Update

A defense witness testified Monday that he once caught Michael Jackson's teenage accuser playing with his brother in the singer's secret wine cellar.

"When I walked in, I saw the two children laughing, giggling. I startled them. I could see them with a bottle of alcohol," testified former security guard Shane Meridith, who worked at Neverland during the time Jackson allegedly gave the 13-year-old boy alcohol as a prelude to sexually molesting him.

"They were pretty shaken," Meridith said. He reprimanded the boys as they "scurried up the stairs" past the secret door behind the jukebox in Jackson's video arcade. He took note that the bottle of wine sitting on the table where they had been playing was about half full.

But during cross-examination, Meridith said he didn't actually see the boys holding the bottle.

"I can't guarantee that they were actually drinking," he said.

Jackson's accuser, a cancer survivor with one kidney, previously testified that the entertainer gave him wine in Diet Coke cans, appeasing his medical concerns by calling it healthful "Jesus juice."

But the defense contends that the accuser and his brother were, as Meridith testified, "rambunctious" children who got into Jackson's wine stash on their own.

Meridith was one of several defense witnesses called to the stand Monday to dispute small but important details in the testimony of the accuser and his family — and to paint the boys as reckless, undisciplined children.

A former Neverland assistant chef testified that the accuser's 11-year-old brother once had him whip up a milkshake and then pointed to a Mexican brand of liquor sitting in a cabinet.

"He pointed at the bottle and asked me to pour it in the milkshake," testified Angel Vivanco. "He told me if I didn't do it, he would tell Michael and I would be fired."

Vivanco said he acquiesced.

The soft-spoken witness had a litany of similar complaints about the accuser and his brother. On another occasion, he said, the brother held a 9-inch kitchen knife about an inch from his neck, before an aide walked in and admonished the boy.

The accuser also once threatened him over a bag of snacks, snarling at him: "Give me the f---ing Cheetos," according to Vivanco.

Jackson, 46, is charged with sexually molesting the boy in February or March 2003, giving him alcohol, and engaging in a conspiracy to falsely imprison the family at his Neverland ranch.

Jackson maintains his innocence. He faces up to 20 years in prison if convicted.

Held captive?

Jackson's defense team blitzed through nine witnesses Monday, three weeks into a case projected to last six to eight weeks. Much of the testimony was intended to refute claims by the accuser's mother that the family had been held against its will by the King of Pop and his alleged co-conspirators.

The mother testified that, despite being ferried to salon visits, shopping trips and a dental appointment for her children, she was always followed by Jackson's "positive PR film crew," her conversations were monitored, and she never had an opportunity to escape or seek help.

Former Neverland administrative assistant Katie Bernerd testified that the mother called from her guest suite at one point and said she wanted Bernerd to arrange a waxing appointment.

"She wanted it done right away, within the hour," Bernerd recounted.

"Had any guests at Neverland ever made a request like that to you before?" defense attorney Thomas Mesereau asked.

"Never."

Bernerd said that during the 10-minute drive to the salon she chatted uncomfortably with the mother, who offered unsolicited personal information about her abusive ex-husband.

"She started to tell me about her ex-husband and about how she was trying to get away from him, how badly she had it, and how well Michael has been treating her, how he was like a father figure to her kids," Bernerd testified.


"Did she ever complain that she was being held against her will at Neverland?" Mesereau asked.

"Never."

"Do you recall there being a public relations crew following you?" Mesereau asked.

"No."

"Did you see anyone with cameras following you?"

"No, I did not."

The aesthetician at the salon testified the mother was alone during her visit and that she never gave any indication that she was under duress.

She also set the record straight about whether it was a full body wax, as the defense contends, or simply a leg wax, as the mother repeatedly argued during her testimony.

Entered into evidence was a Feb. 11, 2003, salon receipt of $140 listing the mother's waxed regions, including her legs, brow, face, lip and bikini line. It was projected for jurors during aesthetician Carol McCoy's testimony.

"Is that pretty much a full body wax?" defense attorney Sanger asked to muffled chuckles from the gallery.

"Uh-huh," McCoy said.

Neverland assistant Bernerd said the mother called her four or five times, making various personal requests, during the two-month period she stayed on and off at Neverland.

"In any of those conversations, did you ever get the impression she was scared of anything?" Mesereau asked.

"Never once," Bernerd said.

But another defense witness testified Monday that the mother asked for her help in leaving Jackson's ranch. However, the mother never implicated Jackson in any captivity conspiracy, according to Neverland maid Maria Gomez.

Gomez said initially the mother praised Jackson, calling him a father figure to her children and telling her three kids to call him "Dad."

"About a week later, she began to talk about being held against her will, that we should help her," Gomez said, referring to herself and ranch manager Jesus Salas, who previously testified for the prosecution that he drove the mother and her kids home to Los Angeles in the middle of the night in mid-February after she tearfully begged for his help.

The defense has argued that the mother was angry over shabby treatment from Jackson's aides. The defense has continually attempted to distance the singer from his five unindicted alleged co-conspirators, providing evidence that he was unaware of their actions.

They have also argued that the mother could not have been held captive as she claims because she returned to Neverland on her own days after the first alleged escape.

Gomez testified that the mother did not implicate Jackson the night she asked to be taken home. Instead, she complained that three of Jackson's alleged co-conspirators were holding her there and "interfering with her relationship with [Jackson]," according to the witness.

Former chef assistant Vivanco's testimony will resume Tuesday.

Jackson's spokesperson announced Monday that talk show host Larry King is expected to testify Thursday. Comedian Jay Leno has announced that he may be called as early as next Monday.