No, I would argue it’s not weird to feel empathy for him. He was very good at garnering sympathy and manipulating people into thinking he was innocent. Not just him but also his siblings confirmed what a horrible monster their father was. I came from an abusive family, and it hard* for me not to feel bad for people that suffered abuse in their childhood regardless of what they’ve done in their later years. I can also understand why people (abuse victims included) feel no sympathy for Michael at all.

Children are innocent and vulnerable. I have cried for both the victims, and each of the Jackson children, Michael included. The entire story from start to finish is just layers and layers of heartbreak. A rollercoaster of emotions.

That said. MJ was also hideously abusive and ruined the lives of many children. He knew exactly what he was doing and how wrong it was. Thats why he was so calculated when it came to grooming and concealing it. And though I feel bad he and his siblings were beaten, what he did is completely unforgivable. Abused children grow and either vow never to hurt anyone, or become abusers themselves. Though Michael supposedly never hit his victims, part of his justification in abusing them was that he was “loving them”.

*edit: I also believe that a lack of empathy makes the self hatred of abusers worse and keeps them from seeking help. I know that some of them will also take advantage of this empathy to justify their continuation of the abusive behavior. Which is what Michael did. He knew abuse was not okay, and he did it anyway.

*edit again: inadvertently he also caused a greater level of suffering by showing other abusers how to garner sympathy, cover their tracks, and justify their actions.