John Travolta extortion case goes to Bahamas jury following monthlong trial

Travolta extortion case goes to Bahamas jury

NASSAU, Bahamas — A jury began deliberations Wednesday in the trial of two people accused of trying to blackmail John Travolta following the death of the actor’s son in the Bahamas.

Justice Anita Allen summarized the monthlong trial for more than four hours before the start of deliberations.

Ambulance driver Tarino Lightbourne is accused of threatening to release private information about the January death of Travolta’s 16-year-old son Jett. Lightbourne, who was among the medics who treated Jett, allegedly sought $25 million from the actor.

He was charged along with his lawyer, politician Pleasant Bridgewater, who resigned her seat in the Bahamas Senate after she was accused of negotiating the payment.

The defendants have pleaded innocent to charges that include extortion. Both face two charges that each carry a maximum penalty of five years in prison.

In their closing statements, defense lawyers told the nine-member jury that their clients were set up by lawyers for Travolta who helped police record their meetings with a hidden camera. They said authorities also misinterpreted what they called a straightforward business transaction.

The alleged plot involved 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 that 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 movie star testified for the prosecution that Lightbourne threatened to sell stories to the media suggesting that he was at fault in his son’s death.