Be Careful Who You Love: Inside the Michael Jackson Case

Diane Dimond

Simon and Schuster, Dec 15, 2005 - Social Science - 352 pages

The explosive definitive account of the Michael Jackson saga, chronicling the King of Pop's battles against child molestation charges from 1993 to 2005, from award-winning journalist

Diane Dimond, who broke the story first, over twelve years ago

Michael Jackson has long captured the world's attention, first as the dynamic lead singer of the Jackson Five, then during his highly successful breakout solo career. But somewhere along the line Jackson transformed himself into something hardly recognizable and was investigated -- not once, but twice -- for crimes we could hardly imagine.

Even now, after his unexpected acquittal on multiple charges of child molestation, there is a sense that the real truth behind the allegations is not known. The character of Michael Jackson -- from his humble beginnings to his rich career and the birth of Neverland Ranch -- is destined for great debate among fans, journalists, historians, and psychiatrists for years to come. In the meantime, there is Diane Dimond, the journalist of record on the Jackson case.

In November 2003, when the Santa Barbara county sheriff's department conducted another raid on Neverland Ranch, Diane Dimond and her camera crews were the only ones there to capture the moment and report the news to the world. Now, for the first time, Dimond recounts the multifaceted details of the Jackson case, utilizing her extensive notes and sources. What she tells us is a shocking story.

Be Careful Who You Love will take you behind the scenes and into the courtroom of one of the most controversial cases of the decade, while giving readers a dramatic glimpse of one reporter's vigilance and unending quest to uncover the truth.

Contents

• Prologue: 1
• The Body Search: 8
• August 1993: 17
• The Jackson Family Speaks: 33
• Leads to Follow: 39
• May 1992May 1993: 43
• JuneAugust 1993: 57
• Raid on Neverland: 69
• Jordie Chandler: 82
• October 1993: 89
• The Civil Suit: 97
• November 1993: 104
• The Music Stops: 115
• December 1993: 120
• December 1993: 141
• Special Treatment for Special Friends: 147
• January 1994: 151
• May 1994: 162
• The Neverland Five: 171
• A Career in Decline: 183
• Searching NeverlandAgain: 191
• Into the Justice System: 198
• Jury Selection: 212
• The Criminal Trial: 219
• Pajama Day: 227
• Charges of Conspiracy: 235
• Prior Bad Acts: 251
• FebruaryJune 2005: 271
• June 13 2005: 297
• The Difficulties of Proving Child Abuse: 305
• Epilogue: 317
• Index: 323

Popular passages

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About the author

Diane Dimond served as chief executive investigative editor and on-air correspondent and anchor for Court TV's investigative unit. Prior to joining Court TV, Dimond was involved in Fox News Channel's continuing live coverage of the war on terrorism and also worked at MSNBC, where she anchored news hours and covered the 2000 presidential campaign and recount. She has also worked for National Public Radio in Washington, D.C., and WCBS-TV in New York, and has cohosted a nightly news program on CNBC. In 1990, Dimond became the investigative reporter for the syndicated program Hard Copy, and in 1993 she broke the Michael Jackson story. Time magazine cited her continuing coverage of the case among "The Best TV of '93." Diane lives in New York with her husband.

Bibliographic information

• Title: Be Careful Who You Love: Inside the Michael Jackson Case
• Author: Diane Dimond
• Publisher: Simon and Schuster, 2005
• ISBN: 1416524495, 9781416524496
• Length: 352 pages
• Subjects: Biography & Autobiography / Entertainment & Performing Arts; Fiction / General; Social Science / Popular Culture; True Crime / Sexual Assault