A new Netflix docuseries takes Michael Jackson fans beyond the story depicted in the feature film “Michael” and into the courtroom, for a three-part deep dive into the drama that surrounded the King of Pop in his later years.
Titled “Michael Jackson: The Verdict,” the series is on the heels of the wildly popular success of the Jaafar Jackson-starring “Michael” biopic. However, while the motion picture focused on Michael’s youth and through the “Bad” world tour, this project lands squarely in 2005, when Jackson was on trial for alleged assault.
‘Michael Jackson: The Verdict’ Revisits the Court Case That Almost Ended His Career
A trio of episodes that tell the story in “Michael Jackson: The Verdict.” The docuseries will revisit Jackson’s trial. It is approached as a historical account of the timeline as the trial evolved.
A Netflix press release states, “It has been 20 years since the trial of Michael Jackson in which he was found not guilty. Yet, to this day, controversy still rages. No cameras were allowed in court. So the public’s view of the facts at the time was filtered by commentators and presented piecemeal. It was time to take a forensic look at the trial as a whole.
“Anyone interested in the Michael Jackson story should feel this documentary gives them a window into what was largely a closed event and a chance to feel closer to what happened.”
The series features courtroom insiders, including jurors, eyewitnesses, Jackson’s accusers, and defenders. It shows both sides of the trial, from the perspective of the prosecution and the defense.
“The aim was to take the audience inside the proceedings and only speak to eyewitnesses who played a part in those events,” the filmmakers explained in a statement.
According to The Los Angeles Times, Jackson’s Santa Barbara Superior Court trial lasted 14 weeks. A jury of eight women and four men deliberated for more than 30 hours and seven days.
The newspaper wrote, “Jackson was acquitted on 10 felony charges: four counts of child molestation, four counts of plying a minor with alcohol in order to molest him, one count of attempted child molestation and one count of conspiracy to hold the boy and his family captive at the Neverland Ranch. He faced more than 20 years in prison.”
What Happened After Michael Jackson Was Acquitted?
Michael Jackson was acquitted on all counts on June 13, 2005. “Jackson looked absolutely leveled. He seemed like he was crying a little bit,” reported Jackson biographer J. Randy Taraborell of the star’s reaction to the verdict.
Upon leaving the courtroom to thousands of fans outside, Michael Jackson jumped atop a car to wave to his admirers.
The entertainer never returned to Neverland Ranch, the home where the alleged acts were said to have taken place. Subsequently, Jackson spent several months living in Bahrain and Ireland. In 2009, the entertainer announced a 50-date residency called “This Is It” at London’s O2 Arena.
Jackson passed away on June 25, 2009, from acute propofol intoxication administered by his personal physician, Conrad Murray.
“Michael Jackson: The Verdict” premieres on Netflix June 3.
If you or someone you know has been a victim of sexual assault, help is available 24 hours a day through RAINN’s National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-4673.
