Closing arguments in the Michael Jackson trial continue in Santa Maria, Calif., with prosecutors portraying the singer as a serial pedophile and the defense arguing that Jackson was the victim of a plot that would financially benefit his accuser's family. The trial has drawn so many fans and reporters that gaining access to the courtroom is no easy task.
STEVE INSKEEP, host: Closing arguments continue today in the trial of Michael Jackson.  In      court yesterday, prosecutors tried to portray the singer as a serial      pedophile. Jackson's defense team argued their client was the real victim      of a greedy plot hatched by his accuser's family.  Of course, this trial      has drawn thousands of fans and reporters from around the world.  And as      NPR's Luke Burbank reports, that means getting access to the courtroom is      no easy task.</s>STEVE INSKEEP, host: Unidentified Man #1:  Now as you can see from the people that are here on      a daily basis, they're already forming two lines.  So it doesn't matter      where you're at on the line.  Everybody's going to get a ticket.</s>LUKE BURBANK reporting: It's 6:45 in the morning.  We're in front of the courthouse in Santa      Maria. We're walking up to get a ticket.  If our number gets picked,      we'll be in the court for the Jackson trial.</s>LUKE BURBANK reporting: Thank you.</s>LUKE BURBANK reporting: Our number, 669.  We'll see if that's lucky.</s>LUKE BURBANK reporting: Unidentified Man #1:  450.</s>LUKE BURBANK reporting: Unidentified Man #2:  Yea!</s>BURBANK: It turns out it was, and about 45 of us, a mix of reporters and      Jackson fans, were ushered into the courtroom as closing arguments began.      Jackson sat impassively as prosecutor Ron Zonen described the pop star as      a sexual predator, preying repeatedly on young boys from broken homes.      When Zonen showed jurors photos of naked boys that were seized from the      singer's bedroom, some of Jackson's supporters began to cry.</s>Professor LAURIE LEVINSON (Loyola University): I think the prosecution      came out very strong in its closing argument.  It was quite effective.</s>BURBANK: Laurie Levinson is a law professor at Loyola University.  She      says Jackson's defense attorney, Tom Mesereau, is well known for his      skill in closing arguments.  And when it was his turn, Mesereau described      the family of Jackson's accuser as a collection of con artists, actors      and liars.  He also told jurors that their job was not to ask if Jackson      was innocent but rather if there was a reasonable doubt as to his guilt.      Levinson says the case is close and the next few hours could be decisive.</s>Professor LAURIE LEVINSON (Loyola University): And for the defense, they're critically important      because, don't forget, Michael Jackson never testified, so this is their      absolute last chance to explain things to the jurors and get them to see      this case overall their way, that Michael Jackson is actually the victim.</s>BURBANK: The Jackson fans in the courtroom didn't need much convincing      of that.  As the trial proceeded, many took copious notes, looking for      holes in the prosecution's case.  And the courthouse wasn't the only      place they were congregating.  About 30 miles to the south, at the      Neverland Ranch where Jackson lives, Annika Tokecha(ph) had traveled from      London to stand outside the gates.</s>Ms. ANNIKA TOKECHA: This is my third time for the case.  I'd like to be      here, of course, but I'd want to be here because it's his birthday or      because, you know, we just happen to be in Los Angeles or something like      this.</s>BURBANK: Tokecha has become such a regular that she's even been allowed      inside the gated compound by Jackson staffers.</s>Ms. ANNIKA TOKECHA: It's absolutely stunning.  It's like heaven; really it is.      And, you know, as you walk through, you feel like you're walking through      Michael Jackson's mind.  It's just beautiful, and it's not what they say      in the news at all.</s>BURBANK: Neverland is also the place where Jackson is alleged to have      molested his accuser four times in 2003.  And it's where he'll wait it      out as the jury decides his fate, deliberations that could begin as early      as this afternoon.  Luke Burbank, NPR News, Santa Maria.</s>STEVE INSKEEP, host: This is NPR News.