This year marked 10 years since the passing of Michael Jackson. It's undoubtedly been a rough year to mark a decade since his death. The resurfaced allegations of child molestation came back to haunt his legacy following the release of Leaving Neverland. One person who's reportedly been having a tough time coming to terms with MJ's death is the singer's former bodyguard, Javon Beard.
According to Sun Online, Beard has been sentenced to an 18-year prison sentence after he was convicted for an armed robbery. Friends close to Beard said that he had a tough time dealing with Mike's death in 2009. Although he published a book called Remember The Time: Protecting Michael Jackson In His Final Days, the funds from that became dry quick after he spent money "like a baller." He and the co-author of the book made roughly $100K each off of the book.
Friends close to Beard said he grew depressed from "a huge come-down prompted by Jackson and the sex abuse allegations."
"After the lawsuit from Wade Robson and Jimmy Safechuck came out - people started taking it more seriously and all of a sudden everyone was asking him about it. He found himself defending Michael all the time and it took it’s toll on him," a close friend of his said.
Beard filed to appeal his conviction but lost.