Nearly two decades after Michael Jackson walked free from a California courtroom, one of the prosecutors who put the pop star on trial says his view has not changed.
According to the New York Post, Ron Zonen, a former senior deputy district attorney in Santa Barbara County, is revisiting the explosive 2005 case in a new Channel 4 television series, “The Trial,” where he bluntly states that he believes Jackson was a pedophile who evaded justice.
Zonen, one of the lead prosecutors in the case involving then-teen Gavin Arvizo, says he remains convinced the accuser told the truth, even though Jackson was acquitted of all charges.
“From the prosecution standpoint, we knew we were dealing with a pedophile, and he was a pedophile who could abuse children almost with impunity,” Zonen said in the program.
Jackson faced 14 criminal counts tied to alleged abuse, including molestation, providing alcohol to a minor, and conspiracy charges. A jury ultimately cleared him of every charge in June 2005.
Despite the verdict, Zonen argues that Jackson’s fame and public persona worked in his favor.
The veteran prosecutor said the singer’s global stardom and reputation as a child-loving entertainer allowed him to “pull the wool over the jury’s eyes.”
Zonen also suggested the case could have ended very differently had Wade Robson and James Safechuck come forward sooner with allegations they later detailed publicly in 2019.
Had they spoken up during the Santa Maria trial, Zonen said, the outcome likely would have changed. Both Robson and Safechuck denied any abuse while testifying in the Arvizo case.
“I understand,” Zonen said of their delayed disclosures. “It’s a tough thing for kids to come forward and publicly talk about having been victim of sex crime. And they disclose when they disclose.”
One juror from the trial, Raymond Hultman, also appears in the series and echoed Zonen’s suspicions.
“I truly felt that Michael Jackson was a child molester,” Hultman said. “I felt that then, and I haven’t changed my mind now. I still feel that way, but I had to give Michael Jackson the benefit of the doubt.”
Zonen pointed to Jackson’s public admission that he shared his bed with children, including comments made in the ITV documentary “Living With Michael Jackson”, as critical evidence.
“That was good compelling evidence for us,” he said. “How do you justify having children in your bed?”
Jackson’s legal team strongly disputes Zonen’s claims. Family attorney Brian Oxman appears in “The Trial” denying the accusations and characterizing the case as a financial “shake down,” insisting documents prove Jackson’s innocence.
“The Trial” airs in two hour-long episodes on the UK’s Channel 4 on February 11 and 12.
