The People Vs. Michael Jackson: The trial
The People Vs. Michael JacksonThe People vs. Michael Jackson takes us inside one of the biggest celebrity trials of the century - the 2005 criminal trial of the music legend and icon, Michael Jackson. The documentary starts Sunday, 20th April at 10pm on Crime+Investigation.
The 2005 trial against global popstar Michael Jackson – formally known as The People of the State of California v. Michael Joe Jackson – is remembered around the world.
It revolved around charges of child abuse and molestation of the then 13-year-old Gavin Arvizo against the man in question. As was to be expected, there was a huge media circus during the trial, which lasted for four months.
In 2019, a documentary film was released called Leaving Neverland, which focused on two of the alleged victims of Jackson, James Safechuck and Wade Robson. The documentary caused significant backlash against Jackson in the media, so much so that various rebuttal documentaries were created to refute the allegations.
Join us here at Crime+Investigation as we dive further into The People vs Michael Jackson trial of 2005.
Trial background
The first reports of investigations about Jackson possibly molesting children began back in August 1993. However, these allegations were denied by Jackson and the matter was settled outside of the courts.
The situation arose again with the release of a documentary called Living with Michael Jackson. In the documentary, Jackson was seen holding hands with the aforementioned Gavin Arviso. Jackson was also shown defending sharing his bed with children, which triggered further investigation. This was followed by an indictment against Jackson, which included the following charges:
- One count of attempted child molestation.
- Four counts of molesting a minor.
- One count of conspiring to hold Gavin and Gavin’s family captive.
- One count of conspiring to commit extortion and child abduction.
- Four counts of intoxicating a minor to molest them.
During the trial
The trial began on 31st January 2005, taking place in Santa Barbara County Superior Court in Santa Maria, California. It was presided over by Judge Rodney Melville. The defence was led by Thomas Meserau, while the prosecution was led by District Attorney Tom Sneddon.
The defence
The defence argued that Gavin Arvizo’s family was dishonest and money-hungry and that they had a previous history of making false claims.
Defence witnesses included Home Alone child actor Macaulay Culkin, who testified that while he had shared a bed with Jackson, he had never been molested. Culkin went as far as to say that the allegations were 'absolutely ridiculous'. He continued to defend Jackson more recently, telling Esquire magazine in 2020 that he 'never saw anything' and that Jackson 'never did anything'.
Interestingly, Wade Robson – one of the men focused on in the Leaving Neverland documentary – also testified as a defence witness. He went on to claim that he was completely brainwashed and manipulated by Jackson at the time, hence why he denied the claims.
The prosecution
The prosecution painted Jackson as a vile and manipulative predator who had lured children to his Neverland Ranch to molest them.
Prosecution witnesses included Gavin Arvizo and his family, as well as staff from Neverland Ranch. Some of the staff who took the stand reported that they had seen various disturbing acts of child abuse while working.
Arvizo claimed that Jackson had given him and his younger brother wine, made sexual advances towards them, and showed them pornography. He also claimed that Jackson had masturbated in front of him. These claims were backed up by his brother and sister.
The final verdict
A decision was finally made by the jury after 32 hours of deliberation, which was conducted over a week. The jury acquitted Jackson of all 14 of the charges against him.
The jurors found key witness testimonies to be weak and lacking in credibility, especially the testimony of Janet Arvizo, Gavin’s mother. Jurors found Janet to have been incoherent and even combative at times. They found the prosecution's case to be problematic, and there was also a significant lack of forensic proof. This played a large role in Jackson being acquitted of the charges.
After the trial
Jackson did not return to the Neverland Ranch after the trial, instead spending time living in Ireland and Bahrain. He was also unable to find merchandise or sponsor partners, despite still selling out concerts.
Even after his death in June 2009, allegations continued to surface.
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