Review: Was Michael Jackson Murdered? You Be the Judge by Everett Watson

Author Everett Watson peels back the mysterious events surrounding the King of Pop’s death in Was Michael Jackson Murdered? You Be the Judge, suggesting in no uncertain terms that foul play was undeniably involved.

Despite this globe-shaking death being classified as a drug overdose, the case is complicated by the involvement of Dr. Conrad Murray, the star’s trusted at-home doctor and the administer of MJ’s treatments. The author lays out his belief, based on extensive personal research and the synthesis of court documents and trial testimony, that Murray perpetrated premeditated murder after his underhanded, self-serving manipulation of Jackson was discovered.

However, this is not so much a juicy conspiracy theory as a dramatic re-telling of the events of Jackson’s death under a new, sinister lens, one in which the doctor responsible for Jackson’s care could be nothing but criminally negligent or murderously guilty. This presupposed verdict colors most of the writing, and such an implicit bias is difficult for the author to hide behind. Whether he is assuming a person’s motivations, projecting or assuming their thoughts, or making far-fetched inferences, the logic employed requires leaps of faith, and the occasional suspension of disbelief.

That being said, many of the small details and facts of the case, as well as the timing of events related to the death, are thought-provoking and suspicious, more than enough to keep readers flipping the pages. In other words, the storytelling is compelling, even if it fails to produce damning evidence.

The main flaw in this book, from the very outset, is the mixed levels of certainty from the author. The book is peppered with claims of absolute conviction, that something definitely happened, or that a given motive was incontrovertible, but the proof is often loosely aligned with his claims, or doesn’t fully support the conclusions he draws. By suggesting that readers “be the judge,” the author takes on the role of presenting a case like a lawyer, but if these claims were presented in a court of law, objections from the opposition would never stop flying. The thorough nature of the research and the comprehensive view that Watson takes on the case is impressive, and clearly proves his passion for this subject, but there are too many conflating factors in his presentation.

The journal entry format of the book is intriguingly informal, but also delegitimizes the writing a bit, particularly when the narration slips into a more informal style. Emotions can be powerful tools of persuasion, but the frequent leading questions and less-than-subtle allusions to unfounded beliefs skew the author’s impartiality. The author’s repeated discussion of his movie’s rights versus the release of the movie produced by Murray undercuts his credibility, as some of his righteous anger appears to come from financial resentment, rather than a sincere desire for justice. Still, the extreme lengths the author has gone to in order to share his view on MJ’s drug overdose/alleged murder does argue that his ultimate motivation is exposing the whole truth.

For anyone who loves Michael Jackson, felt overwhelmed by his death’s subsequent drama, or simply enjoys a good dive into the nitty-gritty of true crime, this is a compelling and worthwhile read, even if it doesn’t definitively prove its thesis.