Who is Gavin Arvizo? The boy at the centre of Michael Jackson’s 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.
This June, it will be 20 years since Michael Jackson was acquitted of all charges following a four-month trial that brought child molestation and abuse accusations to his door.
At the centre of the court case was Gavin Arvizo, a then 15-year-old boy who alleged that Jackson had molested him, fed him and his brother alcohol and plotted to keep their family at the Neverland Ranch against their will.
But who was this boy behind the legal drama? And who is the man that he has become? Our team at Crime+Investigation have been digging deeper into the identity of the teenager at the heart of one of the biggest and most infamous trials of the 21st century.
An extremely difficult childhood
Gavin Arvizo was born in 1990 to parents David and Janet. Alongside his siblings, Star and Davellin, Gavin suffered a disadvantaged and abusive upbringing in a run-down part of Los Angeles.
It is alleged that the father physically abused his wife on numerous occasions, eventually leading to their divorce. Janet would later remarry US Army Major Jay Jackson, meaning she would ironically take the same name as the sister of the man who had allegedly spent years abusing her son.
At the age of 10, Gavin contracted an aggressive form of cancer and was forced to undergo a serious operation to remove a large tumour from his stomach, as well as his kidney and spleen. It was during his time in hospital that Gavin would first make the acquaintance of the man known as the King of Pop.
A blossoming friendship or something more sinister?
When Jackson heard that a huge fan of his was recuperating in hospital, he sent a basket of toys and personally called Gavin. The youngster was surprised and delighted at the gesture in equal measure, and would be even more shocked when he and his family were invited to visit Jackson at his home, Neverland.
The boy visited Jackson several times over the next few months, before all contact abruptly ceased. However, Jackson would contact Gavin again in 2002 (at which point he was 12 years old) to offer him the opportunity to appear in Hollywood films.
Gavin would feature in the Martin Bashir documentary Living with Michael Jackson the following year. In it, Gavin rested his head on Jackson’s shoulder and held hands with his idol, as Jackson casually admitted to sleeping with young boys in his bed. Although Jackson stressed that there was nothing sexual in the arrangement, it was here that the focus on the possible abuse began to intensify.
Troubling allegations
In the wake of the documentary’s release, the police interviewed Gavin and shortly afterwards arrested Jackson. 10 counts were brought against the pop icon, including giving alcohol to minors, conspiring to kidnap the family and, most crucially and disturbingly of all, molesting Gavin on two separate occasions in 2003.
'We were laying on the bed and [Jackson] told me that men have to masturbate. He told me that he wanted to teach me ... so we were laying in the bed, and then he started rubbing me ... he put his hand down my pants and he started rubbing me ... my private area ... he was masturbating me,' testified Gavin.
He said the experience had left him feeling embarrassed and confused. His brother Star confirmed the accusations, saying he had been witness to the acts. In 2005, the trial began and Jackson was cast in a similar light to other disgraced celebrities such as Gary Glitter by the prosecution. Nonetheless, he retained legions of fans calling for his acquittal throughout the 16-week saga.
Not guilty
Jackson’s defence team attempted to discredit Gavin's testimony, painting a picture of the family as mendacious gold-diggers who would say anything to extort money from celebrities. Gavin's mother did few favours for her son’s case, either, as her erratic and insolent behaviour on the stand alienated the jury.
After a seemingly interminable trial and over 30 hours of deliberation, the jury reached a verdict of not guilty on all 10 counts. Whereas Jackson had once appeared destined to suffer the same fall from grace as infamous celebrity paedophiles like Jimmy Saville and Rolf Harris, he was eventually acquitted and his name cleared. Jackson died in 2009.
That would not be an end to the allegations, however. In 2013 and 2014, Wade Robson and James Safechuck both came forward with accusations of molestation against Jackson when they were children. Both men had previously defended Jackson against those very claims and, partly for that reason, their cases were dismissed outright.
Then in 2019, the documentary Leaving Neverland reopened interest in the case. However, Gavin would not appear in it and has always eschewed all interview petitions from the media. According to a close family friend, he is happily married and currently pursuing a career in law himself.
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