In the Court of public Opinion
That's right folks, Michael Jackson has been found guilty on all charges in the Court of Public Opinion. In spite of the fact that the real prosecution in a real trial in a real court of law failed to prove his guilt beyond a reasonable doubt, he will forever be guilty in the eyes of the public.
In any criminal trial, the burden of proof is on the prosecution. They must prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the defendant is guilty of the crimes he or she is charged with.
As one who has personally faced a trial on false charges, I am thankful that our system works the way it does. While I was not required to prove my innocence, I had ample evidence to dispute the charges made against me by a police officer because of a personal matter between us. The prosecution had no evidence against me, other than the testimony of that officer.
Because of their lack of evidence, the charges were dismissed and I was free to go. The officer on the other hand received official censure from the judge and shortly thereafter left the force and moved to another community. He was new to both the force and the community and at the time had no idea I was a very public and highly regarded member of the community.
While I personally feel that Michael Jackson is probably very guilty of at least improper behavior, and it saddens me to know that he probably has gotten away with having committed several crimes, I am glad to know that a person doesn't get convicted in this country without strong evidence against them.