John Travolta: Reaches Bahamas for extortion trial

John Travolta: Reaches Bahamas for extortion trial

Jury selection in an extortion case linked to John Travolta's sixteen-year-old son's death, began this Monday.

Reportedly, Travolta has travelled to Bahamas to take the stand against 2 people accused of trying to extort $25 m from the actor following Jett Travolta's death in the Bahamas.

The movie star is on a list of fourteen witnesses against the defendants - a former Bahamas senator and an ambulance driver — who allegedly threatened to release a document related to the treatment of his chronically ill son.

According to sources, Travolta is staying at an exclusive gated community west of Nassau.

This s believed to be Travolta's first visit to the Bahamas since Jett died from a seizure at the actor's vacation home on Grand Bahama island last January. His testimony would mark a break from the low profile that Travolta and his wife, actress Kelly Preston, have kept since January.

Paramedic Tarino Lightbourn and his attorney, former Bahamian Senator Pleasant Bridgewater, are accused of conspiring to extort $25 m from Travolta for a document relating to Jett's treatment.

But the pair, who was among those who tried to revive Jett after he collapsed, have pleaded innocent and have been free on bail.

Supreme Court Judge Anita Allen swore in the six-woman, three-man jury Monday, with opening statements slated to begin Tuesday morning.

Travolta, who heads the fourteen-member witness list, was not among the four witnesses present in court during jury selection. But he is expected to testify – and likely will have to recount the painful memories of Jett's death – since he filed the extortion complaint.

"If the prosecution doesn't call him, we will," Mary Bain, a lawyer representing Lightbourn, said. "Of course, he's a key witness."

Travolta,fifty five, skipped the publicity tour this summer for his latest film, "The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3." He posted a note on his personal Web site in June thanking his co-stars for their efforts to promote the picture, which gave the family additional time to grieve.