Here’s what we learned about the pop star’s 2005 trial ‘Michael Jackson: The Verdict’ from child pornography and lewd nickname allegations.
Michael Jackson’s estate sued over child sex trafficking charges
Four brothers who are former friends of the Jackson family have filed a lawsuit against Michael Jackson’s estate, accusing them of child sex trafficking.
As Michael Jackson biopics continue to rack up box office success, a creepy new documentary series is set to revisit one of the icon’s darkest chapters.
“Michael Jackson: The Verdict” (available on Netflix) is a three-part documentary that examines Jackson’s 2005 criminal trial in which he was accused of sexually abusing 13-year-old Gavin Arvizo. The singer was ultimately acquitted of all charges, with jurors claiming there was insufficient evidence.
“Verdict” features interviews with lawyers, journalists and people close to Jackson. Also included is sheriff’s footage of Arvizo’s interviews with officers and law enforcement agents who raid Jackson’s Neverland Ranch home in California.
USA TODAY has reached out to Jackson’s estate for comment.
Here are some of the most shocking revelations in the new movie.
Michael Jackson allegedly gave boys degrading nicknames
Vincent Amen, one of the documentary’s main characters, worked for Jackson in 2002 and was tasked with caring for the Alvizo family, who returned to the Neverland Ranch to weather the media storm.
At one point, Amen pulls out a series of old Polaroid photos he had kept from Neverland. All featured Gavin’s mother Janet and younger brother Starr. Janet captioned one of the photos: “Dear Michael, we are grateful that you are our family. Nothing can undo what God has put together. We love you.”
Starr, meanwhile, handwritten another caption, writing: “I love you, Dad, Michael. Your son, Blowhole.”
“These are the nicknames Michael gives the boys,” Amen says.
Mr. Jackson and his close friend allegedly ordered child pornography.
At the end of episode 1, Amen explains how many of his associates had their homes searched following Jackson’s arrest. Ms. Jackson’s longtime friend and assistant Frank Cascio (also known as Frank Tyson) is said to have cleaned the house of everything that came from the Neverland Ranch.
Amen claims Tyson gave her a Nike bag as a gift. Suspicious about what was inside, Armen apparently filmed himself opening the bag, which the documentary says contained an obscene and illegal magazine.
“I flipped through it and there was a Sharpie going around the video ordering section,” Amen said. “Someone wanted these videos and circled what they wanted. These videos are of children naked. Some are with families, some are just naked children.
“I confronted Frank,” Amen continues. “I said, ‘Frank, what is this magazine? … There’s a circle around a video of naked children.’ He says, ‘That’s just a phase that Michael and I went through.’ He circled the video he wanted and I ordered it. That was the stage we went through. ”They were watching it together. When I heard that, I couldn’t believe it. ”
According to the title card at the end of episode 1, Tyson could not be reached for comment from the filmmakers.
Jackson allegedly spent “several days” with teenage boys during Neverland attack
Jackson was not in Neverland when his home was raided by the FBI, sparking a media uproar about his mysterious whereabouts. According to investigative journalist Diane Dimond, who reported on the incident, the pop star was allegedly hiding out in Las Vegas in hopes of blowing up.
“Sources told me that he would hole up in this villa, wear colorful dashiki muumu clothes, open the door, leave just enough to bring in food, and then slam the door,” Dimond claims in the documentary. “And he’s throwing wild parties. There were cigarette burns on the leather couches and chairs, empty liquor bottles on every table. And this is where Michael Jackson was staying for several days, entertaining a group of young teenage boys who all spoke German.”
Jackson’s drug abuse after his arrest was said to be “astronomical”
Jackson turned himself in to the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Department two days after the Neverland attack. The singer was photographed but released on $3 million bail.
In the days and weeks that followed, “he was under extreme stress,” defense attorney Mark Geragos said in the documentary. “All of a sudden, what was theoretical became reality. I just watched him collapse, literally collapse. The substance intake was just astronomical. There was a time when I actually saw him on the floor in the fetal position, and I thought, ‘What should I do?’ I mean, I don’t want his death to be in my hands because of my inaction.
“It was a scary time for him and for everyone around him,” Geragos continues. “We were really concerned about whether he would be able to withstand the challenge both physically and mentally.”
“Verdict” provides a glimpse into the juror’s contradictory thinking
Most of the second episode focuses on Gavin’s testimony during the trial. On the witness stand, Jackson’s lawyer, Tom Mesereau, said the boy was belligerent and upset, and Tom Mesereau reportedly tried to poke holes in Gavin’s testimony and continued to scream at the boy.
“He’s a kid, and I really wanted to hear what he had to say,” Melissa Herold, also known as Juror No. 8, said in the document. “But when Mr. Mesereau stands up and puts everything in order, he’s like, ‘Oh, sure, that makes more sense.'”
In “Verdict,” Herald and others in the courtroom recall how prosecutors presented Bashir’s documentary in its entirety as evidence. Many of the jurors seemed upset by Gavin’s appearance in the film. A section featuring Jackson’s music had some people shaking their heads and dancing in their seats.
“Would I let my children sleep in the same room as someone so famous? No,” Herold said. “But I thought Martin Bashir was trying to trap Michael Jackson into saying the wrong thing to cover up the fact that it wasn’t there.”
Jackson was said to have been ‘terrified’ by the judge’s threats.
The documentary details how Jackson was hospitalized after falling in the shower the night before Gavin’s testimony, and how Jackson’s security chief, Kelly Anderson, was allegedly given painkillers “enough to calm an elephant” in the series.
Because he was late for court the next day, the judge revoked Jackson’s bail and ordered that a warrant be issued for his arrest if he did not arrive at court within an hour. Jackson and his team raced down the highway at speeds of 90 miles per hour to get to the courthouse on time.
“Michael was frightened, upset and beside himself,” Jackson family attorney Brian Oxman said in the documentary. “He thought his whole life was evaporating.”
Jackson allegedly received death threats and lashed out about his accusers.
In episode 2, Anderson details the chaos of accompanying Jackson to court day after day. Despite major safety concerns, the singer preferred to keep his car windows open to greet fans.
“We did a threat assessment and found out there were some idiots saying they were going to kill him,” Anderson said in the film. “When you put yourself out there to people who say they’re going to kill you, they obviously can. But he was like, ‘But the fans.’
Anderson also said she saw Jackson furious on the drive back to Neverland. The Grammy winner is said to have called Bashir a “devil” who was part of a “conspiracy” to destroy him. Jackson is also said to have punched the car seat multiple times after Gavin’s testimony, enraged that the boy had accused him of such “terrible behavior.”
