Police reveal disturbing items they found after raiding Michael Jackson's Neverland ranch
Warning: This article contains discussion of child abuse which some readers may find distressing.
In 2003, after decades of global fame, Michael Jackson was charged with multiple counts of child molestation. He was later acquitted on all counts but interest in the claims remains to this day.
Before he was charged, detectives had visited his infamous Neverland ranch in search of evidence after 13-year-old Gavin Arvizo accused him of molesting him.
And now, in a new three-part Netflix series documenting the disturbing case, police detectives have shared the disturbing items they found at his sprawling California home.
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"When you’re investigating an allegation of child sexual abuse, you rarely have witnesses to it," prosecutor Ron Zonen said in Michael Jackson: The Verdict, which landed on the streaming platform on 3 June.
"We're looking for anything we can find that tells us that this child is giving us accurate information," he added.
A briefcase of pornography
While raiding Jackson's house, police officers discovered a number of chilling items in the singer's home. Some of those included a briefcase of pornography, adult pornography magazines, and pornographic videos, all of which were later used in the singer's 2005 trial.
The briefcase containing pornography was allegedly found in Jackson’s master bedroom.
"We want to see if there was the briefcase that Gavin said existed that had all of the pornography in it," Zonen recalled.
"Yes, we found the briefcase, yes, it was the same colour, yes, it had pornography in it."
According to CBS News, the material varied in style and date, some going back as far as 1993.
In a resurfaced video from the documentary, Diane Dimond claimed that various items were found.
"From the master bathroom, three books of nudes in a plastic bag, a couples magazine, a book of nude photos of men, and from the den and a second-floor closet, a book of nudes called Naked as a Jaybird and several porno magazines in a black briefcase," she said.
A bizarre painting
Elsewhere was a painting of Jackson in the style of Leonardo da Vinci's famous painting The Last Supper, the singer in the place of Jesus.
Another magazine called Hustler Barely Legal Hardcore, was found, which 'depicted nude young-looking women'.
Two books about young boys were also discovered. One of the books was titled Boys Will Be Boys, while the second was The Boy, A Photographic Essay.
However, according to People Magazine, law enforcement officials later confirmed that no child pornography materials were found.
A year later, detectives found themselves visiting the property yet again, this time in search of DNA samples ahead of Jackson's trial. However, none of what the police found led the jury to believe he was guilty, and he was let go on all counts.
The lawyer who represented him in the 2005 trial, Thomas Mesereau, chose not to appear in the doc and has hit out at it.
During an appearance on Piers Morgan Uncensored, he slammed the docuseries while pointing out that its release comes hot on the heels of Antoine Fuqua's biopic, Michael, hitting cinemas.
"This is a great time to be a supporter and lover of Michael Jackson," Mesereau said.
"So why do we need a documentary in the middle of this that goes back 21 years in a case where he was completely exonerated?"
Mesereau repeatedly emphasised that his superstar client was cleared by the jury after they heard 'five months of testimony', before going on to say: "So why are we going through a documentary on this? What's the point?"
"I don't think we need a documentary on this, I think there's been enough," he continued. "I didn't want to participate because we don't need it.
"He was exonerated, the jury couldn't have sent a stronger message."
Topics: Michael Jackson, Netflix
Alice Wade