Father of boy who accused Michael Jackson of molestation found dead in Jersey City home

Father of boy who accused Michael Jackson of molestation found dead in Jersey City home
By Ron Zeitlinger/The Jersey Journal
November 17, 2009, 4:05PM

The father of the boy who received more than $20 million in a settlement from Michael Jackson -- seen here a a news conference in March -- died earlier this month in Jersey City.



The father of the 13-year-old boy who accused pop legend Michael Jackson of molesting him in the early 1990s was found dead in his Jersey City home earlier this month -- an apparent suicide -- authorities said today.

A Jersey City police spokesman said that Evan Chandler, 65, was found dead on his bed in Liberty Towers, 33 Hudson Street. He had a single gunshot wound to his head and the gun was still in his hand, police spokesman Stan H. Eason said.

Police checked on Chandler when they received a call from a Bayonne doctor, who was concerned because Chandler had missed an appointment, police reports said. The doctor told police that Chandler had been extremely ill.

In the early 1990s, Chandler reported the King of Pop, who died on June 25, to authorities in both Los Angeles and Santa Barbara, California, accusing Jackson of molesting his son, Jordan, then 13.
The Santa Barbara County District Attorney’s Office launched a probe and convened a grand jury to look into the sexual abuse charges. Meanwhile, Chandler and his son filed a civil lawsuit against Jackson. The case did not go to trial because the boy received a settlement of more than $20 million, according to many published reports.
Chandler and Jordan made news in Hudson County in 2005 when Jordan, 26 at the time, accused his father of hitting him in the head with a 12.5-pound weight and also spraying him in the face with a chemical irritant.

Evan Chandler was charged with assault and weapons charges, but those charges were later dropped.