In November 2003, an arrest warrant was issued for Michael Jackson on suspicion of child abuse. It was a bolt from the blue for the fans of the popular singer. But the accusations certainly did not come out of the blue, because the case of alleged child abuse at the Neverland Ranch had been going on for more than a decade. It is not reliably closed to this day.
Michael Jackson took to the stage as a six-year-old boy and spent basically his whole life on it. The career spanned an incredible 45 years, which is remarkable in itself. What’s even more remarkable is the fact that the singer’s popularity has continued to grow, and with it the number of fans. During HIStory’s last major tour, he played 82 concerts in 58 cities and saw his performance with more than 4.5 million viewers.
Just three years before that, the world was covered in a series of reports from court proceedings in which the adored singer defended himself against accusations of child abuse. Much of the fans refused to take the allegations seriously, Jackson himself denied guilt, and after his death in 2009, his estate administrators continued to deny it. But the timeline of the allegations shows that problematic relationships with underage boys have accompanied Jackson for at least a quarter of a century and are not reliably closed to this day.
1986
Michael Jackson and James Safechuck (right) in Hawaii in January 1988 |Wikimedia Commons/Alan Light
Ten-year-old actor James Safechuck lands a role in a Pepsi commercial starring Michael Jackson. In the documentary Leaving Neverland, Safechuck stated that he became friends with Jackson during filming. The singer started showering him with gifts and inviting him along with his family on trips and vacations. In one of them, the singer allegedly suggested the boys sleep together in the same bed.
1992
Michael Jackson and his alleged victim Jordan Chandler |Profimedia.cz
Michael Jackson’s car breaks down in May. The owner of the nearest car rental company introduces him to his thirteen-year-old stepson Jordan Chandler – the singer’s big fan. Jackson invites Jordan, his sister, and his mother to his Neverland ranch. They later fly together on trips to Las Vegas, Morocco and Paris. According to family testimony, Jordan often sleeps in Michael’s room.
1993
LaToya s matkou Katherine. |Profi media.cz, Getty Images, Sundance
During a session with a psychiatrist, Jordan Chandler confides that Jackson abused him repeatedly. The doctor reports this to the Los Angeles police, who begin investigating the singer. During the interrogation, Jordan Chandler repeats his accusations.
Police obtain warrants to search Jackson’s residences as part of the investigation. According to a Los Angeles Times report, the police seized a number of videotapes, which allegedly did not contain any compromising material. Nor were the searches to turn up any other physical evidence to support the charges.
While searching for other potential witnesses, investigators obtain a statement from the thirteen-year-old son of Jackson’s former housekeeper. Jason Francia testified at the hearing that Jackson touched him in private parts (a statement he would later repeat during his trial in 2005). His mother, Blanca Francia, claims in a newspaper interview that she witnessed Jackson’s inappropriate behavior with several boys.
In September, Jordan Chandler’s family files a civil lawsuit against Michael Jackson.
During the investigation and trial, Jackson’s defense attorneys presented a series of witness statements from boys who had been with the singer, denying that he molested them in any way. One of the witnesses was ten-year-old Wade Robson, winner of a dance competition in Brisbane, Australia. At Jackson’s invitation, he and his mother moved to Los Angeles. In an interview with CNN, the mother described that the son slept with Jackson when they both got tired of playing and dancing together. She denied there was anything sexual about it.
Michael’s sister LaToya claims in an interview that the allegations are true. She claims that Jackson’s behavior is a result of his own parental abuse, which she and other siblings also experienced. She allegedly saw a series of checks that the family issued to parents of abused children, buying their silence. LaToya had not been in contact with her family for a long time by then. Jackson’s family denies all claims.
In December, Jordan Chandler gives a sworn account of the abuse (the statement is leaked to the public in 2003). Michael Jackson is subjected to a physical examination for investigators to determine if his penis matches the description given by Jordan Chandler during interrogation. The results of the search have not been published.
1994
Michael Jackson and Jordan Chandler at Disneyland in 1992 |Profimedia
After many months of negotiations between the lawyers of both sides, the civil dispute ends with an out-of-court settlement on January 25. The Chandler family is getting $22 million in damages. Due to the reluctance of the witnesses to continue their testimony, the jury refuses to refer the case to the criminal tribunal.
2003
Michael Jackson and his alleged victim Gavin Arvizo |Profimedia.cz
In February, the documentary film Living with Michael Jackson premieres. In it, British journalist Martin Bashir focuses, among other things, on Jackson’s relationship with a boy named Gavin Arvizo. Gavin stayed with his siblings at Jackson’s Neverland Ranch and slept in Jackson’s bedroom. In the documentary, Jackson holds Arviz’s hand and says that sleeping together is the greatest proof of love. He describes how he puts the children to sleep and reads them fairy tales. She assures the documentary maker that there is nothing sexual about it. The documentary sparks a storm of outrage and renewed interest in the decade-old case.
The Santa Barbara Sheriff’s Office, which has jurisdiction over Neverland Ranch, is reopening the investigation. Gavin Arvizo testifies to police that Jackson repeatedly abused him. His mother, Janet Arvizo, testified that Jackson kept the family at the ranch against their will. Jackson denies the allegations.
On November 18th, investigators raid Neverland Ranch. Two days later, the sheriff’s office issues an arrest warrant for Jackson. It accuses him of 10 crimes including child abuse, kidnapping, restraint of personal liberty and extortion. Michael Jackson is taken into custody and immediately released on $3 million bail.
In December, Jordan Chandler’s sworn statement taken in 1993 is leaked to the public.
2005
Michael Jackson a Wade Robson |Foto: ara
The case goes to court. Gavin Arvizo and his brother Star testify that Jackson showed them pornography, abused them and poured alcohol on them. Their claim is supported by the testimony of Jackson’s former housekeeper and her son Jason Francia. Jason repeats his 1993 claim that Jackson touched him inappropriately. In contrast, a number of celebrities are coming to the singer’s defense, including Jay Leno, Chris Tucker and Macaulay Culkin, who himself stayed at the ranch as a child and, according to Jackson, even slept with him. Defense witnesses include Wade Robson, who also testified in Jackson’s 1993 trial.
The defense brought testimony that the Arviz brothers’ mother had made false allegations against J.C. Penney in the past and forced her sons to lie. On June 14, the jury decides to acquit Michael Jackson on all counts of the defense.
2009
The funeral took place on July 7, 2009 |Profimedia.cz, Reuters
On June 25th, Michael Jackson dies of heart failure at the age of 50. The cause of sudden death was attributed to acute poisoning with the strong sedative propofol, which was administered to Jackson against chronic insomnia by personal physician Conrad Murray. He was then on November 7, 2011 in the trial Conrad Robert Murray vs. the people of the state of California unanimously found guilty by all members of the jury of involuntary manslaughter of their patient Michael Jackson and subsequently sentenced to four years in prison. He was released from prison after less than two years, on October 28, 2013.
2013 to 2017
James Safechuck met Jackson through a Pepsi commercial |Profimedia.cz
Wade Robson unexpectedly files a lawsuit against the administrator of Jackson’s estate. He claims Jackson repeatedly abused him for seven years.
In 2014, James Safechuck sued the administrator of Jackson’s estate. He claims that Jackson repeatedly abused him and that management knew about and facilitated his behavior.
Both lawsuits are dismissed in 2017 due to too much time elapsed since the alleged commission of the crime.
2019
The director of the nearly four-hour documentary Leaving Neverland Dan Reed and his main “heroes” Wade Robson (left) and James Safechuck (right) |Profimedia.cz
The premiere of the documentary Leaving Neverland is shown at the Sundance festival. In it, James Safechuck and Wade Robson describe Michael Jackson’s long-term abuse behind the scenes. The trustees of Jackson’s estate deny the allegations and file a lawsuit against the producers.
2020 to 2021
Michael Jackson a James Safechuck (1988). |Profimedia.cz, Getty Images, Sundance
In October 2020 and April 2021, Robson’s and Safechuck’s lawsuits are again dismissed in a higher court. This time on the grounds that Jackson’s management had no duty to protect the children from Jackson.
2023
James Safechuck |Archív
In August, the Court of Appeal overturned the decision. According to his statement, a company assisting its owner in child abuse is complicit. The case is entering the stage of judicial investigation.
