Netflix’s new documentary revisits Jackson’s 2005 trial from the perspective of those involved.

10 shocking revelations in Michael Jackson: The Verdict

Netflix's new documentary revisits Jackson's 2005 trial from the perspective of those involved.

June 3, 2026 5:40 p.m. ET

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Michael Jackson outside the Santa Barbara County courthouse following his 2005 acquittal. Credit:

Kimberly White/Getty

- Netflix's *Michael Jackson: The Verdict* documentary revisits the pop star's 2005 child molestation trial from the perspective of those involved.

- Jackson's lawyers, journalists, and former jurors are among those interviewed.

- One former Jackson associate alleges an ex-assistant bought child sexual abuse material for the star.

*Michael Jackson: The Verdict* arrives a little over a month after the release of *Michael*, the polarizing biopic that ends in 1988, five years before Jackson was first accused of child sexual abuse. Netflix's new docuseries takes viewers inside the 2005 trial of the singer, who faced 14 criminal charges related to child molestation.

Due to the high-profile nature of the trial, the presiding judge ruled that cameras weren't allowed in the courtroom. *The Verdict* sheds lights on the proceedings through interviews with multiple key players involved with the trial, including attorneys, expert witnesses, journalists, and even former Jackson associates.

The result is a fascinating examination of the infamous trial, featuring several troubling disclosures and previously unreported details. Below are the 10 most shocking revelations from *Michael Jackson: The Verdict*.

Martin Bashir was “gobsmacked” by Jackson revealing he shared a bed with children

Journalist Martin Bashir outside the Santa Barbara County courthouse during the 2005 trial.

ROBYN BECK/AFP via Getty

In the first episode of *The Verdict*, British journalist Martin Bashir recalls filming the notorious 2003 television documentary *Living With Michael Jackson*. Bashir admits to being deferential to the singer in order to obtain the best possible footage, and to hopefully encourage Jackson to answer some of his more difficult questions relating to earlier abuse allegations.

Instead, Bashir and his crew were "gobsmacked" when Jackson freely admitted to sharing his bed with young boys. Bashir recalls that near the end of filming the 2003 doc, Jackson invited him to his home on Neverland Ranch to interview him alongside Gavin Arvizo, a child Jackson claimed to have "healed" from cancer. Not only did Jackson make the shocking admission, but he also appeared to confirm suspicions about his relationships with children.

"I realized we had something hugely significant," Bashir says in *The Verdict*, "but I didn't realize the extent of the bombshell until the broadcast."

Bashir was called as the prosecution's first witness in the 2005 trial. In episode 2, he recalls being "petrified" to testify against Jackson, whose team was working hard to discredit Bashir's documentary — which was shown to jurors in its entirety — and whose extremely supportive fans were present outside the courthouse every day.

Kerry Anderson, Jackson's director of security, claims that on the drive back to Neverland after Bashir's testimony, Jackson called the journalist "another demon just trying to destroy him."

** has reached out to the Jackson estate for comment on this and additional claims in *The Verdict*.

Jackson allegedly asked his assistant to order child sexual abuse material

Another figure interviewed in *The Verdict* is Jackson's former publicist, Vincent Amen, who explains that he initially thought his employer was innocent. That belief was validated by Jackson's assistant, Frank Tyson, who was initially befriended by the singer when he was just five years old. Tyson declined to be interviewed for the documentary.

"Michael was like a father to Frank," Amen says, and, "Basically anything Michael wanted, [Frank] would have to do." Amen says he trusted Tyson, who denied that Jackson ever behaved inappropriately with him.

During the investigation, Amen says that Tyson was getting rid of any belongings he had that came from the ranch, and handed him "a Nike bag" filled with various papers and files.

Amen recorded video footage as he looked through the bag, which contained a pornographic magazine. One section of the magazine advertised child sexual abuse material that could be purchased through the mail, and several titles were circled in Sharpie marker.

Amen alleges that when he confronted Tyson about ordering videos from the magazine, Tyson reportedly claimed, "That's just a phase that Michael and I went through," and that Jackson "circled the videos he wanted" and Tyson ordered them.

Tyson denied Netflix's request to participate in the docuseries.

Jackson was allegedly partying with teen boys during the 2003 police raid on Neverland Ranch

During the police raid of Jackson's properties, the media was scrambling to find out where the singer was staying. Investigative journalist Diane Dimond recalls a source telling her that Jackson was "holed up" in a villa in Las Vegas, where he was throwing "wild parties."

"There were cigarette burns in the leather couches and chairs, there were food containers everywhere, there were empty liquor bottles on every table," Dimond says. "And this is where Michael Jackson had been for several days, entertaining young teenage boys who all spoke German."

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The Jackson family was allegedly more worried about their legacy than Michael’s innocence

Michael Jackson leaving the Santa Barbara County courthouse with his father, Joe Jackson, in 2005.

Carlo Allegri/Getty

"For Michael's siblings, it was never about guilt or innocence," claimed Stacy Brown, a former friend of the Jackson family. "It was about legacy."

Brown alleges that several members of the family felt threatened by the investigation and expressed concerns that it would "destroy what we built."

He also remembers one of Michael's youngr brothers saying, "We're royalty. We're the Black Kennedys."

A Jackson superfan quit her job and relocated for the trial

The second episode features an interview with Sheree Wilkins, a Jackson fan who recalls congregating with other fans outside the courthouse every morning for a lottery drawing to determine which of them would get to sit in the courtroom that day.

Wilkins says she resigned from her preschool teaching job to relocate to Santa Maria so she could attend the trial.

In episode 3, footage shows Wilkins passing out and being wheeled away on a stretcher following Jackson's acquittal.

Jackson allegedly asked his lawyer to dig up dirt on the Arvizo family

On at least one point, Jackson's defense attorney is unusually forthcoming in *The Verdict*. In the third episode, Oxman claims that Jackson instructed him to dig up dirt that would discredit the family.

"That's your job, Brian," Oxman recalls Jackson telling him. "Your job is to find out what really happened here. I need to find every skeleton in their closet, dirt on their shoes. You've got to sniff it out."

This led Oxman to discover that the Arvizo family previously sued JCPenney following an altercation with a store security guard. To Oxman, this was evidence that the family was lying about Jackson's abuse for financial gain.

One juror says that Jackson thanked her after the trial

The jurors in the 2005 Michael Jackson trial speak to the media.

AARON LAMBERT-Pool/Getty

*The Verdict* features interviews with multiple members of the trial jury, including Melissa Herard, who admits in the first episode that she'd been a fan of Jackson's since she was a child.

Herard says that while she wouldn't allow her own child to share a bed with an adult celebrity, she wasn't swayed by Bashir's documentary and felt the journalist was trying to "trap" Jackson.

The third episode spotlights the various people who testified in Jackson's defense, including Brett Barnes, Macaulay Culkin, and choreographer Wade Robson — the latter of whom went on to recant his defense and accuse Jackson of sexual abuse, as documented extensively in the documentary series *Leaving Neverland*.

Herard recalls being particularly convinced by Robson's testimony, but that wasn't true for the rest of the pool. During deliberations, she claims the jury told the bailiff to let the judge know they were "at a standstill" and needed guidance. In response, Herard says the judge told them, "We ain't doing no mistrial. You're gonna sit there and work it out."

The jury decided that Jackson was not guilty, and when the verdict was announced, Herard says they could hear the crowd cheering outside. "I couldn't stop crying," she says. "It was just so emotional."

Herard claims that after the verdict was read, Jackson turned around, looked directly at her, and whispered, "Thank you."

A friend told Jackson he should “never be seen around kids again” after 1993 accusations

As explored in *The Verdict*, the 2005 trial wasn't the first time Jackson had faced such allegations. In 1993, Los Angeles police investigated Jackson after 13-year-old Jordan Chandler accused the singer of sexual abuse. Criminal charges were never filed due to a lack of physical evidence, but in 1994, Chandler's family filed a civil lawsuit against Jackson, who settled with the family out of court for $23 million.

After the settlement, Jackson friend and biographer J. Randy Taraborrelli recalls telling the singer, "That's got to be the end, Mike. You can never be seen around kids again, ever."

Despite the 1993 investigation and its fallout, Jackson continued to develop relationships with children.

Debbie Rowe being called to testify was a “heart-stopping event,” says Jackson defense lawyer

Debbie Rowe at the Santa Barbara County courthouse in 2005.

In 1996, Jackson married Debbie Rowe, with whom he fathered two children: Paris and Prince. When the pair divorced in 2000, Rowe agreed to give up her parental rights. According to the terms of their settlement, Jackson was awarded full custody of their children, while Rowe received $8.5 million, as reported by the *Los Angeles Times*.

During the investigation leading up to the 2005 trial, Rowe attempted to have the decision reversed. She agreed to testify on behalf of the prosecution, which believed that Rowe had "critical" information about Jackson and his relationships with children.

According to journalist Dimon, Rowe claimed that she had not seen her children in two and a half years. Reflecting on the day of her testimony, Jackson's defense attorney Brian Oxman says it was a "heart-stopping event."

Taraborrelli recalls Rowe exchanging looks with Jackson when she entered the courtroom. "There was a moment," he says, "when I saw her flip."

Oxman says Rowe's "emotions came out," and that she looked at Jackson and said, "Michael, I think the world of you."

A family friend says Gavin Arvizo was devastated by the verdict: “Why didn’t they believe me?”

Louise Palanker, a friend of the Arvizo family, recalls Gavin being devastated by the verdict. "The main thing that Gavin kept repeating was that 'They didn't believe me,'" Palanker says. "He felt like he had failed."

As noted in *The Verdict*, the Arvizo family has not spoken publicly since the trial.

Original Article on Source

Source: “EW Docuseries”