Jermaine Jackson hit back hard on Wednesday after a RadarOnline.com report surfaced, claiming the late singer kept a collection of child pornography at his Neverland Ranch, citing documents from a 2003 raid.
"Let Michael rest in peace. Leave. Him. Alone," Jackson's brother tweeted, after the Santa Barbara Sheriff's Office released a lengthy statement about the report's claims.
In a statement, police spokesperson Kelly Hoover told USA TODAY, "Some of the documents appear to be copies of reports that were authored by Sheriff’s Office personnel as well as evidentiary photographs taken by Sheriff’s Office personnel interspersed with content that appears to be obtained off the internet or through unknown sources." She added, "The Sheriff’s Office did not release any of the documents and/or photographs to the media. The Sheriff’s Office released all of its reports and the photographs as part of the required discovery process to the prosecution and the defense" (referring to Jackson's 2005 sex-abuse trial, in which he was acquitted).
"In death, Michael still suffers trial by media but his exoneration is enshrined in court transcripts 'journalists' are too lazy to read," Jermaine Jackson said in a tweetstorm Wednesday afternoon. He added: "FACT: RT @CEThomson Judge Melville signed off a press statement before trial which said prosecutors had confirmed no child porn was found."
Meanwhile, Jackson's estate accused Radar of trying to exploit the seventh anniversary of the singer's death on Saturday. Jackson died in 2009 from an overdose of the sedative Propofol, which is commonly used by anesthesiologists to put and keep patients under for surgery.
“Everything in these reports, including what the County of Santa Barbara calls ‘content that appears to be obtained off the Internet or through unknown sources’ is false, no doubt timed to the anniversary of Michael's passing,” their statement to Billboard read. “Those who continue to shamelessly exploit Michael via sleazy internet ‘click bait’ ignore that he was acquitted by a jury in 2005 on every one of the 14 salacious charges brought against him in a failed witch hunt.”
The singer's nephew Taj, the son of his brother Tito, registered his disgust with the media via Twitter on Tuesday. "Fake news travels fast," he wrote. "The world picked up this trashy story. There's such a race to be first, only a few checked to see if it's even true."
Jermaine Jackson blamed the media for the spread of the report. "What's more shameful in this age of 'clickbait' is how other media rushed to echo the recycled lie. Research & integrity be damned," he tweeted.
