USOne of Michael Jackson's closest aides once claimed "killers" were after his accuser's family, the singer's child molestation trial was told yesterday.
Music producer Rudy Provencio - the last state witness to be called in the trial - also claimed he was twice told the Arvizo family had "escaped" from Jackson's Neverland ranch.
He was called to corroborate the testimony of Janet Arvizo and to support the conspiracy allegations against Jackson, who denies child sex abuse allegations.
Mr Provencio told Santa Maria court in California that unindicted co-conspirator Marc Schaffel had told him killers were pursuing the family.
But he said that when he asked another associate what was going on, he was told there were no killers.
The prosecution claims that Gavin Arvizo and his family were held captive and forced to appear in a video rebuttal of Martin Bashir's damaging documentary after being warned their lives were at stake.
Mr Provencio also claimed Mr Schaffel had instructed Jackson's ex-wife, Debbie Rowe, to "cry better" when she was interviewed as part of the rebuttal.
"He would prod her to do it better or say it better, as any producer would," he told the court.
Ms Rowe was adamant that she was not coached what to say and that all her remarks in the interview were spontaneous.
During his testimony Mr Provencio frequently consulted notes he claimed he had taken during his time at Neverland.
He claimed that when Jackson was told he should hold a press conference in the aftermath of the Bashir documentary, he said: "I hate doing those things." "Michael said he wanted to go someplace fun," he added.
Mr Provencio described Jackson as "meticulous".
He was hired in 2001 to work with Mr Schaffel on a charity record called What More Can I Give.
Meanwhile, the court was told late on Tuesday how Michael Jackson owed more than $230 million and was spending his way deeper into debt at the time he was accused of molesting the 13-year-old boy at his Neverland estate, according to a forensic accountant hired by prosecutors.
The testimony by accountant John Duross O'Bryan was the most direct look at what prosecutors claim are the dire finances of the 46-year-old entertainer, who borrowed heavily against his ownership stake in a catalogue of Beatles' hits.
"Mr Jackson's financial condition was deteriorating up to [ February of 2003]," Mr O'Bryan said. "Expenditures were exceeding income, liabilities were increasing and there was a liquidity crisis."
Prosecutors are trying to convince jurors that Jackson's deteriorating finances gave him a motive for imprisoning his accuser's family and pressing them to tape an interview that praised him in an attempt to salvage his image.
Jackson, who has pleaded not guilty, faces more than 20 years in prison if convicted of all 10 charges against him.
Mr O'Bryan said the entertainer was more than $230 million in debt in February 2003. At the time, he said, Jackson was spending $20 million to $30 million more than he was bringing in per year.
On cross-examination, lead defence lawyer Tom Mesereau suggested Jackson could easily have solved his "liquidity crisis" by selling his stake in the Beatles' catalogue.