Reactions to the verdict in the Michael Jackson molestation case

The Associated Press


Notable quotes on the verdict in the Michael Jackson molestation case Monday:

"Justice is done. The man's innocent. He always was."

_ Jackson defense lawyer Thomas Mesereau Jr.


"I would never have married a pedophile. And the system works."

_ Jackson's ex-wife Debbie Rowe.


"Thank God Michael is vindicated for all time. Now maybe people will leave him alone."

_ Elizabeth Taylor, actress and Jackson friend.


"Of course everyone would be worried, but as they kept reading the counts pressure was lifting off me and I was holding my mom tight and we all cried through every count, we cried through every count. But justice has finally been served and Mike is a free man."

_ Jackson's brother Tito Jackson.


"It takes one person to tell the truth but it takes many to concoct a lie and that's what you saw there. ... We knew all the time that justice was gonna be served."

_ Jackson's brother Jermaine Jackson.


"I feel justice was done. We thank the fans for supporting us."

_ Jackson's father, Joe Jackson, outside the gates of Neverland.


"I hope that he would gain lessons from this. A kind of naivete about the children and 'we are the world' without some sense of judgment is not a good thing. I think he will learn an awful lot from this."

_ The Rev. Jesse Jackson on his friend Michael Jackson.


"We would hope first of all that he doesn't sleep with children anymore and that he learns that they have to stay with their families or stay in the guest rooms or the houses or whatever they're called down there. And he just has to be careful how he conducts himself around children."

_ Juror No. 2, the jury foreman.


"I think that this is a severe blow to the district attorney's office in Santa Barbara."

_ Former Jackson attorney Brian Oxman.


"I can't really point to one specific item right now. There was tons of evidence to consider, and to pick one item out would be really difficult. I would just say we considered all of the evidence."

_ Juror No. 1.


"I think we all just looked at the evidence and pretty much agreed."

_ Juror No. 5.


"The mother, when she looked at me and snapped her fingers a few times and she says, `You know how our culture is,' and winks at me, I thought, `No, that's not the way our culture is.'"

_ Juror No. 2 on whether he believed the accuser's family was out to frame Jackson.


b[]"I was very emotional. This was a no-win situation ... but we had to do what we were instructed to do and that's what we did."

_ Juror No. 8.


"Michael, on behalf of mankind, we're sorry."

_ A yellow and black sign held by a fan outside the courthouse.


"Words can't even describe it. The fans are going crazy. They're calling me from all over the world right now."

_ Angel Howansky, Jackson family publicist.


"This is a vindication that people are innocent until proven guilty. ... There's a lot of pain, a lot of hurt here. Children have been dragged into court, Michael's reputation has been damaged severely, but I think the criminal justice system worked this time."

_ The Rev. Al Sharpton.



"I knew he was going to win this."

_ Patty Gonzales, 43, a Santa Maria resident and Jackson fan.


"The minutes before the verdict were the most nervous moments of my life. Now, these are the happiest moments of my life."

_ Kent Vilhemsson, 21, who watched the verdict live on television from Stockholm after returning to Sweden from Santa Maria, Calif., where he had been keeping watch outside Jackson's trial.


"This has gone on for a year and a half. At last, at last, he is rehabilitated in the eyes of the world. Everybody thinks he can buy everything with his money. But this victory couldn't be bought with money."

_ Ben Jack'son, a 30-year-old Michael Jackson impersonator who lives in Paris.


"Michael doesn't hurt little kids. He's not a clown. You better start being nice."

_ Judy Shoji, of Pasadena, Calif., scolding reporters stationed outside the gates of Jackson's Neverland Ranch.


"We the jury, feeling the weight of the world's eyes upon us, all thoroughly and meticulously studied the testimony, evidence and rules of procedure presented in this court since Jan. 31, 2005. Following the jury instructions, we confidently came to our verdicts. It is our hope that this case is a testament to the belief in our justice system's integrity and the truth. We would like the public to allow us to return to our private lives as anonymously as we came."

_ Statement from the jury read by the judge in court

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