Travolta recounts son's death at Bahamas trial

[samanthajane13]

By JUAN McCARTNEY, Associated Press Writer Juan Mccartney, Associated Press Writer – 1 hr 46 mins ago

NASSAU, Bahamas – John Travolta said Wednesday he tried desperately to save the life of his seizure-prone son and made perhaps his first public description of the boy as autistic as he testified in the trial of two people accused of trying to blackmail him.

With his wife, Kelly Preston, looking on inside the Nassau courtroom, Travolta said that he performed CPR on his son after a nanny alerted him the teen had fallen ill at a family vacation home on Grand Bahama island. Jett Travolta later died from a seizure.

"I ran downstairs with my wife to help my son," Travolta said.

Travolta is the star witness at the trial of two people — paramedic Tarino Lightbourne and former Bahamian Sen. Pleasant Bridgewater — who are accused of trying to extort $25 million from the movie star. Both defendants pleaded innocent to extortion charges at the trial that began Monday in this island chain off the Florida coast.

Travolta testified that he and Preston were awakened by a nanny around 10:15 a.m. on Jan. 2, the day of Jett's death. Travolta said when he went downstairs, another caretaker was doing chest compressions and he began administering breathing help.

Travolta also said — apparently for the first time in public — that 16-year-old Jett was autistic, confirming speculation that had swirled for years. The developmental disorder is frequently accompanied by seizures.

"He was autistic. He suffered from a seizure disorder," Travolta told the jury when asked about his son's condition.

The actor said Jett suffered seizures every five to 10 days. He said the seizures would last 45 seconds to a minute and Jett typically slept for 12 hours after each one.

The judge dismissed Travolta on Wednesday afternoon but said he would be called back later for further testimony.

Travolta, 55, has kept a low profile since Jett's death. He skipped promotional events this summer for his latest film, "The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3." He thanked his co-stars on his Web site for giving him time to grieve.

Travolta arrived at the Supreme Court building in an entourage of sport utility vehicles for his first appearance at the trial. Security was noticeably heavier than previous days, with Bahamian police officers surrounding the courthouse.

Police say the alleged scheme involved a document related to Jett's treatment. It would have released emergency responders from liability if the family refused an ambulance but police said the document did not come into play.

After waiting half an hour for the ambulance to arrive, Travolta testified, he signed the release because he initially wanted his son taken to the airport for a flight to Florida instead of a local hospital.

He did not address why Jett was ultimately taken to a hospital. But an employee of the resort community where the Travoltas have their Bahamas home, Nathan Moody, testified earlier that he looked into using two private planes to fly Jett out but neither was an option on such short notice.

A nine-person jury was expected to hear from a total of 14 witnesses.


http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090923/ap_en_mo/cb_bahamas_travolta_s_son

[samanthajane13]

Bahamas jurors see secret tape at Travolta trial
By JUAN McCARTNEY, Associated Press Writer Juan Mccartney, Associated Press Writer – 1 hr 8 mins ago

NASSAU, Bahamas – A jury on Monday watched a hidden-camera videotape of negotiations between a lawyer for John Travolta and a former Bahamas senator accused of trying to blackmail the movie star.

The tape shows politician Pleasant Bridgewater telling Travolta's lawyer that a paramedic who treated the actor's son wants at least $20 million as payment to not release a private document to the media.

Bridgewater and ambulance driver Tarino Lightbourne have pleaded not guilty to extortion charges at the trial that began Sept. 21.

Lightbourne came to Travolta's vacation home on Grand Bahama island when the actor's 16-year-old son Jett suffered a seizure on Jan. 2. He later allegedly threatened to make public a release that Travolta signed to have Jett taken directly to the airport, even though the youth ultimately died at a local hospital and the document never came into play.

Bahamas police set up hidden cameras at a hotel room to capture Bridgewater's meeting on Jan. 19 with Travolta attorney Michael McDermott.

During the meeting, Bridgewater calls Lightbourne on his cell phone and tells him the lawyer is prepared to offer $250,000. She then tells the attorney that Lightbourne responded by telling her: "My mortgage is more than that."

"It's obvious that you can't handle this deal. I can't do it for $250,000. Just tell me when I can come and get my document from you," Bridgewater quotes Lightbourne as saying.

Prosecutors say the two defendants agreed to accept $10 million in installments over a four-year period before they were arrested.


http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20091005/ap_en_ce/cb_bahamas_travolta_s_son

[samanthajane13]

Jury set to decide Travolta extortion case
By JUAN McCARTNEY, Associated Press Writer Juan Mccartney, Associated Press Writer – Wed Oct 21, 8:38 am ET

NASSAU, Bahamas – Lawyers for an ambulance driver and a former politician accused of trying to extort millions from John Travolta urged jurors Tuesday to clear their clients, accusing the actor's attorneys of setting them up.

Lawyers for paramedic Tarino Lightbourne and former Sen. Pleasant Bridgewater, who have both pleaded not guilty, made the charge during their closing arguments. Prosecutors summed up their case Monday, and the nine-member jury is expected to start deliberations Wednesday.

Lightbourne's lawyer, Carlson Shurland, maintained the paramedic was "cornered" and called him a "victim" of entrapment by Travolta's attorneys. Lightbourne is accused of threatening to sell stories to the media about the death of Travolta's 16-year-old son, Jett, unless he was paid $25 million.

Defense attorneys have sought to show that Travolta wanted to buy a document he signed releasing emergency responders from liability if the family refused an ambulance for the youth, who died Jan. 2 after suffering a seizure.

Travolta testified during the trial that he signed the release form because he had hoped to fly his son to the U.S. for treatment. But police said the document never came into play because Jett was taken to a local hospital.

Shurland did not deny that Lightbourne, who police secretly taped negotiating with Travolta attorney Michael McDermott, tried to sell the document. But he denied it was extortion, describing it as a straightforward business transaction.

"Tarino had something to sell and everybody wanted to buy," Shurland said. "If you had something to sell and they were willing to pay, you'd be a fool not to sell it. That's what a free society is all about."

Bridgewater's attorney, Murrio Ducille, urged jurors in the socially conservative archipelago to "set my people free." He has sought to portray Travolta's lawyer as a "devious and cunning" outsider who had "evil in his heart." Bridgewater is accused of negotiating with Travolta's attorneys for Lightbourne and was also secretly taped by police.

"This was a joke to Mr. McDermott," Ducille said. "He came to the Bahamas with the sole intent of setting up these persons."

The defense presented only one witness last week, an emergency medical technician involved in attempts to save Jett. Defense attorneys had planned to call three other witnesses but said they were unavailable.

Travolta, who was not in court Tuesday, was called to testify by the prosecution. In describing his desperate attempts to save the life of Jett, he revealed publicly for the first time that his son was autistic.


http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20091021/ap_en_ot/cb_bahamas_travolta_s_son

[samanthajane13]

Judge orders retrial in Travolta extortion case
By JUAN McCARTNEY, Associated Press Writer Juan Mccartney, Associated Press Writer – 2 hrs 37 mins ago

NASSAU, Bahamas – The trial of two people accused of trying to extort John Travolta following the death of his son in the Bahamas has ended in a mistrial after a lawmaker suggested the still-deliberating jury had acquitted one of the defendants.

Senior Justice Anita Allen said she was reluctantly ordering a new trial "in the interest of justice" because the politician's statement, in a speech broadcast on television and radio, gave the appearance of an improper leak from the jury room.

"The dilemma that we face is great," Allen told the court. "I am erring on the side of caution. Justice must be transparent."

Ambulance driver Tarino Lightbourne and his attorney, politician Pleasant Bridgewater, were accused of threatening to release private information about the January death of Travolta's 16-year-old son Jett at the family vacation home in Grand Bahama.

Lightbourne, who was among the medics who treated Jett, allegedly sought $25 million from the actor with the assistance of Bridgewater, who resigned her seat in the Bahamas Senate after she was charged in the case.

Jurors were still deliberating when lawmaker Picewell Forbes told an audience at a Progressive Liberal Party convention that Bridgewater was "a free woman." He did not go into details.

Immediately afterward, Alex Storr, the party's deputy chairman-elect, said Forbes had misspoken. He said the information was incorrect and no verdict had been issued. He apologized on behalf of the party.

But the judge said that Forbes' comment gave her no choice but to dismiss the jurors. She did not set a new trial date.

The jury, which deliberated about nine hours, had spent a month listening to testimony including from Travolta, who flew to the Bahamas to take the stand. Michael Ossi, one of the actor's attorneys, said his client would cooperate in any way possible and testify again if necessary.

"We are committed to seeing this through, and we are committed to seeing justice served," Ossi said. "And whatever the prosecution asks us to do is exactly what we will do."

Howard Butler, a Florida-based lawyer for Travolta, referred further questions to a publicist who did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

In closing statements, lawyers for the defendants, who denied the allegations, told the nine-member jury that their clients were set up by lawyers for Travolta. They also said authorities misinterpreted their actions.

The alleged plot centered on a document that would have released emergency responders from liability if the family refused an ambulance ride to the hospital for Jett, who suffered a deadly seizure at a family vacation home on Grand Bahama island on Jan. 2.

Travolta said he signed the waiver because he initially wanted his autistic son flown directly to Florida for treatment. But he later changed his mind, and the document did not come into play.

The actor testified that Lightbourne threatened to sell stories to the media suggesting that he was at fault in his son's death.


http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20091022/ap_en_ot/cb_bahamas_travolta_s_son

[samanthajane13]

Bahamas MP faces judge over Travolta mistrial
By JUAN McCARTNEY, Associated Press Writer Juan Mccartney, Associated Press Writer – 51 mins ago

NASSAU, Bahamas – A Bahamas judge asked a lawmaker Friday to explain remarks that led to a mistrial in the John Travolta extortion case.

Picewell Forbes was summoned before the judge for announcing an acquittal Wednesday night while the the jury was still deliberating a verdict for two defendants accused of trying to blackmail the movie star.

Senior Justice Anita Allen told Forbes that he has until Thursday to show why he should not be charged with contempt of court.

Forbes did not provide an explanation at the hearing, but his lawyer said earlier he was only repeating a rumor he heard moments before making a televised speech at political convention.

Allen said she declared a mistrial because the announcement created the appearance of a leak from the jury room.

"One can see that the fairness of the trial could have been compromised," Allen said. "I operated under the maxim that justice must not only be done, but must be seen to be done, which is the basis on which the jury was discharged."

Defendant Pleasant Bridgewater, a politician from Forbes' party who resigned her Senate seat after she was charged, is accused of aiding paramedic Tarino Lightbourne in a plot to seek $25 million from Travolta in exchange for not releasing private information about his son's January death in the Bahamas. Both defendants have pleaded not guilty to extortion charges.

An attorney for Forbes, Anthony McKinney, said outside court that his client believes his remarks did not risk affecting the outcome of the trial.

"We will take whatever steps are necessary to convince the judge that there was no interference by our client with the trial, or in any way with the procedures that were required to be followed," he said.

A new trial is expected next year. Jurors in the last trial heard a month of testimony from witnesses including Travolta, who traveled to the Bahamas to take the witness stand twice for the prosecution.


http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20091023/ap_en_mo/cb_bahamas_travolta_s_son