(children shouting, laughing) (distant singing) (door opens) Woman:
Manhattan Beach
Police Department, crime report: 0067-99. D.R. number: 85-01713. Reporting officer
Detective J. Hoag. Date of Report: 8-12-83. Person filing complaint:
Judy Ann Johnson, Mrs. Report follows: Mrs. Johnson came
to the police station approximately 10:30 a.m.
with her son, Malcolm, age two and a half years, and filed a complaint
charging Child Sexual Abuse. Reporting officer conducted
an interview with the child
and with his mother. Mrs. Johnson alleges
that her son has been molested while attending preschool
in Manhattan Beach. Complainant reported
that her son named
Raymond Charles Buckey... Subject walking
from parking lot on campus. (children shouting) Man:
Passed a group
of 12 schoolchildren, six to eight years of age. Subject stopped
and watched children playing. Subject was alone
and talked to nobody. TV announcer:
The Eyewitness News Team. From the desert to the sea
to all of Southern California, a good evening.
Here's the latest at 6:00. In a case which
has been described as one of the most
bizarre and shocking ever to involve young children. Reporter Wayne Satz
is now able to bring you this extraordinary,
exclusive story. Wayne. Tonight's story comes
out of the mouths of over 60 children, some of them as young
as two years of age. They have allegedly
been keeping a grotesque secret. The secret is they were
being sexually molested,
(phone rings) and made to appear
in pornographic films. The children were all
attending this preschool...
Man: Yeah. Man on phone:
Hi, it's Kelly.
Are you watching this? Man:
I'm watching it.
Call me when it's over. Satz:
What makes their statements
even more extraordinary and shocking is that the owner
of this preschool is 76-year-old
Virginia McMartin, Manhattan Beach's
most honored citizen. In fact,
this home video was shot...
Hey, baby. ...at the Chamber
of Commerce...
Hey. ...giving Virginia McMartin
the highest award... Watch this.
Sweaty. Watch this.
...the Rose and Scroll. Man:
Here, here, here.
Look at this. Look. Watch. To me, there isn't anything
that can equal the smile and love of a small child. Forgive me, I go on and on
when I get started on my favorite subject:
children. Satz:
But last year the mother
of one of the students, Judy Johnson, noticed her
two-and-a-half-year-old son was having a redness
on his bottom
and having nightmares. She accused Virginia McMartin's
25-year-old grandson,
Raymond Buckey, seen here in this home movie
at the school's
Halloween parade. Ray Buckey.
The Manhattan Beach Police
sent letters to parents whose children had attended
the McMartin Preschool, asking them to question
their children about
possible cases of sodomy, oral copulation...
This is the most
sickening thing. Yeah, and guess who
their lawyer wants to take
this case off his hands? Danny, no.
Not these people. The children all replied
that nothing had happened. That was until the district
attorney took the children to this nationally recognized
therapist on child abuse, Kee McFarlane, of C.I.I.,
the Children's Institute
International. She drew forth horrifying
stories of molestation from literally hundreds
of children based
on play therapy session which she videotaped. I don't think the depth
of terror that can be put into a child
should be underestimated. I've been working this field
for 13 years, and I haven't seen a situation
that compares to this. It's simply horrifying. They said the teachers mutilated
animals at their school... Oh, God, the poor babies. ...their parents
would receive similar treatment. Is it any wonder
that they kept silent? Danny, this thing
is gonna be plastered all over
everywhere by tomorrow morning. I hope so. What a case. ...and that way they don't
feel the parents will be killed because it's the puppets
that are saying it, not them. Satz:
Are the children able... We've been on this case
for weeks and it still
gives me the creeps. Yeah. Have you thought
about those parents? The guilt, the betrayal
they must be feeling? God, they trusted their children
to these people. A case like this makes
you glad you're a prosecutor. In the meantime,
to the outrage of many parents, Ray Buckey remains a free man. The grand jury...
Okay, Kelly, I'll take it.
The case is mine. You are crazy
to take this on.
And you are sweaty. Hey, come on, Grace.
Their lawyer's gettin' rocks thrown through his window
so he chickens out. Channel 7's
got him buried already. The odds against him
are 50 to one the other way. You really
wanna see him lynched? Do you understand
what these people did? Did to children!
Hey, a client's a client. (banging)
Woman:
Open the door. Police! (loud banging) Open the door! Police. Where's your son, ma'am?
(toilet flushes) Hm... Hey!
Look what we got here. Naked dolls, a robe,
women's underwear. Take a look at that. Woman:
That's a new one. "Be my baby."
Man: Yeah. Woman:
Black cape?
Man: Yeah. Woman:
I don't know.
Man: Strange. Woman: Kinda interesting.
Man: Buck naked.
They're all naked here. Officer on phone:
Hello, Mr. Davis?
Manhattan Beach Police. Your client's just
been arrested. Thanks. Sorry. Bye. (tires screech) (inmates shouting) Man:
What you do?
What you in here for? Huh? Close! Man:
Hey! Hey! Clark Kent! Clark Kent,
what you in here for, man? Show me your booking slip. Your booking slip,
that pink piece of paper they gave you
when you got in this place! Come on, put it
through the bars, man!
Let me see it now! Come on, let me see, man!
Come on! Come a little closer, man!
Come on! Come on, bring it closer!
Closer! Closer! Give me that! Whoa! Goddamn! 56 counts of 288-C! This guy got 56 counts
of child molestation! Goddamn! Hey! You must be
that guy on the news! Buckey! Buckey!
(inmates banging bars) Buckey! McMartin,
that's you, ain't it?
Goddamn! (inmates shouting, banging) Open! Open! Get out! What the hell's
the matter with you?! What are you starting
in here, huh? (inmates shouting) Morning, guys. Whoop! Whoa. Okay. Congratulations.
I hear they had
to move you into the Celebrity Wing
with Sean Penn,
the Ninja Brothers and the Night Stalker.
I'm Danny Davis,
your new attorney. Kelly couldn't stand the heat,
so he got out of the kitchen. Thank you. Sam, thank you.
Come on. Chop-chop. Attorney/client privilege.
Shut the door. Don't worry, kid.
I'm the best there is. I haven't left anybody
in jail yet. Come on, guys.
Give me a break,
will ya? Come on! Geez. Everybody's watchin'
your cage. So here's the deal.
You don't talk to anybody. Not anybody.
You don't say you did it.
You don't say you didn't do it. You just don't talk.
(handcuffs rattle) What...? Why am I here?
I didn't do anything. Well, congratulations again.
You'll be the first
innocent client I ever had. No one in my family
has ever been arrested. This will kill them.
Well... Are you kidding
with those glasses? You look like
a child molester. Get rid of them or it's
gonna be a short trial. Satz:
This is a mind-boggling case. Not only has Ray Buckey
been taken into custody, but now they're
arresting his mother, 57-year-old "Miss Peggy," as she is called by children. Hoag:
Step back, please. Satz:
They're arresting
Peggy Ann Buckey, who is Virginia McMartin's
granddaughter
and Ray Buckey's sister, at Kennedy High School
in Newport Beach. Put your hands
behind your back, ma'am. You don't have to do it
in front of the kids. Excuse me.
Satz:
They also arrested 62-year-old teacher
Betty Raidor as she was returning
with her granddaughter
from a stroll. Okay, move your
shoulder in first. Satz:
Mary Ann Jackson, 60,
mother of four, and grandmother of five. Babette Spitler,
mother of two who had once worked
helping abused children. And, amazingly enough,
the grand jury also indicted the 76-year-old owner
of the McMartin School,
Virginia McMartin. I said stop this right now! Oh! Danny:
Hello, my name
is Danny Davis. I'll be representing you
for the bail hearing. Why are we here? How can the police do this? You're here
because you were
indicted by a grand jury and the police were well
within their rights. What about our rights?
The parents were afraid
something else might happen
to their children.
What do the TV people think they're doing?
That reporter stuck his
camera right in my face! Wayne Satz,
he's the Geraldo of local news,
but he's usually not wrong. What's the matter
with everybody? Don't they
know children make up stories? A lot of new research
indicates that they don't make
up stories about child abuse. Oh, hogwash! Well, Los Angeles believes it,
and the DA believes
that this case is gonna win him reelection.
Would you look at us?! Do we look like
child molesters? Does Ted Bundy look
like a serial killer? I'll need power of attorney
over your property
for your bail hearing. Your bail and your
granddaughter's is set
at $50,000 apiece. You want my house
and my school. Your daughter's
set at $350,000. Why should I give you
something I worked
my whole life for? And your grandson Ray Buckey
at one million dollars. She drove a school bus
for years to be able to get the money
to buy this school. In our neighborhood,
she's considered a saint. In her neighborhood, Joan of Arc
was considered a saint and they
burned her at the stake. Just sign here
on the X, please. If you're gonna be our lawyer,
you can start by getting my
grandmother's wheelchair back. And where did
they put my daughter? Look, I don't know you. I don't know anything
about you. If you wanna stay here forever,
then don't sign it. If you'd like to get out
on bail in a few days,
then please, just sign at the X. Okay? (tapping on glass) No physical contact. Thank you. (sighs) I'll see what I can do
about your wheelchair. Bye.
Huh. Did you see our new poll?
Number one concern? Woman:
Child abuse tops crime.
I know. Are you surprised? Boy! You are fast!
I've been chasin' you
all over. Can we work out
lower bail on McMartin? 'Cause, you know... Hey, you know, my clients
aren't a danger
to the community. So what's the problem?
I mean, that's
the only justification for that kind of bail.
Am I right? Come on, Stevens. These people never
had so much as a parking ticket,
for Christ's sake. These people
are monsters, Mr. Davis. Do you actually
believe children would
make something like this up? I knew it would
be someone like you
who would take this case. What happened?
Did you run out of drug dealers? Is she kiddin'
with this shit? I want you
to know something. I care passionately
about this case. Do your bottom-feeding
somewhere else. Don't tell me that you
didn't take this case for the exact
same reason I did: because it's a great case.
The media are gonna
be all over it. They're gonna be
on this...
Shall I state the obvious? You are an opportunist
of the worst kind. You're using these
little children
to aggrandize yourself. They deserve better than that.
I intend to see
that they get it. One other thing. Whatever happened
to the presumption
of innocence? Yuppie scum. Man:
KSDL Mobile One to base. This is Mobile One in position. (overlapping chatter) (overlapping chatter continues) Man:
This is KABC News Van 12. We are transmitting
color bars and tone.
Do you have audio and video? (inaudible) Reporter:
Shock and disbelief is the reaction
in Manhattan Beach today as the horrified parents
and former pupils
at the McMartin Preschool... Reporter 2:
Raymond Buckey
also brandished a gun to terrorize the children...
Reporter 3: Deputy
District Attorney Lael Rubin says she'll be
charging 400 new... It's a parent's nightmare.
The person entrusted
to guard and teach their child is suspected of...
Female reporter: The scale
of this shocking... ...the children
were used for pornography. Remember how vulnerable
they were feeling during
the time they were abused. They need to feel they have
power over their own destiny. Satz:
And cut. Reporter:
The children's stories...
How was that? It was terrific.
It's even better
than before. Woman:
Yeah. And all this
in sweeps week, too. Here they come. Female reporter:
And here comes
Virginia McMartin, who was granted bail
two weeks ago
along with her granddaughter... Male reporter:
A poll conducted by District
Attorney Philobosian's reelection committee
identifies child abuse as the number one voter concern
in the upcoming elections. We're talking about
such acts as rape, sodomy, oral copulation and fondling. (shouting) Hi, did they see
all the kids? Shame on you, Mr. Davis. (metal detector wand whirs) (indistinct chatter) Bailiff:
Uh, we cleared a space
for the chair up there. Man:
Where? Right there. Sorry. Hi. I'm here. Excuse me.
Could you... We'll be out of here
in just about an hour, okay? Okay. Come on.
Get my brother released, too,
not just us women. On a million dollars bail?
One step at a time here.
Just sit down, please. You all right? So I'm gonna be five
or ten minutes here. I have a few things
that I have to present.
Just a formality. Then we'll have you
out of here and you'll be
on your way home. Okay? Perfect typecasting.
They could be
Buchenwald guards. Look at the old woman. Man:
All rise. Department 100
in the Superior Court of the State of California
is now in session, Judge Ronald M. George
presiding. Miss Rubin. Your Honor, the people move
to deny bail for the defendants. What did she say?
(crowd murmuring) We've already set bail. There have
been developments since. Developments?
What developments? These children and their
parents were threatened
by the defendants that if they appeared
in court as witnesses
they would be killed. (crowd murmuring) These threats make them
a serious danger
to the public safety. Where is, uh...
Where is the proof
of this, Your Honor? I have it in statements
by the parents
and the children. Well, I want to talk
to those children
and verify these things. You'll get your turn.
Continue, Miss Rubin. Your Honor, the McMartin
Preschool was in the business of orchestrating clear
and unequivocal child abuse.
Thank you. Yes, Your Honor.
I would like to, uh... I would like to begin
with Peggy Ann Buckey, the, uh, sister of... of Ray,
uh, the daughter of Peggy Buckey and the granddaughter
of Virginia McMartin. This, uh, young lady was awarded
the Higgins Scholarship for Outstanding Student of...
Student Teacher of the Year. Even to suggest that she
be denied bail...
Good old Danny. Next he'll call her a virgin. ...granted to felons
and murderers... Judge:
Do you think allegations
of abuse against hundreds of children
is any less a danger than, say,
the murder of one person? But there is nothing more
than allegations, Your Honor. I have read the transcripts
of the grand jury proceedings, and I believe they
demonstrate the broad scope
of this conspiracy. Denying bail to Miss Buckey,
Your Honor, would be more
responsive to the media rather than any precedent...
Judge: I think that's
entirely out of line, Mr. Davis. If there is any case
where there is to be no bail
in a non-capital case, this is that case.
Yes, Your Honor, but I-- In the interest
of public safety, I deny bail to Raymond Buckey. I also deny bail
to Babette Spitler, Betty Raidor,
Peggy Ann Buckey, and Peggy Buckey. Your Honor... You Honor, I beseech you...
Mom. I beseech you to reconsider.
You promised
to get us out of here! What happened? I don't know what happened. I...
What about the children? What's gonna happen
to my children? Peggy!
I promise you... I promise you,
I will take care of this. (sighs) Satz:
Mr. Davis. Mr. Davis. Mr. Davis. Mr. Davis? What are you
running away for? What do you want? I want you to tell
my viewers right here and now that you believe
your clients are innocent. I refer you to their plea.
I believe it's "not guilty." Cut. Congratulations, Davis. You just chickened out
in front of five million people. You are such an asshole.
Thank you. Thank you. Satz:
I have with me a man
who spent two days in the same jail cell
as the key figure in the most amazing...
What are you watching? Ooh, nice tattoos.
What is he, a Hell's Angel? Here. Buckey told me in jail
that he had penetrated the kids
with K-Y Jelly so it wouldn't tear 'em up.
Where does Wayne Satz
find these people? Where he gets the whole thing:
from the prosecution. ...schoolchildren how
to perform...
oral copulation on a man. From the office sewer pipe! Man:
I told him I was there
for the same thing he was. This case is bad.
Can't you get out of it? Man:
I got five kids
and grandchildren of my own. I did not say that my sister
stood in front of a classroom and taught kids
how to perform sex acts! You're gonna have to talk to me,
gonna have to tell me
everything! You saw my sister!
Who could say that about her? Ray, you're gonna
have to talk to me! You're gonna have
to tell me everything! Because I am not gonna stand
in front of that court with my dick in my hand
waiting for them
to throw things at you! Now, talk to me!
I said, and I mean that there
will be no surprises!
There's nothing! This is not a frat initiation
at San Diego State. There are going to be
little children on that stand
saying that they were hurt! You have got
to be ready for that. Who could be
ready for that? Hurt by you
and your sister and your mother
and your grandmother! What do you want me to do?!
I can't make things up! All right,
all right. (sighs) Why would a guy wanna work
in a preschool with kids? I like being with kids. Never answer that question
like that again! Now, Mr. Buckey,
please tell the court why would a grown man
want to work
with preschool children? It was my grandmother's--
Wrong. Wrong! Come on, Ray! Come on!
I could be near the beach. No, come on, come on.
Better, better, come on. I dropped out of college
and I needed a job. Ah, better. Better. It sucks,
but it's better. You know that some
of the, uh, parents said you didn't wear
underwear to preschool.
You aware of that? No, I didn't wear underwear
underneath my shorts. So you got your dick
hanging out in front
of these little kids. They're surfer shorts,
they're long. Oh, your surfer dick
was hanging out. That makes it better.
It's a beach community! I mean, is that a crime now too?
No, but it's enough
to convict you. That's all. You could do
about 500 years in jail. Tell me about
your relationships
with women. Okay? How many women
have you been to bed with, Ray?
Just round numbers, like 20, 30, 50, whatever.
One. Do you mind? One... one what?
One woman. How old are you?
You're what, 25 years old? You've been to bed
with one woman? Only one!
Is that another crime? When you're accused
of child molesting,
everything is a crime. (sighs)
You're a fruit, right? Come on, you like
to bite the pillow. Right?
No. Hey, we all thought about it
at summer camp. Come on. I'm not.
You can level with me. Okay. I have a little gift
for you here, Ray. "My name is Ray Buckey. I don't talk.
I don't listen." Ray, you gotta stop
grinding your teeth. Very unattractive
in front of a jury. Man on radio:
You just have to take
one look at Buckey and you know he's guilty. Rubin:
Why aren't we coming up
with stuff faster from the investigators
on this? We really, really have
to move quickly on this. I know. I'm hoping
for something from the names
of Virginia's diary. Good. There should
be a lot of material
in ten years of diaries. Where are we on the tapes?
Uh, we're playin' catchup.
More is coming all the time. Thousands of hours of tapes. Kee's working overtime. Woman:
When was the last time
any of us had any food? What do you say?
Greek? Chinese? Yeah. Good idea. Woman:
I'll get some takeout menus. Rubin:
What about pornographic
pictures? Huh? They gotta be out there
somewhere. Get a list
of all the photo labs. Man: By the way...
Oh, and get the FBI to check out dealers
in Scandinavia, too. By the way, this note.
Judy Johnson,
the original accuser... Judy Johnson. Listen,
Glenn, we've got hundreds
of kids making accusations now. They've all gotta
be checked out and it's
all gotta be done quickly. Thank you.
Rubin: Pet stores!
Check into pet stores. They're killing
all these animals.
There's gotta be a supplier. We should probably
check this Johnson note out. You know, just to see
if this woman is okay. In the note,
she seems kind of, uh... Well, fragile
would be polite. After all she's been through,
you surprised? I wonder if the defense
got this note? Why wouldn't they? Oh, and check out all
the animal labs too. Good. Hi there. You must be Malcolm. Mrs. Johnson? I'm Glenn Stevens
from the DA's office. I'll be helping you
with your testimony. I would like
to speak to your son as well. He's been through enough.
Malcolm, go inside. Well... You know, I'll have
to speak to him
sooner or later. I mean, after all,
it was your charges that started
this whole case. Your son is our
most important witness,
Mrs. Johnson. Female reporter:
Several more preschools
are being investigated for possible links...
Male reporter:
Parents dropping their children off at the
Hickory Tree Preschool... Reporter: The owner
of the Little Angels... Reporter 2: Authorities
in Manhattan Beach have raided the Manhattan Ranch Preschool... Female reporter:
They are also asking
that any parent... Male reporter:
The owner of the Greenup School
in Northridge has been charged
with 16 felony counts of child molestation. Reporter: Peninsula Montessori, number two, and... Female reporter:
Sheriff Block said he believed
over 1200 children may have been molested
and swapped with children
from other schools. Man:
I'm going to ask you, this is about
the thousandth time, for the grand jury transcript
and the police report! I mean, if you won't
pursue this, we'll conduct
our own investigation! Not while I'm chief of police,
you won't. Every minute
somebody's reporting
another child molester. There's a good reason for that.
You see what happened
at Greenup today? Yes, did you hear
what happened--
I'm really not sure how much evidence there is.
There's plenty of evidence. Do you ever watch the news?
Let's be careful here. Or some innocent people
will be hurt. There she is!
Child molester! (inmates shouting) We're gonna get you,
you motherfucking cunt! Die, bitch! Die!
(spits) (inmates shouting, laughing) Peggy:
They're going to kill me. Peggy. Peggy,
I want you to try
to calm down if you can. Okay? No one's
gonna kill you.
You don't... You don't know
what it's like here. You don't think anything
like this can ever happen to you. I have to go
to the infirmary
for my medicine. And they have my handcuffs
behind my back. And they say... ...words to me. They say they want
to hurt me. I don't know why they
put you in general population. We are going
to get you moved.
I promise. You seem like a nice man. Who are you? Dean Gits is my name.
Remember? Judge George called and asked
if I wanted to represent you. How old are you?
You look like a kid. You're much too thin. Reporter:
Fire crews were called again
last night to the site of the former
McMartin Preschool
in Manhattan Beach. In what is believed
to be an arson attempt, the vacant school buildings
were set ablaze between 3:00 and 4:00
this morning. The fire was brought
under control and there
were no casualties. Authorities suspect there
may be a link with the ongoing
child molestation case... Watch your step. The second time
in two months. Shoulda let it burn. What a mess. Watch out for the puddle. The windows,
look how big they are. You can see right in. We're on the busiest street
in town and you can see right in. Anybody could. Did they have curtains?
I don't see any. (banging) You think they did it?
What do you think? Well, when I read Peggy
the charges against her, she asked me what a dildo was. The others are the same. Mothers, grandmothers.
Christian Scientists. Never as much
as a parking ticket. And yet you have
these kids saying
that they were raped, sodomized,
made to do pornography. I don't know. It's kinda hard
to imagine it happening here,
isn't it? I've seen so much in my time,
nothin' shocks me. I don't see any closets.
Aren't some of the kids
saying that Ray would hide them in a closet
when their parents came? Isn't that suppose
to be on the tapes? Did you get anywhere
with those tapes? The other side sees the tapes.
Our side flies blind. I'm doin' the best I can.
Where are the closets? Man:
Fucking baby rapers!
(gunshot) (tires screeching)
Hey! Let me show you
the interview room. Hi, guys.
Children: Hi! Still busy, I see.
It's unbelievable, isn't it? The parents and the kids
spread the word around,
there's more coming every day. Come in. How many have you
taped so far? Over 300. And how long is each tape? Anywhere from an hour
and a half to two. What? We go into
preliminary next month. How am I gonna look
at all of these? We've indexed every charge
on our VCR counter. Sandy. Fantastic. Let's see.
Have a seat. Uh... let's see. Chuck Ross. 25-12. The child says,
"Ray and Peggy
touched my penis." Maryann, 32-71. "Maryann made me
kiss her boobs." 35-12. "Chuck says
he copulated Betty." Do you have anything
on Virginia? Heather.
Heather. Heather Ross. Here it is. 26-65. "Virginia would turn
her wheelchair around and clap while
the naked games were going on." Wow. This is very helpful. It sometimes takes a while,
but the truth always
comes out in the end. (door rattling)
Guard: All right,
wakey-wakey! Time to get up! Let's go!
Come on! Get up! What's going on?
Move it!
Get your things together. We're moving you.
Where are we going? Chop-chop!
Chop-chop! Over here, come on.
That's right, the bag. Pick up the bag!
That's right,
put the items in the bag. Very good.
What's happening? Come on over,
help her out here. We're transferring you.
Where are we going? We're transferring you.
Let's go. Come on. Move it! Would you please tell me
where you're taking me? Right here. 4203. Prisoner transfer time,
3:17 a.m. (woman moans)
I don't want to have
to share a cell with anyone. In. (gasping) Mom! Mom!
Is that...
Is that you, Peggy Ann? It's you? Oh, thank God!
Thank God, it's you! (sobbing) Oh, it's so...
it's so awful here. There's this woman
in the next cell, and she's... she screams! All night long she screams!
Shh... Oh, I'm so glad
that you're here. I finally have someone
to talk to in here. Have you--
have you seen Ray? Is he all right?
How is my baby? They won't
tell me anything. Did they let him go home?
I'm so afraid. I'm so worried about him. I'm so worried
about all of us. Danny:
For God's sake,
shut your mother up, unless you want them
to hear every word! What are you talking about? What? They're
probably bugging you. You think they'd put you
in the same cell out of
the goodness of their hearts? Do they strike you
as benevolent people? God! And they made us
take our clothes off and lay on our tummies
on the floor. And then they'd tie us up. And I was scared. They shouted at us
and told us to be quiet. She poked me with her fingers,
and it hurt. Where did it hurt you?
It hurt in my bottom. And some other men
were there as well. Glenn:
What did they do? They watched.
And took photos. And then Ray would take us
to the car wash and we'd have to take off
our clothes in the car. And Ray would be with us
in the car and, um, he would touch us. These kids are so brave
to come forward. The poor little things
actually feel guilty themselves for the violations
they've suffered. They need all our love
and support to help them get
through this terrible trauma they've had to endure at the hands
of the people they trusted. Female reporter:
Kee McFarlane
also went on to say that the children's stories
have been remarkably consistent since the very
first allegations were made
nearly ten months ago. What is it?
What is so important? You know we have
a preliminary in two weeks. Hey, Malcolm.
Where's Judy? I thought it best that you
talked to Malcolm alone. Tell him, Malcolm. He hurt me. Hoag:
Who hurt you, Malcolm? He poked me. Hoag:
Who poked you? Daddy poked me
with a stick in my bottom. What's a stick, Malcolm? This is a stick. Where did it happen? In the bath. Daddy took a bath with me. Did Mommy tell you
to say bad things
about Daddy? Uh-uh. No. Why don't you, uh,
go in to your mom, hmm? Thanks, buddy. Do you really believe
this is what happened? What choice do I have? Could there be
some other explanation? Come on, Jane. Is there? Well, he filed for divorce.
Well, there it is. Judy doesn't work.
She doesn't have anything. This is her way
of getting even, maybe even
getting a little money. We have to file charges
against the father.
Jane... If we do that,
the defense will
kill us with it. This was the first charge
against Ray Buckey. Malcolm was with his father
the night before Judy
reported he was molested. They'll say that's how
this whole thing started. Well, what do you
want to do then? Let the father
have visitation again? No. No, of course not. Just, uh... ...tell Judy not
to let the father see Malcolm until we can check this out.
All right? You have no idea
what we went through
to get these tapes. We have to watch
all of them here. They won't let me take them
to my office. So I need you guys
to help me out. I want you to take notes
on each child. Write down every single thing
you can remember about him or her. The first kid
we're seeing is,
uh, Jonathan Lawson. Okay. We can skip him. I came to the school
after... after he was gone. Well, I think this tape
is gonna show
that he remembers you. So let's, um, refresh your recollection,
as they say in the courtroom. I've got some really
crazy-looking dolls
to show you. These are as nutty
as anything. (woman chuckles)
Wow, that's weird. Woman:
These kinda look
like cupcakes, don't they? (Jonathan giggles)
She has a belly button. She has hair on her vagina.
(giggles) (mutters indistinctly)
Woman: And this one... This one has a penis.
(chuckles) Now, I'd like you
to look at a picture. Woman:
You know him, don't you? Remember him? Uh, yeah, I think. "I think."
Woman: Was he a teacher when you were
in school back then? Um... No, I don't
think I remember him. Look at his face. No.
Was he around,
maybe back then? No, I wasn't.
Who is she to do this? Shhh, listen. I didn't see him much.
Once or twice. Woman:
The older kids like you
have to help the little kids 'cause they're not
as smart as you. And we found out
some crummy stuff happened to these little kids. Do you think you might
be able to help us out? It didn't happen to me.
No? It didn't happen to you? Somehow I can't remember.
I'm not sure about it. Woman:
Well, sometimes some
of this stuff is really hard to talk about. And that's why we use puppets! Hi, Snake! Some of the kids told us
they played yucky games and the teachers
would touch them
in some yucky places. Did something like that
happen to Jonathan? To me it didn't. It didn't happen
to Jonathan? No, it didn't happen to me. (voices rewind) No, it didn't happen to me.
"It didn't happen to me." Do you guys remember
the tickle game? Tickle game? Woman:
Come on. Your memory
can't be that bad. All your best friends
say you played it. What's the matter, Snake?
Isn't your memory
as good as theirs? Um, I remember
the tickle game. Woman:
See? What a good memory! I thought I had a bad one. It might be better
than you thought. Maybe you could show us
how the tickle game was played. Jonathan:
We'd crawl around, and they'd try to get us. They'd go slow and... ...tickle us!
(scoffs) Woman:
Was it a naked game sometimes? They'd go like this,
and pull up my t-shirt and tickle my belly.
That's all that happened. Woman:
That's all that happened?
Yes. This kid could end up
saving your life. Woman:
Okay. You guys remember
the naked movie star game? Naked movie star game? It was sort of
a fashion show, I think. Where I'll walk across
the room.
Turn around and around? What did the grownups do? Jonathan:
I think... I'm not sure. Taking pictures? Boy, you're
really somethin'! Who was taking pictures? I'm really trying
to test your brain here. It was Ray. I know that.
(voices rewind) It was Ray. I know that.
(voices rewind) It was Ray. I know that.
Woman:
Amazing! Amazing! Amazing! Amazing! It was scary.
He told us to hide
in a tunnel under the school. When our moms and dads came,
they wouldn't see us. And we were all naked, and we had to do this dance. And Ray, he killed the horse. He hit it and it died. What did he hit it with? A baseball bat. He hit it
and the horse fell down. Glenn:
Who else was there?
The Goat Man. And then they took us
to the airport
and we flew on a plane. The airport? Didn't... Didn't you tell me it was,
uh, the car wash? Uh, it was the airport, but the plane had no windows. (door opens) You're free.
You're out on bail. Your father's waiting
to pick you up
in the parking lot. What? Right now?
Right now. Let's go. What about the others?
Are they out, too? Not Ray.
But we expected that. And your mother's lawyer
waived her right
to a speedy trial. Oh, my God.
All right. Come on. I'm going to be
on my own here again. It'll be okay, Mom.
You'll be out soon. I'll leave this comb.
Maybe you'll need it. It'll be okay. Be strong.
I love you. I don't think I can
make it here alone. What? I don't think I can
make it here on my own. Okay. Okay.
(sobbing) Okay, I'll stay with you.
I'll stay. I won't let 'em
put up bail for me and I'll just... I can do that.
I can stay. Okay? No. You go on. Hurry up, before they
change their mind. Go on. Go on! Go on. Woman:
Prisoner release here. (sighs) I'm sorry.
I thought I heard
you say thank you for getting you out.
Clearly mistaken. I can't. I can't.
I feel too guilty.
Guilty about what? About leaving
everybody behind. Today, just weeks after
new DA Ira Reiner's
taking over the reins for... Incredibly, it's now
11 months since we started
bringing you these exclusive reports on this extraordinary...
...from the first child witness, a seven-year-old boy
named simply John Doe 7. Reporter:
Testimony is expected
to contain explicit allegations highly damaging
to the defense, and the mood here
in the courthouse is one of grim anticipation. There is no doubt
that feelings about the case
run very high indeed. Man: Here they come! Satz: ...in the whole area
of child abuse. I just hope that it doesn't
lead to hysteria and contagion. Peggy Ann:
Please, the lights
are hurting her eyes! She's got cataracts. Danny:
Hey, come on.
What are you doing? Come on, she has cataracts.
What's going on here? Hey, move that!
What are you doing?
You son of a bitch! (grunts) No one told you
to defend the devil! Ugh!
(camera shutters clicking) Okay, you got what you need? As you can see, we've put
the press in another room while children testify. They will have to watch us
on closed-circuit TV. Hi, Sean. How old are you?
Seven. Glenn:
Do you know the difference
between the truth and a lie? Yes. Glenn:
What happens to you
when you tell a lie? Sean:
You get in big trouble. Glenn:
Now, Sean,
while you were at school, did you ever play
any naked games? Cowboys and Indians? We were the cowboys
and they were the Indians and then they would take us
and put us in jail,
and then they'd touch us. Glenn:
Where did they touch you?
Sean: In the penis. Glenn:
Who touched you, Sean? Ray and Miss Peggy. Did you ever play
any other naked games? Alligator game. Glenn:
Could you tell us
the names of the people who played
the alligator game? I don't remember. Oh, well...
what other games did you play, Sean? Naked movie star?
That's right. Did somebody take pictures
of you during that game? Yea--
Uh... don't remember. Now, didn't...
didn't you tell me
that, uh, Miss Virginia took the pictures
during naked movie star game? Your Honor,
leading the witness.
Objection. Objection overruled. Sean?
Did Miss Virginia take the pictures while you played
the naked movie star game? Yes. Did Ray ever touch you
with anything beside his hand?
With his penis. Glenn:
Where did Ray put his penis? In my penis. Did he say, "In my penis?"
Yes. Thank you. Danny:
Good morning, Sean.
Good morning. Good morning, Snoopy.
(chuckles) I understand your dad
calls you "Haystack."
Why is that? I don't know.
Do you think it's 'cause
of that little hair that sticks out there maybe?
Yeah. (laughs) Sean, uh, your mommy took you
to a place called C.I.I. and there you met
a lady named Kee and she showed you
some pretty strange dolls. Yes. Danny:
And the lady, Kee, wanted to talk to you
about penises, didn't she?
Yes. You think that was kinda funny,
this lady you just met wanted to tell you things
like that?
Sort of. Kinda weird.
She told you she thought that Ray had touched you
on the penis, didn't she?
Yes. And you said no, didn't you?
Yes. Danny:
And she just kept askin' that
same old question, didn't she? Sean:
Yeah. And eventually, you said, "Well, yeah,
Ray touched me on the penis." Objection. Leading.
Judge:
Sustained. When you first talked
about this, Sean, you didn't remember
anybody taking pictures,
did you? No.
And then Mr. Stevens
helped you remember that Miss Virginia
took pictures.
Sean: Yes. Danny:
And so you said yes,
Virginia did. Sean: Yes.
Danny: And you did that
because you knew he wanted you
to say that, right?
Sean: Yes. Danny:
And you thought if you didn't,
it would make him sad, right? Sean:
Yeah. Danny:
You're telling the story
that Kee wants you to tell. Yes. Danny: And the story
that everybody talks
to you about this case would like you to tell.
Yes. Thanks, Sean. Thank you.
And thank you, Snoopy. Court will recess
for 15 minutes. (indistinct chatter) Sean, did anybody tell you
what to say when you
were in court? No. Now, when Mr. Davis
asked you if you were saying the things
that everybody wanted you
to say, you said yes. What did you mean by that? I said it because
I know they wanted me
to tell the truth, and I would
please them that way. Thank you, Sean. Witness will step down.
Court will recess.
(gavel bangs) Think we did it or not?
It's good, a good trial. Right.
And to really
make your day, during the recess,
one of the parents
tells the press, he's found porno pictures
of the kids. Oh, no. Oh, no!
But-- but he says
he can't produce them because, listen to this,
there are four cops on the Manhattan Beach
Police Department
involved in a sex ring. What? What?!
I don't know. Man:
You told millions
of people on television that Jim here
was part of a sex ring. Now say it in front of him. Okay, you said there
were pornographic pictures. Either you give them to me,
or I'll hold you in custody
until you do. There aren't any pictures,
are there? What the hell's
the matter with you? Jim here's got
high blood pressure at it is, without you
making up something like that. Why'd you do it? We got national coverage
for an important issue affecting the lives
of innocent children. Did you ever hear
the term "the end
justifies the means"? Okay, let's strip the bed,
and check out the pillow.
I got it. Take it all off.
Check it all out.
You got it. Okay. You're not supposed
to bring anything back
from court. It was just something
my mother made. She crocheted it for me. Okay, take your clothes off,
all of 'em. Hurry up. Hurry up. Hurry up! Give it to me. You have to go
over every cavity. Okay, now... Pull your ears
towards me. Shake your hair. Pull up your stomach. Okay. Now, bend over. Pull open your vagina. Cough.
(coughs) The reason for the coughing
is they like to bring things in
stuffed up their vaginas. Guard: You're kidding.
No. Like drugs, guns. You wouldn't believe
what you can fit up there. I had one once,
brought in six packs
of cigarettes. (laughs) Can I put on my clothes? What are you doing tonight?
I don't know. I thought I'd catch
the new Clint Eastwood movie.
How about you? I might shoot some pool. I want to go home. She wouldn't even
let Dad see her naked. I can't believe
they'd do that to her. Do we have to keep lugging
this school stuff around? Can't we get rid of it? This is the sixth time
we've had to move it. (sighs) Gram? (softly)
Gram? How can you smile?
Doesn't it make you bitter? Virginia:
Of course it does. But who says
I can't be bitter and still enjoy the sight
of little kids playing? (laughs) Woman:
Where did Peggy Ann touch you on your body?
On my dick. Woman:
Did you have
to touch Peggy Ann? Boy:
Yes.
Where? Boy:
On her boobs. Did you have to touch
any other part of her body besides her boobs?
Her puss. Did you see Ray do anything
to Peggy Ann? He would put his dick
in her puss. Woman:
Did you see Ray do anything
to the animals at school? Boy:
He would cut the ears
off the rabbits. Woman:
Did Ray say anything while he
was doing that to the rabbits? Boy:
He said it would happen
to our parents if we told any
of our secrets. Woman:
Did the teachers
take you any other place outside of the school?
To Harry's Market. Woman:
And what happened
when you got there? They took us
in this storage room and touched us on our dicks
and took pictures. Woman:
Did you go anyplace else
besides the market? To a church. Saint Cross Church. What happened at the church? Boy:
The took us
down the aisle, and on the altar
they put animals like birds and rabbits
and chopped them to pieces. Who is "they," Jonathan? I saw people
wearing black costumes with ropes around
their waists. And it would
look really scary. And sometimes they'd
have devil suits on. Woman:
Devil suits? Yeah. And we were forced
to drink rabbit blood. (all murmuring) Reporter:
The witness, a ten-year-old boy, gave perhaps the most
terrorizing testimony so far as he told
the court about... Did you hear what he said
in there? They'll kill us.
I know. Sacrifices in a church,
devils...
Just take it easy, Christine. Glenn, has Rubin
been telling Reiner
the problems we're having? I don't know.
Well, she told me
she would. I mean,
if she doesn't, I will. ...told a rapt courthouse
how he was forced to drink the blood
of a slaughtered rabbit. Satz on TV:
What did you think
of Brian's testimony? Do you think there
was actually Satanism...
Danny: This is unbelievable. ...at the McMartin school?
Can you believe this shit? I mean, sacrifices,
group sex, people walking
around in robes.
I mean, next they're gonna have some kid telling
about the guy they nailed
to a cross, or the virgin they sacrificed
on the altar.
This is getting scary. It's out of control.
Don't you think? Hon? Don't you think so?
I do. I think this
is out of control. I believe we may be dealing
with a nationwide conspiracy
of child predators who are operating
daycare centers
as a cover for child abuse. Reporter:
Satanism, devil worship is being practiced
all across the country. We have all types
of perversion. Reporter:
Is cannibalism
part of the rituals? The children have spoken
about this... Children were made
to chew pieces of these children's hearts. Pieces of their flesh. Reporter:
When parents begin
to realize these things are really happening,
and not just something
out of the Dark Ages, it'll be much more difficult
for these people to pull these things off.
(children shouting) When we hear
of ritual sacrifices, our reaction
is one of horrific avoidance. We say things like,
"This only happened
in the Middle Ages." It doesn't mean that children
are not telling the truth. (children shouting) Danny:
So where is your storage room? Man: I'll show you.
Danny: Oh. This is it? You can see the whole room
from the store. My cashier is over there. He can see everything
from the cash register. And it's always
been this way?
Always. (cash register dings) Glenn:
Is there any way what
he said could have happened? Priest:
Well, our doors
are always locked. We had a robbery
in the office one night and the police told us
that they wouldn't
give us any surveillance unless we kept
the doors locked. Could someone
have broken in? No. Not without the
treasurer or the secretary
or the accountant hearing it from the chapel. (vacuum whirring) (reporters clamoring) Could you hold
the door, please? (clamoring continues) Reporter:
Hold it! Virginia! Hold that right there. Are you sure you can ride
in the same elevator
as us, Mr. Satz? We might pull out a rabbit
and drink its blood, or take off our clothes
and dance around naked. Miss Buckey,
I don't make the news.
I just report it. How do you expect
anybody to know your side
if you won't tell them what you're feeling,
and that you're innocent? (elevator dings)
You wouldn't be interested
and you know it. All you want is Ray Buckey
trapped like an animal! No comment. Sorry, no comment. Virginia McMartin
flashed kids
from her wheelchair! Peggy Ann Buckey made
a three-year-old child
copulate her. You couldn't care less
about the truth! No more questions.
What were you thinking?
Don't you ever do that. Don't ever do that again!
Why not? This whole thing
is a farce. Nothing happened at school.
You know it, and he knows it! I'm sorry, no comment.
Somebody has to
be the voice of sanity. I like your witnesses. One of them recants, saying he was making it all up
so you wouldn't be sad. The other says he went
to Saint Cross Church and a rabbit
was killed on the altar and he had to drink its blood. What are you trying to do,
win your case or audition
for "Saturday Night Live"? Why in the hell
did you use them? Christine:
I'll answer that for Glenn. Because they're
the best witnesses we have. What about the tapes?
You have to see them
to believe them. What does that mean?
The kids don't have
to say anything. Kee McFarlane and Sandy Krebs
tell them everything. If they say they
weren't molested,
they say, "Well, everybody else
said you were,
so you must be wrong." And if they say they
were molested, say,
"Boy, you're really amazing." Rubin:
Well, what did you expect? The kids were just
gonna come out and say, "Hey, I was raped
and sodomized?" Especially after they
were threatened with harm to their parents? Reiner:
Let me ask a silly question. Why am I hearing this
for the first time? Didn't anybody look
at the evidence a long time ago? Yes, of course we did.
But when we filed the
charges, there wasn't time. There was just too much of it. We had to rely
on McFarlane's logs. Reiner:
Well, aren't they reliable?
No. They're not. What exactly do we
have going for us? We have a confession.
Man: Freeman. The guy who was
in the cell with Buckey.
Do you believe him? I don't bring forward witnesses
I don't believe in. I don't like snitches,
and neither do juries. They might not like them,
but they're impressed by them, even if it's only
on a subliminal basis. What about the medical evidence
that they were abused? We can't get any doctor
who is independent of C.I.I. to corroborate it. No one of stature. They say it's inconclusive. Reiner:
I want recommendations.
Stevens. Well, there... there
are problems with the case. But there are other
considerations, too.
Like the media. Please, leave them
out of it. I'm developing
a reasonable doubt on six. I say drop the charges
against the women. Are you serious?
They molested children! Reiner:
What about Buckey?
Can we get a conviction? Maybe.
Maybe? Christine:
He wasn't even at the school
when four of the children are saying he molested them. Glenn:
And the kids' stories
are changing. They said that they were taken
by the teachers to car washes, to mortuaries, to cemeteries. Flown in an airplane
to Palm Springs. Not one piece
of corroboration.
Not one person saw them. All right, look. This office
can do what it wants. As far as I'm concerned,
I don't intend to drop any of the charges
against any of the defendants. I think we have
a clear duty here. But we're not
even sure about Buckey. Look, look. Here is a guy
who abuses drugs, who flunked out of almost
every school he ever attended, who sits in this preschool
day after day with his genitals
exposed to these children. And there's something
even more significant.
What? Let me have
the picture, Glenn. This a picture of Buckey
at a pyramid convention. You see this woman here? She told investigators
she took him to a motel. The woman even paid the tab,
and Buckey couldn't get it up! What does that have to do
with molesting children? Put it together with the rest
of the evidence, Christine. Obviously, this is a man for whom normal sex
is not possible. He had to gratify himself
some way. Don't you think
this begins to add up? Maybe, but that doesn't
explain his mother,
his sister, his grandmother. The old woman
in the dark glasses?
Look, Glenn. You don't think that women
are capable of the same desires and the same aberrations as men? Philobosian. 208 counts. Do you think he over-fired? (laughter) Could be the election
had something to do with it. You think?
All right, all right. Look, just because
we're having some trouble
with some evidence, that doesn't make
these people suddenly innocent. Children don't lie
about this kind of thing. There is a smoking gun
out there! I know it! We've just gotta find it! Somebody is gonna get drunk
and confide in someone. Somebody is gonna attempt
suicide and leave a note. Somebody is gonna find
those pornographic pictures. That's all we need!
One picture! One! I'd like to say something. What is this about,
Mrs. McMartin?
Please be seated. You told my lawyer
that the county will no longer
agree to pay him his fee. I have no more money.
They took my school. I have nothing left. Mr. Brunen knew
what he was getting into when he took this case,
and he's been paid
a large sum of money. He will continue on
to the end of the hearing. I've never accepted
charity before,
and I don't intend to now. Then I'll get you
another attorney. I won't talk to him.
Mrs. McMartin, do you have
any knowledge of the law? I have something more important.
I know the children. I've had them all
sit on my lap. I think all of you
better take a course
in children. It's my decision Mr. Brunen
will continue on
as your counsel as to not interfere
with this hearing.
I will not, and I'll get up and walk out of this courtroom
if you insist!
Mrs. McMartin, you will remain in the courtroom!
Mom! You will have
to stay, ma'am.
Are you going to use force? Why don't you have a seat.
I will not have a seat. If you wish to use force,
do it. You're a little bigger
than I am. You are ordered to sit down or you will be cited
for contempt!
Danny: Please, Your Honor. Put me in jail!
Your Honor... I've been in your jail,
I know what terrible places
they are. Mom, you want to go to jail? You wouldn't be able
to stand it, you know it. Mrs.-- Mrs. McMartin!
You do not want to go
to jail! Please, Your Honor. I know how you feel,
but this is not the way. Don't make things worse
for your family, please. Gram? Just go ahead
and sit down. (phone rings) Yeah?
Judy:
Malcolm's butt is red again. Whoa. Who is this? Judy? What... what happened?
What? What? Is Malcolm okay? Judy:
He's all right for now. But the dog's behind
is red, too. And it's missing hair
there, too. Judy, are you trying to tell me that someone molested your dog? Judy:
Yes. I think it was the Marine.
He's been following me. He's going to kill us,
I know it!
Judy! What the hell
are you talking about? Did you ever read the note she
wrote describing what happened? "Malcolm was hurt by a lion. There was a baby,
the head was chopped open
and the brains were burned. Malcolm had to drink
the baby's blood." Did the defense
get this note? I assume Rubin
sent it over. Then we're off the hook,
'cause I sure as hell don't have time
to butt heads with her. Danny:
At the cemetery,
you were forced to dig up the bodies
of dead people? Yes. Danny:
And did the teachers
give the kids shovels to dig up the bodies?
Yes. Danny:
Permission to approach,
Your Honor. Now... these are pictures of some men
with numbers under them, right? Yes.
Look at these very carefully,
Aaron, and if you see any
of the men who went
with you to the cemetery, draw a circle
around their pictures
with the red pencil. Okay? Your Honor, I would like
to indicate, for the record,
that Aaron has identified city attorney James Hahn
and actor Chuck Norris. (murmuring)
Thank you. (theme music plays) Announcer:
This is ABC News Nightline. Reporting from Washington,
Ted Koppel. Joining us now,
live in our Los Angeles bureau,
is Daniel Davis, who is defense attorney
for Raymond Buckey, one of the defendants
in the McMartin case. Mr. Davis, I understand
that your first responsibility
is to your client and to come up
with the best defense
you possibly can for him. But it doesn't sound as though
you're taking any prisoners among your six
and seven-year-old witnesses. My client is in jail
at this moment without bail because of the statements
of these children. That's good. Koppel:
Is it necessary to be
quite that tough with them? Mr. Buckey is being held,
an innocent man without bail... Doesn't this frighten you?
What? You're getting to be
as much despised
as the McMartins. Maybe even more.
Thanks for sharing. Yeah, it frightens me.
This case is a nightmare. They got the train
on the tracks, it's rolling,
it's winning them votes and sound bites, but nobody's
willing to put on their brakes.
Of course it frightens me. Big train, fast track?
I mean, what, you make it
sound like it's so exciting! But it's not!
It's taking you nowhere! Why are you doing this?
Look, just get out
of this case. It's gonna cost you
your career.
Are you kidding? This case is why guys
go to law school. This case is about justice. Oh, come on.
(turns volume down) Give me a break.
Hey! I'm-- This case is just as scummy
as all the others,
even scummier! And, and you know what?
If you do win this case, you're just gonna encourage
child abusers to think
that they can get away with it. You know what?
You're just like
all the rest! You are so wrong,
it's pathetic! You know, you just say
the word "kids," and everybody
rushes to judgement. Hang 'em, fry 'em,
just string them up
by their fingernails. How come everybody in America
knows these people are guilty? What about the facts?
What about the fucking facts?! If you're so sure you're right,
then why are you yelling? Because I didn't grow up
with the advantages
you grew up with. Okay? I grew up in a slum
where everybody called
a spade a goddamn shovel. I'm not a club type of lawyer.
I'm just a hack. Yeah, and maybe I'm part
of what's fucking up the system, because the system is fucked up and everybody should
know about it. You know what's basically
at stake here? It's called the rule of law. And I happen to like it! Judy? Get off my land,
this is sacred property! Judy? It's me, Steve. What are you doin'
with that thing? Don't you touch my children! Don't you touch my babies! Or I'll kill you,
I'm Jesus Johnson. Doctor:
She pulled out a 12-gauge
shotgun on her brother because she thought he
was coming to kill her babies. All she talks about
is how the neighbors are trying
to sexually molest her kids. What is it?
Acute paranoid
schizophrenia. And the drinking
doesn't help. What do you mean,
the drinking? She's been an alcoholic
for years.
Didn't you know that? (moans) Judge:
We'll recess for a late lunch. Court will resume at 2:30. Bailiff:
Let's go. Come on.
See you after lunch. Time to go. We're gonna go
through each one... Come on. Let's go. All right, easy.
Come on. Okay, dear.
Bye, Mom. See you later.
See you tomorrow, dear. I'll be here, sweetheart.
I'll be here. Bailiff:
Come on. Don't forget
to take your medicine. Come on. Let's go.
Don't push me so fast. Come on. Let's go.
Please don't go so fast. (screams)
Peggy! Peggy Ann: Mom!
Virginia: Peggy! What are they doing?
They're not doing
anything to her! No, she's all right.
She just tripped. I saw it. I saw it. She's okay.
I don't trust you! I don't trust any of you!
She's gonna be okay. All I've heard are lies! Lies from the first day
in this courtroom! Calm down. She's fine. What's happened
to my daughter?
She just stumbled. Hey, Faye.
Hey! Can I buy you lunch?
Sure. We were just going
to that Greek place. They have pea soup today.
Okay. Uh... I can, uh... speak to you guys
off the record, right? Danny: Whammo! It's gotta be Glenn Stevens. He's the only one
in that office with enough guts. This is unbelievable. Whoa! Rubin: Are you really
naive enough to think that
a reporter would keep it off the record
that the DA's office
doubts its own case, Glenn? And you did it anonymously? Half the people
will think I did it! This thing's gonna
follow my career forever. How could you do it, Glenn? Why? Because I think
they're innocent. Don't you? Come on, Christine.
Didn't it get to you? What about what's right?
Wait a minute! Wait a minute! Where does this sanctimonious
tone come from, my friend? You don't know they're innocent.
You are a public prosecutor. Your job is to see
that justice gets served. For you to go behind
everybody's back like this is unethical
and cowardly, period! If it's any satisfaction to you,
I think you have sabotaged
this case beyond repair. Well, if it's
any satisfaction to you, I've sabotaged my career
beyond repair in order to do it. You'll have my resignation,
on your desk, in the morning. (door slams) (clamoring) Reporters:
Mr. Reiner! Mr. Reiner! I have been in conference
with my staff. We've all come
to the same conclusion. The evidence against five
in this case is so incredibly weak,
it does not go beyond
mere accusation. (reporters clamoring) Reiner on TV:
We are dropping charges against five of the defendants
in the McMartin case. Yes!
Reiner:
On the other hand, we have clear
and convincing evidence that Ray Buckey
molested children. (reporters clamoring) Reiner:
There is equally clear and equally convincing evidence that his mother, Peggy Buckey,
was also involved. Thank you.
(reporters clamoring) Well, he let five go.
That's somethin'. You gotta give him credit
for that.
Yeah, for what? Tryin' to have it both ways?
He knows he can't get a conviction with all seven,
but he can't let 'em go. He knows that Ray and Peggy
have been kept in jail all this time
without bail on his watch! He's just looking for scapegoats
to cover his ass. Reporter:
There is furious
reaction tonight against the prosecution's
latest move in the case that helped
center national attention
on the problems... I'd like Ira Reiner
to go to the 300 victims and explain why these people
who have hurt them
are allowed to go free. Look... Look, look.
I would never get involved
in any vigilante activity, but I wouldn't want to be one
of these defendants
walking the streets... Where's Wayne Satz these days,
now that some of the shoes
are on the other foot? Man:
...in our preschools
are molesting our kids! That's a good question,
you know. (knock on door)
Woman:
Come in. (phone rings) Thank you. Hello? Man on phone:
Hello. This is long distance
for Wayne Satz. Just a minute, please.
Honey! Yeah?
It's for you,
long distance. Man on phone:
Who is this? Is this Kee?
Who is it? Who's calling? Man on phone:
It's Chris Woodyard
of The Examiner. Is Wayne there?
It's Chris Woodyard
of The Examiner. Chris: Hello?
What'd you answer
the phone for? Chris:
Anybody there? Hello? Chris.
Chris:
Wayne? Hi. (dings) Hi. What's up? Man:
Been getting a little help
from "Deep Throat," Wayne? What are you talkin' about?
The "puppet lady." How long have you
been living with her? What?
Conflict of interest. Fucking the source
of a story. How long
have you been doing it? No wonder you've gotten
so many exclusives, eh? Now, I'm proud of my work
on this case. I won a Peabody and two
Golden Mic awards for it. So just maybe jealousy
might be a motive here. Huh? Please!
You're a piece of shit, Wayne. You're the reason
people hate the press. We are gonna nail
your ass so bad-- You try it.
But you be careful
what you put on the air. I'm not only a reporter,
I'm a lawyer, too, and there
are laws about these things. You can't just say anything
you like on TV, you know? (reporters clamoring) Danny: I don't think you
have anything to worry about.
I think it'll be fair. Just tell it like it is.
Tell the truth. Everything will be okay. I don't know why
I agreed to do this. You look nice. She looks pretty,
doesn't she? You look really nice.
Mmm-hmmm. Oh, yeah. Come on.
You look good. Announcer:
This is "60 Minutes." Well, during the time
that I was in jail, the custody of my children
was taken away from me. They were taken from the school
that we've placed them in. They were arrested. (sighs)
I don't know for what. At that time,
my son was eight. Along with everyone else, I lost every material possession
I ever had. I lost all my
teaching credentials, which I had gone six years
of college to get. In this country,
if you're accused,
you're guilty. God help you if you've
got to prove you're innocent. Fuckin' A, right.
That's the way we've been
treated from the first day. Know who should
be made to watch this?
Ira Reiner. I could talk all day long...
Ira Reiner should
be made to watch this. You gonna
get him on camera? Virginia McMartin,
Betty Raidor, Mary Ann Jackson, Peggy Ann Buckey,
their homes, their money,
their honor. Everything gone.
Deserved? No, of course not. So who do these people go to,
to get their money back and their life back?
The county? Your predecessor?
Children's Institute
International? That's not the sort of question
I should be getting into. Do you think you can get him
to grant bail for Peggy? God, I hope so.
She's 62 years old. They've kept her
for 18 months
without a trial. It's unbelievable.
The trial itself will take
another year and a half. They can't let this happen.
It'll be a scandal. That's all? This is it. Leave it here. I'll see what I can do. Peggy Ann:
You always used
to love to come here. No. Peggy,
I wanna go home. No. Mom, not back
to that little apartment. Not yet. Please. You haven't been outdoors
once since you got out. Please. I promise,
there's nothing
here to hurt you. Okay? Come on. We'll just take
a little walk. Okay? There's nothin'
to be afraid of. It's just us.
I know. Peggy:
I know. I know. No, there's nothing
to be afraid of. But I... I am afraid.
I'm so afraid. I'm afraid they'll come
in the middle of the night again and arrest me. I mean, I know
I've done nothing wrong. Why is this happening then? It feels like God
is punishing me for something. All I've ever known
is teaching children, and I can never do that again. Everything is... lost. (chuckles sadly)
And you... your youth. You never smile anymore
like you used to. And Ray. Ray... Ray's still in there.
I mean, how can he endure it? He will endure it. You did. Yeah.
We all will. (children laughing) Come on. Danny! Danny! Danny! Wait! Look! Look!
Look! I got somethin'! Look! Look!
You gotta see this! Uh, I think it
was September 21st... Danny, look at this!
Superior Court 1962. I mean, right now.
Look. Look. It came my way last night. Where'd you get this?
Stevens? Holy shit. Mr. Davis, can I help you?
No. Sir. The Judy Johnson discovery. Would we have a trial if I
had this to present in court?! Don't walk in here
without an appointment. I don't fucking think so!
And you don't swear at me. Judy Johnson.
Who the hell... You knew she was nuts! She's the main accuser
in your case, and you knew she
was a fucking banana! Do not shout at me.
Who the hell
do you think you are?! Why didn't
I get this before?! Who do you think you're
talking to here, Mr. Davis? Are you expecting me
to be personally responsible for every piece of evidence
that comes down the pike?
Yes, I am! It was not my job
to get it to you.
It is your job! You received a summary!
You could have followed up! Bullshit!
Why don't you take care
of your side of this?! Bullshit! Your back's
against the wall
and you know it. Why didn't you file charges
against Judy Johnson's husband? She accused him
of molesting Malcolm. The same woman
who accused my clients! You don't see a problem
that I didn't get to see this? Yes, I see a problem.
Thank you. It's not my problem.
It is your problem. I don't know why you
didn't get it. As for Judy Johnson,
she only accused her husband after she became unstable. She became unstable
after what happened
to her son. After damages inflicted
on him by your client!
Wow. Who are you?
Where did you come from? Did you read this thing?! Did you?! You didn't press charges
against Judy Johnson's husband because you didn't want it
to mess up your nice, neat witch hunt
against my clients! Fine! You know what I'm
gonna do about this? I'm going to the judge. I'm gonna ask him
to recuse you and the entire
district attorney's office for prosecutorial misconduct! Judge:
I have seldom seen
anything as explosive as this handwritten letter
from Judy Johnson that was allegedly not passed
onto the defense. The prosecution maintains
that they only sent over a typed-written summary
of this evidence earlier because they were overwhelmed by the sheer volume
of the material. I accept this explanation, and am therefore going
to dismiss the charges of prosecutorial misconduct. However, the court does
grant the defense's request to examine Mrs. Johnson. Clearly,
she is a crucial witness. (police radio chatter) Roger. We're at location. Over. Rubin:
Everyday she heard herself
being ridiculed and ripped apart
by Mr. Davis on the news. I would hope
the defense attorneys are now beginning
to regret their comments. Danny:
There's nothing beneath
the prosecution, is there? The body's not even cold yet. Rubin:
How do you think she felt reading everyday
in the newspapers that this case was spawned
by a madwoman? (all clamoring)
It is... It is... it is commendable
of the prosecution to have such compassion
for Mrs. Johnson
now that she's dead. Reporter: But did they know it?
But they knew
from the beginning that she was mentally ill.
But they did not
suggest she be helped, because they were afraid
the defense might
find out about it. (reporters clamoring)
Thanks... Thanks to the defense, this woman has suffered
more in a few weeks than most of us
suffer in a lifetime. Danny: Not as much as...
And... and... and I tell you, there but for the grace of God,
go you and I. (reporters clamoring)
Reporter:
Police investigators say they believe
Judy Johnson's death was a result of
an accidental alcohol overdose. Mrs. Johnson was a key figure
in the McMartin case, and it was her allegations
that lead to the first charges being filed
against Raymond Buckey... Ta-da! I know you like to think
of yourself as an athlete, so let's see how many miles
you can ride
on this thing everyday. Judy Johnson's dead. I know, Ray.
And it's too bad. But we don't need her.
Thanks, boys. We don't need her?
She was the whole case. Thanks.
Now she's dead. I can't take this anymore,
Danny.
You're gonna have to. Every night, I lie in my bed
in that tiny little cell and my mind whirls
around and around. Why shouldn't I just put
a plastic bag over my head, or slit my wrists,
or have someone else jam a shank through my ear?
What am I hangin' around for? To listen to these kids rip
the skin off of me? Watch my family
get humiliated? Watch them
lose everything they had? They hate me, Danny!
I'm like Freddy Krueger
to these people! (guard tapping on window)
I'm Charles Manson! I mean, they use my name
to scare their little kids before they go to sleep! You're right. I'll never lie to you, Ray. They do hate you. But we're gonna make them
hate someone else. We're gonna make the jury
hate someone else. What are you talkin' about?
Lael Rubin. What do you think your case
is gonna be, Ray? I'll tell ya.
She's gonna make a big deal out of the fact
that you had a picture
from a skin magazine as proof
that you molest children. She's gonna show
that you're a bad guy because sometimes you forget
to wear your BVDs. She's gonna make the fact
that you aren't chasing everything in a skirt
prove that you are
chasin' five-year-olds. What do you think
is gonna happen when
she shows up in court with this flimsy rag
of a case? Everyone is gonna see
the emperor's new clothes. They're gonna see through
the innuendos and the bullshit
and the stories. And they're gonna see
that if somebody is on trial for screwing people, maybe it shouldn't
be Ray Buckey. Okay? Now, son, I want you
to get your ass on this bike and see how many miles
you can clock. Or you can let
Lael Rubin and Kee McFarlane dance all over your grave! Ta-da! Come on, son. Reporter:
Today, nearly four years
after the first arrest in the McMartin Preschool
molestation case, defendants Raymond Buckey,
and his mother,
Peggy McMartin Buckey, will finally go on trial
before a jury of eight men
and four women. Rubin:
Mr. Freeman, did Raymond
Buckey confess to you that he had sex with children? He said he sexually
assaulted children. Will you tell us
the words he used?
You want me to? Yes. Well, he said he, uh,
he fucked a two-year-old boy
in the butt. (courtroom murmuring) Did the defendant say
what he used when he "fucked this
two-year-old boy,"
to use his words? Freeman:
He said he usually
used baby oil and K-Y Jelly. Rubin:
Mm-hm. Did the defendant
say that anything happened when he used the K-Y
or the baby oil? Freeman:
Yeah. He said if he didn't
use baby oil that, uh, the boy bled. Ah, Mr. Davis. It seems
we have a bit of a problem. What is that, Your Honor? I wanted us to meet
because I think Mr. Freeman
should have an attorney. He told me that he committed
perjury in other cases. When did he tell you this?
Three weeks ago. You're telling me that
you knew before Freeman
got on the stand that he'd perjured himself, and you let him testify
without informing the court?! To be honest with you,
I hadn't considered the fact that he might need
an attorney until now.
(scoffs) You know we face
giving him immunity
or calling a mistrial? Both: Call a mistrial!
You can't let this happen. Do you know how much the state
has spent on this case so far? I don't give a damn
how much it cost! It's a mistrial!
This is outrageous! You may not give a damn,
but I do and the people
of Los Angeles do. Your Honor...
It is my view
that Mr. Freeman must testify. And the only way to do that
is through immunity. Miss Rubin
planned this all along. Judge:
Mr. Davis,
my ruling will stand. So, when Freeman came
to you with his problem,
what'd you say? "Don't worry, George, get your
garbage in. I'll protect ya"? I said nothing of the kind. And let's not
go public with this, please. The district attorney's office
and the judge are sayin'
to George Freeman, "Go ahead, lie.
Perjure yourself.
You won't be prosecuted." But there's one thing they
cannot grant him immunity on,
and that is murder! Reporter:
Murder? George Freeman
committed a murder? Why wasn't he indicted?
Why not? Why do you think he
wasn't indicted? Are you suggesting
a deal was made
not to indict Freeman if he agreed to testify
against Ray Buckey? I'm not suggesting anything.
You draw your own conclusions. But George Freeman
is the prosecution's
super-duper, whopper jumbo
cheeseburger deluxe
with extra special sauce! Now, either you swallow it,
or you have a delicate stomach and it smells bad,
you don't go near it. It doesn't make any difference
because before this is over, I am gonna convict
George Freeman
of that murder! Thank you.
No more questions.
(all clamoring) You don't have anything
on this murder, do you?
Not a thing, are you kiddin'? The star witness
in the McMartin molestation
trial, George Freeman, was arrested this morning
when he failed
to show up in court. Sheriff's deputies
tracked Freeman down here, to his sister's house
in the San Fernando Valley, where he had gone into hiding. They found him squatting
behind a number of boxes
in the garage. He surrendered to the deputies
without incident, and is expected to appear
in court tomorrow morning. Danny:
You're upset with me,
aren't you? You know I am.
Did it disturb you,
what I said about getting you
convicted of murder?
I don't care. Mr. Freeman,
have you ever been convicted of what might be called
"willful cruelty to children"? Yeah.
Isn't it true
that you once tied up your
mother and sister, burglarized other parts
of the house, and left them tied up? Only God would know, right? Right. Mr. Freeman, do you have any credibility,
in your own opinion? No. Well, that's all.
Thank you. Danny:
Did you appear on a program
in which Wayne Satz announced that 60 children
were making allegations
against Raymond Buckey before the case had even gone
before the grand jury? I believe I did. Danny: Didn't it concern you
that you might be compromising the investigation
of the case? Yes, it did,
and I was very upset by it. And I told Mr. Satz so. You were so upset about it
that you moved in with him.
Is that right? Objection, Your Honor.
Miss McFarlane's
intimate relations are not an issue
in this trial.
Sustained. Do you think you're qualified
to judge whether a child
has been molested or not? Objection! Miss McFarlane
is not on trial here, even if Mr. Davis would
like to put her on trial. Danny:
What is Miss Rubin afraid of? Miss McFarlane was touted
by the DA's office as their expert witness,
going around the country
giving speeches. What's happened all of
a sudden? Are you afraid
she won't pass muster? Objection overruled. Thank you, Your Honor.
Answer the question, please. Do you think
you're qualified? Since I've spent the majority
of my professional life devoted to the subject,
I think so, yes. What is your educational
background as far
as diagnosing children? I have a Master's Degree
in social work from
the University of Maryland. Did the curriculum include
any study in child abuse?
Yes. Oh. What portion
dealt with that? Well, it's a liberal arts
program with psychology, sociology, and those
basic courses cover children. Well, have you ever
treated children
in the psychiatric sense? I don't understand
what you mean. You know what psychiatric is.
Have you ever heard of that?
Psychiatric? Objection. Would you
instruct Mr. Davis to stop harassing the witness? I think if this witness
doesn't know what
psychiatric means, and she has presented
herself as an expert, then the court ought to know
about that. Don't you think? Objection overruled.
Thank you, Your Honor. Answer the question, please.
Have you ever treated children in a psychiatric sense?
No. How have you treated them? I've treated them
as a social worker. You worked in Maryland
and New Jersey and California.
Is that right? Yes.
Were you licensed
in New Jersey or Maryland? Not licensed. Are you licensed
in California?
No. You are not licensed
to work as a therapist or a social worker
in any state, are you? That's correct.
Danny: Thank you. Where'd you learn
these techniques that you
used with these children? Kee:
From working with families
and attending virtually every conference
on child abuse in the country. I don't know of any library
that's more extensive
than my own on the subject. Permission to approach
the witness, Your Honor. And I would like to mark into
evidence defense exhibits... KK-LL.
KK-LL. Your Honor. Thank you. You use dolls like these?
Yes. Why? Kee:
To familiarize the children
with their body parts so they're able
to talk about it. It's very difficult for them
to say the words. Some of them aren't
even able to articulate
what's happened to them. How do you know anything
happened to them?
I made a determination. Some of them were in your
office only a few minutes before you undressed
these dolls.
How could you tell? By the way they were acting. By their not wanting
to talk about it. Did it ever occur to you
that they didn't talk about it because nothing happened?
Something happened
to them, Mr. Davis. You used different dolls
to represent the teachers,
did you not? Yes.
Did you choose black dolls to represent Raymond Buckey,
Miss McFarlane? The children pick the dolls. Your Honor, I would like
to present into evidence sections of the video tape
made by Miss McFarlane
of the children. Thank you. Thank you. Kee on video:
Under their dresses
they have bloomers. And the little boys have,
guess what, down here? A real looking penis. Now, which doll do you think would be good for Ray?
Girl:
I don't know. Okay, how about...
this one. Okay? What I like is their hair. Even though it doesn't really
look like real hair. Does it? Girl:
It's fuzzy. Look! He's got a little hair on his great big ugly penis! Were you trying to teach these
children a little
bit of racism? I don't associate
the use of dolls
of different color with racism. You weren't tryin'
to make them think that Ray Buckey
was a bad man, were you? I don't perceive a black doll
as inherently having
a negative characteristic. How about when you remove
the doll's pants and add, "Oh, he has hair
on his great, "big, ugly penis?" I commented
about all of the dolls. I was trying to let them know
I was the kind of person
they could say anything to. And who is this? Miss Peggy.
Miss Peggy. Now, doesn't she have
funny looking boobies? Look at these little
hard things that stick out. Have you ever seen boobies
with these lines in them? Some of the kids
at school told me that
her real name is Miss Piggy, 'cause she's kinda fat.
Is that true? Why do you call her Miss Piggy
instead of Miss Peggy? What do you mean
when you talk about
her boobs with lines? I don't think you
understand how frightened
these children were. An attempt to jog
their memories, sort out
which teacher was which. All right, Mr. Monkey,
are you gonna be stupid or are you gonna be smart
and help us out here? 'Cause some people
think you're stupid,
Mr. Monkey. Well, I'll be smart.
You will? Mmm-hmm.
Okay. Monkey's a chicken, and he can't remember
any of the naked games. But we think that we know
a game that Mr. Monkey
remembers. It's the naked
movie star game. Do you remember that game?
Or is your memory too bad? Danny:
You told Sam
that he was stupid, and that he was a chicken, and that his memory
was too bad.
Is that right? I was talking
to the puppet. You don't think little Sam
thought you were
calling him dumb? If I believed that, Mr. Davis,
I wouldn't have said it. Now what the other kids did
is they took this doll of Ray and they started...
like that. (banging) Wanna punch him
like the other kids did? Go ahead. That's it.
(banging) Good for you.
Good for you. You wanna punch him?
Go ahead. Why did you encourage her
to beat the doll that was supposed
to represent Ray? Don't you think
this kind of thing leads the children
to believe that he
was a bad man? Not at all.
It was therapy. It's best that they let
their anger out, rather than keeping it
bottled up inside
of themselves for years. It can become a time bomb
if it's repressed. Sandra Krebs, your assistant.
You taught her your
technique. Did you not? Yes, I did.
And she was initially employed as your video camera operator,
was she not? You seem to give
a great priority to formal
education, Mr. Davis. Miss McFarlane, this was,
in your words, "One of the biggest
molestation cases "in the history of the world." Why didn't you hire
the most experienced
person you could get? Because some of them
wouldn't have had the courage
to do what had to be done. What courage was that?
Simply to find
out the truth. Remember all the times your mom asked you
if anything happened? 159 times. I know what we'll do. We tried this
with another little girl. Here's Big Bird. Now, what this
little girl did was she squeaked once for no
and twice for yes.
(toy squeaks) Can you do that? Once for no
and twice for yes. When Jennifer
was touched at the school, was it a hand
that touched her? (squeaks once)
No. No.
Did Ray sometimes do yucky
things to some of the kids? (squeaks once)
No. Sometimes people we like
can touch kids in places that
are uncomfortable and scary. Did you know that Ray
did that to some of the kids? (squeaks once)
Danny, Kee: No. We don't want
to hear any more, "No's." No, no, no, no, no! You told this child's parents
that she was molested,
did you not? We said she was in denial.
Did the parents
see all of the tapes? I beg your pardon?
Did they see all
of the tapes, Miss McFarlane? No. We were interviewing
400 children and more
were calling all the time. So all you had to do
was press fast-forward
on the VCR, and you had at your fingertips
each child saying
whether or not he or she had been molested,
is that correct? You give me too much credit,
Mr. Davis. The very idea that after
an hour or two with me,
a child would say he was molested even
if he wasn't makes me out to be
some sort of genius. Children... between three and six can be very easily tricked. They are at this developmental
stage of magical thinking. It is very easy
to intimidate them. You did make that statement,
didn't you, Miss McFarlane? I knew what would happen
when I put myself on the line
with these tapes. I knew people like you
would pick apart every word,
every inflection. But somebody had to do it,
Mr. Davis, so the children
could tell the truth. The truth?
Was what you got the truth? What are you trying
to suggest? I would deliberately plant
false ideas in their heads? Is what why you think
I entered into all of this? No, I think you entered
into all of this
for a very noble reason: to help children
that you honestly thought
had been traumatized, and maybe spare them
going through another trauma
in this very courtroom. But I also believe
that you must have known what a dangerous technique
this was, highly suggestive, a technique that was meant
to be used where abuse
was already
an established fact. And yet, in this case,
there was no such evidence
that abuse had occurred. And you went ahead and used
this technique anyway. And this technique
became the evidence. That's ridiculous.
Of course there was abuse. The children told me,
I heard them, and you
and the entire justice system are trying to stop them
from telling the truth. Well, I don't blame you
for not wanting to face
reality, Miss McFarlane. Because the reality is this: You didn't listen
to these children. You closed your ears
to the truth that they were so desperately
trying to tell you. You ended up implanting
instead in their fertile
imaginations a memory of something
that never happened. Why would I do that?
Well, I don't know why,
Miss McFarlane, I do know that Mr. Satz
came along, didn't he? And then you suddenly
became the Joan of Arc
of the children's movement. Your Honor...
You were the champion
of children's rights, their savior.
Judge:
Mr. Davis! Maybe it all went
to your head. Maybe the power trip
was too much to resist. Rubin:
Your Honor...
What power trip? Mr. Davis...
A halo around your head. On Oprah every afternoon
at 3:00. You were on a role,
weren't you? Your Honor, objection!
Judge:
Mr. Davis! That's enough.
Objection sustained. Thank you, Your Honor.
I have no more questions. Reporter:
Raymond Buckey has now
spent five years in jail without bail, a new record
in California history which has generated criticism
in legal circles. But today,
in a major defense victory, Judge Pounders
has granted him that bail and placed him in the custody
of his attorney, Daniel Davis. (reporters clamoring) How does it feel to be out?
Ray! Ray! Come on, Ray, speak! (clamoring continues) Danny: Come on, Mr. Buckey.
You know you're a pedophile. You can't cut it
with anyone but children because you can make them
do anything you want. Please answer the question,
Mr. Buckey!
Stop it! Stop it! I can't take this anymore.
All right, all right.
Cool down. This is the kinda crap
that they're gonna keep shoveling at you
all day long tomorrow. And you've got to look
every one of those jurors
in the eye, Ray. You keep lookin' away
from 'em. I need you to connect
with every single one of them. I can't do that.
Why not?
What are you afraid of? I just spent the last
five years in jail.
All right, here we go. I don't know how
to behave anymore. I mean, here's this woman
who tells lies about me and puts my mother
behind bars and then rips the skin
off me every chance she gets. How do I know I'm not
just gonna jump out of
the witness box and strangle her
or burst into tears? Because that's exactly
what she wants you to do. Okay, you told me
what you're afraid of. You wanna know
what I'm afraid of? I'm afraid... that I'm just
a back alley lawyer. I represent drug dealers
and scumbags for a living. I'm afraid Lael Rubin
and Ira Reiner and the entire DA's department
is just gonna eat me alive. But I've got one thing
they haven't got, Ray. I've got you. And the only thing
you've got... is me. So tomorrow,
I'm gonna swallow my fear and I'm gonna get up there
and I'm gonna fight 'em. And you're gonna
tell them something they haven't heard
in that courtroom yet
in this trial, Ray. You're gonna
tell them the truth. And the jury is either
gonna believe us
or they aren't, son. If they believe us, Ray, you're gonna be a free man. And if they don't...
Yeah. You understand?
I understand. Mr. Buckey, you've heard
all these children... Rubin:
...accuse you
of sodomizing them, of killing animals, of threatening
to kill their parents
if they told anyone. Were all these children lying? No. Not all of them.
What do you mean,
not all of them? Well, I think some
of the children were lead to believe
these things happened. Permission to approach,
Your Honor?
Judge: Granted. Do you recognize
these pictures? What's the matter?
You afraid of them? Look at them.
Pick them up. Will you tell
the jury what's
on the first one, please? It's a picture of a man
giving oral sex to a woman. Why did you keep it? Self gratification. You masturbated with them,
did you not? Will you tell the jury
how you did that, please? What do you mean?
Isn't it true
that you pasted this to the window
of your apartment
and masturbated on the bed in a position where people
in the street could
see you as they walk by? No, that's not true.
That's not what two
of your neighbors said. You can't see into
my bedroom from the street. You think a person
who does this
should work at a preschool? I don't think it has anything
to do with the preschool. Then why did you tear this up
when the police came? Why did you flush it
down the toilet? I was afraid of what they
might make out of it. What might they
make out of it? What you're trying
to make out of it now. Isn't it true that you
regularly sat facing
the wading pool at the preschool
in your shorts
without any underwear with your genitals
exposed to the children? No. That isn't true.
I didn't wear underwear, but my shorts came
halfway down my thighs. You're a normal heterosexual
typical young man.
Is that true, Mr. Buckey? I don't know if there
is such a thing, Miss Rubin. Isn't it true that the only
gratification you have
ever had or ever will have
is with these children,
Mr. Buckey? That you are incapable
of having satisfactory sex
with a grown woman? (sighs) I may have done some
stupid things in my life. And I am far from perfect,
but I have never
had sex with a child. I've never hurt a child. And I have had
satisfactory sex with
a grown woman, Miss Rubin. Mmm-hmm. Do you have an interest
in pyramids, Mr. Buckey? Danny:
Objection. Irrelevant.
Judge: Overruled. What are pyramids? They're supposed
to have a positive effect on living things. It helps you sleep
if you put one over your bed.
It's just a fad. Did you fly to a convention
where pyramids were sold? Objection. Your Honor,
I think we better approach,
if we may, please? Very well. Your Honor, I must object. Miss Rubin is trying
to convert pyramids into pentagrams and turn
my client into Dracula. You categorize Peggy Buckey
as a caring teacher. Would a caring person allow
somebody who abuses drugs and flies off
to pyramid conventions
to work at her school? Objection overruled.
Continue. Permission to approach,
Your Honor?
Granted. Is this a picture of you
at a convention
holding a pyramid? Yes.
You see the woman
on the right-hand side of the photograph? Ray:
Yes. Danny:
Who is Diana Sullivan? (sighs)
I told you about her. We had an affair. She told two investigators
otherwise. I don't see what it matters
whether or not I slept
with her. Well, I think the DA
is gonna bring her here and get her to tell the jury
that you don't
have sex with women. And it's going
to hurt us, Ray. I don't think she'll do that.
Oh, really? Why is that? Because, what, you've
become a secret stud
all of a sudden? Ray? I just...
I don't think she'll do that. Ms. Sullivan, did you
ever tell someone in 1984 that you had never had sex
with Raymond Buckey?
Yes. Who was it?
My fiancee. And to the investigators that
interviewed me
seven years ago. And why did you
tell them that? Because I wanted to protect
my reputation and my marriage. And in the last few weeks,
did some people associated
with Miss Rubin's office come and visit you
at your home in Montana? Yes. Danny: Would you tell us
what they did, please? They wanted to speak
to me about my testimony. They questioned me
in front of my children. My kids thought
I was gonna go to jail. What did they want? They wanted assurances
that I would testify that I never had sex
with Mr. Buckey. Danny:
And did you and Raymond Buckey
in fact have sexual relations? Yes.
Danny:
Thank you. That's all. Would you describe yourself
as promiscuous? No. I really don't think so. Have you been enjoying
the publicity you've been getting
from this trial? No. I know my children
are gonna read about it
in the paper. Did you have any difficulty
having sex with Mr. Buckey?
How do you mean, difficult? Was it necessary
to orally copulate Mr. Buckey in order to have sex
with him? No. Rubin:
Didn't you tell that
to investigators? No, I did not.
Rubin: Are you sure? It's not the language
I would have used. What language would you
have used, Ms. Sullivan? I would have said... head.
(laughter) This is Mr. Buckey's
seventh day on the stand. Miss Rubin has gotten
the allegedly most notorious
child molester in history to reveal that he
did not wear underwear, that he smoked marijuana,
that he believed
in pyramid power, and was a virgin until 24. But there seems
to be little connection
to the case that claimed... Rubin: Thank you.
...400 child molestations and launched
nationwide hysteria. Rubin: Were these items
found in your room,
Mr. Buckey? Ray: Yes. You've been interested
in pornography for
a long time. Haven't you?
How old were you
when you drew this picture? I was about 11.
Don't you think this
is rather sophisticated for a boy that age?
I used to pick up "Playboy"
magazines and copy from those. You drew pubic hair there,
didn't you? I drew nipples there too, see? Let's talk
about pyramids again. Are these your books?
Yes. You think it's normal
for a man your age to believe in pyramids? Well, I...
I laugh about it now. You laugh about it now,
but you weren't laughing
about it then. No, I... I guess I wasn't. You see an item on this table
called a Raydome? Yeah. But that's just
what it's called.
It has nothing to do with me. That's not what I asked you. Isn't it true that a Raydome
is supposed to have 40 times the effectiveness
of a regular pyramid? Objection, Your Honor.
It calls for speculation as to the wattage
of the Raydome. (laughter) Danny:
Are these delightful
items yours, Mr. Buckey? Ray: No.
Whose are they? They're my sister's.
Who bought them for her? Her boyfriend's father,
as a joke. Is this your
doll collection?
No. Whose is it?
It's my mother's. She kept them
for her nieces to play with. Now... what is this? It's a pyramid hat. A pyramid hat. (laughter) Like this? It's, uh... it's backwards. Oh.
(laughter) Mr. Buckey, is it possible
that pyramid power drove you to molest children? No.
Is it possible that pyramid
power blanked out your mind so you forgot horrible events
like molesting children? No.
Is it possible... you never molested
children at all?
Yes. Look the jury in the eye,
and answer this question. Danny:
Did you ever molest a child? No. Feel like working out? The jury came in. What, you just heard? No, I heard last night. They're reading the verdict,
uh, at the opening
of session this morning. They're hung
on 13 counts, Ray. Is that good or bad? Your mother's charged
with 13 counts. So if they're hung on her... it's not so good
for you, is it? Could be just a coincidence. And it's not
the end of everything. I can keep you out on bail,
I think. We'll appeal. We have grounds for appeal,
I think. I'm sorry, Ray. I never thought 12 people
would believe this. I wasn't good enough.
Oh, hey. You did your best. You know, you did
the best you could. I always knew this
was the way it was gonna go. I'll survive. Judge:
You have reached 52 verdicts? Juror:
We have, Your Honor. Judge:
If you'll present those forms to the bailiff,
the court will read
the verdict. The clerk will
read the verdict. In the case of the People
of the State of California versus Raymond Buckey
and Peggy McMartin Buckey, we the jury
in the above entitled action
find the defendants, Peggy McMartin Buckey
and Raymond Charles Buckey, not guilty...
All: Oh! as charged with lewd acts
with children under the age of 14
in violation of Penal Code Section 288-A, Felony. Oh, my God. Judge:
Is this your verdict? Juror:
Yes, Your Honor. Judge:
So say one, so say you all? Juror:
Yes, Your Honor. Judge:
Does the prosecution wish
to have the jury polled? I should like to thank
the members of the jury for your participation
in this most important case. (all clamoring) Oh, my baby! Oh! (all clamoring) Thank you! Thank you!
Thank you! We are! We're very happy. It's over!
I used to watch you, wondering
what you must be thinking. How hard it was on you.
I saw you wipe away a tear
once in a while, but it didn't
happen very often. We read your mother's diary. That school was your life.
You loved kids, and we could all see that.
I'm not bitter. I was raised not
to be bitter. We... We lost everything. We don't have anything! Mama! (sobbing)
We don't have anything! Do you think they'll
try your client again
on the hung 13 counts? If they put those children
through this again, it will be the biggest
molestation of all. I think everyone agrees that
justice was done here at last. Today we're investigating
McMartin outrage. What went wrong? Does it spell the doom
of child abuse cases? Man:
I could not do
what the jury had done. The justice system
may have been served today,
but justice was not. Wake up, America.
This is your wakeup call. Geraldo:
Despite the shocking
and painfully... There are some really upset
and angry parents here. We have a network
of parents all over America. These charges
will be filed again. Feelings are running
very high in the courthouse. This doesn't diminish
what those children
have lived through or will have to face
for the rest of their lives. Female reporter:
...and who hoodwinked
our legal system. We have reached a decision
to have a second trial
on the McMartin case. (groaning, murmuring) We're glad you could come. We'd like to talk to you
about something I think
you'll be happy about. Where's Rubin?
Man:
She is no longer on the case. She asked to be reassigned
to Santa Monica. It couldn't have
anything to do with
"The New York Times" calling some
of her behavior "sleazy" and some of her remarks,
"unprofessional," could it? Let's get
to the business at hand. We'd like to spare the county
the expense of going
through this thing again. Enough money has been spent.
So here's...
You looked at the tapes. You finally looked
at the tapes, didn't you? (laughs) Now, we haven't
spoken to Reiner about this, we'd have to make a hard sell,
you understand...
That's bullshit. Okay? We wouldn't all be sitting
here if you hadn't already
talked to Reiner. He's running
for Attorney General. All you need is to lose again, and you're lookin'
for a way out. So, what's the deal? I'll tell you
where I'm coming from. I would personally urge Reiner
to accept a nolo plea. (sighs) Hmm... Let me run it by my client. You don't have
to plead guilty.
Okay? So you can just say that you're takin'
the deal because it's
too good to turn down. You take one count
on each child
and that's it. No time. Doesn't that mean
I'm saying I'm guilty? No. It means you're saying,
"I'm taking the deal "because it's too good
to turn down." That's it? That's all? And you have to register
with the police. Register as what? That you're a sex offender. You wanna go up
and take this crapshoot again? I'm sure as hell not gonna let
them win without
going to trial. Trial? A trial. We can't go
through another trial, Ray,
and you know it. You speak for yourself!
Don't even think about it. I'm tired, I'm exhausted
and I'm burned out! And you can't take anymore. I remember you were gonna
put a shiv through your ear. You were gonna hang yourself
with your shoe laces
in your jail cell. Yeah, yeah, okay.
So don't say another trial. So I thought about
killing myself. Okay? But never, not once,
not in my worst time. Now, listen to me, Danny. Not once did I ever think of giving them what you
want me to give them now. No way! I'm not putting
on a piece of paper
that I'm a pedophile. Never. Ray, they say it ain't over
until the fat lady sings. I think she's already sung. Thanks. Hey! How are you, Danny? Ray, how do you feel
about goin' through
another trial? Fine. He feels fine about it.
The DA wants
to make me a deal. And he wants me
to let them off the hook. I turned it down.
Ray? Just a second.
Hey! Wait a minute! Wait a minute!
Come on! I made a deal with Martinez
to keep this under wraps. It's too late.
(clamoring) Hi. Mr. Martinez! Mr. Martinez! Did you try
to cut a deal with Ray Buckey? Never. Not in a million years. We wouldn't offer Ray Buckey
a deal in his wildest dreams. Thank you. Good day.
Do it. He's lying his ass off.
What? I said he's lying his ass off. Mr. Martinez is a liar. I had a meeting with him.
I tape recorded the meeting. Perhaps you'd all like
to hear it. Martinez on tape:
I'll tell you
where I'm coming from. I would personally urge Reiner
to accept a nolo plea. Thank you.
Thanks, Danny. You were right. The fat lady had another
song in her after all. (people murmuring) Judge:
Ladies and gentlemen
of the jury, have you reached a verdict? Juror:
We have been unable
to come to a conclusion on any of these nine counts. We are irrevocably deadlocked and will never come
to a conclusion. Reporter:
The McMartin case
is finally over, after seven years
and 15 million dollars and without
a single conviction. It's odd, isn't it? Seven years,
and then in one minute... it's over.
It's so strange. It isn't over, not for me. When something
like this hits you, you don't start your life
over again so easily. Not at my age. Not when most of it's gone. We don't mean to sound
ungrateful, Danny,
we are grateful. I know.
But... this thing
is gonna stay with us. People have short memories.
There's another
astounding headline in the papers,
another case on TV.
People forget. Woman:
Look, that's them.
The child molesters. Child molesters! What is your problem? Huh? You wanna say it to my face? Child molesters, you see? They don't forget. And they don't care
that they've ruined our lives. And not just ours,
the parents, the children. How come God didn't stop it? Oh, no. Don't blame God. What happened to us
was all the work of people. God wasn't let into it. Who had the time to stop
and listen to God? They were all too busy
watching television. (choral music plays) (children laughing,
shouting in distance) (children laughing,
shouting in distance) (children laughing,
shouting in distance)