People vs. Jackson: Michael Jackson Found Not Guilty

In a series of interviews with Martin Bashir, broadcast in 2003, as Living with Michael Jackson, Jackson was seen holding hands and discussing sleeping arrangements with Gavin Arvizo, 13, who later accused him of sexual abuse. Shortly after the documentary aired, Jackson was charged with seven counts of child molestation and two counts of administering an intoxicating agent in relation to Arvizo. Jackson denied the allegations, saying the sleepovers were not sexual in nature.

People vs. Jackson (full case name: 1133603: The People of the State of California v. Michael Joseph Jackson) 2005 trial involving recording artist Michael Jackson. The accuser was a boy, Gavin Arvizo, who was 13 years old at the time of the alleged crimes. Jackson was indicted for four counts of molesting a minor, four counts of intoxicating a minor, one count of abduction, and one count of conspiring to hold the boy and his family captive at his 2,700-acre Neverland Ranch. He denied all counts and asserted that he himself was the victim of a failed extortion attempt.

During the two years between the charges and the trial, Jackson reportedly became dependent on pethidine (Demerol), and lost a lot of weight. The People v. Jackson began on January 31, 2005, in Santa Maria, California, and lasted five months, until the end of May.

At approximately 2:25pm PDT (21:25 UTC) on June 13, 2005 the jury of the Superior Court of the State of California, held in and for the County of Santa Barbara, determined that Michael Jackson was not guilty on any of the charges he had been accused with. The not guilty verdicts on all ten charges, including four lesser substitute charges, were read aloud by court clerk Lorna Frye. Fans cried from happiness outside of the courthouse as the verdicts were announced (one woman even went as far as setting free doves for each time a "not guilty" verdict was announced). The investigation and trial lasted for 574 days.

After the trial, in a highly publicized relocation Michael Jackson moved to the Persian Gulf island of Bahrain, as a guest of Sheikh Abdullah.

There are reports that have surfaced stating that Gavin Arvizo confessed that Jackson never molested him.