Santa Maria, Calif. ? Dressed in a bright white suit and a jewel-trimmed vest and belt, Michael Jackson on Monday stood before the first group of prospective jurors who could decide his fate on charges he molested a teenage cancer patient and plied the boy with alcohol at his Neverland Ranch.

The pop superstar, accompanied by four defense lawyers, stood and smiled as he faced prospective jurors for the start of jury selection in what could become the most sensational celebrity trial the world has ever seen. He greeted the clerk with a handshake at the courthouse in this small city in central California about 15 miles from the coast.

Outside, several hundred fans from around the world pressed up against a chain-link fence and shouted words of encouragement, holding up signs that read, “Dear God, Please Give Michael Justice” and “France Supports and Loves MJ.”

Santa Barbara County Dist. Atty. Tom Sneddon did not come to court. A deputy represented the prosecution.

Jackson, 46, is charged with molesting a teenage boy — then 13, now 15 — and plying him with alcohol.

Judge Rodney Melville told the first group of 150 prospective jurors that they might have to serve for about six months, but that it was an important duty.

“Most of us have relatives who have fought and died to protect this service,” Melville said. “Freedom is not free. Jury duty is part of the cost of freedom.”

Sixty-six members of the first group asked to be excused, but during questioning by the judge two changed their minds.

Five hundred more prospective jurors were to be processed later Monday and on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Those not excused will out questionnaires, and then will be questioned individually by the attorneys. The judge wants 12 jurors in addition to eight alternates.

Michael Jackson is screened by sheriff's deputies as he enters the Santa Barbara County courthouse for jury selection in his child molestation trial in Santa Maria, Calif.