Michael Jackson

by J. Randy Taraborrelli

  The next day, Anthony Pellicano arranged a meeting with Jordie Chandler at Michael’s hide-out in Los Angeles. He asked Michael, June and Dave to leave the room so that he and Jordie could be alone. His intention was to interrogate the youngster about his relationship with the pop star. ‘I decided to be straight with the kid,’ Anthony would later recall. ‘This was serious business. There was no time to be delicate. I asked him, have you ever seen Michael Jackson naked? Has he ever seen you naked? Have you ever done anything sexual with him? The kid looked me straight in the eye and said, “No. No. No.” I believed him.’ Anthony spoke to Jordie for more than an hour and, he says, was convinced that nothing inappropriate had ever occurred between him and Michael.

  After that meeting, Bert Fields (working on behalf of June Chandler as well as Michael) and Barry Rothman (Evan’s attorney) negotiated an agreement whereby Evan would have custody of Jordie for a week. Reluctantly, June agreed to the terms, not wanting to keep the boy from his father. Anthony Pellicano and Bert Fields gave personal guarantees that Jordie would be delivered as promised. Barry Rothman then gave his word that Evan would return the boy on schedule.

  At the appointed time and place, Evan waited for his son to show up, but he never did. Instead, June decided to take Jordie and his sister, Lily, to Neverland to celebrate Lily’s birthday with Michael Jackson.

  While in the limousine on the way from Los Angeles to Santa Barbara, Michael and company stopped at the beach house of financier Michael Milken, the so-called junk bond king who had just been released from prison after serving a couple of years for securities fraud. He was a friend of Michael’s and the two had been in discussions to set up an educational cable TV network for children.

  While at Michael Milken’s, Michael Jackson telephoned Anthony Pellicano to tell him of the change in plans: they had decided not to allow Evan to have Jordie for the week. This decision put both Anthony and Bert Fields in difficult positions; they had given their word, and now they appeared to be liars. Anthony was furious; he let Michael have it. ‘You’re being ridiculous,’ he recalled telling him, ‘Now you get that kid back here, and you do it right now, Michael. You and Jordie apparently share a brain. So, use it. Do you hear what I’m saying?’

  ‘Listen, you don’t tell me what to do,’ Michael shot back. ‘I tell you what to do, Anthony. Not the other way around. Do you hear what I’m saying?’

  As Michael’s side of the telephone conversation became more heated, June became uncomfortable.

  Michael continued. ‘Evan gets to see Jordie when I…’ He corrected himself. ‘Evan gets to see Jordie when we say so, not when he says so. And we don’t say so. So that’s the end of that. Got it?’ Michael slammed down the telephone. He clenched his fists and made an angry face, so furious he seemed as if he was about to explode. ‘Why does he treat me like I’m an idiot?’ he asked no one in particular. ‘I’m not an idiot. I’m Michael Jackson, I’m Michael Jackson.’ He kicked a wall. ‘It’s offensive and insulting, damn it!’

  June, Jordie and Lily looked at one another with surprised expressions. ‘Gosh, Mommy, Michael’s so mad,’ Lily said, surprised.

  After witnessing Michael’s unexpected tantrum, June no longer wanted to go to Neverland with him, saying she wasn’t in the mood. ‘Whatever,’ Michael told her, annoyed. ‘Do what you want to do.’

  June, Jordie and Lily called a cab and went back to Los Angeles.

  Meanwhile, Michael proceeded to Santa Barbara alone. When he finally got to the ranch, he was greeted by his housekeeper, Adrian McManus. ‘Where are the guests of honour?’ she asked. ‘Is there still going to be a party?’

  ‘There’s not going to be a party,’ Michael said. ‘So, forget it. Throw the food away. Just throw it all away,’ he said. ‘And tear down those decorations, too,’ he added, motioning to colourful streamers hanging from the doorway.

  Michael then stormed off to his bedroom and slammed the door.

  Michael Feels Betrayed

  On the way back to Los Angeles, June Schwartz had time to think about the way matters had evolved with her son and Michael Jackson. When she got home, she called Evan. She’d had a change of heart, she said. Perhaps when she saw Michael lose it the way he had, she realized that someone needed to put things into perspective. Though Jordie didn’t want to go, she now felt it important that he visit with his father for the week.

  In young Jordie’s world these days, no one ever seemed to do anything he didn’t want to do. Therefore, he was sullen and disagreeable when he finally got to Evan’s house. He said he missed Michael.

  Evan had heard enough about Michael Jackson in recent months. As soon as he had his son in his custody, he instructed his attorney to draw up papers that stipulated that June would not be permitted to take Jordie out of Los Angeles county, meaning she would not be able to see Michael at Neverland (in Santa Barbara county), and most certainly not on tour.

  Surprisingly, when she got the news the next day, June wasn’t angry. She didn’t even fight the stipulation, mostly because she no longer knew what to think about Michael. She needed time to figure it all out, especially after she and her attorney had a meeting with two LAPD officers who claimed that they’d recently discovered a youngster who’d been molested by Michael (even though they refused to identify him). Recalled June’s lawyer, Michael Freeman, ‘With serious expressions on their faces, they said, “We’re convinced Michael Jackson molested this boy because he fits the classic profile of a paedophile, perfectly.” June started getting scared. She was scared for her son.’

  June decided to telephone Michael. Perhaps they could meet and discuss the matter; after all, they had been friends. When she saw him face to face, she would be able to look into his eyes, she believed, and then know the truth. She finally got Michael on the phone.

  ‘I’m sorry, June,’ he said, ‘but things are so out of hand now that my lawyer has told me that I can’t speak to you, or even see you.’

  ‘But, Michael…’

  ‘Evan is the one who started this mess, not me,’ Michael said, his tone surprisingly cold and deliberate. ‘Evan ruined our beautiful friendship, not me. I’ll have Bert call you and answer any further questions. Goodbye, June. I’m sorry.’

  June couldn’t believe the way Michael had talked to her. Now, she didn’t know what to think of him. Because she still leaned towards his innocence, perhaps he would have been better advised to have been less dismissive, if only to keep her as an ally. However, he was so cold to her, he left her with no choice. She decided she had to agree with her ex-husband that Jordie not be permitted to visit Michael, at least for the time being, and not accompany him on his tour, either. She even agreed to allow Evan to keep custody of Jordie ‘for a while’.

  Michael learned of June’s about-face from one of his staff members during a meeting in his bedroom at Neverland. Having just finished with a costume-fitting, he hadn’t changed out of what he called his ‘uniform’: a glittery, red military outfit trimmed across the shoulders with jet-bead embroidery. He was seated on his bed.

  ‘There had been a sadness about Michael in recent days, but after he learned of June’s decision, it was more acute than usual,’ recalled the employee. ‘After all, she was handing Jordie over to Evan, which would not bode well for Michael’s friendship with him.’

  After discussing the matter with his adviser for a few minutes, Michael fell back onto the bed heavily and began to cry. ‘Why do people hurt the ones they say they love?’ he asked.

  ‘It’s going to be okay,’ said the staff member, now seated on the bed next to him. ‘Don’t cry, Mike.’

  Then, typical of his mood swings, especially lately, Michael went from zero to ten in anger within seconds. ‘She betrayed me,’ he said, bolting upright, his eyes ablaze. ‘I can’t believe June buckled like that, after all I did for her and her kids. Now I’ll never get to see Jordie. I didn’t even do anything wrong,’ he insisted. Then, ashenfaced and his dark eyes raging, Michael repeated: �
��I didn’t do anything wrong. I didn’t.’

  The next day, Anthony Pellicano received a telephone call from Evan Chandler. He wanted to meet with Michael, ‘man to man’, he said.

  Anthony passed the message on to Michael. ‘No way,’ Michael said, according to Anthony’s memory. ‘I’m not meeting with the guy and giving him more ammunition to use against me. His heart is filled with hatred, Anthony, and you know it’s the truth. Tell him I said no way.’

  ‘But it might be a good idea,’ Anthony suggested. ‘Maybe we can work this thing out.’

  Michael was adamant that he would not meet with Evan. He said that he had been thinking it over, and the truth had hit him as if an epiphany. ‘Evan’s pissed off at me because I have the kind of relationship he wishes he had with Jordie,’ Michael said. ‘That’s what’s really going on here. He’s completely jealous of me.’

  Anthony couldn’t disagree; to him, Michael’s analysis of the situation sounded plausible.

  Jordie’s Confession

  On 2 August, Evan Chandler extracted a troublesome tooth from his son, Jordie, in his Beverly Hills clinic. During the procedure, he decided to intravenously administer the drug sodium Amytal. Mark Torbiner, a dental anaesthesiologist (who had been the one to introduce Evan to his attorney, Barry Rothman in 1991 when Rothman needed dental work), was present during the surgery. Evan has since confirmed that his son was given the drug, but only as a part of the dental procedure. While under the influence of sodium Amytal, says Evan, Jordie finally began to speak openly about sexual activity he claimed had occurred between him and Michael Jackson.

  Sodium Amytal has erroneously been called a ‘truth serum’. Actually, most doctors agree that patients are extremely susceptible to suggestion while under the influence of the drug. ‘You can’t trust it,’ said Dr Lewis Strong, a Los Angeles psychiatrist (who does not know Evan or Jordie Chandler). ‘I never use it in my practice. I have found it to be unreliable. It’s certainly not a truth serum. Sometimes it is used for the treatment of amnesia, but it often provides false memories.’

  Why did Evan Chandler use sodium Amytal on his son in order to perform dental work on him?

  ‘It’s absolutely a psychiatric drug,’ observed Dr Kenneth Gottlieb, a San Francisco psychiatrist who has administered sodium Amytal to amnesia patients. ‘I would never want to use a drug that tampers with a person’s unconscious unless there was no other drug available,’ he added, ‘and I would not use it without resuscitating equipment, in case of allergic reaction, and only with an MD anaesthesiologist present.’ (Mark Torbiner is a dental anaesthesiologist.)

  Dr John Yagiela, the coordinator of the Anaesthesia and Pain Control department of UCLA’s school of dentistry, confirmed, ‘It’s unusual for it to be used for pulling a tooth. It makes no sense when better, safer alternatives are available. It would not be my choice.’

  Perhaps Evan felt that he had no choice but to administer the drug to his son in order to get him to finally open up about the true nature of his relationship with Michael Jackson. ‘Did Michael ever touch your penis?’ Evan asked Jordie. Groggily, Jordie said in a soft voice that, yes, Michael had done it. Evan then grabbed his son and hugged him tightly, as if never wanting to let him go. ‘I’m sorry, Jordie,’ he said, according to a later recollection. ‘I’m so sorry.’

  In his heart, Evan would later say, he always knew what was going on between his child and the pop star. He said that he only needed confirmation from Jordie before he could, in good conscience, go up against Michael in such an explosive and life-ruining campaign. It wasn’t much to go on, though if, in fact, it was even true that Michael had touched Jordie’s penis. However Evan believed there was more to it. He didn’t need all of the details, anyway, he said. In the end, he had what he wanted: Michael Jackson’s neck in a noose. But the question remained: how much of what Jordie had confessed while under the influence of a psychiatric drug was the truth?

  PART TEN

  Michael Meets with his Accusers

  After obtaining what he believed to be the truth from Jordie, Evan Chandler demanded another meeting with Michael Jackson. Anthony Pellicano managed to arrange it. The show-down between the teenager’s protective father and the man he believed had molested his son would take place on 4 August 1993 at the Westwood Marquis Hotel. ‘No good can come of it,’ Michael predicted, ‘but I have to see Jordie, somehow, so let’s do it.’

  At the appointed hour, Evan walked into the room, trailed by his anxious-looking son. As soon as Jordie saw Michael, he ran to him and embraced him. They kissed each other on the cheeks. ‘Oh my God, how I’ve missed you,’ Michael said, visibly choked up. He stroked Jordie’s hair. ‘How are you? Are you okay? Tell me you’re okay.’

  ‘I’ve missed you, too,’ Jordie said. ‘I can’t believe what’s going on, Michael. Yes, I’m okay,’ he said, ‘but you should know that…’ The teenager’s voice trailed off.

  ‘What?’ Michael asked. ‘I should know what? Never mind,’ he decided, his tone now reassuring. ‘We’ll work it out, I promise.’

  Evan then walked over to Michael and embraced him. ‘Nice to see you, Michael,’ Evan said. Michael stared at Evan with cold, dark eyes. Under the circumstances, it was an odd greeting by Evan. Later, Anthony Pellicano would say, ‘If I believed somebody molested my kid and I got that close to him, I’d be on death row right now.’

  They were seated, Anthony next to Michael on one settee, Jordie next to his father on another.

  Evan got to the point quickly. ‘I believe that Michael has acted inappropriately toward Jordie,’ he said. ‘In fact, I’m sure of it.’

  ‘What’s he talking about, Jordie?’ Michael asked, turning to the youngster.

  Jordie made eye contact with Michael and nodded his head slightly, as if trying to pass a secret message. Michael looked at him, quizzically.

  Evan then reached into his vest pocket, pulled out an envelope and took a document from it. He explained that it was a psychiatric evaluation of Jordie’s relationship with Michael. He read from it; the last paragraph encapsulated the analysis: ‘The minor is in danger whether the relationship continues or ends. The impact that would be caused in other family members of the minor should also be considered. These circumstances create the possibility that there exists negligence toward the child, even as far as prostitution.’

  ‘What does that mean, exactly?’ Michael wanted to know.

  ‘It means that this doctor thinks you had sex with my kid,’ Evan said, his temper rising. Michael remained calm, which seemed to infuriate Evan all the more. ‘You and Jordie are having sex, aren’t you?’ he shouted at him. ‘Just fucking admit it, Michael. Be a man. Admit it.’ By this time, Evan had tears in his eyes. ‘How could you do it, Michael?’ he asked. ‘My God. How could you do it? How could you do this to Jordie?’

  ‘I already told you that I didn’t do it,’ Michael said, remaining composed. ‘That’s preposterous. It never happened. I don’t even know that doctor.’ He turned to Anthony. ‘Do we even know that doctor?’

  Anthony, now an irate contrast to Michael’s demeanour, said, ‘Hell no, we don’t know that doctor. This meeting is over,’ he told Evan. ‘Get out of here. Now.’

  ‘Wait,’ Evan said. He then read from another document written by the same psychiatrist: ‘“A thirty-four-year-old man constantly sleeping with a thirteen-year-old boy when other beds are available constitutes,” Evan raised his voice, “perverse and lewd conduct.” Perverse and lewd conduct, Michael. Do you hear what I’m saying?’

  Michael seemed stunned. He looked at Jordie for help, but now the youngster wouldn’t make eye contact with him.

  ‘I said, that’s it,’ Anthony again insisted. ‘This is war, now,’ he added, using a favourite phrase. ‘Who do you think you are, coming in here and accusing Michael Jackson of a crime? Are you crazy? Get the fuck out of here!’

  ‘Wait,’ Evan said, again. ‘Look, if he’s willing to take a lie detector test, then fine,’ he adde
d, pointing at Michael. ‘If it comes back that he didn’t do it, fine. I’ll be out of your lives for ever. He can take Jordie on tour with him and I won’t have a thing to say about it.’

  ‘That’s fucking preposterous,’ Anthony shot back. ‘Michael will never take a lie detector test. And besides,’ he added, ‘I was in army intelligence. Do you think I couldn’t teach him to pass a lie detector?’

  It seemed an odd statement for one of Michael’s advisers to make during such an important discussion. For a second, Evan didn’t know how to react to it. ‘Great,’ he finally said. ‘And maybe you can also teach Jordie to lie, too.’

  Anthony stood up. ‘Hear me, and hear me good,’ he said, pointing aggressively at Evan. ‘Michael Jackson did not have sex with your son, and he will not take a lie detector test.’

  ‘I hear you,’ Evan said. ‘But I don’t understand you. Why not?’

  ‘Because it’s an insult, that’s why,’ Anthony said loudly.

  All eyes fell on Michael who was now looking straight ahead as if in a trance.

  ‘Then, there’s nothing more to say,’ Evan concluded. ‘This meeting is over.’ Evan didn’t mention that Jordie had said that he and Michael had been intimate. Perhaps he didn’t want to play that hand, yet. ‘I’ll see you in court, Michael,’ he said. Maddeningly, there was still no reaction from Michael.

  Jordie stood up and followed his father out of the room. As he walked through the door, according to Anthony Pellicano, the youngster turned to face Michael with a sad expression. Michael stared at Jordie, probably never dreaming that it would be the last time he would ever lay eyes on him.