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Michael Jackson The Verdict S01E02
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00:15The first day of the trial, Michael got up at 3 or 4 in the morning.
00:21This was a big day.
00:22This was one of my biggest days, and I know Michael's biggest days.
00:28He looked sharp.
00:29His makeup was done well.
00:31His attire was toned down for this trial proceeding, but he still was Michael.
00:38Okay, we're recording.
00:39We're recording.
00:40Michael!
00:42I wasn't a fan of videoing because that takes me away from what I'm supposed to do, but it was
00:48at Michael's request.
00:51Can you zoom in on her side?
00:52Carrie didn't pull out.
00:54Yes, sir.
00:54I'm zoomed as much as I can go.
00:57Inside, I was concerned.
00:59I really was, because they were going to be bringing the witnesses accusing him of these crazy things.
01:04If he was convicted on any one of those charges, he would be going to jail for the rest of
01:10his life.
01:11Michael!
01:12Michael!
01:13Go!
01:14Anderson!
01:15Anderson!
01:16Anderson!
01:17Anderson!
01:17Anderson!
01:17Anderson!
01:18Anderson!
01:21Okay.
01:22More than one year after his arrest, Michael Jackson's high-profile child molestation trial has finally begun.
01:29I walked into what looked like a circus.
01:37There were news media tents everywhere.
01:41Satellite trucks lining streets.
01:43We had ABC, NBC, CBS, and you could see helicopters flying over.
01:51Every other person had a camera on their shoulder.
01:56You're covering this for Mexico?
01:57Yeah.
01:58Television has taken, TV has taken.
01:59We're a TV station from Taiwan.
02:01It's a very big story in Japan.
02:03By some estimates, as many as 1,000 Jackson fans from all over the world here, there's even a U
02:08-Haul truck out front giving away free T-shirts that say,
02:10I support Michael Jackson.
02:12It was the case of the century.
02:15This trial goes to the very heart and soul of what the American justice system is all about.
02:21It touches on race.
02:22It touches on wealth.
02:23It touches on celebrity.
02:25They've got the lights and cameras ready.
02:28All they need now at Santa Maria Courthouse is the action.
02:45From the minute we left the freeway, the fans were just, they were chaotic.
02:51Michael, Michael, I love you!
02:53They're showing Michael the signs, and sometimes he's letting the window down, drawing them in.
02:58You're innocent, Michael.
02:59We're doing your work.
03:00You're innocent.
03:01We love you!
03:02He wanted protection, but the most important thing to him was his fans.
03:10We had threat assessments done that there was idiots saying that they were going to kill him.
03:15Michael!
03:16You're innocent!
03:18It's going to be dark.
03:20When you expose yourself to people that say they're going to kill you, that's when they can obviously do it.
03:26But he's like, but the fans.
03:29But the fans.
03:32When he would see how enthused they were and how much they loved him, it was like a shot in
03:37the arm.
03:41We were escorted by police officers in uniform.
03:46We made a turn on the main street.
03:50I would describe it as controlled chaos.
03:55So my job was in communication with my guys.
03:59How's it looking?
03:59Can we disembark and make sure all the high ground was covered?
04:05No snipers.
04:09When we get out of the car, we're so vulnerable.
04:16Yeah, who's here?
04:17This is him.
04:18You're in the open, and we can't cover everything.
04:25We don't have anything but God protecting us at this particular point.
04:33When he walks into court aid, he'll come face to face with his nemesis, Tom Sneddon, the district attorney leading
04:41the prosecution.
04:43Tom and I work very well together.
04:47We really felt that if we believe that he had molested this child, and we did, then we have an
04:55obligation to pursue it.
04:57This was a case about a man who was one of the most recognizable people in the world.
05:03He was unique in his talent and skill and his accomplishment, and he was unique in his victimization of children.
05:11On the other side of the court will be Thomas Mesereau.
05:15He's likely to say that the family have a history of making false claims.
05:20Tom Mesereau is incredibly thorough, leaves no stone unturned, and I think the term shock and awe does.
05:26It does indeed apply to this defense case.
05:30I want you to remember the defense team pecking order here.
05:34Tom Mesereau is the lead attorney.
05:36There is a local attorney here, and then there is Brian Oxman.
05:39Now, he's been a Jackson family attorney for a long, long time.
05:42He adores the Jackson family, every one of them.
05:45I did Randy's divorce, I did Jermaine's divorce, I did Tito's divorce, I did LaToya's divorce, and I did Michael's
05:55divorce.
05:57I believe Michael was innocent from the very get-go.
06:01No way he had done these crimes.
06:03I just didn't believe it.
06:08Despite Michael Jackson's enormous fame and privilege, Michael Jackson, at the end of the day, was still a black man
06:16being charged by a white prosecutor, and he was going to be judged by a mostly white jury.
06:24I was juror number eight.
06:27I grew up in Detroit, in the Motor City, and I remember watching the Jackson 5 on cartoons on Saturday.
06:37That was, like, one of my favorite cartoons.
06:39The Jackson 5 has arrived!
06:42Ta-da!
06:43The Jackson 5, eh?
06:48He had the talent, and the voice, and the moves.
06:53He just was everything.
06:57I was juror number six.
07:00My 23rd birthday was the day I was selected.
07:04I felt a little excited and a lot nervous.
07:11I didn't want to be responsible for sending somebody innocent to prison, and I didn't want to be responsible for
07:18letting a pedophile walk free.
07:21The judge made the decision that despite the enormous interest that the media and the public had, the cameras weren't
07:29allowed in the courtroom.
07:32When Judge Melville made the decision that there would be no cameras in the courtroom, I was thrilled.
07:39Where the cameras were in the courtroom, what happens is people start trying the case to the cameras, not to
07:46the judge, not to the jury.
07:48It begins to affect your decisions.
07:50I mean, prosecution and defense.
07:52It's just a human response to knowing you're going to be on the 6 o'clock news.
07:58I sat in the very back, against the wall, and Michael Jackson walks in.
08:07He was real.
08:10Michael was scared to death.
08:13We reside ourselves.
08:17We believed he was a criminal in a very profound way.
08:21And he was able to get away with it because he had the power of his fame and celebrity.
08:28The defense said, no, no, no.
08:31Michael Jackson is a kind, wonderful man who loves children.
08:35It's all been misconstrued.
08:37And people who say these horrible things are just after the money.
08:43It was our opinion that this family began to come up with these allegations only when they realized that they
08:50were on the way out.
08:52They needed to do something else to stay involved in his life and get a big payday.
08:57And this is what they came up with.
09:02Based on opening statements in Michael Jackson's trial, the pop star is either a sexual predator, according to the prosecution,
09:09or the target of an elaborate extortion scam, according to the defense.
09:14Tom Mesereau and the team said, let us do our job and we can get you out of this.
09:21But that's easier said than done.
09:25I turned around.
09:27I said, how do you moonwalk?
09:30He said, what do you mean, how do you moonwalk?
09:31He said, you just moonwalk.
09:33I said, that's just how you have to approach this.
09:36All you got to do is be you.
09:38Be there.
09:39We'll handle this.
09:50Witness number one, Martin Bashir.
09:53This is the man whose documentary has sparked this entire criminal trial.
09:58Today, the British journalist Martin Bashir, who made the controversial documentary Living with Michael Jackson,
10:05is expected to take the stand.
10:07The first prosecution witness to give evidence in this trial.
10:11The anxiety levels are through the roof.
10:13I'm frightened by the rhetoric that's being written about the film and about me.
10:20I'm distressed about the way his legal team and his PR people are attacking the program.
10:27You know, you're petrified.
10:33In the courtroom, he spots me and I spot him, and we went over and shook hands with each other.
10:38It was pretty clammy, that hand.
10:40And so I knew that he was nervous.
10:44The prosecution played the Martin Bashir documentary in its entirety.
10:50Eight months ago, I put a proposal to Michael Jackson.
10:54Show me the real man, but show me everything.
10:57Make nothing off limits.
10:58And I think the prosecution wanted to show the eccentricities of Michael Jackson.
11:07Do you come out here on your own?
11:09Yeah.
11:10How often?
11:10All the time.
11:12Do you just come out on your own?
11:13Yes.
11:13The problem was, because there were so many clips of music,
11:17you could see that the jury were kind of enjoying the film,
11:22because it was fabulous, and the music was the music of Michael Jackson.
11:31I looked around, and all the people in the courtroom, and the jury, and, you know,
11:35the judge, and everybody's just, like, kind of bobbing their heads up and down.
11:39They're literally swaying in their seats.
11:41I remember me moving in time to his music.
11:44At one point, Tom jibbed me and said,
11:47Would you stop moving your foot?
11:49Seeing him sitting there, while they're playing his music, it was neat.
11:55And I thought, wow, they really love this guy.
12:01But when it came to that scene with Gavin, the court was very quiet.
12:08There was one night I stood in there, and I asked him if I could stay in his bedroom.
12:12He let me stay in the bedroom.
12:13And I was like, Michael, you can sleep on the bed.
12:15If you love me, you can sleep on the bed.
12:18I was like, oh, man.
12:20Michael Jackson is holding hands with Gavin, talking about his cancer.
12:24Gavin puts his head on his shoulders.
12:26And they say, is that really appropriate?
12:28You know, jurors are allowed to take notes.
12:31And during the Bashir documentary,
12:34I didn't notice any jurors taking any notes at all.
12:37They were just enthralled with the show.
12:40The prosecution's strategy from the outset was that if they showed the film to the jury,
12:48it would unsettle them.
12:51When people hear that children from other families have come and they've stayed in your house,
12:58they've stayed in your bedroom.
13:00Well, very few.
13:01But, you know, some have.
13:04And they say, is that really appropriate for a man, a grown man, to be doing that?
13:10How do you respond to that?
13:11I feel sorry for them because that's judging someone who wants to really help people.
13:18Then after that, I was brought into the witness box and questioned.
13:24Tom Mesereau said, you always went in thinking you were going to get a big scoop
13:29and make a big sensational splash, right?
13:32That was the tone of Tom Mesereau talking to Martin Bashir.
13:38After the viewing, there followed tense exchanges between Bashir and Jackson's lawyer, Thomas Mesereau.
13:45I think it was clear that Tom Mesereau wanted to smear Martin Bashir
13:49and his intentions from the get-go.
13:52When you actually invite children into your bed, you never know what's going to happen.
13:56When you say bed, you're thinking sexual.
14:00They make that sexual. It's not sexual.
14:02What do you think people would say if I said,
14:06well, I've invited some of my daughter's friends around or my son's friends around
14:10and they're going to sleep in the bed with me tonight?
14:12That's fine.
14:13The TV journalist refused to answer most of the questions put to him.
14:17At one stage, Bashir told the court,
14:20I want to stand by the film and let it speak for itself.
14:24I was briefed by our lawyer as to how to respond to any questions.
14:30And I was told to say, I'm not going to answer that question.
14:35And that was substantively what I said to every question that I was asked.
14:41Martin Bashir was a disaster for the prosecution.
14:44He wouldn't even answer basic questions about the work he had done
14:47and what he did and why he did it.
14:49And that had to have looked very evasive, I think, to the jury.
14:54Would I let my kids sleep with somebody that's famous like that and share a room with them?
15:00No.
15:01But I thought Martin Bashir was trying to trap Michael Jackson
15:06into saying something wrong
15:10to kind of make things out that weren't there.
15:17My opinion was that Mr. Bashir was very cleverly
15:21and very maliciously manipulating him down a path of destruction.
15:25He made Michael Jackson think this was going to be a positive documentary,
15:29but it was the biggest mistake Michael Jackson ever made.
15:34How are you feeling today?
15:35Anger.
15:36Anger.
15:37Michael Jackson simply couldn't contain his frustration
15:41after a day of relentless questioning, but precious few answers.
15:46This trial always promised drama, and it's delivering.
15:55On the drive back to Neverland, he referred to Martin Bashir
15:58as another demon just trying to destroy him.
16:02Because it's like, this is what started it.
16:05He's all a part of this conspiracy they're trying to kill me kind of thing.
16:09I'm not supposed to be really focusing on your conversation.
16:12I'm supposed to be doing my job.
16:13But I do hear it.
16:15And I'm thinking, well, this is the first guy.
16:18You wait till these other witnesses get up here
16:19with the kind of stuff that they're going to say.
16:27There's a lot of people here that want to get kickin'.
16:31We need your cooperation.
16:35If you do not cooperate, and we can't do this in an orderly fashion,
16:39then we won't do it.
16:42I was at the courthouse steps no later than about 5.30 a.m.
16:48Because I know around 6.30 a.m., they are drawing tickets
16:53to who could sit in the actual courtroom that day.
16:57Everybody must have a picture ID before we start the lottery.
17:02In January, I let my boss know that I would be resigning
17:06from my preschool teaching job,
17:09and I would be moving to Santa Maria for the Michael trial.
17:14And that's exactly what I did.
17:16Let's go, let's go.
17:17Let's go.
17:17A lot of people don't realize love is not a word.
17:21It is actual action.
17:24As fans and advocates and people of love, soldiers of love,
17:29at your lowest point, here we are.
17:35724-674-826.
17:39Yes!
17:40Thank God bless you.
17:42Yes, you're great!
17:44The media had decided that Michael was guilty
17:48and that he was going to jail.
17:50That was their angle.
17:51So I knew the media wasn't going to cover it.
17:55Transcripts wasn't going to allow you to really find out
17:59exactly what was going on,
18:01unless you were sitting in the courtroom
18:03and hearing it for yourself firsthand.
18:16Jackson arrived at the courthouse,
18:18his parents and brother Jermaine with him,
18:20while the brother of his accuser
18:21was coming in through another entrance.
18:25It's the two brothers' testimony
18:27that's at the crux of the prosecution case.
18:31Gavin Orviso, the alleged victim,
18:34and his younger brother, Starr,
18:37these are the two most critical witnesses
18:40of the entire trial,
18:41because that's what it's all about.
18:44Did he or did he not molest a child?
18:51The prosecution took Starr
18:53through what happened at Neverland.
18:55And Starr said,
18:56well, Michael Jackson took us aside and said,
18:59ask your parents if you can spend the night in my room.
19:01And they did, and the parents gave permission.
19:06And once in the bedroom,
19:08Starr said they were shown a laptop computer
19:11with many porn sites on it.
19:15Now, Starr, or Orviso, 14 years old,
19:18doesn't know the word grooming,
19:21but the prosecution made it clear
19:23these were the steps of grooming these boys.
19:29You have to understand a little bit
19:31about the layout of Neverland.
19:33The house itself is an older Tudor-style home,
19:38and there's a separate entrance
19:40into the bedroom suite.
19:44There's a combination lock.
19:46The kids knew the combination
19:47to the combination lock.
19:49Their mother didn't.
19:55There was a loft
19:57that you went up a set of stairs
19:59to be able to get to,
20:01and in the loft was a king-size bed.
20:06Above the bed was a painting.
20:09The painting was a depiction
20:11of the Last Supper.
20:12Um, but the Christ figure in the middle
20:17was not Christ.
20:19It was Michael Jackson.
20:21Starr said once in the bedroom,
20:24the pornography was brought out.
20:27Jackson always said,
20:28don't tell anybody.
20:29When you feel like you're in the company
20:31of someone otherworldly, almost,
20:36and they tell you to,
20:37shh, keep the secret,
20:39you keep the secret.
20:40From the master bathroom,
20:43three books of nudes in a plastic bag,
20:45a couple's magazine,
20:47a book of nude photos of men,
20:49and from the den
20:50and a second-floor closet,
20:51a book of nudes called
20:53Naked as a Jaybird,
20:54and several porno magazines
20:56and a black briefcase.
20:57There was one particular publication
21:00that I thought was noteworthy,
21:02and it's a publication
21:03that was titled Barely Legal,
21:05and it depicted nude,
21:08young-looking women.
21:09They looked like the girls
21:11these boys would go to school with.
21:13And if this was designed
21:14to groom children,
21:16and it was,
21:17then it would be effective
21:18in sexualizing children
21:20by showing them
21:21what they would find
21:23to be intriguing.
21:27Starr testified
21:28that he was walking up the stairs
21:29in the bedroom
21:30and was able to see
21:32Michael Jackson
21:33doing something
21:34that was suspicious
21:36with Gavin,
21:37and Gavin appeared
21:38to be completely out of it,
21:40either asleep
21:41or possibly unconscious.
21:42It was bombshell.
21:44I mean, pornography,
21:46liquor,
21:46acts of molestation.
21:48This witness is huge.
21:49If the defense cannot
21:51shake up this witness
21:52or have him recantle
21:53the major issues,
21:54I think this is a big part
21:55of the case.
21:55Oh, my God.
21:59Talk about devastating testimony
22:02from a child.
22:03What do you do with that
22:05when a child says that?
22:07Very plainly,
22:09very clear.
22:10That's what his testimony was.
22:12What do you do?
22:16In California,
22:18defense attorneys
22:18in the Michael Jackson
22:19molestation trial
22:20will try to discredit
22:21a key witness later today.
22:23The 14-year-old brother
22:24of Michael Jackson's accuser
22:25is set to return
22:26to the witness stand today
22:27for cross-examination.
22:32When the prosecution
22:34was questioning him,
22:35Starr did a really good job
22:36describing all the pornography
22:37that they saw
22:38on the computer
22:39and in the magazines.
22:40On cross-examination,
22:42Tom Mesereau
22:43pointed to
22:45one of the exhibits,
22:46a copy of
22:47a barely legal.
22:49And he said,
22:49is this the one you saw?
22:51And Starr said,
22:51yes, that's the one
22:52Michael Jackson showed us.
22:54He continued to ask him,
22:56is this the magazine
22:58that Michael showed you?
22:59He got him to say,
23:00point blank,
23:01yes,
23:02it is the magazine.
23:03Then he uncovered the date
23:05and that magazine
23:07was at a date
23:08where they had
23:09long past
23:10left Neverland.
23:12Look at the magazine
23:14on top,
23:14says Mesereau.
23:15It's dated
23:16August 2003,
23:17long after your family
23:19left Neverland for good.
23:20It seems it couldn't
23:21have been
23:21the actual magazine,
23:23but I think
23:23more important
23:24were the inconsistencies
23:26about exactly
23:27what he saw.
23:28On different occasions,
23:29he described
23:30what he saw
23:31quite differently,
23:32and Tom Mesereau
23:33pointed that out.
23:34There was apparently
23:35an alarm or a chime
23:36that would sound
23:36when you would enter
23:37the doorway
23:38of Michael's bedroom.
23:40So the question is,
23:41didn't that go off?
23:43Star goes up those stairs,
23:45but in order
23:45to get to those stairs,
23:46you have to go
23:47through a door.
23:48The door has bells,
23:49and then you're going
23:50up the stairs,
23:50you have more.
23:52Don't you think
23:52Michael Jackson
23:53would have heard that
23:54and stopped
23:55what he was doing
23:56and rolled over
23:57and pretending
23:58he was asleep?
24:01Everyone in the courtrooms
24:02were just like,
24:04oh, my goodness,
24:05you know,
24:06that just totally show
24:08how much you're lying
24:09and you're willing
24:10to just keep lying
24:11even though somebody
24:12is asking you
24:13over and over again.
24:16I remember Tom Mesereau
24:18calling Michael
24:19to the side,
24:20just right there
24:21in the courtroom,
24:21and we could see them
24:22just chatting a little bit,
24:24and then Tom Mesereau
24:25came back and said,
24:26this beyond a shadow
24:28of a doubt
24:29had proven Michael innocent.
24:31He was a total master
24:32of his game,
24:33Tom Mesereau.
24:35Michael, how did you feel
24:37hearing those allegations?
24:38I'm sorry,
24:39I'm under gag order.
24:42Hearing some of the things
24:44the prosecution said
24:47really got to me.
24:49But in this country,
24:51it's your innocent
24:52until they're proven guilty.
24:55So the prosecution
24:57had to prove to me
24:58that he did this.
25:03My sources are telling me
25:04that after this young boy
25:06testifies,
25:07his brother,
25:07the accuser,
25:08will be on the stand.
25:09I mean,
25:10this is what the case
25:11is all about.
25:12It comes down
25:13to what this boy
25:14says occurred to him.
25:17Gavin Arviso
25:18is now 15.
25:20It's his story
25:21that will make
25:22or break this case
25:23and he will have
25:24his day in court.
25:36Between two and three,
25:37I get a call from Michael
25:39and he told me,
25:40Carrie, come up to my room.
25:42I need help.
25:43A said,
25:44I fell and I hurt myself.
25:46I noticed that he had
25:47a cut on his face.
25:50His shirt was disheveled
25:51and he had on
25:52some pajamas.
25:53Like,
25:53like,
25:54what happened?
25:55He told me
25:56he slipped in the shower.
25:58I said,
25:58okay,
25:59well,
25:59let's go to the hospital.
26:00So,
26:01I took him
26:02to the hospital.
26:05They injected him
26:06with something,
26:07a sedative
26:08or whatever.
26:10But,
26:11Michael would just
26:11keep talking,
26:12saying that he was in pain
26:14and he couldn't sleep.
26:15I went out
26:15and I said,
26:16Mr. Jackson
26:17would like some more
26:18pain medication.
26:19It's not working.
26:22They came in
26:23and they gave him
26:24something else.
26:2745 minutes later,
26:28he's still
26:29not going to sleep.
26:30It's,
26:31you know,
26:32four o'clock,
26:33five o'clock
26:34in the morning.
26:35He says,
26:35Carrie,
26:36go tell him
26:36I need
26:36something else
26:37that's not working.
26:38So,
26:39I go tell him
26:40he needs something else
26:40and the doctor
26:42comes in
26:44and says,
26:45I can't give him
26:46nothing else.
26:47I've given him
26:48enough to tranquilize
26:49an elephant.
26:53His accuser
26:54once called Jackson
26:55the coolest guy
26:56in the world.
26:57Today,
26:58the 15-year-old
26:59will be on the stand
27:00face-to-face
27:01with a world-renowned
27:02pop star.
27:03Well,
27:04the jury believed
27:05the story told
27:06by the young teenager
27:07who was accusing
27:08Jackson of molesting him.
27:09It's that simple.
27:10If they don't believe,
27:12Jackson walks.
27:13If they do believe,
27:14he goes to jail.
27:16This is the first
27:17full day of testimony
27:18of Gavin Arvizo.
27:20We all get
27:21into the courtroom
27:228.30
27:22like we're supposed to
27:23and there's no
27:24Michael Jackson.
27:26Turns out,
27:27the self-proclaimed
27:28king of pop
27:29is in the town
27:30of Solveck
27:30at a small
27:3122-bed hospital
27:33seeking treatment
27:34for a, quote,
27:35serious back problem.
27:37He's still in
27:37a lot of pain
27:38and I eventually
27:40asked the doctor,
27:41I said,
27:41will you call
27:43the judge
27:44because now
27:44somebody should be in.
27:47That's how late
27:48it had gotten.
27:50Tom Mesereau
27:51stood up
27:51and he said
27:52to the judge,
27:52um,
27:53well,
27:53your honor,
27:54he's at the,
27:55uh,
27:55hospital
27:56and the judge
27:57didn't hesitate.
27:58He said,
27:59there's a warrant
27:59for his arrest
28:00in one hour
28:01if he isn't here.
28:02You get him here
28:02right now,
28:03the bond
28:04will be revoked
28:05and I will
28:05put him under arrest.
28:06It's the only time
28:07I ever saw
28:08Tom Mesereau
28:08flustered.
28:09What he told me
28:10was virtually impossible.
28:11I gotta go
28:12back to Neverland
28:13and then drive,
28:15you know,
28:1645 minutes
28:17to Santa Maria Court
28:19and I'm like,
28:21this is a setup.
28:21But I just said,
28:22we gotta go,
28:23Michael.
28:24With a national audience
28:26watching
28:26and his very freedom
28:28on the line,
28:29Jackson must hurry.
28:30It's a 37-mile journey,
28:32a 45-minute drive
28:34in the best
28:34of circumstances.
28:35As the Jackson
28:37entourage speeds
28:38down the 101,
28:39exceeding 90 miles
28:40an hour,
28:41Jackson's attorney
28:42nervously paces outside.
28:44He constantly
28:45checks his cell phone,
28:46849-909-914-920-929.
28:52It's clear to all
28:54who are watching
28:55the clock,
28:55it's going to be close.
28:58Michael was terrified,
29:00upset,
29:01beside himself.
29:03He thought
29:04that his whole life
29:05was evaporating.
29:07Can you imagine
29:10your client
29:11not showing up
29:13and there's Mesereau
29:14on the barbecue?
29:16Taking the heat.
29:20An hour went by
29:21and there's no
29:22Michael Jackson.
29:26And then,
29:26suddenly,
29:27we were told
29:28that two reporters,
29:29a print person
29:30and a television person,
29:31could go out
29:32and watch the arrival.
29:33And I was one of them.
29:45We show up to court
29:47and I'm looking
29:47at Mesereau
29:49and he's got like,
29:50what the heck?
29:52What?
29:52What is this?
30:01It has to be
30:02the most shambolic
30:03public appearance
30:04Michael Jackson
30:05has ever made.
30:06The usually
30:07immaculately groomed star
30:09shuffled into court
30:10in pyjamas
30:11and slippers.
30:12He was disorientated,
30:14disheveled
30:15and over an hour late.
30:19He was almost
30:20being carried
30:20by his assistants
30:23as if he's
30:24the most feeble person
30:25in the world,
30:26right?
30:27All a show.
30:28All a show.
30:30Michael played
30:31the victim
30:32better than
30:34anybody
30:35I've ever seen.
30:37It was time
30:38to distract
30:40from Gavin's testimony
30:42but also
30:43to say,
30:44see,
30:44I'm the victim here.
30:46I'm injured.
30:47They're dragging me
30:48into court
30:48in my pajamas.
30:50I'm the victim.
30:52So I just think
30:53it was
30:54master manipulation.
30:59I remember
31:00saying,
31:01you know,
31:01good morning,
31:02Mr. Jackson.
31:03How are you feeling?
31:04No answer.
31:06Are you on
31:06pain medication,
31:08Mr. Jackson?
31:10Nothing.
31:10And he went
31:11into the court
31:12and like a zombie
31:14walked down the aisle
31:15very slowly,
31:17took his seat
31:18and slumped out.
31:27So there was
31:28a big sort of
31:29build-up
31:29to the moment
31:31when Gavin,
31:32the supposed victim,
31:33would finally
31:34be on the stand.
31:36I had never
31:37met Gavin.
31:38We just knew
31:39it had to be bad
31:40because we're here,
31:41right?
31:42When he was finally
31:43there in person,
31:45the thing that struck
31:46me was,
31:47wow,
31:47he's just a kid.
31:51What we saw,
31:52I thought,
31:53was a child
31:53who had experienced
31:54sexual abuse.
31:55But you also saw
31:57a child who presented
31:58as very intelligent
31:59and very honest.
32:01I was hoping
32:02that a jury
32:02would come
32:03to see that.
32:05This is my notebook
32:07from the court
32:08and it says,
32:09the boy looks
32:10frequently at
32:11Michael Jackson
32:12with a steely gaze.
32:14The boy described
32:15how Jackson asked him,
32:16do you masturbate?
32:18And he said,
32:19I felt uncomfortable
32:19with this conversation.
32:21During the encounter,
32:22he was masturbated
32:24by Michael Jackson.
32:25Michael Jackson
32:27comforted him
32:28after the act.
32:30At a minimum,
32:32what the prosecutor
32:32wants from Gavin's testimony
32:34are the following.
32:36Did Michael Jackson
32:38spend time with him
32:40intimately
32:41and molest him?
32:42The answer to that
32:43was yes.
32:44The prosecutor
32:44got Gavin Irving
32:46to acknowledge
32:47that in the way
32:47they stand.
32:48He said that
32:48Michael Jackson
32:49molested him twice
32:50at the Neverland Ranch.
32:52They also got
32:53the fact that
32:54Michael Jackson
32:55gave him what he says
32:56Michael Jackson
32:57called Jesus juice.
32:58That was alcohol.
33:00That was important
33:01because part of
33:02the prosecution's narrative,
33:03part of the allegation,
33:04is that Michael Jackson
33:05used alcohol
33:07to dull the senses,
33:09to remove the
33:10inhibitions of Gavin.
33:12This is a pretty
33:13compelling witness,
33:15this young man,
33:15and he was extremely
33:16detailed about
33:18all the things
33:18that happened.
33:19There were love notes
33:20that Michael Jackson
33:21gave to him.
33:22They were in bed
33:24together constantly.
33:25They slept together
33:26many, many nights
33:27together,
33:28and also with the brothers.
33:29So this is a lot
33:30of specific detail
33:32that the defense
33:32is going to have
33:33to overcome
33:34and say that
33:34it's all made up.
33:38I think for such
33:39a young kid,
33:40he held himself
33:41very well.
33:43I tried to be open
33:44and feel for this kid
33:48that possibly was molested.
33:51He was asked,
33:53do you miss being
33:54his friend?
33:54And Gavin goes,
33:55yes, I do.
33:56That kind of tore
33:57my heart out
33:58because looking at Gavin
33:59and I knew
34:00he was sincere about that.
34:02I would just remember
34:03Michael's head
34:04going down like this
34:05and he was just like
34:07devastated by this kid's
34:10testimony.
34:13After the trial started,
34:15I would go over there
34:16and visit the Arvizos.
34:17They were pretty secluded.
34:19The kids were not in school.
34:20They had maybe
34:21a six-month period
34:21where they really didn't
34:22leave their house at all.
34:24They were being stalked
34:25and followed
34:25by reporters
34:26and fans
34:27and all sorts of
34:29unsavory elements
34:30that were potentially dangerous.
34:33so I would just go over
34:35and just sit
34:36and talk with them.
34:40Gavin was getting
34:41more and more
34:43in his head
34:45and a lot of it
34:46had to do with
34:48him believing
34:49that he would have
34:51no life after this.
34:53Those were the words
34:54he used.
34:55We are not
34:57affiliated with
34:58Michael Jackson
34:59or his people.
35:00Okay?
35:02We are law enforcement officers.
35:04Gavin
35:05was a very
35:06sparkly,
35:08outgoing,
35:10mischievous,
35:11twinkly
35:11individual
35:13with a smile
35:14for everyone
35:16and his personality
35:18dramatically changed
35:20not by cancer
35:21and a year
35:23of aggressive
35:23chemotherapy
35:24but by his time
35:26with Michael Jackson.
35:28I just saw it
35:29in his demeanor.
35:33The defense
35:34then takes over
35:35cross-examination
35:36on Gavin Arvizo
35:37and I made a note
35:39here in my notes
35:40that Mr. Mesereau
35:43started off
35:44by calling him
35:45Mr. Arvizo
35:46and Gavin
35:47shot back
35:48yes Mr. Mesereau
35:50and I wrote down
35:51oh boy
35:51the gloves are off.
35:53Mesereau was literally
35:54screaming at Gavin
35:55for the first half hour
35:56you could hear him
35:57down the street
35:58he was screaming
35:59so loudly at him
36:00it was a vicious
36:01cross-examination.
36:04Tom Mesereau
36:05came in like gangbusters
36:06and started to try
36:07to rip up
36:07this boy's story
36:08and he's very good
36:10at that.
36:10Now this boy
36:11was feisty
36:11and talked back
36:12to the point
36:13that the judge
36:14warned both of them
36:15not to argue
36:15with each other.
36:16When Tom Mesereau
36:18started to question him
36:19on cross-examination
36:20Gavin changed.
36:23He got flustered
36:24he got confused
36:25he got angry
36:27at points
36:28and it didn't
36:29work in his favor.
36:31Dealing with a child
36:32who's already
36:33scared to death
36:35and who's already
36:37mortified
36:38at the thought
36:38that they're being
36:39accused of being
36:40a liar
36:40and a manipulator
36:42by this prominent
36:44attorney standing
36:45in front of them
36:45screaming at them
36:47in front of a room
36:48full of people
36:49being asked
36:50intimate questions
36:51about whether
36:51their penis
36:52was touched
36:53or not
36:53the kind of question
36:54none of us
36:55would ever want
36:56to answer
36:56in a public setting
36:58or even a private setting.
37:00Then you understand
37:02how harrowing
37:03that can be
37:03for a child
37:04and for jurors
37:05who don't understand
37:06the phenomena
37:07all they see
37:09is a misbehaving child.
37:10The prosecutor
37:11can control
37:12a lot of things
37:13what they can't control
37:14is the passage
37:15of time.
37:16When they initially
37:17interviewed Gavin
37:18years earlier
37:19he was a
37:20prepubescent boy
37:21but now he's different
37:22he's now pubescent
37:24he's now more combative
37:25he's got all the
37:27energy
37:27the fire
37:28the hormones
37:29of a teenager
37:31some of this
37:32appeared to come
37:33out of nowhere
37:33and I don't think
37:35that he came across
37:36as the kind
37:37of credible witness
37:38that you would have
37:39expected
37:39of your star witness
37:41if you're the prosecutor.
37:44On his direct examination
37:46Gavin talked about
37:47how Michael Jackson
37:48told him
37:49you must masturbate
37:51because otherwise
37:52you'll grow up
37:52to be a man
37:53that rapes women.
37:55That's a pretty
37:56stunning thing
37:57to tell a child
37:58but that's what
37:59he testified to.
38:00On cross-examination
38:02Tom Mesereau
38:03said wait a minute
38:05there's this statement
38:06Gavin that you made
38:07to the sheriff's department
38:09a while back
38:09and you said
38:10your grandmother
38:11told you exactly
38:12the same thing.
38:13So who was it?
38:15Was it your grandmother
38:16or was it Michael Jackson?
38:18Were you lying then
38:19or are you lying now?
38:21These are the types
38:22of traps that
38:23Mesereau
38:24got these children in.
38:27Gavin Revizo
38:28indicated very clearly
38:30that Michael Jackson
38:32had molested him
38:33he touched him
38:33inappropriately
38:34but at the same time
38:36he admitted
38:36that he still admired
38:38Michael Jackson.
38:39He still wanted
38:40to hang out
38:40at Neverland Ranch.
38:41He wanted to go back
38:42to Neverland Ranch.
38:46Gavin Revizo
38:47was angry
38:48at Michael Jackson
38:49because he wanted
38:50them out of his life.
38:52I never believed
38:53he was angry at him
38:54because he was molested.
38:56no more magic
38:58no more flying
39:00on airplanes
39:01no more having
39:03the time of your life.
39:06You have been thrown
39:08out of Eden.
39:12He's a kid.
39:13I wanted to make sure
39:15that I listened
39:18to what he was saying
39:19but then when
39:20Mr. Mesereau gets up
39:22and then it puts it
39:23all in order
39:25it's like
39:26oh definitely
39:27that does make
39:28more sense.
39:31Tom Mesereau
39:32brought out
39:32the inconsistencies.
39:34He walked Gavin
39:35through the evidence.
39:36He pulled the thread
39:38of those inconsistencies
39:39until the garment
39:41fully came apart.
39:42I don't think
39:43there's any doubt
39:43now that Gavin
39:44has left the stand
39:45that the defense
39:47is ahead.
39:48In fact
39:48the star witness
39:49for the prosecutor
39:50now appears
39:51to be the star witness
39:52for the defense.
39:59Michael how did it feel
40:01watching the accuser
40:02testify?
40:03Sorry.
40:04Sorry.
40:05How was the case
40:05of your accuser?
40:06Sorry.
40:07I can't speak now.
40:08Okay.
40:08Are you hurting
40:09right now Michael?
40:10Very much.
40:12We put him in the car
40:14and you know
40:15it was kind of silent
40:16and then you'd hear
40:19you'd hear him
40:20beaten on the...
40:21Like how could you
40:22do that to a person?
40:24How could you do that?
40:25Meaning how could
40:26Gavin accuse him
40:28of these egregious acts?
40:32You know
40:33despite the fact
40:34that the prosecution's
40:35case was so weak
40:36we were all like
40:39pummeled
40:40by this testimony.
40:42The image
40:43that Michael
40:44had created
40:44for himself
40:45that he'd been
40:46working on
40:46since he was
40:47eight years old
40:47was just shattered.
40:52There was a lot
40:53being said
40:53among the press corps
40:54about
40:55well
40:56the Arvizos
40:57were really
40:57discredited
40:58this case
40:59over
41:00dismal
41:01as it looked
41:02for the prosecution
41:02at that point
41:04what most people
41:05didn't know
41:06was
41:07they had
41:08some real
41:08cards up their sleeve
41:10still to play.
41:14Why would a man
41:15who has children
41:16who has a job
41:17who does well
41:18in his community
41:19all of a sudden
41:20decide to molest
41:21a child?
41:22That just doesn't
41:23make sense.
41:23Well if you've got
41:24other kids
41:25who come forward
41:26and say
41:26oh no
41:26you did it to me too
41:28now you have
41:29somebody who clearly
41:30has a propensity
41:31for doing it
41:31and so if we can
41:33get other kids
41:34to come in
41:35or adults
41:35who were abused
41:36as children
41:37and say
41:38yep he did it
41:39to me
41:39it's overwhelming
41:41evidence.
41:43The defense
41:44in the Michael
41:45Jackson trial
41:46suffered a big
41:46setback today
41:47the judge said
41:48he will allow
41:48the prosecution
41:49to present evidence
41:50that Jackson
41:51has been accused
41:52of molesting
41:53children before
41:54and that he paid
41:56to settle
41:56two of the cases.
41:57The allowance
41:59of prior bad acts
42:00by the judge
42:01landed like a thud
42:03like a lead balloon
42:04just in your stomach
42:06it made the prosecution
42:07feel
42:08we can get him.
42:10In a clear victory
42:11for DA Tom Snedd
42:12the judge ruled
42:13that under California law
42:14jurors could hear
42:15about old
42:16unproven
42:17molestation allegations
42:18involving five boys.
42:21It's one thing
42:22to say that one family
42:23is out to get
42:23Michael Jackson
42:24now they have to
42:24come into court
42:25and say that
42:25many families are
42:26and they all have
42:26the same story
42:27and they're all
42:27in it for money
42:28and that's a tough
42:29sell with the jury.
42:31Now this looked
42:32like a serial predator.
42:35These people
42:36were bringing
42:37him down.
42:40This is now a trial
42:41about pattern evidence
42:42about propensity
42:43and once a pedophile
42:45always a pedophile.
43:15and once a pedophile.
43:16and I was going to
43:16get ready for that.
43:44Transcription by CastingWords
44:14Transcription by CastingWords
44:44Transcription by CastingWords
45:14Transcription by CastingWords
45:44Transcription by CastingWords
46:05Transcription by CastingWords
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