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The 2003 documentary "Living With Michael Jackson" is released.
This is the 2003 documentary, in which Martin Bashirk, a British journalist, extensively interviewed Jackson over a 8 month period. This documentary brought Jackson's controverial practice of sleeping in the same bed as children to light.
VIDEO (Feelings about being accused): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4smiXbCyAkM -
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The Events Of And Leading To The Trial Of Michael Jackson
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Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Department Starts investigation.
This marks the time when the Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Department starts their investagation of the child molestation charges againist Michael Jackson. NOTE: I couldn't find the exact start date of the investigation, so I just put the 1st of June. -
Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Department Execute a Search Warrant Upon Neverland Ranch.
This search was highly publicized and criticized for having a team of over 70 investigatiors involved with the search. Latter the DA created a website wich was basicly an "open casting call" for anyone who had be molested by Michael Jackson. -
Jackson Surrendered Himself to the California Police.
When Michael Jackson heard/informed that there was a was a warrent out for his arrest, he flew to Santa Barbara Municipal Airport and surrendered himself to the California Police. Jackson was charged with "lewd or lascivious acts" with a child ounger than 14 under section 288(a) of the California Penal Code. -
Michael Jackson is charged with:
Michael Jackson is chareged with seven counts of child molestation and two counts of administering an intoxicating agent (in order to commit the felony). Jackson stated the "sleepovers" were non-sexual. Jackson described Gavin as "a sweet child" manipulated by greedy parents. At the request of the prosecution a gag order was issued. -
Jackson was arraigned, at the court in Snata Maria.
Arraignment is a formal reading of a criminal charging document in the presence of the defendant to inform the defendant of the charges against him or her. Jackson was represented by attorneys Mark Geragos, Benjamin Brafman, Steve Cochran and Robert Sanger. -
Jackson posts a bail of $3,000,000 and pays a bail fee of $300,000.
The bail bond was posted from Plotkin Bail Bonds of Norwalk, California. -
Judge ordered the papers of the $3 million lawsuit (againist JC Penny) started by the Arvizo's to be released.
Jackson's defense wanted this to help vilify the Arivzo's and help their case. In 19998, the Arcizo's were detained with a shoplifting charge at a JC Penny, in West Covina, California. The case was settled out of court for US $152,000. NOTE: Janet Arvizo was found to be "delusional" and "depressed". Although Janet's doctor only found her to be the latter. -
Day One: Michael Jacsons Trial (2005)
The jury has been selected and is told that iconic pop star Michael Jackson is acused of abusing and exposing a 13-year old boy (Gavin Arvizo) to "strange sexual behavior" during the boy's visits to Jackson's Neverland Ranch. The lead prosecutor is Tom Sneddon and one of Jackson's lawyers is Thomas Mesereau. -
Period: to
The Trial Of Michael Jackson (2005)
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Day Two: Michael Jacsons Trial (2005)
Martin Bashir, maker of the controversial documentary Living With Michael Jackson, takes the witness stand. The 2 hour documentary is shown to the jury, after which Thomas Mesereau tell the jury that there is no DNA evidence to show that the cime(s) were actually comitted. -
Day Three: Michael Jacsons Trial (2005)
A former employee of Michael Jackson, tells the court that the PR team of Jackson's were "extremely agitated" after the broadcast of Bashir's documentary. Ann Gabriel, a public relations professional who worked with Jackson's PR team tells the court. She's continues to state that the documentry became an "absolute disaster" for the iconic pop star. -
Day Four: Michael Jacsons Trial (2005)
The sister of the accuser (Davellin Arvizo) told the court that the boy (Gavin Arvizo) asked if he could sleep in the Jackson's room, during one of the families first excursions to Neverland Ranch. The family gave the boy (Gavin Arvizo) permision. She also revealed that two years later, at the time of the alleged abuse, Jackson took the boy (Gavin) in to a private room (during a trip to Miami), repeatedly, which caused her brother to "act jumpy" afterwards. -
Day Five: Michael Jacsons Trial (2005)
In the court room, video footage of the mother (Janet Arvizo) and her son (Gavin Arvizo) is shown with them praising the singer and there was nothing malicious about his relationship with Gavin. This video was broadcasted by Fox, and seen by the jury. The proecution claims that this was nothing more than an attempt by Jackson's camp to neutralize the negative publicity generated by the documentary Living With Michael Jackson. -
Day Six: Michael Jacsons Trial (2005)
The brother that was 11 at the time of the alleged events told the court that he has seen Jackson masturbating himself and his 13 year old brother, along with two other occasions of sexual molestation. He also talked about a event that happened at the Neverland Ranch where Jackson walked into a bedroom, fully naked and aroused with the two boys sitting on the bed. -
Day Seven: Michael Jacsons Trial (2005)
Michael Jackson's defense attorney (Thomas Mesereau), trying to undermine the credability of Gavin Arvizo, by presenting a father's day card sent to Jackson by Gavin. written in the card, Gavin praises Jackson, saying "You are my super, super best, best friend. I love you." -
Day Eight: Michael Jacsons Trial (2005)
Gavin, the 15 year old boy who is acusing Jackson of the child molestation, avoids eye contact, while confronting the singer about his "on-off friendship". The boy claims "in the midst of cancer treatment, Jackson apeared to drop him." Jackson's lawyer Mesereau, continually draws the juries attention to the discrepancies between Gavin's and Star's stories. -
Day Nine: Michael Jacsons Trial (2005)
Jackson arrives more than an hour late to the courtroom, due to alleged back problems/pains. Jackson arrived in his pyjamas, leading the prosecutors (among others), to claim that this was a sign of Jackson's deteriorating mentality. The hospital claims that Jackson was in the emergancy room, for a reason unknown to them. While Jackso's legal team claims he was seen by an doctor. Gavin also talks about how Jackson gave him alcohol on numerious occasions. -
Day Ten: Michael Jacsons Trial (2005)
Gavin, the boy at the center of the whole trial, admits that he told a teacher (Jeffrey Alpert) that Jackson had never touched him. Gavin admited this while under cross-examination by Mesereau (Jackson's attorney). During an examination of Alpert earlier by Mesereau, Alpert allegedly told the boy that he couldn't help him (Gavin), if he isn't told anything, to which Gavin replies that nothing happened. -
Day Eleven: Michael Jacsons Trial (2005)
Gavin claims the reason he denied being molested to Jeffery Alpert, was because he didn't want to be made fun of at school, aince "all the kids were already making fun of me (at the school)". Many analyst say this as an attempt by the prosecution to diffuse the harmful testemony. -
Day Twelve: Michael Jacsons Trial (2005)
Sergeant Steve Robel, lead investigator in this case, testifies that, Gavin told him that he (Gavin) was molested between five and seven times, but only could recall two in detail. Sergeant robel says that the boy, Gavin, has only been able to provide details for two of the alleged incidents, since the investigation opened in June 2003. Although it is possible that the alleged victum wasn't aware/fully aware of the act of molestation and/or asleep. -
Day Thirteen: Michael Jacsons Trial (2005)
Prosecutors show the jurors that Jackson had sexually explicit magazines, DVDs and videos, that were taken from his Neverland Ranch. Witnesses confirm that there was no evidence that the pop idol had shown Gavin the material. An important side note is that some of the material wasn't avalible until after March 12th, 2003, the date that Gavin left Neverland Ranch for the last time. When the boys claim a magazine of "Barely Legal" shown to them by Jackson, the cover date was August 2003. -
Jackson is acquitted of all charges.
The jury found Jackson not quilty of all 14 charges: four counts of molesting a minor, four counts of intoxicating a minor in order to molest him, one count of attempted child molestation, one count of attempted child molestation, and a single count of conspiring to hold the boy and his family captive at his 2,700-acre Neverland Ranch, as well as conspiring to commit extortion and child abduction. This also includes the four lesser-included misdemeanor counts.
