NEED TO KNOW
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In June 2026, Netflix released a documentary series about Michael Jackson's 2005 child molestation trial, titled «"Michael Jackson: Verdict.".
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The documentary series includes interviews with key participants in the trial, including Jackson family attorney Brian Oxman and prosecutor Ron Zonen.
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Vincent Amen, a former Jackson associate, claimed in a documentary that the singer watched videos of naked children with his personal assistant.
Michael Jackson's 2005 child molestation trial became one of the most widely covered trials of the 21st century, but decades later, new details have emerged in Netflix's latest documentary series about the case.
Released in June 2026 documentary film "Michael Jackson: The Verdict"« The King of Pop reported on allegations that the "King of Pop" sexually assaulted 13-year-old Gavin Arvizo at his Neverland estate. Cameras were barred from the courtroom during the nearly four-month trial, which included testimony from the victim, his family, and celebrities Macaulay Culkin and Chris Tucker.
«"This case involved a man who was one of the most recognizable figures in the world," former prosecutor Ron Zonen said in the documentary series. "He was unique in his talent, skill, and accomplishments. And he was unique in the way he harmed children.".
Although Jackson maintained his innocence and was eventually acquitted of all 10 charges against him, public opinion remained divided.
Read on to discover six of the book's biggest revelations. «"The Verdict in the Michael Jackson Case"» .
During the trial, jurors danced to Jackson's music.
Michael Jackson performs during halftime of Super Bowl XXVII on January 31, 1993, in Pasadena, California. Photo: Steve Granitz/WireImage
Before calling its first witness, British television journalist Martin Bashir, to the stand, the prosecution showed his 2003 documentary in its entirety. «Living with Michael Jackson» . The film included numerous clips from the singer's most popular songs, to which the jurors apparently danced.
«"I looked around, and all the people in the courtroom, and the jury, and, you know, the judge, and everyone was just nodding their heads up and down," said J. Randy Taraborrelli, Jackson's biographer, in in the book "Verdict"« .
Investigative journalist Diane Diamond, who covered the trial, also said the jury was "literally rocking in their seats.".
Jackson reportedly asked his lawyer to gather dirt on the Arvizo family.
The Jackson family's lawyer, Brian Oxman, said in The Verdict , The singer behind the hit "Thriller" asked him to "sniff out" anything related to the Arvizo family's past. Jackson befriended the family during Gavin's battle with cancer.
Oxman explained that this is how he learned of the Arvizo family's lawsuit against JCPenney, in which Gavin was accused of shoplifting by a security guard. His mother, Janet, later filed a lawsuit against the store, claiming the security guard assaulted her and her children in the parking lot, and was awarded $152,000 in damages.
As reported by The New York Times , During her 2005 trial, she admitted she lied under oath in the civil case and invoked the Fifth Amendment to avoid further questions about the payments.
«"It's the same way they do business," Oxman claimed in the documentary. "They were scammers.".
According to investigators, Janet's social benefits fraud led to the collapse of the prosecution's case.
Janet Arvizo in "Michael Jackson: The Verdict." Source: Netflix.
During the trial, the defense accused Gavin's mother, Janet, of welfare fraud and claimed she received government assistance without disclosing the JCPenney agreement. Melissa Herard, one of the jurors interviewed for the 2026 Netflix series, said this revelation "really bothered" her.
«For me it was just a farce,» she explained in in the book "Verdict"« , admitting that she nicknamed the witness "Janet from Another Planet." Gerard added: "She just wanted money.".
In November 2006, Janet pleaded guilty to one count of welfare fraud and agreed to pay more than $8,600 in restitution for failing to report receiving tens of thousands of dollars in a civil lawsuit when applying for welfare benefits.
Her lawyer, Patricia Hattersley, told the newspaper Los Angeles Times, that Janet did not want to subject her family to a lawsuit and that she spent the $32,000 she received from the lawsuit before applying for benefits.
According to investigators, Jackson gave the boys obscene nicknames.
Vincent Amen, an associate of Jackson's who worked for him from 2002 to 2003, told the filmmakers «"Verdict"» , who kept Polaroid photographs of the Arvizo family taken at Neverland Ranch.
In a photo of Gavin's brother, Star Arvizo, the boy wrote a note addressed to the King of Pop, in which he referred to himself as "Your son, Blowhole.".
«"These are the nicknames Michael gave these boys," Amen claimed in the documentary.
During his 2005 trial, Star claimed Jackson called him "Cavity Hole," and that nicknames he gave Gavin included "Apple Head" and "Doo-Doo," according to a report at the time. The Washington Post newspaper .
Jackson never publicly commented on whether he gave the Arvizo brothers these nicknames.
Jackson reportedly watched videos of naked children with his assistant Frank Tyson.
Vincent Amen in "Michael Jackson: The Verdict." Source: Netflix.
In the documentary series, Amen claimed that Jackson's close friend and personal assistant, Frank Tyson, who was 5 years old when he met the singer, asked him to dispose of a bag containing child sexual abuse material during a police raid on Neverland Ranch.
A video recording taken by Amen shows that the alleged bag contained a nudist magazine called Naturally , in which someone circled videos allegedly featuring naked children. When he asked Tyson about the magazine and the circled videos, Tyson allegedly told him it was "just a hobby" he and Jackson had shared.
Tyson did not respond to the filmmakers' request for comment and has long denied allegations of child molestation against the singer. In an undated interview included in film "The Verdict"« , he stated that Jackson never gave him "indications of his interest in boys" or "sexual attraction to boys.".
A lawyer for Tyson's family did not immediately respond to PEOPLE's request for comment.
Jackson was never charged with possessing child pornography, and Zonen told PEOPLE in June 2016 that while nude photos of children were found at Neverland Ranch, "they were not sexually explicit.".
«"There was no talk of children engaging in sexual activity, and there was no child pornography," he said at the time. "There were no videos featuring children. Videos were seized, but they were typical adult sexual content. Children were not involved.".
Read the original article on People.