizo grabs Michael’s hand and has

27 her children all hold hands, and she says, “Let’s

28 all kneel down and pray with our Daddy Michael.” 197

1 And Michael Jackson got a very bad feeling.

2 And after that, he concluded, “I got to get away. I

3 got to get away. I love helping this child, but

4 something is wrong.”

5 And we will prove to you that he was warned

6 by others, “Get away.”

 

Here is the excerpt from Star’s testimony:

12 Q. Okay. Do you remember telling the Santa

13 Barbara Sheriffs that there’s a big telescope on a

14 hill at Neverland that you and Gavin used to look

15 through.

16 A. We looked through once or twice, yes.

17 Q. And describe for the jury where that

18 telescope is, if you would.

19 A. It’s on a hill right before you enter the —

20 the second gate into the ranch.

21 Q. And from that hill, can you get a view of

22 Neverland.

23 A. Yes. You can also view into a guest unit.

24 Q. And you told the sheriffs that you and Gavin

25 used to look through that telescope into the guest

26 units, right.

27 A. Yes, we saw into one guest unit where my mom

28 was staying. 1324

1 Q. Okay. So you used to kind of look at your

2 mom through the telescope, right.

3 A. No, no, we just — we were looking and we

4 saw a guest unit, and then we continued looking

5 somewhere else.

6 Q. Did you look into the window of that guest

7 unit.

8 A. Yes. Yes.

9 Q. And that’s where your mom was, right.

10 A. Yes.

11 Q. You saw your mom, right.

12 A. All you saw was her television and her bed.

13 But you didn’t — you saw like a part of her bed.

14 You didn’t see her complete bed.

15 Q. Did you see her in the unit.

16 A. No.

17 Q. But your testimony was that your mom never

18 came out of the guest quarters, right.

19 A. Yes.

20 Q. Do you remember — strike that.

21 Did you ever see your mom dancing with

22 Michael Jackson.

23 A. No.

24 Q. Did you ever go into the theater with

25 your — with Michael Jackson and your mom.

26 A. I went in the theater a lot of times.

27 Q. Did you ever go into the theater with your

28 mom, Michael, Davellin and Gavin. 1325

1 A. Yes, to watch a movie.

2 Q. And how often did you do that.

3 A. My mom rarely came out.

4 Q. Well, but you just said — first you said

5 she never went out. Then you admitted you’d been in

6 the theater with her, right.

7 A. I was thinking about something else.

8 Q. Okay.

9 A. You kind of got it mixed into my memory.

10 Q. Okay. I don’t want to mix you up.

11 First you said your mom never came out of

12 the guest cottage, right.

13 A. Yes.

14 Q. And then you admitted she’d been in the

15 theater with Michael and the family, right.

16 A. And I told you that my memories got mixed in

17 and I said something else.

18 Q. Okay. I’m just trying to find out what the

19 truth is, if I can.

20 A. Okay.

21 Q. You said you were in the theater with your

22 mom, Michael, Gavin and Davellin, right.

23 A. Yes. But then I said after that, that no,

24 she wasn’t, because she wasn’t.

25 Q. Okay. So your mom never was in the theater

26 you’re saying now, right.

27 A. She probably was, but I wasn’t there. I

28 just remember going in there and watching movies. 1326

Mesereau ended that day’s cross-examination by challenging Star about his earlier assertion of not being able to know what time it was at Neverland. Star admitted to sheriffs that he and Gavin twice used a telescope that was located on a hill at Neverland, and they were able to different parts of Neverland, including the many clocks! Star tried to say that the trees prevented him from seeing the clocks, but Mesereau challenged that assertion!

1 Q. All right. Now, the telescope on the hill

2 is a telescope that you and your brother used to

3 look through, correct.

4 A. It was twice we looked through the

5 telescope.

6 Q. And does the telescope move.

7 A. Yes. Moves in all directions.

8 Q. And if you take that telescope, you can see

9 the clocks at Neverland, can’t you.

10 A. Okay.

11 Q. Can you.

12 A. Trees were in the way.

13 Q. Trees are in the way.

14 A. Yes. There’s a lot of trees at Neverland.

15 Q. You can’t see one clock from that telescope.

16 A. Which clock are you referring to.

17 Q. Any of them.

18 A. There was, like, two clocks right beside

19 each other and a clock way over there by the

20 carnival. You can see the hands on that clock.

21 Q. That’s the clock by the carnival.

22 A. Yes.

23 Q. And you said there are two other clocks you

24 mentioned.

25 A. Well, there’s one big clock.

26 Q. Right. One big clock.

27 A. Yes.

28 Q. Can you see that through the telescope. 1327

1 A. No.

2 Q. What clocks can you see through the

3 telescope.

4 A. The one by the carnival, but it’s too small

5 to look through. I mean, it’s too small to see the

6 hands moving.

7 Q. What about the big flower clock —

8 A. Okay.

9 Q. — on the hill that overlooks Neverland.

10 Can you see that through the telescope.

11 A. No, the trees are in the way.

12 Q. You’re sure of that.

13 A. Yes.

14 Q. Did you try to do it.

15 A. Not really. We were looking; we just wanted

16 to look through it. We weren’t trying to look for

17 time. We were just looking through it, because —

18 because it was up there, so we were just trying to

19 look through it.

20 Q. You’re making up that trees block your view

21 through the telescope, aren’t you —

22 A. I’m just saying —

23 Q. — Star.

24 A. — I never really expected to look for a

25 clock. I just looked through it. I remember trees

26 and probably — yeah. I remember trees, but I never

27 really — the telescope was up there, so me and my

28 brother tried to look through it. 1328

1 Q. Why did you just tell the jury that trees

2 prevent you from seeing clocks through the telescope

3 on the hill that overlooks Neverland.

4 A. What does it matter. I mean, even when

5 you’re down there, you can see the clock. When

6 you’re driving the car. I don’t know what you’re

7 trying to get at.

8 Q. What else have you seen through that

9 telescope on the hill that overlooks Neverland.

10 A. Rides. And trees.

11 Q. What else.

12 A. And the guest unit.

13 Q. What else.

14 A. Hills.

15 Q. Can you see the theater.

16 A. Never really tried to see the theater.

17 Q. Can you see the main house.

18 A. Probably. I don’t know. I never really

19 tried.

20 Q. Well, did you and your brother take that

21 telescope and look all over Neverland on that hill

22 with the telescope that you’ve described moves.

23 A. It’s — okay.

24 Q. Did you look all over Neverland at that —

25 through that moving telescope.

26 A. No, we just looked through it. We didn’t

27 try to examine the whole Neverland.

28 Q. How far away, if you know, is the guest unit 1329

1 from that telescope, if you know.

2 A. I don’t know, but I could guess.

3 Q. But you say you were up there only twice

4 with your brother, right.

5 A. Yes.

6 Q. Do you know what time of day that was.

7 A. Daylight. Daytime.

8 Q. Okay. And certainly you’ve been to

9 Neverland at night, right.

10 A. Yes.

11 Q. Have you noticed that these clocks are lit

12 up at night.

13 A. The flower clock.

14 Q. Any of them.

15 A. Sure.

16 Q. You’ve noticed they’re lit up at night,

17 haven’t you.

18 A. I just noticed that the train station is lit

19 up, and so is the flower clock. I can’t — there’s

20 the flower clock overlooking Neverland. Not

21 overlooking. It’s right there.

22 Q. Right up on a hill above the main house,

23 correct.

24 A. Yes.

25 Q. You’ve seen that clock lit at night, true.

26 A. I don’t remember if it was lit, but it was

27 probably lit, yeah.

28 Q. Well, why do you tell the jury it was 1330

1 probably lit.

2 A. I don’t know. I’m trying to remember.

3 THE COURT: Is this a good place to stop,

4 Counsel.

5 MR. MESEREAU: Yes, Your Honor.

6 THE COURT: All right. Remember the

7 admonition, and I’ll see you tomorrow morning at

8 8:30.

9 (The proceedings adjourned at 11:30 a.m.)

Mesereau cross examination of Star concludes in the next post: https://vindicatemj.wordpress.com/2012/06/07/march-9th-2005-cross-examination-of-star-arvizo-direct-examination-of-gavin-arvizo-part-1-of-2/