''People v. Jackson'' (full title: ''1133603: The People of the State of California v. Michael Joe Jackson'') was a 2005
criminal trial
Criminal procedure is the adjudication process of the criminal law. While criminal procedure differs dramatically by jurisdiction, the process generally begins with a formal criminal charge with the person on trial either being free on bail or ...
held in
Santa Barbara County
Santa Barbara County, California, officially the County of Santa Barbara, is located in Southern California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 448,229. The county seat is Santa Barbara, and the largest city is Santa Maria.
Santa Barba ...
Superior Court
In common law systems, a superior court is a court of general jurisdiction over civil and criminal legal cases. A superior court is "superior" in relation to a court with limited jurisdiction (see small claims court), which is restricted to civil ...
in
Santa Maria, California
Santa Maria (Spanish language, Spanish for "Mary, mother of Jesus, St. Mary") is a city near the Central Coast (California), Central Coast of California in northern Santa Barbara County, California, Santa Barbara County. It is approximately no ...
. The American singer-songwriter
Michael Jackson
Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the "King of Pop", he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century. Over a ...
was charged with
molesting Gavin Arvizo, who was 13 years old at the time of the alleged abuse, at his
Neverland Ranch
Sycamore Valley Ranch, formerly Neverland Ranch["Neverland Never More"](_blank)
, by William Etling (author ...
estate in
Los Olivos, California.
Jackson had previously been
accused of child sexual abuse in 1993; he denied the allegations and settled the accuser's civil lawsuit. In 2003, the documentary ''
Living with Michael Jackson
''Living with Michael Jackson'' is a television documentary in which the British journalist Martin Bashir interviewed the American singer Michael Jackson from May 2002 to January 2003. It was broadcast in the United Kingdom on ITV (as a ''Toni ...
'' showed Jackson holding hands with Arvizo and defending his practice of giving his bed to children, triggering an investigation. Jackson was indicted on four counts of molesting a minor, four counts of intoxicating a minor to molest him, one count of attempted
child molestation
Child sexual abuse (CSA), also called child molestation, is a form of child abuse in which an adult or older adolescent uses a child for sexual stimulation. Forms of child sexual abuse include engaging in sexual activities with a child (wheth ...
, one count of conspiring to hold Gavin and his family captive, and conspiring to commit
extortion
Extortion is the practice of obtaining benefit through coercion. In most jurisdictions it is likely to constitute a criminal offence; the bulk of this article deals with such cases. Robbery is the simplest and most common form of extortion, ...
and
child abduction
Child abduction or child theft is the unauthorized removal of a Minor (law), minor (a child under the age of Age of majority, legal adulthood) from the Child custody, custody of the child's Parent, natural parents or Legal guardian, legally appo ...
.
The trial spanned approximately four months, beginning with jury selection that began on January 31, 2005. Gavin and his brother testified that Jackson had given them alcohol, showed them pornography, masturbated before them and made sexual advances. The defense characterized the witnesses for the prosecution as disgruntled ex-employees or individuals seeking to exploit Jackson for money. Witnesses for the defense included testimony from celebrities including the former child actor
Macaulay Culkin
Macaulay Macaulay Culkin Culkin (born Macaulay Carson Culkin; ) is an American actor. Often regarded as one of the most successful child actors of the 1990s, he was placed 2nd on VH1's list of the "100 Greatest Kid-Stars". Culkin rose to prom ...
and the comedian
Chris Tucker
Christopher Tucker (born August 31, 1971) is an American actor and comedian. Tucker made his debut in 1992 as a stand-up performer on the HBO comedy series ''Def Comedy Jam'', where he frequently appeared on the show during the 1990s. He app ...
. Coverage of the trial was described as a
media circus
Media circus is a colloquial metaphor, or idiom, describing a news event for which the level of media coverage—measured by such factors as the number of reporters at the scene and the amount of material broadcast or published—is perceived to ...
, and some media outlets were quick to portray Jackson as guilty.
Jackson was acquitted on all counts on June 13, 2005. He never returned to Neverland Ranch, and spent the first several months after the trial living abroad in
Bahrain
Bahrain ( ; ; ar, البحرين, al-Bahrayn, locally ), officially the Kingdom of Bahrain, ' is an island country in Western Asia. It is situated on the Persian Gulf, and comprises a small archipelago made up of 50 natural islands and an ...
and
Ireland
Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...
. In 2013, four years after
Jackson's death, one of the defense witnesses,
Wade Robson
Wade, WADE, or Wades may refer to:
Places in the United States
* Wade, California, a former settlement
* Wade, Maine, a town
* Wade, Mississippi, a census-designated place
* Wade, North Carolina, a town
* Wade, Ohio, an unincorporated communi ...
, changed his position and filed a lawsuit, saying he had been abused by Jackson. Jurors of the trial who appeared on ''
The Jury Speaks
''The Jury Speaks'' is an American documentary television series airing on Oxygen. The show reexamines some of the most high-profile and controversial cases in history through the eyes of the people who served on the original jury
A jury is ...
'' in 2017 said they still would vote to acquit.
Background
![NeverlandRidesGone](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/10/NeverlandRidesGone.jpg)
In 1993, the American pop singer
Michael Jackson
Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the "King of Pop", he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century. Over a ...
was accused of
child sexual abuse
Child sexual abuse (CSA), also called child molestation, is a form of child abuse in which an adult or older adolescent uses a child for sexual stimulation. Forms of child sexual abuse include engaging in sexual activities with a child (whet ...
by a 13-year-old boy, Jordan Chandler. The abuse allegedly took place at Jackson's
Neverland Ranch
Sycamore Valley Ranch, formerly Neverland Ranch["Neverland Never More"](_blank)
, by William Etling (author ...
home in
Santa Barbara, California
Santa Barbara ( es, Santa Bárbara, meaning "Saint Barbara") is a coastal city in Santa Barbara County, California, of which it is also the county seat. Situated on a south-facing section of coastline, the longest such section on the West Coas ...
.
In January 1994, Jackson settled the lawsuit made against him for $23 million, with $5 million going to the family's lawyers. The settlement was not an admission of guilt; Jackson said he had settled to prevent the lawsuit interfering with his career, which he later regretted.
Prosecutors pursued the criminal case and presented the evidence to two separate grand juries, neither of which indicted.
In 2000, the child
cancer
Cancer is a group of diseases involving abnormal cell growth with the potential to invade or spread to other parts of the body. These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread. Possible signs and symptoms include a lump, abnormal b ...
patient Gavin Arvizo was introduced to Jackson by the businessman and comedian
Jamie Masada
Jamie Masada ( fa, جمی ماسادا ; born in Iran) is an American businessman and comedian. He is the founder of the Laugh Factory, a chain of comedy clubs in several states.
Early years
Masada is a Persian Jewish immigrant from Iran who had ...
. Gavin's father, David Arvizo, who was separated from Arvizo's mother, often asked celebrities for money to support his son's cancer treatments.
Gavin was receiving
chemotherapy
Chemotherapy (often abbreviated to chemo and sometimes CTX or CTx) is a type of cancer treatment that uses one or more anti-cancer drugs (chemotherapeutic agents or alkylating agents) as part of a standardized chemotherapy regimen. Chemotherap ...
and required the removal of his
spleen
The spleen is an organ found in almost all vertebrates. Similar in structure to a large lymph node, it acts primarily as a blood filter. The word spleen comes . and left
kidney
The kidneys are two reddish-brown bean-shaped organs found in vertebrates. They are located on the left and right in the retroperitoneal space, and in adult humans are about in length. They receive blood from the paired renal arteries; blood ...
.
Jackson and Gavin became friends, and Jackson invited Gavin and his family to Neverland Ranch. Gavin thanked Jackson for "helping
imbe happy and beat cancer". According to Gavin, after a few visits to Neverland, Jackson suddenly stopped calling him; Gavin said he felt abandoned.
In 2002, Jackson invited Gavin, now 12 years old, to be a part of an
ITV
ITV or iTV may refer to:
ITV
*Independent Television (ITV), a British television network, consisting of:
** ITV (TV network), a free-to-air national commercial television network covering the United Kingdom, the Isle of Man, and the Channel Islan ...
documentary, ''
Living with Michael Jackson
''Living with Michael Jackson'' is a television documentary in which the British journalist Martin Bashir interviewed the American singer Michael Jackson from May 2002 to January 2003. It was broadcast in the United Kingdom on ITV (as a ''Toni ...
''. The presenter,
Martin Bashir
Martin Henry Bashir (born 19 January 1963) is a British journalist. He was a presenter on British and American television and for the BBC's ''Panorama'' programme, for which he interviewed Diana, Princess of Wales in 1995. Although the intervie ...
, interviewed Jackson over eight months for the film.
Jackson and Gavin were seen holding hands, and Bashir asked Jackson about the appropriateness of a grown man having sleepovers and sharing a bed with a young person.
Note that by "sharing", Jackson clarified that he allowed guests to sleep in his bed alone while he slept on the floor, saying, "You can have my bed if you want, sleep in it, I'll sleep on the floor." Jackson also insisted that it was not sexual. He said it was a "beautiful thing", and that he had shared his bed with many children, including actors
Macaulay and
Kieran Culkin
Kieran Kyle Culkin (born September 30, 1982) is an American actor. The brother of actors Macaulay and Rory, he began his career as a child actor in the films ''Home Alone'' (1990), ''Father of the Bride'' (1991)'', The Mighty'' (1998), and ''Th ...
.
The film drew controversy and calls for Jackson's children to be removed from his custody.
Jackson called the documentary deceptive and a "gross distortion of the truth".
Gavin's mother, Janet Arvizo, said it misrepresented her son's relationship with Jackson; she instructed
Theodore Goddard
John Theodore Goddard (1879–27 November 1952) was an English solicitor and founder of the law firm Theodore Goddard (TG) based in London. The firm merged with Addleshaw Booth & Co on 1 May 2003 to become Addleshaw Goddard. Goddard was appoin ...
, the London law firm, to file complaints against the
Independent Television Commission
The Independent Television Commission (ITC) licensed and regulated commercial television services in the United Kingdom (except S4C in Wales) between 1 January 1991 and 28 December 2003.
History
The creation of ITC, by the Broadcasting Act ...
, which oversees ITV. Bashir defended his interview, saying: "Here's an individual who is 44 years old, sleeping in the bed of children who have no biological relationship with him. I did not set out to ensnare him with a child."
Jackson's production team recorded a two-hour rebuttal film, ''
The Michael Jackson Interview: The Footage You Were Never Meant to See'', which was screened by
Fox Television
The Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly known simply as Fox and stylized in all caps as FOX, is an American commercial broadcast television network owned by Fox Corporation and headquartered in New York City, with master control operations and ...
. Jackson decided to release the film after feeling betrayed by Bashir. Macaulay Culkin appeared on ''
Larry King Live
''Larry King Live'' was an American television talk show hosted by Larry King on CNN from 1985 to 2010. It was the channel's most watched and longest-running program, with over one million viewers nightly.
Mainly aired from CNN's Los Angeles s ...
'' to defend Jackson, saying nothing inappropriate had occurred at Neverland Ranch. He said: "Michael Jackson's bedroom is two stories and has three bathrooms. When I slept in his bedroom, you have to understand the whole scenario. The thing is that, with Michael, he isn't very good at explaining himself."
Gloria Gruber, president of Prevent Child Abuse California, called for authorities to interview the children with whom he had shared his bed, saying: "The fact that he sleeps with children who are unrelated to him is definitely a red flag and concern."
Santa Barbara district attorney
Tom Sneddon, who had attempted to bring Jackson to trial over the 1993 allegations, initially said that, under Californian law, sleeping with a child without "affirmative, offensive conduct" was not illegal, and "sleeping in bed with a kid is not a crime that I know of".
Investigation and arrest
![Michaeljacksonmug1](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/57/Michaeljacksonmug1.jpg)
From February 14 to February 27, 2003, a few weeks after the broadcast of the documentary, the Los Angeles Department of Child and Family Services conducted a preliminary investigation of Jackson and Gavin. In a confidential report based on interviews with the Arvizos, which leaked to the media, child welfare officials stated that they believed that accusations of illicit conduct were unfounded.
In June 2003, Sneddon reopened the investigation. In July and August, he interviewed Gavin along with his father David, mother Janet, and younger brother Star. In November, Gavin told police that Jackson had molested him several times between February 7 and March 10, 2003, when, according to Janet, Jackson had held the family captive at Neverland. This timeline was revised in the grand jury indictment, which stated that the alleged acts of molestation occurred between February 21 and March 12, 2003.
On November 18, 2003, police searched Neverland Ranch with a
search warrant
A search warrant is a court order that a magistrate or judge issues to authorize law enforcement officers to conduct a search of a person, location, or vehicle for evidence of a crime and to confiscate any evidence they find. In most countries, ...
. Jackson and his three children were in Las Vegas, where Jackson was shooting a music video for his single "
One More Chance".
Jackson was arrested on November 20.
He was released an hour later after posting a $3 million
bond
Bond or bonds may refer to:
Common meanings
* Bond (finance), a type of debt security
* Bail bond, a commercial third-party guarantor of surety bonds in the United States
* Chemical bond, the attraction of atoms, ions or molecules to form chemical ...
.
Shortly after the arrest, Jackson issued a statement saying the claims were "predicated on a big lie".
In an interview with the news program ''
60 Minutes
''60 Minutes'' is an American television news magazine broadcast on the CBS television network. Debuting in 1968, the program was created by Don Hewitt and Bill Leonard, who chose to set it apart from other news programs by using a unique styl ...
,'' Jackson said the police had mistreated him and complained of a dislocated shoulder. He reaffirmed his innocence and said that he was determined not to settle out of court as he had done in 1993.
In August 2004, the California attorney general's office concluded, after an independent investigation, that Jackson was neither "manhandled" nor mistreated when he was taken into custody.
On December 18, 2003, Jackson was charged with seven counts of child molestation and two counts of administering an intoxicating agent for the purpose of committing a felony. On January 16, 2004, the day of his arraignment, Jackson climbed on top of his car to dance and wave to fans. On April 21, a
grand jury
A grand jury is a jury—a group of citizens—empowered by law to conduct legal proceedings, investigate potential criminal conduct, and determine whether criminal charges should be brought. A grand jury may subpoena physical evidence or a pe ...
indicted Jackson on several additional related charges, including
conspiracy
A conspiracy, also known as a plot, is a secret plan or agreement between persons (called conspirers or conspirators) for an unlawful or harmful purpose, such as murder or treason, especially with political motivation, while keeping their agree ...
involving child abduction,
false imprisonment
False imprisonment or unlawful imprisonment occurs when a person intentionally restricts another person’s movement within any area without legal authority, justification, or the restrained person's permission. Actual physical restraint is ...
, and
extortion
Extortion is the practice of obtaining benefit through coercion. In most jurisdictions it is likely to constitute a criminal offence; the bulk of this article deals with such cases. Robbery is the simplest and most common form of extortion, ...
.
Jackson pleaded not guilty on April 30.
He faced a sentence of up to eighteen years in prison if convicted at trial.
Trial
![Tom Mesereau LF2](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/23/Tom_Mesereau_LF2.jpg)
The trial began on February 28, 2005 in the courthouse of
Santa Maria, Santa Barbara.
Santa Barbara County Judge
Rodney Melville presided over the trial.
Melville, who had a contentious relationship with the news media, banned cameras from the courtroom and put a
gag order
A gag order (also known as a gagging order or suppression order) is an order, typically a legal order by a court or government, restricting information or comment from being made public or passed onto any unauthorized third party. The phrase may ...
on both sides. He delayed the three-day jury selection process for a week while Jackson was hospitalized, reportedly with flu.
Sneddon led the prosecution. Jackson's legal team attempted to have him and his staff disqualified from the trial, citing bias following his attempts to prosecute Jackson in 1993; Melville dismissed the attempts.
The defense was led by the celebrity lawyer
Thomas Mesereau
Thomas Arthur Mesereau Jr. is an American attorney best known for successfully defending Michael Jackson in his 2005 child molestation trial, as well as representing many other celebrities.
Legal cases
Mike Tyson
Mesereau represented former wo ...
.
Melville allowed prosecutors to introduce testimony about past allegations against Jackson, including the 1993 case, to establish whether Jackson had a propensity to commit such crimes.
The prosecution hoped to show that Jackson had engaged in a pattern of sexual abuse with boys. They called on witnesses to describe earlier incidents, including Jackson's alleged 1993 abuse of Jordan Chandler.
The prosecution argued that Jackson used Neverland, his "fantasy hideaway" with candy and theme park attractions, to lure boys and
groom
A bridegroom (often shortened to groom) is a man who is about to be married or who is newlywed.
When marrying, the bridegroom's future spouse (if female) is usually referred to as the bride. A bridegroom is typically attended by a best man an ...
them into sex, and flattered their parents with gifts.
The prosecution also said that, after ''Living With Michael Jackson'' aired, Jackson and his entourage had attempted to hold the Arvizo family virtually captive at Neverland and force them to participate in a rebuttal film.
On March 10, as Gavin Arvizo was about to testify, Jackson was absent from court. Judge Melville issued a warrant for his arrest and said Jackson's $3 million bond would be forfeited if he did not arrive within an hour. Jackson arrived an hour and ten minutes late and appeared to weep in court.
In an interview shortly afterwards, he said he had slipped in the shower and bruised his lung "very badly". He said the ongoing trial had been the lowest period in his life, and denied rumors about his financial problems, saying they were part of a
smear campaign
A smear campaign, also referred to as a smear tactic or simply a smear, is an effort to damage or call into question someone's reputation, by propounding negative propaganda. It makes use of discrediting tactics.
It can be applied to individual ...
.
Witnesses for the prosecution
Martin Bashir
On March 1, the British journalist
Martin Bashir
Martin Henry Bashir (born 19 January 1963) is a British journalist. He was a presenter on British and American television and for the BBC's ''Panorama'' programme, for which he interviewed Diana, Princess of Wales in 1995. Although the intervie ...
, who had interviewed Jackson for ''Living with Michael Jackson'', took to the witness stand while prosecutors showed the documentary to jurors.
Bashir refused to answer questions from defense attorneys.
Jason Francia
On April 4, Jason Francia, whose mother worked as a maid at Neverland Ranch, testified that Jackson had abused him on several occasions when he was seven to ten years old. Francia said that "every time I was being tickled there was some sort of exchange of money", done with the understanding that he would not tell his mother.
His mother said she had reached an out-of-court settlement with Jackson, reportedly for $2 million. She sold her stories to the tabloid
''National'' ''Enquirer'' and the television show ''
Hard Copy
''Hard Copy'' is an American tabloid television show that ran in syndication from 1989 to 1999. ''Hard Copy'' was aggressive in its use of questionable material on television, including gratuitous violence.
The original hosts of ''Hard Copy'' ...
''.
On
cross-examination
In law, cross-examination is the interrogation of a witness called by one's opponent. It is preceded by direct examination (in Ireland, the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, South Africa, India and Pakistan known as examination-in-chief) and m ...
, Francia acknowledged that in his first 1993 interview he told detectives Jackson had not molested him. He said he had denied being improperly touched by Jackson because he did not want to be embarrassed at school. He said he went into counseling until he was eighteen years old. Mesereau sought to establish that the Francias were goaded into their accusations by overzealous prosecutors and tempted by money offered for media interviews.
Neverland Ranch staff
In April 2005, Ralph Chacon, a former security guard at Neverland Ranch, testified that he had seen Jackson performing oral sex on Chandler in the early 1990s.
He also described seeing Jackson passionately kiss Chandler and place his hand on Chandler's crotch.
He said he did not report the incident to police because he thought he would not be believed.
A former maid at the ranch, Adrian McManus, testified that she had seen Jackson kissing boys including the actor
Macaulay Culkin
Macaulay Macaulay Culkin Culkin (born Macaulay Carson Culkin; ) is an American actor. Often regarded as one of the most successful child actors of the 1990s, he was placed 2nd on VH1's list of the "100 Greatest Kid-Stars". Culkin rose to prom ...
, and described Jackson touching Culkin's leg and rear. She told the court that she had seen Jackson touching Chandler's genitals. Culkin denied being molested by Jackson. Macaulay Culkin has always denied being sexually abused by Jackson.
The defense sought to portray Chacon and McManus as unreliable. According to ''
The Observer
''The Observer'' is a British newspaper published on Sundays. It is a sister paper to ''The Guardian'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', whose parent company Guardian Media Group Limited acquired it in 1993. First published in 1791, it is the w ...
,'' each witness had a "horrific story ... Yet, rather than calling the police, each appears to have sold that story to a supermarket tabloid."
McManus had previously denied witnessing misconduct from Jackson in a 1993 court deposition while under oath. In the 2005 trial, she said she had lied during the deposition because she feared Jackson would report her to her superiors if she told police about the incident.
In the 1990s, Chacon and McManus had been part of a lawsuit filed against Jackson for
wrongful dismissal
In law, wrongful dismissal, also called wrongful termination or wrongful discharge, is a situation in which an employee's contract of employment has been terminated by the employer, where the termination breaches one or more terms of the contra ...
. After Jackson counter-sued, their lawsuit was thrown out as fraudulent and malicious.
According to testimony, Chacon and McManus had been found guilty of stealing items from Jackson's house amounting to more than $50,000 and ordered to pay more than $1 million in legal fees. Under cross-examination, the pair affirmed they had been paid for media interviews. McManus also acknowledged she and her husband were found to have previously defrauded a relative's children and had stolen a sketch by Jackson worth $35,000. Mesereau accused the pair of attempting to "get even" with Jackson for the failed suit and characterized them as money-seekers.
Housekeeper Kiki Fournier testified that the Arvizo children became unruly at Neverland Ranch without authority figures. She said the Arvizo boys "trashed" their guest rooms, and that at one point Star had pointed a knife at her in Jackson's kitchen. She said that although the boys had guest rooms they would often stay with Jackson. However, she said she never saw Jackson giving the boys alcohol and never saw them drunk.
Cynthia Bell, a flight attendant who had served Jackson, testified that she never saw him share his drink with Gavin. She said she had devised the custom of serving Jackson wine in soda cans because Jackson did not like to drink alcohol in front of his children.
Bell said she had not seen Jackson "cuddling" with Gavin during the flight, but testified that she had seen Jackson put his arm around him while he was listening to music. She said that Gavin was demanding, complained about the food, and was unruly during the flight.
Phillip LeMarque, Jackson's cook, said he entered Jackson's room and saw Jackson with his hand in Culkin's underpants.
LeMarque and his wife, also a Jackson employee, had considered selling the story to a tabloid,
but had backed out as the intermediary was "sleazy". LeMarque said he had decided not to sell because it was "against our principles".
Jesús Salas, a former house manager at the Neverland Ranch, testified that he often saw Jackson drunk or affected by prescription drugs, and once saw three teenage boys emerging drunk from the wine cellar after having spent time with Jackson. When the prosecution attempted to confirm Jackson had served wine to minors, Salas said that although he brought a bottle of wine to Jackson's bedroom, sodas were also ordered for the children.
The judge ruled out testimony from a former security guard who alleged that he saw Jackson in his bedroom with a boy.
June Chandler
Jordan Chandler, the alleged victim in the 1993 child abuse allegations, left the country rather than appear as a witness. He had been legally
emancipated
Emancipation generally means to free a person from a previous restraint or legal disability. More broadly, it is also used for efforts to procure economic and social rights, political rights or equality, often for a specifically disenfranchis ...
from his parents.
Chandler's mother, June Chandler, testified that Jordan complained that she would not allow him to spend time in Jackson’s bedroom. This appeared to upset Jackson, who had formed a bond with June and her children. June said Jackson asked her: "You don’t trust me? We’re a family. Why are you doing this?" She responded that Jordan should be allowed to sleep where he wanted, indicating a change of mind. Chandler testified that she had never suspected anything inappropriate between Jackson and Jordan. She told the court that she had not spoken to Jordan in eleven years.
Debbie Rowe
On April 28, Jackson's ex-wife
Debbie Rowe
Deborah Jeanne Rowe (born December 6, 1958) is an American dermatology assistant best known for her marriage to pop musician Michael Jackson, with whom she had two children. She lives in Palmdale, California.
Early life
Debbie Rowe was born on ...
was called on the witness stand. The prosecution claimed that Rowe was forced into a scripted videotaped statement made in early 2003 in support of Jackson. The prosecution had hoped Rowe's testimony would support Janet Arvizo's claim that they were held captive and forced to make supportive statements about Jackson. In her second day of testimony, Rowe said she had refused to look at the questions before the taping and was eager to support Jackson. The defense initially wanted Rowe dismissed, saying she was not providing the testimony the prosecution wanted. The judge allowed her testimony, and the defense withdrew their motion that she refused to speak in favor of the defense. According to several sources and leaked documents, this has been proved false.
Rowe described Jackson's business associates and public relations aides Marc Schaffel, Dieter Wiesner and Ronald Konitzer as "opportunistic vultures" who wanted to exploit him.
Gavin Arvizo
Gavin Arvizo was 15 years old when he testified.
He told the court that, after ''Living with Michael Jackson'' aired, Jackson had begun serving him and his younger brother wine, sometimes concealed in soda cans, showing them pornography and making sexual advances.
He said that Jackson had masturbated him to ejaculation after they drank alcohol, and then told him that if men do not masturbate, they "might rape a girl". Challenged by Mesereau, who said that Gavin had told sheriffs that his grandmother had said this, Gavin said he was not sure what his grandmother had told him. Gavin also testified he had told his school administrator that Jackson had not molested him.
Star Arvizo
Gavin's younger brother, Star, told the court that he had twice seen Jackson molest Gavin. He also said that Jackson had displayed his
erection
An erection (clinically: penile erection or penile tumescence) is a physiological phenomenon in which the penis becomes firm, engorged, and enlarged. Penile erection is the result of a complex interaction of psychological, neural, vascular, ...
and
masturbated in front of them, telling them that "everyone did it", and encouraged them to try it.
Star testified that Jackson had given the boys
alcohol
Alcohol most commonly refers to:
* Alcohol (chemistry), an organic compound in which a hydroxyl group is bound to a carbon atom
* Alcohol (drug), an intoxicant found in alcoholic drinks
Alcohol may also refer to:
Chemicals
* Ethanol, one of sev ...
, sometimes in soda cans, which Jackson called "Jesus juice". Star also said Jackson had showed the brothers internet pornography on his computer.
On cross-examination, Mesereau questioned Star about a 1998 case in which his family sued
J. C. Penney
Penney OpCo LLC, doing business as JCPenney and often abbreviated JCP, is a midscale American department store chain operating 667 stores across 49 U.S. states and Puerto Rico. Departments inside JCPenney stores include Mens, Womens, Boys, Girl ...
. The family alleged that Star, his brother and their mother were beaten in a parking lot by security guards after leaving with clothes they had not paid for. Janet Arvizo also claimed to have been sexually assaulted and falsely imprisoned. The family received a settlement of
£75,000.
[The case was in America, but the source was from England, hence the amount in pound sterling.] In a 2000 sworn statement for the case, Star had said his "mother and father never
ought
''Ought'' may refer to:
*One of the English modal verbs
*One of the names for the number 0 in English
*Ought (band), a Montreal post-punk band on the Canadian Constellation Records
See also
*Is–ought problem
*Categorical imperative
The cate ...
" Janet and her children claimed that David Arvizo physically abused them for seventeen years. Star admitted he lied in the statement. The admission was a major victory to the defense. Also, it was stated that the Arvizos had not visited Neverland since March 2003. However, when shown a pornographic magazine dated August 2003, 5 months after the family stopped visiting Neverland, Star claimed that was one of the magazines Jackson had shown them. Star would later attempt to recant this testimony too.
Janet Arvizo
The defense sought to portray Janet Arvizo as untrustworthy, with a history of
perjury
Perjury (also known as foreswearing) is the intentional act of swearing a false oath or falsifying an affirmation to tell the truth, whether spoken or in writing, concerning matters material to an official proceeding."Perjury The act or an inst ...
and
fraud
In law, fraud is intentional deception to secure unfair or unlawful gain, or to deprive a victim of a legal right. Fraud can violate civil law (e.g., a fraud victim may sue the fraud perpetrator to avoid the fraud or recover monetary compens ...
. She admitted to having lied under oath in an earlier lawsuit. The prosecution planned to have an expert on
domestic violence
Domestic violence (also known as domestic abuse or family violence) is violence or other abuse that occurs in a domestic setting, such as in a marriage or cohabitation. ''Domestic violence'' is often used as a synonym for ''intimate partner ...
testify that she may have lied because she had been beaten by her ex-husband, but the judge did not allow it, saying it would be irrelevant.
The defense also presented evidence of Janet having committed
welfare fraud
Welfare, or commonly social welfare, is a type of government support intended to ensure that members of a society can meet basic human needs such as food and shelter. Social security may either be synonymous with welfare, or refer specificall ...
, for which she was later convicted.
In regards to the J.C. Penney case, which eventually settled for $152,000, the defense brought in a welfare worker who stated that Janet had failed to disclose her receipt of the settlement that her family had received days before filling out a welfare application. A
paralegal
A paralegal, also known as a legal assistant, or paralegal specialist is a professional who performs tasks that require knowledge of legal concepts but not the full expertise of a lawyer with a license to practice law. The market for paralegals i ...
testified that Janet had lied to win that lawsuit, claiming that bruises caused by her then-husband had been caused by J.C. Penney security guards.
Connie Keenan, the editor of the ''Mid Valley News'', said she was "duped" by Janet into writing a story about Gavin's sickness because the original story did not make enough money. Other witnesses for the defense showed Janet had spent $7,000 shopping and dining out at the same time she alleged Jackson kept her and her family captive. Janet's sister-in-law offered to help Arvizo's treatment by holding blood donation campaigns. She said Janet swore at her and rejected the offer.
Jurors described Janet's testimony as weak. They also found it strange that she snapped her fingers and addressed them directly.
''
The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
'' described her testimony as "rambling, incoherent and at times combative". One juror questioned Janet's values as a mother, believing she had taught her children to lie to gain money and favors from celebrities.
Witnesses for the defense
According to Jackson's defense attorney Susan Yu, over five hundred witnesses were prepared in the case.
Macaulay Culkin
![Macaulay Culkin 1991](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/fe/Macaulay_Culkin_1991.jpg)
The former child star
Macaulay Culkin
Macaulay Macaulay Culkin Culkin (born Macaulay Carson Culkin; ) is an American actor. Often regarded as one of the most successful child actors of the 1990s, he was placed 2nd on VH1's list of the "100 Greatest Kid-Stars". Culkin rose to prom ...
testified that he had shared a bed with Jackson on a dozen or more times between the ages of nine and 14, but had never been molested and had never seen Jackson act improperly, contrary to many of the prosecution's witness testimonies. He said that his parents had known he was in Jackson's bedroom and "never saw it as an issue". He described shock at hearing allegations that Jackson had molested him, and dismissed them as "absolutely ridiculous". Culkin said they had bonded over their shared experience of child stardom.
Culkin has consistently defended Jackson since, and said in a 2020 interview with ''
Esquire
Esquire (, ; abbreviated Esq.) is usually a courtesy title.
In the United Kingdom, ''esquire'' historically was a title of respect accorded to men of higher social rank, particularly members of the landed gentry above the rank of gentlema ...
'': "I never saw anything; he never did anything."
Wade Robson
Wade Robson
Wade, WADE, or Wades may refer to:
Places in the United States
* Wade, California, a former settlement
* Wade, Maine, a town
* Wade, Mississippi, a census-designated place
* Wade, North Carolina, a town
* Wade, Ohio, an unincorporated communi ...
testified as Jackson's first defense witness that he had slept in Jackson's bedroom several times but had never been molested.
Robson recalled his first visit at Neverland Ranch in 1989 and had slept in Jackson's bedroom on all but three or four of his twenty or so visits. He said they played video games, watched movies, talked and sometimes had pillow fights.
Brett Barnes
Barnes first met Jackson at the age of five when Jackson went to Australia during one of his tours. He shared a bedroom with Jackson at least ten times but denied any impropriety. Barnes was aware of the prosecutor's witness testimonies claiming they had seen Jackson touch him inappropriately. In response, Barnes said, "I'm very mad about it. It's not true and they put my name through the dirt. I'm really not happy about it."
In 2019, Barnes restated his denial of any molestation.
George Lopez
The comedian
George Lopez
George Edward Lopez (born April 23, 1961) is an American comedian and actor. He is known for starring in his self-produced ABC sitcom. His stand-up comedy examines race and ethnic relations, including Mexican American culture. Lopez has rec ...
testified that he had given the Arvizo family money when Gavin was fighting cancer, but came to believe that Gavin's father was more interested in money than helping his son. Lopez cut ties with the family after the father became more demanding. Lopez also said that the father had accused him of stealing $300 from Gavin's wallet. When the father asked what he was supposed to tell his son, Lopez testified that he responded: "Tell him his father's an extortionist."
Jay Leno
The talk show host
Jay Leno
James Douglas Muir Leno (; born April 28, 1950) is an American television host, comedian, writer, and actor. After doing stand-up comedy for years, he became the host of NBC's ''The Tonight Show'' from 1992 to 2009. Beginning in September 2009 ...
testified about his relationship with the Arvizo family. Leno made approximately 20 phone calls to sick children each week, and began receiving voicemail messages from Gavin, then a ten-year-old cancer patient, in 2000. Gavin called Leno "his hero", which Leno felt was unusual as "I'm not Batman... It sounded suspicious when a young person got overly effusive."
Leno also said he heard another voice in the background of one call; the defense argued that this was Janet telling Gavin what to say.
Chris Tucker
The comedian
Chris Tucker
Christopher Tucker (born August 31, 1971) is an American actor and comedian. Tucker made his debut in 1992 as a stand-up performer on the HBO comedy series ''Def Comedy Jam'', where he frequently appeared on the show during the 1990s. He app ...
said he had felt sorry for the Arvizos, and he had given them money and gifts. He felt the Arvizos expected too much, calling him their "brother" and taking advantage of him. He testified that he had warned Jackson about the family, whom he called "cunning".
1994 settlement
The judge allowed investigation evidence from Jackson's previous allegations to be used in the trial, but the 1994 settlement initiated by the Chandlers was deemed "irrelevant and inflammatory".
The prosecution
[The document says ''plaintiff'' for the People of the State of California, but in criminal law, it should be ''prosecution''.] attempted to
subpoena
A subpoena (; also subpœna, supenna or subpena) or witness summons is a writ issued by a government agency, most often a court, to compel testimony by a witness or production of evidence under a penalty for failure. There are two common types of ...
evidence from the settlement as an indication of guilt. Mesereau argued that Jackson was not liable for any of the claims compromised by the arrangement, because Jackson's insurance company, Transamerica Insurance Group, was responsible for it. The insurance company negotiated the settlement over protests from Jackson and his legal counsel. The settlement included no admission of wrongdoing or guilt, otherwise, it would violate the
California Insurance Code
The California Insurance Code are the codified California laws regarding insurance. The code not only covers requirements for home, auto, medical and business insurance policies, but also covers the licensing of bail bond agents, workers' compensa ...
. The insurance company had "the right to settle claims covered by insurance where it decides settlement is expedient and the insured may not interfere with nor prevent such settlements," a practice established by several
precedent
A precedent is a principle or rule established in a previous legal case that is either binding on or persuasive for a court or other tribunal when deciding subsequent cases with similar issues or facts. Common-law legal systems place great valu ...
s in California. Evidence of insurance settlements would deprive Jackson of
due process
Due process of law is application by state of all legal rules and principles pertaining to the case so all legal rights that are owed to the person are respected. Due process balances the power of law of the land and protects the individual pers ...
of law, proper cross-examination and violate Evidence Code 352 as he would not be able to verify the agreements made in the settlement. The settlement cannot be used as evidence of guilt in future civil and criminal cases.
The settlement cannot prevent criminal investigation or
criminal proceeding, neither can
non-disclosure agreement
A non-disclosure agreement (NDA) is a legal contract or part of a contract between at least two parties that outlines confidential material, knowledge, or information that the parties wish to share with one another for certain purposes, but wish ...
s.
Bribery
Bribery is the Offer and acceptance, offering, Gift, giving, Offer and acceptance, receiving, or Solicitation, soliciting of any item of value to influence the actions of an official, or other person, in charge of a public or legal duty. With reg ...
to not testify in a trial is felony, and accepting such bribes is also a felony.
Verdict
The jury deliberated for about 32 hours over seven days.
On the initial vote, nine jurors voted to acquit Jackson, while three voted guilty.
On June 13, 2005, they returned a verdict of not guilty on all charges.
Jurors found the prosecution's case weak and the timeline of accusations problematic because they had claimed the molestation allegedly occurred after the broadcast of the documentary, when the world's attention was on Jackson and Gavin. One juror believed the mother was a scam artist.
In a news conference held after the trial, a juror said, "We expected better evidence, something that was a little more convincing. It just wasn
't there." Sneddon suggested that Jackson’s celebrity status and the media had influenced the verdict.
The jury foreman, a retired high school counselor, said, "We looked at all the evidence and we looked at Michael Jackson and one of the first things we decided was we had to look at him just as another person and not a celebrity."
Media coverage
![Amsterdam 2004](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5c/Amsterdam_2004.jpg)
The trial attracted international media attention, and several commentators described it as a
media circus
Media circus is a colloquial metaphor, or idiom, describing a news event for which the level of media coverage—measured by such factors as the number of reporters at the scene and the amount of material broadcast or published—is perceived to ...
.
When news of the raid on Jackson's home broke, many channels switched to 24-hour rolling coverage;
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainmen ...
,
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an Television in the United States, American English-language Commercial broadcasting, commercial television network, broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Enterta ...
,
ABC
ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet.
ABC or abc may also refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting
* American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster
** Disney–ABC Television ...
and
VH1
VH1 (originally an initialism of Video Hits One) is an American basic cable television network based in New York City and owned by Paramount Global. It was created by Warner-Amex Satellite Entertainment, at the time a division of Warner Commun ...
produced television specials.
The media covered Jackson's health, dress and behavior, such as when he hopped on top of a car and waved to fans. The networks
E! and
Sky TV collaborated to produce re-enactments of highlights from the trial, which were broadcast daily. The re-enactment used
look-alike
A look-alike, double, or doppelgänger is a person who bears a strong physical resemblance to another person, excluding cases like twins and other instances of family resemblance.
Some look-alikes have been notable individuals in their own right, ...
actors, with impersonator
Edward Moss portraying Jackson.
In 2010, the British journalist
Charles Thomson
Charles Thomson (November 29, 1729 – August 16, 1824) was an Irish-born Patriot leader in Philadelphia during the American Revolution and the secretary of the Continental Congress (1774–1789) throughout its existence. As secretary, Thomson ...
described the trial as "one of the most shameful episodes in journalistic history". He said the media coverage was "out of control ... The sheer amount of propaganda, bias, distortion, and misinformation is almost beyond comprehension."
The ''Huffington Post'' contributor Luka Neskovic wrote that the trial "displayed media at their worst", with "sensationalism, exclusivity, negativity, eccentrics, chaos, and hysteria".
For example, according to Neskovic, when pornography was found in Jackson's home, many media outlets misreported it as
child pornography
Child pornography (also called CP, child sexual abuse material, CSAM, child porn, or kiddie porn) is pornography that unlawfully exploits children for sexual stimulation. It may be produced with the direct involvement or sexual assault of a chi ...
. Neskovic observed that the media was more interested in reporting the prosecution than the defense, and that, for example, ''
The Hollywood Reporter
''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Cinema of the United States, Hollywood film industry, film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade pap ...
'' chose not to report two weeks of the defense case.
Aftermath
Following the trial, Mesereau said Jackson would no longer allow people to enter in his room and would no longer "easily allow people to enter his life", as he had become a target for "people who want to extract money or build careers". Jackson moved to the Persian Gulf island country of
Bahrain
Bahrain ( ; ; ar, البحرين, al-Bahrayn, locally ), officially the Kingdom of Bahrain, ' is an island country in Western Asia. It is situated on the Persian Gulf, and comprises a small archipelago made up of 50 natural islands and an ...
as a guest of
Sheikh Abdullah
Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah (5 December 1905 – 8 September 1982) was an Indian politician who played a central role in the politics of Jammu and Kashmir Abdullah was the founding leader of the All Jammu and Kashmir Muslim Conference (later rena ...
. According to Jackson's brother
Jermaine
Jermaine ( ) is a masculine given name of Latin language, Latin origin, derived from the French given name , which is in turn derived from the Latin given name , meaning "brother".
The masculine given name Jermaine was popularized in the 1970s b ...
, unbeknownst to Jackson, the family had intended to send him to Bahrain had he been convicted. Jackson then lived in Ireland. He never returned to Neverland Ranch, saying it had been despoiled by police searches.
The allegations continued to affect Jackson's career. Despite selling out a
series of concerts in 2009, he was unable to find sponsors or merchandise partners. A judge observed in 2021 that "the fact that he earned not a penny from his image and likeness in 2006, 2007, or 2008 shows the effect those allegations had, and continued to have, until his death".
In June 2009,
Jackson died of acute
propofol
Propofol, marketed as Diprivan, among other names, is a short-acting medication that results in a decreased level of consciousness and a lack of memory for events. Its uses include the starting and maintenance of general anesthesia, sedation f ...
and
benzodiazepine
Benzodiazepines (BZD, BDZ, BZs), sometimes called "benzos", are a class of depressant drugs whose core chemical structure is the fusion of a benzene ring and a diazepine ring. They are prescribed to treat conditions such as anxiety disorders, ...
intoxication at his home in
Holmby Hills
Holmby Hills is a neighborhood on the Westside of Los Angeles, California, United States.
The neighborhood was developed in the early twentieth century by the Janss Investment Company, which developed the rest of Westwood as well as other Los Ang ...
, Los Angeles.
After
Jackson's death in 2009, Bashir told
ABC News
ABC News is the news division of the American broadcast network ABC. Its flagship program is the daily evening newscast ''ABC World News Tonight, ABC World News Tonight with David Muir''; other programs include Breakfast television, morning ...
that he never saw any wrongdoing on Jackson's part, and said he felt Jackson's life had been "unorthodox" but not criminal.
FBI files released after Jackson's death noted that there were no outstanding leads or evidence items.
Further allegations
In 2013, choreographer
Wade Robson
Wade, WADE, or Wades may refer to:
Places in the United States
* Wade, California, a former settlement
* Wade, Maine, a town
* Wade, Mississippi, a census-designated place
* Wade, North Carolina, a town
* Wade, Ohio, an unincorporated communi ...
, who had testified in the trial that Jackson had not molested him, filed a $1.5 billion lawsuit against Jackson's estate,
claiming Jackson had molested him over seven years when he was a child. In May 2015, Judge Mitchell Beckloff dismissed the lawsuit against Jackson's estate, saying Robson's claim was "untimely".
Robson also filed a suit against Jackson's corporations, which was dismissed in 2017 when the judge ruled that Jackson's corporations could not be held responsible for Robson's exposure to Jackson.
In 2014, another man who had spent time with Jackson as a child, James Safechuck, filed suit with the same lawyer as Robson against Jackson's corporations. Safechuck had given sworn testimony during Jackson's 1993 allegations that he had never been molested, and said that he realized he had been abused when he heard Robson's allegations.
He alleged that he had been sexually abused by Jackson more than 100 times in four years, and that he had been "brainwashed" into believing the incidents were "acts of love". In 2017, his lawsuit was dismissed by a
probate court
A probate court (sometimes called a surrogate court) is a court that has competence in a jurisdiction to deal with matters of probate and the Administration of an estate on death, administration of estates. In some jurisdictions, such courts ma ...
as time-barred.
In a 2017 episode of the true crime series ''
The Jury Speaks
''The Jury Speaks'' is an American documentary television series airing on Oxygen. The show reexamines some of the most high-profile and controversial cases in history through the eyes of the people who served on the original jury
A jury is ...
'', the four featured jurors of the Jackson trial said they would still vote to acquit Jackson.
In March 2019, a documentary about their allegations, ''
Leaving Neverland
''Leaving Neverland'' is a 2019 documentary film directed and produced by the British filmmaker Dan Reed. It focuses on two men, Wade Robson and James Safechuck, who allege they were sexually abused as children by the American singer Michael Jac ...
'', aired, triggering further examination of Jackson's legacy. In January 2020, Robson's and Safechuck's lawsuits against Jackson's corporations were revived by a California appeals court after California expanded the statute of limitations for child sexual abuse lawsuits. In October 2020, Safechuck's lawsuit against Jackson's corporations were dismissed; the presiding judge ruled that there was no evidence that he had a relationship with Jackson's companies or that they had any legal
duty of care
In tort law, a duty of care is a legal obligation that is imposed on an individual, requiring adherence to a standard of reasonable care while performing any acts that could foreseeably harm others. It is the first element that must be establis ...
to protect him from the alleged molestation. In April 2021, Robson's lawsuit against Jackson's businesses was dismissed by the L.A. County Superior Court for the same reason. Robson's attorneys said they plan to appeal the ruling.
Notes
References
Bibliography
*Newberg, Debra. "Reflections and Corrections on Michael Jackson – America in the Mirror", 2010. 9780615320793, published by Newberg and Personal Promotions
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jackson, Michael
2005 in California
2005 in United States case law
2000s trials
21st-century American trials
Criminal trials that ended in acquittal
Trial
In law, a trial is a coming together of Party (law), parties to a :wikt:dispute, dispute, to present information (in the form of evidence (law), evidence) in a tribunal, a formal setting with the authority to Adjudication, adjudicate claims or d ...
Santa Maria, California
Sex crime trials
False allegations of sex crimes