Up to this point in the podcast, we’ve been focusing on each sex abuse case separately, in order to address their problems point by point. But by compiling and comparing the evidence in all four cases, there are telling patterns that emerge among Jackson’s accusers. patterns that compound the individual weaknesses of their claims, and build an even stronger case for Jackson’s innocence. You’re going to hear about research into child predator behavior in this episode and how child molesters target their victims. We'll take this research on grooming and abuse and apply it to each of the sex abuse cases.
The quote in the title of this episode, "It's Time for Me to Get Mine," comes from Wade Robson's journal notes that he made during the time he was filing his lawsuit against Michael Jackson's companies. When asked in his deposition what he meant when he wrote this line, he said he didn't know. But we found the quote a fitting title as we summarize all the cases in the final episode in Season 1. From the evidence we've presented in all four cases, these allegations are not just about money. There was a consistent pattern of entitlement. These four accusers and their families expected more opportunities and attention from Jackson, and we make the case that when Jackson didn't meet these expectations, it fueled their resentment and justification to make false claims.
Gavin Arvizo 2005 trial testimony:
Wade Robson's complaint was originally filed under seal, which would potentially offer him leverage in seeking to settle his civil case before the allegations were publicized:
Taj Jackson, who spent much more time with his Uncle Michael than any of these 4 accusers, speaking in a 2019 interview about the highly implausible abuse scenes at Neverland described by Safechuck.
Neverland housekeeper, Gayle Goforth, in her deposition for Robson's lawsuit, says Safechuck was spoiled, and behaved with entitlement on his visits to Neverland, "he was "just like his parents...snap his fingers and 'I want this' and 'I want that."
Analysis of Goforth's deposition by the MJJ Repository, in which she also describes Jordan Chandler, Jason Francia, and Gavin as "brats", in reference to their entitled behavior as guests at Neverland.
Child Predators typically target kids who are loners, passive, ostracized from friends, have family troubles, parental neglect, and low self-esteem:
Beauregard, Rossmo, & Proulx (2007) noted that child sex offend-
ers often targeted "a child with family problems, without supervision,
always on the street and in need of help" (p. 455)
Craven, Brown, and Gilcrest (2006) note how offenders target vulnerable children: those with poor parental relationships, few friends, and prior victimization (p. 292)
“You become the child’s confidante,” he said. “You become the one they look to as the one that is going to provide their answers and give them their guidance. You supersede the really necessary and powerful other relationships in their lives. In fact, you discount them. You find ways in the things that you say and do to discount those relationships.”
Identifying Vulnerable Children:
Predators seek out potential victims by lookingfor children they think are vulnerable, easy
targets, or less likely to report abuse (Arévalo, et al., 2014; van Dam, 2001). More specifically,
predators look for children who:
*Are looking for attention.
*Need someone to listen to them.
*Lack confidence or have low self-esteem.
*Struggle socially.
*Have a hard time maintaining appropriate boundaries.
*Have challenging family situations (such as high levels ofconflictor economicstressors).
*Are likely to try to please adults.
*Children with disabilities, especially children who struggle with verbal communication,may be at particular risk because it can be hard for them to communicate what is being done to them or to report abuse.
Emphasizes testing secrets before sex abuse to assure less risk of disclosure. "The sexual predator will ensure that all the previous stages of abuse are reinforced and firmly established before he enacts the sexual abuse." (Detection, Approach, Subjugation, Grooming) Although Jackson's accusers try to make the case that he has a pattern of grooming, when their stories are examined closely and fact-checked, the grooming narrative does not hold up, and these stages are not seen.
From the 2011 rape investigation handbook, the average grooming time before physical contact is 9 months. The molester will on average spend 9 months gaining the child’s trust and testing them before initiating any physical contact. Over this period of time, the offender embeds himself into the child’s life so he is a frequent and indispensable presence. The offender will try to manipulate the child to become dependent on him and turn to the offender as the child’s primary confidant. The child predator works to discount and sever the bonds of the child’s other relationships. The next stage is desensitization, when the molester will very slowly progress touching to see what he can get away with, and see if the child will protest or disclose with these initial touching incidents. If successful, the touching will escalate.
Signs of abuse:
A child who is the victim of prolonged sexual abuse usually develops low self-esteem, a feeling of worthlessness and an abnormal or distorted view of sex. The child may become withdrawn and mistrustful of adults, and can become suicidal. Withdrawl and mistrust were not seen in any of Jackson's accusers--by their own accounts and others, they were seen as happy and easygoing during and after spending time with Jackson.
From The Michael Jackson Allegations website, a review of the bizarre claims of Daniel Kapon back in 2003-4. Kapon was influenced by his mother, who was suffering from severe mental illness, and who came to Daniel with these allegations.
Examples of Money Motives in deceit & scams
Scammers wasted no time to take advantage of the fear and uncertainty wrought by the COVID pandemic. According to the Federal Trade commission, American consumers were swindled out of over 5oo million in COVID related fraud, from 2020 through august 2021.
There was the hoarding and price gouging of sought after products like hand sanitizers and masks, there were bogus treatments and bogus antibody tests, which allowed scammers access to personal information.
Susan Grant, director of consumer protection and privacy at the Consumer Federation of America, an advocacy group, says that “Scammers always take advantage of disasters, manmade or natural,”
After Hurricane Sandy, there were reports of many fake donation websites and fake contractors who got paid to do repair work that never got done.
And then there the more deadly money motives where financial gain drives people to murder. There are the cases where people kill their spouses, parents, or even children for life insurance money.
Jealousy is also a prime motive behind criminal behavior, and we see examples of this in the news all the time:
In 2013, Melanie smith was convicted of murder through arson of her neighbors, which included a couple and their children. the judge presiding over the case said the motive was ardent jealousy and resentment over her neighbors happy lives.
In 2012 17 year old Christine Paolilla was sentenced to 40 years in prison for jealousy murder of her 2 best friends..
Fame is another common motive for criminal behavior, ranging from nonviolent crime, as seen in the case of Jussie smollett, to murder, as seen in the shootings of Ronald Reagan and John Lennon.
People have performed extremely dangerous stunts for attention and fame, such as the Australian who fell to his death when attempting to plank from a balcony railing 7 stories up, in order to be filmed for social media.
Or the 12 year old girl who doused herself in rubbing alcohol and lit herself on fire to film it for an internet dare, suffering second and third degree burns and needing multiple surgeries
Other Examples of Fame as a motive for crime or deceptive behavior:
Janet Arvizo in her rebuttal interview says how her kids greatest wish is to be in movies.
Local newspaper editor says Janet Arvizo conned her and her readers into donating money for Gavin's medical care, and then later found out the Arvizos had full health care coverage.
Videos from the 6 in 1 Advocacy site, sharing the stories of men who were child sex abuse victims. They've since changed the format, showing clips rather than the full stories, which to me diminishes the impact of their emotional reactions to the whole experience.
Thanks to the following sites for their collection and analysis of the court documents in the Michael Jackson sex abuse cases over many years, which helped guide the research for this podcast:
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