Michael Jackson Trial Juror Notebooks | Research Material
In April 2006, I decided to purchase the Michael Jackson Trial Juror Notebooks from Alternate Juror #2, Jeffrey Welbaum. Main trial Jurors were unable to remove their notebooks and had to turn them over to the court. However, alternate Jurors were able to keep their notebooks. There were five alternate Jurors and the Notebooks purchased are from one of the five that only exist.
The Juror Notebooks provides a vehicle for observers to determine the impact testimony and evidence play into the ultimate verdict a juror will make. The Notebooks demonstrate what a juror writes down to assist them in making their ultimate decision. From reading the Notebooks, it can be determined that only critical information was taken down despite hours of testimony from key witnesses. Less information was written down from non key witnesses.
The purchase decision was made so that one day it would be revealed for educational purposes to bridge the gap between testimony and juror retention. This can benefit prosecutors, attorneys, judges and future potential jurors at a trial. In the possible future, an educational type book will be revealed outlying this notion.
Jurors
Juror No. 1
* Name: Raymond Hultman
* Age: 62
* Civil engineer
* Married, two grown sons and a daughter
* Master’s degree, some law classes
* Claimed no knowledge of the ’93 case against Jackson; never served on a jury before
Juror No. 2
* Name: Paul Rodriguez
* Age: 63
* Retired
* Married, two grown sons
* Trim and dashing, wears Western-cut sports coats
Juror No. 3
* Name: Susan Durr Drake
* Age: 50
* Child advocate, part-time horse trainer, riding instructor, child advocate
* Married 28 years to a mechanical engineer with a Master’s degree; no children
* Bachelor’s degree
Juror No. 4
* Name: Susan Rentschler
* Age: 51
* Retired former highschool math teacher
* Married to civil-service engineer for 21 years; 16-year-old son and 14-year-old daughter
* Master’s degree; trained in science and statistics
Juror No. 5
* Name: Elanor A. Cook
* Age: 79
* Retired widow; son and daughter in their 50s
* Some college
* Grandson a registered sexual deviant
* Once bought perfume from a JCPenney clerk who once worked at Neverland Ranch
Juror No. 6
* Name: Tiffany Smith
* Age: 22
* Physical-therapy aide in nursing home
* Single, 4-year-old and 1-year-old daughters
* Some college
* Knows someone who met Jackson and said Jackson is “a little before my time”
Juror No. 7
* Name: Michael Stevens
* Age: 21
* College student
* Single, no children
* High-school diploma
* In a wheelchair due to cerebral palsy
* Visited Neverland at age 6
Juror No. 8
* Name: Melissa Kathleen Herard
* Age: 42
* Air Force veteran; special-education aide
* Married for 22 years to computer instructor; three sons and a daughter
* Associate’s degree
Juror No. 9
* Name: Katharina Carls
Juror No. 10
* Name: Pauline Coccoz
Juror No. 11
* Name: Joseph Gomez
Juror No. 12
* Name: Eloise Aguillon
* Age: 44
* Supervisor at Department of Social Services
* Divorced, one son
* Some college, including law courses
* Ex-husband was a police officer
* She or someone close to her has been accused of a crime
Alt. Juror No. 1
* Name: Mary Kennedy
Alt. Juror No. 2
* Name: Jeffrey Welbaum
Alt. Juror No. 4
* Name: Charles Pollack
Alt. Juror No. 7
* Name: Joseph Gastello
Alt. Juror No. 8
* Name: Sofi Guerrero
