LOS ANGELES (AP) — A judge says Michael Jackson's mother should raise the King of Pop's children.
Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Mitchell Beckloff appointed Katherine Jackson as the permanent guardian of the singer's three children during a court hearing in Los Angeles on Monday.
Mrs. Jackson was named by Jackson as his first choice to raise his children in a 2002 will filed with the court. The 79-year-old is the only person to formally petition for custody of the children since Jackson's death on June 25 at age 50.
Mrs. Jackson and her son's ex-wife Deborah Rowe reached a custody agreement last week.
The three children, who range in age from 7 to 12, have been living with Mrs. Jackson at the family's home in the San Fernando Valley since their father's death. The two eldest children signed declarations apparently indicating they wanted to remain with Mrs. Jackson.
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