Santa Barbara County District Attorney Tom Sneddon addresses a press conference at the Santa Barbara County Courthouse in Santa Maria, California, June 13, 2005 after the jury in pop star Michael Jackson's child sex trial found him not guilty on all
Santa Barbara County District Attorney Tom Sneddon addresses a press conference at the Santa Barbara County Courthouse in Santa Maria, California, June 13, 2005 after the jury in pop star Michael Jackson's child sex trial found him not guilty on all ten counts. Reuters//Mario Anzuoni/POOL nk

Tom Sneddon, who tried to prosecute Michael Jackson for child abuse twice, died of cancer at the age of 73. He died in a Santa Barbara, California, hospital on Saturday. The Cottage Hospital nursing supervisor, Wanda Johnson, confirmed Sneddon's death to Radaronline.com.

Tom Sneddon was the district attorney of Santa Barbara County for more than a quarter century until 2010. He first accused and tried to nail Jackson in 1993 for allegedly abusing a boy at his grand 2,700-acre Neverland Ranch in Los Olivos, according to Daily Mail. However, Jackson settled the boy's civil case for $20 million. Jordan Chandler and his family seemed to stop cooperating with Sneddon, so the case was forced to a halt.

On Nov.18, 2003, Tom Sneddon supervised a raid by 60 Santa Barbara County sheriff's deputies to collect evidence that later tried Jackson in nearby Santa Maria, California. In 2005, Jackson was accused of giving wine to his victim and abusing him at Neverland, according to TMZ.

However, the jury of a Santa Barbara County acquitted him on all counts: "10 felonies and four misdemeanor charges related to sexual abuse" that were put up against him by Gavin Arvizo's family. It caused a lot of embarassment to Tom Sneddon and his entire team of prosecutors. They are said to have spent $3 million trying to prosecute Jackson, even sending a big group of investigators to the Philippines in order to interview a couple that looked after his ranch. Jackson left Neverland after the trial, deciding never to return, according to radaronline.com. Sneddon had nine children. He retired after serving as District Attorney at Santa Barbara for 25 years. In spite of being proven wrong, he was convinced that Michael Jackson was a child molestor. Jackson had a cardiac arrest in 2009, when he was 50, at North Carolwood Drive in the Holmby Hills, Los Angeles. He died of acute Propofol and Benzodiazepine intoxication given by his doctor after he suffered a massive cardiac arrest. He has been known to say about Tom Sneddon in one of his tracks: "Tom Sneddon is a cold man," according to TMZ.

Source: YouTube/Hydr0z1