One particularly disturbing facet of this twisted tale is the way in which Jordie broke news of Jackson's crimes. Whilst performing a tooth extraction on his son, Evan Chandler administered the drug Sodium Pentathol, a potent anaesthetic and controversial 'truth drug' once used by the FBI. Being a dentist and not an anaesthesiologist, Evan was forbidden to administer such a drug. Upon waking from his stupor, mouth numb with Lidocaine, head fuzzy with barbiturates, Jordie was asked by his father whether Michael Jackson had touched him inappropriately. Jordie replied, simply, "Yes". A cut and dry affirmation of Jackson's guilt, one might think.
Evan Chandler Administers A Truth Drug
Not necessarily. In 1995 the Psychiatric Institute of America published a paper declaiming the dubious efficacy of Sodium Pentathol as a 'truth drug' for interrogation. Its primary use had previously been with victims of child abuse with repressed memory syndrome, bringing the traumatic recollections back to the forefront of the patient's mind so that reliable testimony could be given in court for the trial of the offenders. The PIA had been amassing information on Sodium Pentathol which suggested that, rather than allowing those under its influence to recall repressed events, it created false memories that were indistinguishable from reality to the patient. It was proven to render those under its influence highly suggestible. Sodium Pentathol was denounced as useless and indeed counterproductive for use in cases of child abuse given the already-impressionable nature of the young.
Evan Seeks A Business Deal
Another intriguing facet of the case was the behaviour of Evan Chandler. A one-time screenwriter who had dipped his toe into the bath of success with 'Robin Hood Men In Tights', Evan had become disillusioned with dentistry. He had written several scripts, and was actively seeking backing for film projects at around the same time as Michael Jackson came into his son's life. With Jackson spending so much time in Jordie's presence, even sleeping over at their house on occasion, Evan grew closer to him. Business deals were discussed. Funding and sponsorship was requested. Jackson grew wary. He began to drift away from Jordie for fear that his father was interested solely in his money. Jackson's hunch proved prophetic, and when Evan first approached Jackson and his entourage (instead, rather oddly, of approaching the police and social services) to question him on Jordie's allegations he proposed a deal with Jackson to co-found a film company and produce three films, to be purchased by Jackson for around $1 million each. If Jackson refused the deal, Evan threatened to take the matter to the police. Jackson, predictably, refused the deal
Michael Jackson: The Most Feted and Forgotten Man In History
When one reads the court transcripts, the testimonies of numerous associates and acquaintances of Michael Jackson, the psychological examiner's reports, Jordie's testimony, and all other documentation pertaining to the Chandler/ Jackson trial, it s clear that Jackson had a lot to worry about. He was guilty of indulging in behaviours ill befitting a man in his mid-thirties. The opulent childishness of his bizarre fairytale home, his entourage of young children, and his obsession with youth all conspired to condemn the man in the eyes of the public. Jackson's defence, thought, becomes more lucid upon careful consideration: he was a man raised, quite literally, in the spotlight. His vocal and dancing talents were lauded the world over. He was unable to go out unaccompanied in public from the age of four to avoid being mobbed by obsessive fans. He was unable to participate in the conventional life of young children, the playing, the sports, and the sense of unbridled freedom. Michael Jackson was sent to work at four years old: it is no surprise that he strove to recapture his lost childhood.
Youth, Not Old Age, Killed Michael Jackson
It is tragic, though, that Michael Jackson was brought to his knees by the very thing he obsessed about, his relentless pursuit of youth. When a person attains the level of success that Michael Jackson had their path is then forever beset by vultures, parasites, those looking to obtain just one miniscule piece of their outrageous fortune. As Jackson always said of the media, they are a mask that eats away the face: those who helped laud Jackson in his younger years for his prodigious talent later sought to destroy the icon they had created, churning out half-truths and specious assumption to a public all-too-willing to condemn the man as a paedophile without examining the evidence. Unfortunately for Jackson, his trials and tribulations were played out on the media stage, and assumptions of his guilt rested for many years in the public consciousness. Even more unfortunately for Jackson, the Chandler allegations were not to be the last of his career. More were to come...
Sources:
- Michael Jackson: The Magic and The Madness, J Randy Taraborelli, Citadel, Revised 2009:
- Marquette University, Wisconsin, unattributed paper on the testimony of Perry Raymond Russo whilst under influence of Sodium Pentathol: http://mcadams.posc.mu.edu/hypnosis.htm
- Michael Jackson Unmasked: The Final Years of Michael Jackson, Ian Halperin, Simon Spotlight Entertainment 2009
- Michael Jackson Trial Transcripts: http://www.thesmokinggun.com/michaeljackson/021505mjgrandjury.html
Frederick Brand - "Possibly the finest amateur gynaecologist of our time." Dr Ivor Biggen, Department for Research Into Gential Enlargement, St. ...
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