Gavin Arvizo Allegations 2003-2005
Michael Jackson’s friendship with the Arvizo family hit headlines worldwide following the Martin Bashir interview with Michael Jackson, entitled Living With Michael Jackson” which aired in 2003 and in which the Arvizos were featured.
How Did Michael Meet the Arvizo Family?
In 2000, 10-year old Gavin Arvizo was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer. He was undergoing chemotherapy and had his spleen and one of his kidneys removed. Gavin was friends with comedian Jamie Masada and asked Masada to reach out to Michael Jackson as he wanted to meet him. Whilst Masada did not personally know Michael, he managed to contact Michael’s team and, after hearing of Gavin’s condition, Michael called him and spoke to him briefly. During this call, Michael invited Gavin and his family to visit Neverland.
In August 2000, accompanied by his parents (David and Janet), his older sister (Davellin) and younger brother (Star), Gavin visited Neverland and met Michael in person for the first time. Jackson, wanting to help the family as much as he could, gifted them a laptop and a van and even allowed them to use Neverland for a blood drive for Gavin and asked all his employees to donate blood to help Gavin fight his illness.
During their first meeting with Michael at Neverland in August 2000, Gavin and Star asked Michael if they could sleep in his bedroom. However, both Michael and Gavin both emphatically confirmed (during the Martin Bashir Living With Michael Jackson interview) that Michael insisted the two boys take the bed and he slept on the floor. However, Bashir did not include the fact that Michael ensured that his personal assistant, Frank Cascio, and Jackson’s two oldest children also slept in the room. The children all slept in the bed and the two adult men slept on the floor. The Arvizos did not make any claims of abuse relating to this night. However, during the 2005 trial, they claimed that Jackson and Cascio showed them heterosexual pornography materials.
After this first meeting, there was very little contact between Michael and the Arvizos until September 2002 (when Living With Michael Jackson was being filmed). However, according to Gavin’s own later testimony, whilst they visited Neverland several times over this period, Jackson was not present most times and seemed to be actively avoiding them.
Arvizo Family Background
The allegations against Michael was not the first time the Arvizo family had made allegations of sexual abuse in order to extract a financial settlement.
- J.C. Penny Settlement
One incident occurred on 27th August 1998 when Gavin was only eight years old. On this date, Gavin and his brother and father visited a J.C. Penny store whilst Janet went next door to apply for a job. During this visit, Gavin stole two school uniforms and two school uniform trousers. When they ran out of the store, security guards followed and surrounded them. Janet happened to come out as this was happening and tried to protect her sons and husband. There was a slight scuffle and David was escorted back into the store. Janet testified in 2005 that she and David were arrested and taken to jail where their mugshots were taken and they were charged with burglary, assault and battery, and petty theft but these charges were later dropped. Photos of Janet taken by the police on the day of the event did not show any bruises or other injuries to Janet. However, a week later she presented photos depicting bruises and injuries.
Janet subsequently made the family write statements of their version of the incident. She then revised their statements to create a version she was satisfied with. Over the course of the next year, the boys were made to study this and the Arvizos then filed a civil lawsuit against J.C. Penny for battery, false imprisonment and infliction of emotional distress. No allegations of sexual abuse were made. A year later, they amended their complaint and added a claim of sexual assault with Janet claiming that a security guard fondled her breasts, squeezed her nipples 10-20 times, punched her with a closed fist, molested her in her vaginal area and called her racial slurs. She also claimed she was unable to work due to the injuries she suffered. According to David, Janet even exploited her son’s cancer to pressure J.C. Penny into a financial settlement. J.C Penny settled with the family in September 2001 for $152,500. Soon after receiving this payment, Janet filed for divorce.
David Arvizo’s assertion that Janet manipulated and lied throughout the J.C Penny incident was independently verified during the 2005 trial when Mary Holzer, an office manager and paralegal who worked for the law firm that represented Janet against J.C. Penny testified that Janet admitted to her that the bruises Janet had alleged were caused by J.C. Penny staff were, in fact, caused by her husband, David. Holzer testified that she was- frightened by the prospect of Janet, a client of her firm, committing fraud and told her to retract her previous statements about the origin of the bruises. Holzer stated that when she did so, Janet threatened that brother-in-law was a drug dealer in the Mexican Mafia and they would kill her and her nine-year old daughter.
Furthermore, during her own testimony in 2005, Janet herself admitted that she had lied under oath about how the bruises had been inflicted, first claiming she had done only after David has been arrested and later in her testimony claiming that she tried to retract her statements but the law firm representing her would not allow her to.
- Welfare Fraud
Another episode depicting Janet’s character and financial motivation occurred when Janet fraudulently obtained $18,782 in welfare check payments despite having just received the $152,500 J.C. Penny settlement and having $30,000 in her bank account. Janet again lied under oath during this time. In August 2005, Janet was charged with five counts of welfare fraud and perjury and pleased “no contest” to these charges. She was sentenced to a fine and community service.This incident was not mentioned during Jackson’s 2005 trial as Janet invoked her 5th amendment right to avoid self-incrimination. - Lying and Grifting
Chris Tucker
The Arvizos deceitfully manipulated celebrities to give them financial handouts, using Gavin’s cancer diagnosis as a money-making opportunity.
Years before the Arvizos even met Michael Jackson, they met actor, Chris Tucker, at a benefit for Gavin. Tucker testified that, feeling sorry for the boy, he befriended the family. Days after the fundraiser, Gavin called Tucker and told him that they had raised no money at the fundraiser and he needed money to pay medical bills. Tucker sent the family money to help with this.
At Jackson’s 2005 trial, Gavin admitted that they had raised money during the fundraiser but denied lying to Tucker about it and asking for money.
Tucker also, at this own expense, took the family to theme parks, sports games, shopping and even invited them to visit the set of the Rush Hour 2 movie. He further invited them to stay at his home for two days but they didn’t leave for almost two weeks. He testified that the children were ill-disciplined and disrupted the filming of Rush Hour 2 so significantly that he was asked not to bring them to the set.
Tucker testified that he felt that the family was trying to emotionally manipulate him but overlooked this as he felt so sorry for Gavin. During his testimony, he described the boy as “cunning” and that he used his illness to keep asking Chris to give him money and buy things for him.
Chris testified about several other incidents that made him suspicious of the family and started to distance himself from the. He even warned Michael about them, advising him that he had concerns about the family.
George Lopez
The Arvizo family also met and befriended comedian George Lopez. Using the same emotional manipulation tactics and exploiting Gavin’s cancer, they extracted financial gifts from Lopez. The family also aggressively and repeatedly demanded that he organise a fundraiser for Gavin but testified that by this time he had realised that the family’s aim was to financially benefit themselves rather and not about Gavin’s illness. Lopez testified during Jackson’s trial that he was led to believe that the family had no medical insurance. However, during the trial this, too, was exposed as a lie: the family had good medical insurance which covered all of Gavin’s medical bills.
The family also accused Lopez of stealing $300 for Gavin and became increasingly “nasty” in their demands for money. As a result, Lopez distanced himself from the family.
Jay Leno
Jay Leno, another comedian, also had a brief encounter with the Arvizos. While he never met them in person, he spoke to Gavin on the phone and was left feeling uneasy due to Gavin’s sounding “very-adult” and “scripted”. Gavin made repeated attempts to reach Leno and Leno eventually asked a mutual acquaintance to ask Gavin to stop.
Connie Keenan
Janet manipulated Keenan (a newspaper editor) into running a story about Gavin’s illness and seeking donations from readers. Keenan later discovered that Gavin’s medical bills were fully covered by medical insurance and testified that she felt “duped” by the family.
- Behaviour of the Arvizo Children
Numerous people who had interacted with the Arvizo children described them as disobedient, rude and disruptive.
Carol LaMere, Jackson’s hair stylist, had met the Arvizos years before Michael met them described them as being very badly behaved. She also testified that Star was “horny” and that he flirted and acted inappropriately with adult women, even demanding a waitress to give him her phone number and become angry when she refused.
La Mere further testified that Davellin Arvizo stayed with her and accused her mother of physically abusing them, forcing them to shoplift and to lie. She also claimed her father sexually abused her.
Two of Michael’s cousins, Simone and Rijo testified that the observed Gavin and Arvizo watching adult TV at Neverland and masturbating and stealing from the offices of various staff members. They also testified that the boys obtained the security codes for various doors by going through private paperwork. They further testified that they saw the boys regularly going into the wine cellar and that they had stolen wine from the kitchen. Other witnesses, too, saw the boys stealing alcohol.
No witnessed, however, ever saw Jackson provide the Arvizos (or any other children) with alcohol.
Simone testified that Star repeatedly demanded that she remove her swimming costume top in front of him and swore at her when she refused.
Other Neverland employees testified that the Arvizo boys behaved as if they owned Neverland and frequently endangered themselves and others despite being asked to stop. For example, they started a fairground ride by themselves and another time they threw their shoes at employees whilst at the top of the ferris wheel. The prosecution alleged that Jackson gave the Arvizo boys alcohol in a soda can during a flight back from Miami. However, flight attendant, Cynthia Ann Bell, a prosecution witness, refuted this claim entirely. Describing that Jackson himself drank alcohol as he was a nervous flier, she categorically stated that she did not see Jackson give alcohol to any minor on any flight she had been on with him. She described Michael and his children as being very polite and considerate, in stark contrast to her description of the Arvizo kids who she described as “incredibly rude” and “obnoxious”.
The Living With Michael Jackson Documentary
In 2002, Michael Jackson agreed to participate in a documentary with British journalist Martin Bashir, titled Living with Michael Jackson. The interviews took place from May 2002 to January 2003. Bashir promised that his documentary would present an honest and truthful portrayal of Michael’s life to counter the many misconceptions about him. Michael trusted that Bashir would fulfil this promise and also because his good friend, Princess Diana, had previously given an interview with Bashir.
It is important to note that in 2021, an independent investigation revealed that Bashir had used deceptive methods to secure the interview with Princess Diana, including falsifying documents. These unethical tactics were unknown to Jackson at the time he agreed to the documentary. Had he been aware of Bashir’s misconduct, it is likely he would have reconsidered his participation.
Bashir told Michel he wanted to highlight his philanthropic and caring nature and wanted to show the world how much Michael did, especially for children suffering serious and life-threatening conditions. Michael suggested that Bashir speak to either Dave Dave (previously David Rothenburg, whose father had brutally attempted to murder him by setting him on fire when he was just six years old causing severe burns on 90% of his body) or Gavin Arvizo. In the end, the decision was made to feature Gavin and his family.
Jackson naively trusted that Bashir would be fair and balanced in his portrayal of his life and, particularly, his relationship with the Arvizo family. Instead, throughout the entire documentary, Bashir manipulated and exploited Michael, superimposing insidious narrations and goading Michael into discussions Bashir then edited to suit his narrative. Note that shortly after the release of Living with Michael Jackson in early February 2003, Jackson released The Michael Jackson Interview: The Footage You Were Never Meant to See a documentary, a rebuttal to Bashir’s, which featured unedited and unseen footage captured during the making of Living With Michael Jackson. Jackson had, wisely, instructed his own videographer to film alongside Bashir’s cameras, enabling him to demonstrate Bashir’s deceptive and underhand tactics. This documentary can be viewed here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f4QGPLUvQfI
The presentation of Michael’s friendship with Gavin caused outrage when the documentary aired in February 2003. Michael was seen holding Gavin’s hand whilst Gavin rested his head on Michael’s shoulder and the pair revealed that Gavin had slept in Michael’s bedroom but both made clear that Michael insisted that Gavin take the bed while he slept on the floor.
After filming the documentary in September 2002, the Arvizos did not meet Michael again until after the documentary aired in February 2003. Due to the sensationalist media coverage of the Bashir documentary, Jackson and his team planned a press conference to address the controversy and invited the Arvizos to participate. The Arvizoa flew to Miami on February 5th or 6th 2003 and returned to Neverland with Michael on February 7th, remaining there (on and off) until March 12th. The press conference did not end up taking place.
The Arvizos also filmed an interview for Michael’s rebuttal documentary (https://youtu.be/Bez7QCXJJV4 and https://youtu.be/xUlDSoPzLLs), The Michael Jackson Interview: The Footage You Were Never Meant to See, on the morning of February 20th.
Whilst this footage did not make the final cut of the documentary, the unused footage shows them happily praising Jackson and even making suggestions about the filming and interviews.
What Happened Next?
The same day as the Arvizos filmed their segment for the Rebuttal documentary, they were visited by the Los Angeles Department of Child and Family Services (DCFS or CPS) who had received a complaint from a teacher at Gavin’s school about the claim in the Bashir documentary that Gavin had slept in Jackson’s bed. The interview took place at the home of Major Jay Jackson (no relation to Michael Jackson), Janet’s then-boyfriend.
Once again, the Arvizos were full of praise for Jackson and denied anything inappropriate had taken place. Following a two-week investigation the DCFS concluded that they believed that allegations of illicit conduct were unfounded.
The very next day (February 21st), the Arvizo children went back to Neverland and Janet met with civil lawyer William Dickerman (in later testimony Janet disagreed she met him on this date, but Dickerman’s testimony confirmed this as their first meeting). They subsequently met again on February 25th (with both parties agreeing this meeting took place on this date). At no point during these meetings did Janet make any allegations of abuse, inappropriate behaviour, kidnapping or intimidation. Janet testified is April 2005 that her reason for meeting with this attorney was to stop the media using images of her children in their publications.
Janet Arvizo formally hired William Dickerman to act on her behalf on 24 March 2003. Some of Janet’s belongings had been stored in a storage locker after the Arvizos moved out of their Los Angeles apartment. Dickerman wrote to Mark Geragos (Michael Jackson’s attorney) seeking the return of those belongings.
The Arvizos had left Neverland on 12th March and Dickerman alleged in his letters that they had been harassed and followed by Jackson’s people since then. However, as confirmed by Dickerman during his testimony in 2005, at no time did he mention or allege any instances of child molestation, kidnapping, false imprisonment, or of giving alcohol to a minor.
In May 2003, Dickerman introduces the Arvizos to Larry Feldman – the same lawyer who represented and negotiated the 1993 settlement for the Chandler family. Feldman sent the Arvizos to meet with Dr Stanley Katz – the same psychologist who evaluated Jordan Chandler in 1993. When testifying in the 2005 trial, Feldman claimed that Dr Katz met with him in his (Feldman’s) office and reported his findings and Feldman then met with the Arvizos to discuss those findings.
In June, Santa Barbara District Attorney, Tom Sneddon (who held a long-standing vendetta against Jackson, having tried to prosecute him before in 1993), reopened the case and interviewed members of the Arvizo family. On 18th November 2003, police raided and searched Jackson’s home and on 20th November 2003, Jackson was publicly arrested. On 18th December 2003, Jackson was formally charged with seven counts of child molestation and two counts of administering an intoxicating agent for the purpose of committing a felony and was arraigned on 20th January 2004.
On 21st April 2004, a grand jury indicted Jackson on additional charges of conspiracy, false imprisonment and extortion. Michael plead not guilty to all charges against him on 30th April 2004.
When Did Janet Become Aware Of Any Alleged Abuse?
Janet’s story of when she became aware of any abuse changed several times. During her first interview with Sgt Steve Robel on 6th and 7th July 2003, she stated that her sons made her aware of the alleged abuse in February or March 2003. This was reflected in the Prosecution’s Statement of Probable Cause document dated 17th November 2003 in which it was also noted that she would tell her boys to “forgive and forget”. However, this was contradicted in the same document when it was claimed that Janet only became aware of the alleged abuse after being informed about it during a conversation with law enforcement at about 17:00 on 30th September 2003. Then, during her testimony in 2005, Janet claimed that she was not aware of the alleged abuse at the time. Casting further doubt on these claims, Larry Feldman testified that Janet had learned of the alleged abuse in June 2003 following the Arvizo family’s meeting with Dr Katz.
When Did The Alleged Abuse Take Place?
The time frame during which the Arvizos alleged the abuse had taken place is a critical part of the story.
Initially, they claimed that abuse started as soon as they returned from Miami on 7th February 2003. It was even claimed that on the return flight from Miami, Janet (and Star) witnessed Jackson licking Gavin’s head whilst the boy was sleeping. Despite the presence of many others on the flight, no-one else saw this alleged licking and Janet chose not to confront Jackson, instead allowing her son to remain near him. She also did not mention the incident to anyone.
The Arvizos also claimed that during the period 7th February 2003 – 12th March 2003, they were held captive at Neverland against their will. However, upon closer examination, it is evident that they were not being held against their will.
During this period of alleged captivity, the family went shopping numerous times, they visited a lawyer, met with the Department of Child and Family Services and appeared in court on a matter in connection with Janet’s former husband. Not once during this time did the Arvizos report to any authorities that they were being held captive against their will nor did they make any effort not to return to Neverland.
In addition, the Arvizos filmed their interview for the Rebuttal documentary on 20th February 2003. As discussed above, they appeared happy and at ease. However, the Arvizos claimed that the reason they were being held captive at Neverland was to force them into participating in the Rebuttal interview. This claim resulted in Jackson also facing a conspiracy charge.
When asked during a law enforcement interview in August 2003 why they did not report the alleged abuse or their captivity when they met with the DCFS, both Gavin and Star claimed it was because they were being intimidated by Jackson.
However, when the Arvizos realised that this initial timeline was severely problematic, they significantly changed their version of events and claimed that the alleged abuse did not, in fact, begin until after the DCFS interview. Gavin later testified that the reason they participated in the Rebuttal interview and did not disclose any abuse to the DCFS was because they still considered Jackson to be a good person and that no molestation had yet occurred, contradicting their previous statements to law enforcement personnel.
The revised timeline (February 20th – March 12th) was equally as problematic as the first. The Arvizos were now alleging that despite not molesting or even attempting to molest Gavin in the three years Jackson had already known Gavin, Jackson decided to start abusing him after the Bashir documentary aired and during the midst of an intense media frenzy centred on the suggestion that Jackson’s relationship with Gavin was, at best, inappropriate and, at worst, criminal. Not only this, but Jackson was under investigation by multiple law enforcement agencies including the Santa Barbara County Sherriff’s Department and the DCFS with involvement from the Santa Barbara District Attorney’s Office and the FBI and the allegation was that he chose to start molesting Gavin whilst these investigations were on-going.
During the 2005 trial, it emerged that during the new alleged time period of molestation, Jackson and the Arvizos were rarely at the same place at the same time. For example, on 20th February, Michael was in Miami and not at Neverland, as confirmed by Christ Tucker’s then-girlfriend, Azja Pryor. Between 25th February and 2nd March, the Arvizos were staying at a hotel in Calabasas. Phone logs revealed that Michael stayed at the Beverly Hills Hotel from at least 7th – 8th March. The Arvizos were at Neverland during this time.
What Allegations Were Made by the Arvizos?
Molestation
The Arvizos made a number of different allegations against Michael. In addition to claiming that he sexually molested Gavin, they also claimed that he gave alcohol to minors and (together with others) conspired to kidnap and falsely imprison them.
It was initially claimed that Michael sexually molested Gavin at least five times between February 7th and March 10th 2003 (note the timeframe of these alleged acts). During another interview, Gavin told Sgt. Steve Robel that the molestation occurred less than five times. One month later during another interview with Sgt. Steve Robel he alleged that the acts of molestation occurred exactly five times. During that same interview, Gavin stated the alleged molestation took place seven times. At trial, Gavin claimed Michael molested him on two occasions.
The Prosecution’s initial felony complaint alleged seven acts of lewd acts upon a child but their final indictment listed four acts.
Gavin claimed that Michael told him to put his underwear in Michael’s hamper after each act of molestation “about seven times”. During the search of Neverland on 18th November 2003, none of Gavin’s underwear was found anywhere. Gavin later testified that he was only asked to put his underwear in the hamper on one occasion after sleeping in Jackson’s room but did not link this to any sexual or inappropriate activity.
Gavin’s younger brother, Star, claimed to have witnessed two of the four alleged acts of molestation. He claimed that even Gavin was unaware of the molestation as he was passed out, having been plied with alcohol. During his initial interview with Dr Katz in June 2003, Star claimed he saw Jackson inappropriately touching Gavin over his clothes. Later he claimed that he saw Michael’s hand inside Gavin’s pants. He also claimed to have seen Jackson molesting his brother a second time whilst pleasuring himself. However, when Star testified in court, he did not claim to have seen this.
Star’s story about seeing alcohol in the room whilst he observed the molestation also changed. During his testimony, he initially claimed that he did not see any alcohol in the room. However, he was reminded – whilst still on the stand – that during the Grand Jury proceedings he had claimed to have seen alcohol and he suddenly changed his story and “remembered” seeing it.
Another example of Star’s ever-changing account is that in the Prosecution’s Statement of Probable Cause (17th November 2003), it was noted that Star claimed to have witnessed Michael getting into bed with Gavin and rubbing himself against Gavin’s butt. Dr Katz also testified that Star had told him this during the 2004 Grand Jury proceedings. However, when questioned about this during the 2005 trial, Star denied making this claim.
The Arvizos had also claimed, during their initial meeting with Dr Katz, that Star had also been molested by Jackson and repeated this claim during their interview with Sgt. Steve Robel in July 2003. Later this claim disappeared and no further mention was made of it.
The Arvizo boys also claimed that Michael deliberately exposed himself to them but their accounts of this incident varied. In addition, had Gavin truly seen Michael naked, he would have been aware of the patches on his skin caused by the skin disease, vitiligo. Instead, Gavin testified that he was not aware of such patches and thought Michael was “all white”.
Pornography
A further claim made by the Arvizos was that Michael had shown them pornographic materials on two occasions. However, both boys’ versions of these incidents contradicted each other with Gavin claiming that the first occasion took place the day they returned from Miami and the second occasion was two-weeks after their stay at the Calabasas hotel (ie a month apart). Star, on the other hand, claimed the first occasion was after their stay at the Calabasas hotel and the second was a few days after that. There were also other inconsistencies in the boys’ descriptions of these incidents.
During the 2005 trial, the Prosecution claimed that the fact that the boys’ fingerprints were found on the pornographic magazines was proof that Jackson had showed such material to the boys. However, Neverland staff testified that the Arvizo boys had been found in Jackson’s room when he wasn’t there, rummaging through his things. They had also behaved in this way at a dentist’s office and at others’ homes. Other Neverland staff testified that they had found adult magazines in Star’s possession which he had claimed he had brought from home. More shockingly, the boys had been questioned about these magazines during the Grand Jury proceedings. During their testimony they freely handled the magazines without gloves and the magazines were only tested for fingerprints after the Grand Jury and so it is no surprise that their fingerprints were found on the magazines.
Just as shockingly, whilst on the stand, Star was shown a magazine and asked if he recognised it. He insisted he did to both the Prosecutor and Defence Attorney, Tom Mesereau. Mesereau pointed out to Star that the magazine was dated August 2003 – several months after the family had left Neverland for the final time – so he could not have seen it.
Conspiracy Charge
The Arvizos claimed that between 1st February and 31 March 2003, Jackson and several other co-conspirators conspired to abduct Gavin and to falsely imprison the family. Although the charge named five co-conspirators, none were ever indicted. The practical effect of this was that these five individuals would have been reluctant to testify for the defence for fear of retaliatory prosecution.
The reason given for this abduction and false imprisonment was to force the Arvizos to participate in Jackson’s rebuttal documentary. However, it is clear from the recordings that they were happy and freely participating. Furthermore, In addition, they were interviewed by the DCFS at this time and failed to seek any help or mention that they were being held against their will. The Arvizos claimed that they “escaped” from Neverland three times. The first was soon after their return from Miami in early February 2003, when she asked Jackson’s ranch manager to drive them back to Los Angeles, which he did. Janet claimed she did not know the exact date as there were no clocks at Neverland. As can be seen from this picture, there is a huge, working floral clock on the grounds together with a clock at the top of the building in same picture as well as numerous other clocks on the property.
Janet claimed she had escaped because she did not like two of Michael’s associates but returned to the ranch upon being advised that they were no longer there. However, when she returned these associated were still present so she “escaped” again by asking Michael’s bodyguard to take her to the home of her boyfriend but left her children behind at Neverland. The children later joined her. The third escape was when the Arvizos left Neverland for the final time on 12th March. Janet asked Vinnie Amen, one of the alleged kidnappers to drive her and her family to the home of her parents which Amen did.
However, during the period the Arvizos claim to have been kidnapped and falsely imprisoned, they went shopping several times (spending over $7000), met with lawyers, were interviewed by the DCFS, Janet went to a beauty salon for a leg wax, stayed at the home of Jay Jackson (Janet’s boyfriend) for several days, went to see both a doctor and dentist, visited their friend, Jamie Masada, at the Laugh Factory, stayed at a hotel and appeared in court on an unrelated matter. At no point during any of this time did the Arvizos seek any help or notify any authorities that they were being held captive, despite the numerous opportunities they had to do so.
At around this time, the family had plans to go on holiday to Brazil for a week. Later, Janet claimed that Jackson and his associated were planning to kidnap her and her children in a hot air ballon and take them to Brazil to make them disappear! However, the girlfriend of Chris Tucker, Azja Pryor testified that Janet was excited about this trip and even invited her to go with them. Ultimately the trip was cancelled.
Was Child Pornography Found in Jackson’s Possession?
Absolutely no child pornography or inappropriate materials featuring children was ever found. Police searched Neverland extensively both in 1993 and 2003 and nothing illegal was found. Possession of child pornography is, itself, a crime and had any such materials been found, Jackson would have been accordingly charged. He was never charged with possession of child pornography.
Instead, what was found was a variety of legal heterosexual pornography. These were commercially-produced, wholly legal materials. Jackson’s fingerprints were found on these magazines and the defence team confirmed these were Jackson’s private magazines.
In 1993, a handful of legal art books were found which featured images of children. Three such books were confiscated. Two of the books, Boys Will Be Boys and The Boy: A Photographic Essay did contain nude images of young boys but these pictures were neither pornographic nor sexual. One book was clearly a gift from a fan as it contained the inscription: “To Michael: From your fan, “Rhonda” ♥ 1983, Chicago”. The other contained an inscription from Michael himself which read: “Look at the true spirit of happiness and joy in these boys’ faces. This is the spirit of boyhood, a life I never had and will always dream of. This is the life I want for my children, MJ.” The third book, In Search of Young Beauty: A Venture Into Photographic Art, which was not found with the other two and which also had some nude images of children was never mentioned in court. All three books can be found in the United States Library of Congress.
In 2003, a number of other books were seized. All seized materials were legally available and the majority were art or photography books (again with some found in the US Library of Congress) and many were authored by renowned artists. Many of the materials seized were of adult women; some artistic and some erotic in nature. A full list of the seized items with detailed descriptions can be found here.
It is also worth bearing in mind that Michael was a voracious reader and would read anything he could get his hands on. He regularly visited bookshops around the world, buying hundreds of books at a time. On one occasion, he even bought an entire bookshop. He had one of the biggest private libraries and owned over a million books. He also had a keen interest in photography and owned many artistic books. Many of the books he owned were vintage or rare and he had so many, it is highly unlikely that he even looked at most of them. What is clear, however, is that he did not own or possess any child pornography or illegal material.
What Happened at the 2005 Trial?
Michael’s trial began in Santa Maria on 28th February 2005 and continued until 13th June 2005.
Controversially, the judge allowed the prosecution to introduce testimony relating to past allegations against Jackson, including the 1993 case, to establish whether Jackson had a propensity to commit such crimes.
In addition to the Arvizo family, some of the key Prosecution witnesses included:
Martin Bashir: Bashir was the first witness in the trial. He refused to answer questions by defence attorneys and his attorney repeatedly invoked California’s shield law for reporters and the First Amendment.
Jason Francia: alleged that Jackson had abused him several times by “tickling” him
Ralph Chacon and Adrian McManus: Former Neverland staff who claimed to have seen Jackson engaging in acts of sexual abuse with children but who failed to report such behaviour to the police and instead sold salacious stories to the press. They filed a lawsuit against Jackson for wrongful dismissal in the 1990s. Jackson countersued and their lawsuit was thrown out as fraudulent and malicious. Chacon and McManus were also found guilty of stealing more than $50,000 of items from Jackson. McManus also admitted during her testimony that she and her husband had previously been found guilty of defrauding a relative’s children and stole a sketch by Michael worth $35,000.
Jesus Salas testified he saw Jackson drunk or under the influence of prescription drugs. However, although he delivered wine to Jackson’s bedroom, sodas were ordered for the children.
June Chandler: Jordan’s Chandler’s mother testified during the trial (Jordan himself left the country to avoid being called as a witness) that Jackson asked “You don’t trust me? We’re a family. Why are you doing this?” June agreed that Jordan could sleep wherever he wanted to. However, she testified that she had never suspected anything inappropriate between Jackson and Jordan. She also confirmed that she had not spoken to her son for 11 years.
Debbie Rowe: the Prosecution called Michael’s ex-wife, Debbie Rowe, as a witness expecting that she would verify their claim that she was pressured into a scripted videotaped statement made in early 2003 in support of Jackson (thereby bolstering Janet’s claims that they were held captive and forced to film supportive statements towards Jackson). Instead, Rowe stunned the court when she testified that her statement was neither scripted nor rehearsed stating, “as Mr. Jackson knows, no one can tell me what to say.”
Key witnesses for the Defence included:
Wade Robson: Wade was the first witness called by the defence. He testified that he had slept in the same bed as Michael on many occasions but that he had never been molested. Instead, he said that they would watch movies, have pillow fights or play video games. Robson recalled that Jackson was like a second father to him, emphasizing that his interactions with the pop star were focused on dance, mentorship, and personal care, rather than anything inappropriate. Robson explained that Michael Jackson’s influence was significant in shaping his career as a dancer and that the affection and guidance he received were purely supportive. Wade’s sister, Chantal also testified that she shared a bed with Michael Jackson and her brother at the Neverland ranch when she was 10 and that nothing sexual or inappropriate happened.
Macaulay Culkin: Macaulay confirmed that he had shared a bed with Jackson multiple times but never experienced or witnessed any abuse, dismissing the allegations as “absolutely ridiculous” and that he and Jackson had bonded over their shared experience of child stardom.
Brett Barnes: Barnes first met Jackson at the age of five when Jackson went to Australia during one of his tours. He testified that he shared a bedroom with Jackson at least ten times but denied any impropriety. Asked if he had ever been touched inappropriately, Barnes said, “Never. I wouldn’t stand for it.” 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.”
George Lopez: Lopez 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.”
Azja Pryor: Azja testified that Janet complained to her in early March 2003 that two associates of Jackson had stepped in to keep her family away from the singer. This was key as the Arvizos had alleged that molestation took place between 20th February and 12th March so if they were being kept away from Michael at this time, how could he have abused Gavin?
Chris Tucker: Chris was the final defence witness. He 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”.
The Verdict
After deliberating for over 32 hours, the jury reached their verdict. On 13th June 2005, Michael Jackson was found NOT GUILTY on all 14 counts and was fully acquitted. He walked out of court that day the same way he had walked in: an innocent man.
LAST UPDATED 15TH MARCH 2025