“This man ruined my life,” explains Bill Cooper, adjusting his sunglasses. “He tried to make my mom look like a skeezer… Do people even say ‘skeezer’? NO? Scalpel. Jazzybell?”

If Bill makes it look like he’s stuck in the ’80s, it’s because, in some ways, he’s. For years, 44-year-old Bill Cooper lived in relative solitude. Suffers from agoraphobia, a mental condition brought on by social anxiety that makes him avoid leaving the house. On the rare occasions when the single computer engineer leaves the Southern California suburban home he shares along with his mother, it’s never during the day.

– Bill did it too heliophobia, fear of brilliant or intense sunlight,” explains Bill’s mother, Belinda, who joined theGrio for our exclusive interview. “That’s why he at all times wears sunglasses. But I feel he’s hiding because he’s paranoid. I blame myself. I should never have told him what That Man said about me.

“It’s not your fault,” Bill interjects. “The police asked you an issue and you told the truth. Plus, you technically never said he was “the one.” You just said he could be my father. This man began to disclose himself as soon as he heard that he was the subject of a police investigation. Writing this song was bullshit and This Man knows it.

“That Man” is what the Coopers call the singer, songwriter and maybe the most superstar to ever walk on the moon: Michael Joseph Jackson.

When That Man released his sixth solo project November 30, 1982nobody could have predicted that this may make Jackson the undisputed “King of Pop”. Until 2018, Jackson’s breakthrough album was the best-selling project in recorded music history. For critics and fans, the seven songs on the album constitute the magnum opus of the global superstar.

According to the police, the entire album is an alibi.

But for the Coopers, Thriller is greater than just a group of songs. It’s an atomic bomb that tore their world apart. This is the subject of Belinda’s ire and the bane of Bill’s existence. More importantly, it’s an origin story. This is nearly, but not quite, sort of the true story of Belinda Jeanette Cooper and her only child, William – or as they’re known around the world:

Billie Jean and her son.

Belinda the Beautiful

Belinda Cooper resides proof that Black doesn’t crack.

At the age of 65, Cooper’s stunning beauty is as evident as the day she began her profession as a model, actress and wonder pageant contestant. “Belinda was a bad mama,” Sheila D’Roni told Grio. “As bad as she could be.”

D’Roni knows a thing or two about beautiful women. Before she began hosting, organizing and judging beauty pageants, the woman generally known as Sheila “The 10” D’Roni earned her nickname during the 1962 Miss Thang beauty pageant. As the first contestant in the now-defunct competition to attain perfect scores in every category, D’Roni saw Belinda’s potential. “Back then, black women weren’t allowed to enter major beauty pageants,” D’Roni said. “Miss Thang was principally Miss Black America. Former Miss Thangs include Thelma Evans, Foxy Brown and Helen Willis. And I used to be the queen of black beauty queens… Until Belinda got here along.

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On October 23, 1980, 21-year-old Belinda Cooper broke D’Roni’s scoring record and was crowned Miss Thang 1980. To have a good time, D’Roni invited Belinda to a VIP afterparty at a neighborhood nightclub. Just then, one of the invited stars approached the couple pretty young Thangs.

“This guy with Jheri curls came up and started talking to us,” Belinda told Grio. “Apart from just a few small film roles, it was my first time participating in a beauty pageant. So I knew he was attempting to make me think I looked like a beauty queen from a movie. I just waved at him and said, “It’s me.”

“He accused me of making a scene and kept asking me to dance,” Belinda continued. “The VIP section was too crowded, so we danced on the floor in rounds. He wasn’t really my type – his hair was too greasy. But I won’t lie – This Man could cut a rug! Plus he was consistently buying drinks. I finally told him my name was Billie Jean, which technically wasn’t a lie. That’s what my grandmother called me. After an evening of drinking, dancing and competing, I used to be pretty exhausted. So when he suggested that he should walk me home, I agreed. It was the worst mistake of my life. I blame it on boogie.

Many partygoers confirmed Belinda’s version of events, including when the couple left to walk the three blocks to Belinda’s apartment. “When I saw them leaving, it didn’t seem strange to me,” said a nightclub bouncer, who asked to not be named since it wasn’t I need to start out something. “Mike was smiling from ear to ear like, “The girl is mine.’ I assumed it was just that human nature, but Jackson had an odd look in his eyes. That was the last time I saw them.”

Two months after the superstar who later became “That Man” disappeared on a cold October evening with a girl he knew only as “Billie Jean,” the 1980 Miss Thang winner made history again.

“It is with great disappointment that we accept the resignation of Belinda Jeanette Cooper,” read a press release from Miss Thang Beauty, Inc. “Unfortunately, her pregnancy will prevent her from fulfilling her duties as Miss Thang 1980. While we can’t comment on the rumors about her baby’s father, we wish her all the best in her future endeavors. We also ask for prayers for her quick recovery after the terrible crime she experienced.”

This is where Belinda’s story changed into a nightmare.

Emotion killer

Public sources indicate that in the weeks leading as much as the Miss Thang pageant, there have been 12 fatal attacks in the vicinity of Belinda Cooper’s apartment. Although the attacker left bloodstains on the carpet of the only surviving victim (a girl named Annie, who was not well), DNA science had not yet developed enough to find out the victim’s identity. smooth criminal. According to FBI profilers, the perpetrator likely committed the murders because he derived pleasure from “homicide-related wood.” However, to today the mystery of the serial murders stays unsolved.

“A woman never talks about her personal life,” Belinda told Grio. “Let me just say that when he was in my apartment, This Man didn’t do anything I didn’t want him to do. When we finished, um… talking, we stood outside waiting for That Man’s limo to pick him up. Then everything happened.”

What happened? Was Billie Jean the thirteenth victim? Was Jackson involved?

To piece together the events of that evening, Grio reviewed police interviews with Jackson, Cooper and folks in the area.

Belinda says there was a full moon that night (which Grio confirmed). She and Jackson were waiting outside for his limo to choose him up when she commented on how beautiful the moon looked. “I was just about to tell him my real name,” Belinda recalls. “But as soon as he checked out the moon, he began behaving strangely. You know what it’s like when you all lose interest. Then I heard a sound. It was already near midnight, so I wondered what was lurking in the dark. I do not remember much after that.

Our investigation shows that neighbors remember hearing a high-pitched scream followed by disturbing laughter. “I’m an alto, so it wasn’t me,” she added. “I remember screaming, but I was too scared.” Belinda described a person who appeared out of nowhere, which inserts the description of Thrill’s killer. “He was a tall, slim Caucasian man with long fingernails and a unkempt beard,” Belinda told Grio. “He kind of looked like a hairier, green-eyed guy Chet Holmgren. I froze when he looked me straight in the eyes. But apparently someone wasn’t paralyzed. I looked around and That Man had already beaten him. Then I fainted.”

When Belinda woke up in the hospital, she asked if Michael Jackson had survived the attack. Unfortunately, doctors, nurses and police assumed she was still delirious or drunk. She was in the hospital for weeks and thought Michael Jackson was dead. When it turned out that she was pregnant during a routine medical examination, she assumed that the deceased singer was the father of her child. A number of months later, at her homecoming party, the DJ played the second song from her primary album in the country. As everyone danced, Belinda slowly realized that Jackson had not only abandoned her, but had also abandoned any involvement in the life of her yet unborn child.

Is this kid the son of That Man?

William James Cooper isn’t focused on taking a DNA test.

“Why would I want a father who doesn’t want me,” Grio said. “I believe my mother. Besides, where do I get a DNA sample?”

Neither Bill nor his mother ever filed a paternity suit. In fact, Belinda at all times insisted on Jackson. However, when Belinda told her son the story of her strange encounter with the King of Pop, Bill dropped out of school and commenced his own investigation into the unsolved murders and the identity of his biological father. “It was mostly about bullying,” Bill explained. “My classmates called me ‘Willie the Werewolf’ because I don’t love daylight. Or perhaps it’s because I had a full beard after I was seven. Anyway, I told my third grade teacher that I used to be an Audi 5000 and went to nighttime school as an alternative.

Unfortunately, after years of collecting evidence, Bill still has not solved any of the puzzles. Instead, he’s specializing in his engineering profession. He admits to smoking marijuana 28 days a month, which helps relieve his anxiety. “I don’t feel comfortable during the day,” he explained. “I really don’t feel comfortable at night either, except on a full moon. The only salvation is Reefer.”

Meanwhile, Belinda has been off work since the attack. She received a big settlement in her discrimination lawsuit against Miss Thang. He also receives a big monthly check from an anonymous donor. “All I know is it’s a return address 2300 Jackson Street, she said. “It’s probably a coincidence, but I don’t question fate.”

When asked in the event that they ever wondered if the song “Thriller” could be a real origin story and never “Billie Jean,” Bill fell silent while his mother revealed the strangest part of their entire story.

“Can I tell you a secret?” – Belinda asked. “Neither of us has ever heard this album.”

Now it’s weird.