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Law
The Michael Jackson Trial

Culkin set to testify in Jackson trial

Neverland manager says he didn't order accuser's family held


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SANTA MARIA, California (CNN) -- Former child star Macaulay Culkin is expected to take the witness stand Wednesday in Michael Jackson's child molestation trial -- the biggest celebrity name so far to testify.

Witnesses earlier in the trial said they saw Jackson groping the "Home Alone" star when he was a frequent guest at Jackson's Neverland ranch in the early 1990s.

Culkin, 24, has denied that anything untoward happened between him and the entertainer, and he agreed to testify for the defense.

But first jurors will hear more testimony Wednesday from the property manager at the Neverland ranch.

On Tuesday, the manager, Joseph Marcus, testified that he never ordered the pop star's teenage accuser and his family to be held at Neverland against their will.

But Marcus admitted he lied to police when he said he had no knowledge that children stayed overnight in Jackson's bedroom. However, Marcus -- who has worked for Jackson for 18 years -- said he never personally witnessed children sleeping in the entertainer's bed.

He said Jackson has developed special bonds with adult women and girls, not just young boys.

When asked to identify these women, other than Jackson's two ex-wives, Marcus struggled to name two -- Elizabeth Taylor, 73, and Liza Minnelli, 59. He said there were other women in Jackson's life but told jurors, "I'm drawing a blank."

During cross-examination, prosecutor Gordon Auchincloss demanded: "You keep looking at Mr. Jackson. Why is that?"

The defense objected, and Marcus didn't answer.

The defense called Marcus to the stand to refute allegations by prosecutors that Jackson and his associates conspired to control and intimidate the accuser and his family after the February 2003 broadcast of a TV documentary that showed the entertainer holding hands with the boy, then 13.

The accuser's mother testified that she and her children were held against their will at Neverland while plans were made to ship them off to Brazil. (Woman's testimony)

Marcus told jurors he had a conversation with the mother about plans for the Brazil trip -- and that "there was no objection at that point that I know of." The mother even asked him how to go about getting passport photos, he said.

Marcus conceded that a February 19, 2003, entry in a visitor's log kept at the main gate was accurate. He had instructed guards not to let the accuser or his siblings leave the ranch. But Marcus said he issued the order because the children had been driving Jackson's vehicles around the property and pulled them up to the gate.

"I didn't want the guard to lift the arm and let them out," he said.

However, Marcus' explanation of the log was stricken after an objection by the prosecution. Under cross-examination, Marcus admitted that he never saw the children driving the vehicles and was told about it by another ranch manager.

Marcus also said his order to the guardhouse was issued after he had a conversation with Jackson's personal videographer, Hamid Moslehi, who wanted to take the children from the ranch to Los Angeles to shoot an interview for a planned rebuttal to the documentary.

Moslehi testified that Marcus initially objected to letting him take the children off the property, although they eventually did go.

Manager calls day of raid 'chaotic'

Marcus also was questioned about an interview with investigators from the Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Department during a November 18, 2003, search of Neverland involving more than 70 officers.

Marcus conceded that he told investigators he had no knowledge of children sleeping in Jackson's bedroom, which he said was not true. But he described the day of the raid as "chaotic" and said he was "extremely overwhelmed" and "wasn't exactly sure what was going on."

He said he asked for an attorney before the interview -- a request he said District Attorney Tom Sneddon denied.

Marcus also verified that Jackson had the ability to monitor the phone calls of his guests.

Marcus said two phones -- one in his office and another in Jackson's bedroom -- were equipped to listen to calls, and Neverland employees were warned in their employee handbooks that their calls were subject to monitoring.

However, Marcus said he didn't listen to phone calls, and "I don't think [Jackson] monitored, to my knowledge." But the ranch manager conceded that he didn't know if Jackson had done so.

Marcus also said he had received a complaint that someone appeared to be listening in on phone conversations, but "nobody told me specifically that Mr. Jackson was monitoring calls."

A grand jury indicted the 46-year-old pop star last year on charges of molesting the boy, giving him alcohol and conspiring to hold him and his family captive in 2003. Jackson pleaded not guilty to the charges.

CNN's Dree De Clamecy contributed to this report.


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