Dan Abrams
The Jackson case no match for O.J.'s
http://www.NewsAndOpinion.com | Will the nation be transfixed with the Michael Jackson case? For the sake of 'The Abrams Report,' I hope so. But I am not so sure.
Lawyers don't make high-profile cases fascinating. The "who-done-its" or "could-he-have-done-it" aspect of the case are intriguing, especially because people feel they have a stake in the outcome.
We came to care about Jon Benet Ramsey, for example, and asked ourselves whether the parents really could be suspects. Every nugget brought us one step closer to the truth. The same applies to O.J. Simpson and Scott Peterson. Many came to feel like they knew them or knew what really happened and consequently cared about the result.
In the Laci Peterson case, so many could just relate to them: Laci and Scott seemed like the couple next door. Could he have really killed his pregnant wife to further an affair? Inquiring minds want to know. But that was murder.
In the Jackson case, it's a question of whether or not he fondled a boy. And if he did, what was his intent? Apart from the severity of the crime, there is actually something more repugnant about following all the details involved in this kind of case.
Few can really identify with Michael Jackson; he seems so foreign. Since the alleged victim is a child, he will be shielded from the public. So no one will really get to know him either.
Unlike these other cases, it's not that hard to believe he could have done it. It's just not that long a leap from sleeping in the same bed. It certainly doesn't mean he did in this case. It does mean that the fascination factor may be surprisingly low.
Despite the fact that Jackson is one of the best-known people in the world, I just think the world will really care what happens. It will be a fascinating trial, but then again, I find everything from Supreme Court arguments to the Robert Blake case fascinating.
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JWR contributor Dan Abrams anchors “The Abrams Report,” Monday through Friday from 9-10 p.m. ET on MSNBC TV. He also covers legal stories for “NBC Nightly News with Tom Brokaw,” “Today” and “Dateline NBC.” To visit his website, click here. Comment by clicking here.
