2005 trial of Michael Jackson

In 2005, Michael Jackson went to trial on child molestation charges. The alleged victim was a boy, Gavin Arvizo, referred to as "the accuser." Arvizo was 13 years old at the time of the alleged crimes. Michael Jackson was indicted for conspiracy with five (unindicted) co-conspirators to abduct the accuser, his sister, and his brother, falsely imprison and extort the same children and their mother, and for sexually molesting the accuser. On June 13, 2005, the jury found Jackson not guilty on all charges.

Early events

Bashir documentary

:Main article: Living with Michael Jackson

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A Granada Television documentary http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0352524/ about Jackson, in which he was extensively interviewed by British journalist Martin Bashir, was shown first in the UK on 3 February, 2003 and then in the U.S. three days later.

Related Topics:
Granada Television - British - Martin Bashir - UK - 3 February - 2003

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Among other things, the documentary shows the twelve year old Gavin Arvizo. The boy is seen holding hands with Jackson and resting his head on Jackson's shoulder. The boy stated in the trial that the holding of hands was Jackson's initiative, the latter his own, because he was really close to Jackson, and Jackson was his best friend. He and Jackson tell about the two sleeping in the same room, though not in the same bed (they told about an occasion where each was happy to sleep on the floor and let the other have the bed). The boy has later told that he had not realized that the footage would be broadcast all over the world. After the airing he was teased by his friends. His mother claims that she has not given Bashir permission to film her son, and was not even aware of that until the airing.

Related Topics:
Holding hands - Teased

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Jackson stated in the documentary that "many children", predominantly pre-adolescent boys (including Macaulay Culkin, when he was younger, his younger brother Kieran and sistershttp://www.mjshouse.com/stories/living_with_mj_transcript.wm) have slept in his bed, but he denies having had sex with any of them. Conversely, Jackson claimed he lets his children stay with his friends, for example with Barry Gibb. He emphasizes that children need and deserve lots of love — not sexual, but like having hot milk and cookies, tucking them in, telling a bed-time story, climbing trees with them, etc.

Related Topics:
Documentary - Pre-adolescent - Macaulay Culkin - Kieran - Slept in his bed - Sex - Barry Gibb

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Responding to concern after the airing, Santa Barbara County District Attorney Thomas W. Sneddon Jr. stated that, under California law, even if they had slept in the same bed, without "affirmative, offensive conduct," it wouldn't have been criminal. http://www.countyofsb.org/da/documents/PR-Michael%20Jackson.pdf

Related Topics:
Santa Barbara County - District Attorney - Thomas W. Sneddon Jr. - California

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Jackson is alleged of conspiracy with his aides to commit child abduction, false imprisonment and extortion, in an attempt to control PR-damage caused by the documentary. Jackson is also indicted for child molestation; however, this would have taken place not before but after the concern arose.

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Visit to Florida and subsequent stay at Neverland Ranch

After the documentary aired in the UK, Jackson, staying in Florida, asked the mother to allow the accuser to come there and meet him, supposedly for a press conference. The mother set the condition that the whole family come. Jackson agreed, and the family flew to Florida with Chris Tucker, a friend of Jackson, on a private plane.

Related Topics:
Florida - Press conference - Chris Tucker

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The press conference never occurred.

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During this three-day visit, the documentary aired in the US. The family alleges Jackson pressured them not to watch it.

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When the accuser and his family returned home, Jackson was on the flight. He had asked the mother to take a commercial flight, but she insisted that she be on the same plane. The family alleges that Jackson gave the accuser alcohol and at one point licked the top of the side of his face.

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After they returned to California the family again stayed at Neverland Ranch, from approximately 7 February to 11 February. They left at night with the help of the house manager Jesus Salas while other staff did not want them to leave, and went to stay with the mother's parents. Tyson (see below) called the mother repeatedly to ask her to come back, with the children, and saying that that would be safer for them. They did after the mother was told that "the Germans" Wiesner and Konitzer (see below), whom she did not like, would not be present. Because the Germans were there, she left again, but without the children. She claims that she had been told they had to stay. Salas told her he could not help her any more in this regard, because of instructions he had received.

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Rebuttal video

In response to the Bashir documentary, Jackson had a so-called "rebuttal video" produced, called 'Take Two', and presented by Maury Povich.

Related Topics:
Rebuttal - Maury Povich

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The production included an interview with the family, filmed on the night of 19 February 2003 in Moslehi's home. Allegedly they were pressured by Jackson's aides to participate and say positive things.

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This part of the footage was not aired because the videographer Hamid Moslehi refused to hand it over, because of a financial dispute with Jackson http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/1220041jackson1.html http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/0222054moslehi1.html. It was found by police in a search of Moslehi's home in November 2003, and it showed the accuser's family praising Jackson.

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DCFS interview

On 20 February 2003 the family was interviewed by the Sensitive Case Unit of L.A.'s Department of Children & Family Services (DCFS), as part of an investigation jointly carried out with the LAPD. A school official from the Los Angeles Unified School District had lodged a complaint out of concern for the boy who would later be Jackson's accuser, and his younger brother, of general neglect by their mother and sexual abuse by Jackson, after watching the Bashir documentary. The entire family insisted that no inappropriate contact with Jackson occurred; moreover, the mother said that the children were never left alone with Jackson. The case was closed; the charges marked as "unfounded". Allegedly the family was put under pressure by Jackson's aides to say positive things.

Related Topics:
L.A. - Department of Children & Family Services (DCFS) - LAPD - Los Angeles Unified School District

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Afterwards, in November 2003, when there was outside interest in connection with charges against Jackson, a report was made. http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/dcfsmemo1.html

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Plans for a trip to Brazil, final departure from Neverland

A shorter or longer trip of the family to Brazil was planned and prepared, for protection of Jackson and/or the family against supposed or pretended danger, as a result of the Bashir documentary. These plans play a role in the allegations. According to witnesses, the Jackson camp told the family that there were death threats, related to the airing, against the family, while later, allegedly, some of the Jackson camp came with threats themselves.

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After the interview, the children went back to Neverland, and a day later, the mother came as well after cooperating in making preparations for the trip to Brazil, although, she says, she did not really want to go. From the 25th of February to the 2nd of March, the family and some of Jackson's staff stayed in a hotel in Calabasas, California, and they went shopping in preparation for the trip to Brazil. After that, they stayed at Neverland again. On 10 March, the mother and the accuser went to the hospital with a urine sample of the accuser, for a scheduled medical check-up. This was spilt, allegedly deliberately, by a Jackson aide in order to prevent detection of the accuser having been drinking alcohol. Afterwards the accuser went back to Neverland, while the mother went to stay with her fiancee.

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By pretending that her father was seriously ill, and promising that two days later the family would return to Neverland, and then go to Brazil, she persuaded Jackson's aides to bring the children for a visit to their grandfather. After that she and her children never returned.

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At first the accuser was very angry at his mother that she did not allow him to return to Neverland.

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Mother of accuser seeks legal advice

Meanwhile the old apartment of the accuser's mother, who partly lived with her fiancee and partly with her parents, was emptied, her belongings stored, and the remaining rent paid, by Jackson's staff. It is not clear whether this was at her request. Afterwards, she had trouble getting her belongings returned. This was one of her reasons for seeking legal advice.

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The second reason was to prevent re-airing of the Bashir documentary with her son in it.

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The lawyer referred the family to a second lawyer, who sent the family to psychologist Katz, to find out whether there might have been sexual abuse. The accuser's brother told him that he had witnessed Jackson and the accuser having sex, after which Katz reported this to the authorities, as is compulsory for someone of his profession in such a case, being a so-called "mandatory reporter of child abuse".

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Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Department investigation

In June 2003 the Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Department started an investigation. In July 2003 they first interviewed the family.

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Searches

On November 18, 2003, a team of more than 70 investigators from the Santa Barbara County District Attorney's Office and Sheriff's Department descended upon Jackson's Neverland Ranch with a warrant to search the premises. They were reportedly looking for evidence to corroborate the account of the then 13-year-old accuser that Jackson had sex with him.

Related Topics:
November 18 - 2003 - Neverland Ranch - Warrant to search

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Also searched on the same day were the office of Bradley Miller, a private investigator working for Jackson, and the L.A. home of Hamid Moslehi, Jackson's videographer (see also above).

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Miscellaneous allegations

On April 14 2004 it was announced that the LAPD was investigating another allegation of child abuse, possibly committed by Jackson. The only information the LAPD was willing to release about this new case was that the incident allegedly occurred in the late 1980s. If it happened before 1988, California's statute of limitations may have expired on the case. Attorneys for Jackson claim that the new allegation is groundless. The LAPD has stated that "no charges will be sought" in the case, after a two-month investigation found "no evidence that any crime occurred".

Related Topics:
April 14 - 2004 - Statute of limitations

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