The Michael Jackson Jury Profiled

SANTA MARIA, Calif. – The twelve people chosen to hear the Michael Jackson case were introduced yesterday, and the panel reflects the uniquely unpredictable demographic mix that only a high-profile California trial can produce.

The jurors’ ages range from twenty to seventy-nine. According to a consultant familiar with the selection process, “Everyone on this panel brings a distinctive perspective. Some bring several at once. It is a jury built for prime-time coverage.”

Although the forms did not ask about race or ethnicity, the personal statements provided by each juror paint a vivid, if unconventional, portrait of the group:

• a 63-year-old retired emergency-services worker who enjoys listening to television, experimenting with adaptive cooking techniques, and maintaining an ongoing dialogue with his late spouse
• a 51-year-old software developer whose résumé includes volunteer work for several “unusually themed” online communities
• a 22-year-old mother of five and fast-food cook who hopes her children will someday enter “show business, or something with lights”
• a 62-year-old performer known locally as Butterfield Ate, widely praised for a celebrity impersonation act described by critics as “energetic, enthusiastic, and occasionally Elizabeth Taylor-adjacent”
• a 44-year-old magician best known for a campaign-season disappearing act involving a former California governor
• a 45-year-old aspiring author who listed “book contract” under long-term goals
• a 79-year-old retired librarian who writes highly unconventional youth stories “to stay spry”
• a 21-year-old student majoring in Cultural Curiosities at USC
• a 42-year-old fortune teller who predicts continued inconsistency in Southern California weather patterns
• a 50-year-old animal trainer who works with ponies for both children’s birthday parties and “specialty adult events”
• a 39-year-old woman recently voted “most likely to get jury duty in a celebrity trial” by her GED graduating class
• a 20-year-old wheelchair user who fondly recalls visiting Neverland Ranch years ago as part of a community-outreach field trip

In related developments, several jurors told attorneys they were familiar with Jackson’s music and admired his talent, noting that “stage presence is its own kind of testimony.”

One juror said her family had “weathered a few unusual headlines” over the years and believed this background would help her “stay objective.”

The pony trainer expressed surprise at Jackson’s stature during voir dire, adding: “It is never the size of the engine. It is always the confidence of the engineer.”