The McMartin preschool case was an example of day care sexual abuse hysteria. Members of the McMartin family, who operated a preschool in California, were charged with sexual abuse of children in their care. After six years of criminal trials, no convictions were obtained, and all charges were dropped in 1990. It was the longest and most expensive criminal trial of its time.

Contents 1 Initial allegations 2 Interviewing the children 3 Bizarre allegations 4 Trial 5 Media coverage 6 Spread of panic 7 Aftermath 8 Allegations of secret tunnels 9 See also 10 External links 11 Footnotes 12 Further reading 13 Movie

Initial allegations

In 1983, Judy Johnson, the mother of one of the Manhattan Beach, California preschool's young students complained to the police that her son had been sodomized by her estranged husband and by McMartin teacher Ray Buckey, who was the grandson of school founder Virginia McMartin and son of administrator Peggy McMartin Buckey (1926-2001). The mother's belief was based on the fact that her son suffered from painful bowel movements, though he denied her suggestion that his preschool teachers had molested him. In addition, she also made several more extravagant accusations, including that people at the daycare had traveled to zoos seeking sexual encounters with giraffes. Ray Buckey was questioned, but was not prosecuted due to lack of evidence. The police, however, sent an open letter to about 200 parents of students at the McMartin school, stating that their children might have been forced into sex, and asking the parents to question their children.

Interviewing the children

Several hundred children were then questioned by the Children’s Institute International (CII), a Los Angeles abuse therapy clinic. By spring of 1984, 360 children had been identified as having been abused. No physical evidence was found to support the allegations. The mother who made the original complaint was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia in the same year. Critics have alleged that the questioners asked the children leading questions, repetitively, which, it is said, always yields positive responses from young children, making it impossible to know what the child actually experienced. Some claim the questioning alone may have led to false-memory syndrome among the children who were questioned.

Bizarre allegations

Some of the children's accusations were bizarre and, at times, defied the laws of physics. Some alleged that, in addition to having been sexually abused, they saw witches fly, traveled in a hot-air balloon, and were taken in one case through secret underground tunnels, which were sought by investigators but never found. Ray Buckey was described as having beaten a giraffe to death with a baseball bat in front of the children. When shown a series of photographs by police, one child identified actor Chuck Norris as one of the abusers.^[1] There were claims of orgies at car washes and airports, and of children being flushed down toilets to secret rooms where they would be abused, then cleaned up and presented back to their unsuspecting parents. Some children said they were made to play a game called "Naked Movie Star" in which they were photographed nude.

Trial

In March 1984, Virginia McMartin; Peggy McMartin Buckey; Ray Buckey; Ray's sister, Peggy Ann Buckey; and teachers Mary Ann Jackson; Bette Raidor; and Babette Spitler; were charged with 208 counts of child abuse. In the 20 months of preliminary hearings, the prosecution presented their theory of Satanic ritual abuse. In 1986, a new district attorney called the evidence "incredibly weak," and dropped all charges against Virginia McMartin, Peggy Ann Buckey, Mary Ann Jackson, Bette Raidor and Babette Spitler. Peggy McMartin Buckey and Ray Buckey remained in custody awaiting trial; Peggy McMartin's bail had been set at $1 million and Ray Buckey had been denied bail. The cases went to trial, and in 1990, after three years of testimony and nine weeks of deliberation by the jury, Peggy McMartin Buckey was acquitted on all counts. Ray Buckey was cleared on 39 of 52 counts, and freed after more than 2 years in jail. He was retried later on some of the 13 counts, which produced another hung jury. The prosecution then gave up trying to obtain a conviction, and granted Ray Buckey bail. He had been jailed for 5 years without ever being convicted of any wrongdoing.

Media coverage

Like other high-profile criminal trials in the United States, such as the O.J. Simpson murder trial, the McMartin trial was heavily covered by television and print media. In 1986, a telephone survey showed that 96 percent of adults in the area had heard of the case, and over 90 percent of those who had an opinion believed the accused were guilty.

One reporter who has received particular criticism for his role is Wayne Satz, at the time a reporter for the Los Angeles ABC affiliate television station KABC. His almost nightly reporting on the case and the children's allegations often presented an unchallenged, if not sympathetic, view of the children's and parents' claims.^[2] Satz became romantically involved with one of the social workers conducting interviews with the children. Another instance of media conflict of interest occurred when the editor at the Los Angeles Times overseeing the coverage became engaged to marry the prosecuter.^[3]

Spread of panic

A moral panic followed, touching off a witch hunt in which a variety of media outlets, primarily daytime talk shows and talk radio programs, claimed that sexual abuse of children in schools and day-care centers was nationwide and rampant.

Aftermath

The McMartin preschool itself was closed and leveled. Three of the accused have died since the trial concluded. In many states, laws were passed allowing children to testify on closed-circuit TV so the children would not be traumatized by facing the accused. In 1988 case of Coy v. Iowa these laws were held to violate the Confrontation Clause of the Sixth Amendment to the United States Constitution, which guarantees the right of the accused to confront witnesses against them. However, this doctrine is limited; in the 1990 case Maryland v. Craig, the United States Supreme Court ruled that closed circuit testimony was permissible where it was limited to circumstances in which the judge found likelihood of harm to the minor from testifying in open court. One lasting legacy of the trial is an increased understanding of how to question very young children for evidence, with an eye toward their capacity for suggestibility and false memory.

Allegations of secret tunnels

An excavation undertaken in May 1990 claimed to reveal tunnels under the McMartin Preschool. ^[4] A relevant quote from the summation is written as follows: "If the stories of the children were bogus fantasies, there is no excuse for the tunnels discovered under the school. If there really were tunnels, there is no excuse for the glib dismissal of any and all of the complaints of the children and their parents." The archaeologist's claims were refuted in a 1995 article published by the Institute for Psychological Therapies. The study showed that the concrete slab floor was undisturbed except for a small patch where the sewer line was tapped into. Once the slab was removed, there was no sign of any materials to line or hold up any tunnels, and there was no way for the defendants to fill in any purported tunnels once the investigation began. The report concluded that any disturbed soil under the slab was from the sewer line, and from construction fill buried under the slab, before it was poured. Some dated fill material under the slab was from the year 1940. ^[5]

See also

• Kern county child abuse cases
• Wee Care Nursery School
• Moral panic
• False memories
• Day care sexual abuse hysteria
• Witch-hunt
• Wenatchee sex ring

External links

• Famous Trials: The McMartin Preschool Abuse Trials
• Religious Tolerance: McMartin
• Crime Library: McMartin
• Yahoo! directory on McMartin
• Douglas Linder: McMartin
• PBS Frontline: McMartin and other cases
• Institute for Psychological Therapies: The Dark Truth About The "Dark Tunnels of McMartin" (John Earl, 1995)

Footnotes

1. ^ Crimelibrary.com "McMartin Daycare Case"
2. ^ "Reporter's Early Exclusives Triggered a Media Frenzy" by David Shaw, Los Angeles Times January 20, 1990
3. ^ "How Lawyers And The Media Turned The Mcmartin Case Into A Tragic Circus" by Robert Reinhold, New York Times January 25, 1990 Section: Living Page: 1D
4. ^ Terrerae.org "Tunnels"
5. ^ IPT-Forensics.com "Vol7, 31"

Further reading

• New York Times; April 1, 1984; To the children at the Virginia McMartin Preschool, it was The Hollywood Game or Naked Movie Star. Adults use more sophisticated terms to describe the sexual games the children were reported to have played with trusted teachers, such as pedophilia, felony child abuse, child pornography. Despite stricter laws against the sexual abuse of children, three cases pending in Los Angeles alone indicate that trafficking in children for pleasure or profit has not disappeared. Seven defendants, including 76-year- old Virginia McMartin, who founded the school in 1956; her daughter, granddaughter and grandson, are scheduled to be arraigned Friday in Los Angeles County Superior Court. They face a total of 115 counts of having sexual relations with children as young as 2 years old at the preschool center in suburban Manhattan Beach. Prosecutors say 125 children have told therapists that snapshots and movies were made while they were raped, sodomized, orally copulated or fondled. Mrs. McMartin, in a wheelchair when she surrendered on the March 22 indictments, termed the charges against her a bunch of lies. Attorneys for the others in the case told the judge reviewing their bail amounts that they were upstanding citizens. No pornographic photographs or films have been recovered in the McMartin case, but Deputy District Attorney Eleanor Barrett says she believes some were made because so many children talk about being photographed on so many occasions. ...
• New York Times; January 7, 2001; The Lives They Lived: 01-07-01: Peggy McMartin Buckey, b. 1926; The Devil in The Nursery ... Buckey's ordeal began in 1983, when the mother of a 2 1/2-year-old who attended the McMartin preschool in Manhattan Beach, California, called the police to report that her son had been sodomized there. It didn't matter that the woman was eventually found to be a paranoid schizophrenic, and that the accusations she made -- of teachers who took children on airplane rides to Palm Springs and lured them into a labyrinth of underground tunnels where the accused "flew in the air" and others were "all dressed up as witches" -- defied logic. Satanic-abuse experts, therapists and social workers soon descended on the school and, with a barrage of suggestive, not to say coercive, questioning techniques (lavishly praising children who "disclosed," telling those who denied the abuse that they were "dumb," introducing salacious possibilities that children had never mentioned), produced increasingly elaborate and grotesque testimonials from young children at the school. ...

Overview:

"McMartin" was one of the first Multi-Victim Multi Offender (MVMO) child abuse cases. _2,3 It lasted six years -- the longest US criminal trial in history. At a cost to the state of $15 million, it was also the most expensive. No convictions were obtained. The main evidence of abuse was based on what the children testified were memories of repeated, sadistic, ritual molestation. Years later, child psychologists realized that such memories can be easily implanted in children's minds by the interview techniques which were used at the time. Since psychologists and police investigators have changed their methods of interrogating young children, no more MVMO cases have surfaced in the U.S. and Canada. The children's testimony was supported by medical tests, which were believed at the time to be accurate. Years later, they were found to be useless.

The hoax adversely affected the lives of hundreds of children, who are now young adults. It has become the most famous MVMO case of its type. Many feminists and others still believe that the children were subjected to horrendous abuse at McMartin. Snippets from the McMartin case have been distributed around the world and incorporated into similar stories involving false memories. Underground tunnels are probably the most popular.

Events leading up to the trial:

The McMartin preschool was located in Manhattan Beach, CA. It was owned by Peggy McMartin Buckey and her mother, Virginia McMartin. Ms. Buckey's son, Ray, was a part-time school-aide at the school. On 1983-AUG-12, Judy Johnson complained to the police that her son had been molested by Ray at the school. Ms. Johnson was an alcoholic and had been diagnosed as having paranoid schizophrenia. She also claimed that her son had been molested and abused by her estranged husband. The latter claim appears to have been largely ignored by the prosecution; information about it was withheld from the defense attorneys. Although there was no physical evidence or confirmation from other children at the school, Ray was arrested on SEP-7. Because of lack of evidence, the DA decided to not prosecute.

The Chief of the Manhattan Beach Police then created a local panic by circulating a "strictly confidential" letter to about 200 parents of present or past McMartin students. The letter specified that Ray may have forced the children to engage in oral sex, fondling of genitals, buttocks or chest area and sodomy". The parents were urged to question their children, seeking confirmation.  The community and surrounding area was panicked by an irresponsible media. A local TV station was first with the news; they reported that the preschool might be linked to child pornography rings and various sex industries in nearby Los Angeles.

In 2002-MAY, the Morning Call newspaper of Allentown, PA interviewed Paul Eberle. He is co-author of "The Abuse of Innocence," a book about the McMartin case. He said: "Almost all of the accusing families were practicing Catholics who attended the American Martyrs Church...What the Catholic Church did was to open its doors to all these witch-hunters." Eberle said rallies linked to the church demanded that "Ray [Buckley] must die!" He continued: "The [Martyrs] Church was marching with the accusers, and anybody with an ounce of brains knew these people were innocent. The church was very accommodating with the lynch mob." ₄

Hundreds of children were later interviewed by the Children's Institute International (CII). By Spring of 1984, 360 kids had been diagnosed as having been abused. Medical exams were conducted on 150 children. There was a complete lack of the type of physical evidence that is normally seen with sexually abused children. However, the doctor performed some new tests which have since been shown to be useless as a predictor of abuse. The doctor concluded that about 120 had been sexually abused. The whole town, particularly the parents of the allegedly abused children, went ballistic. Stories of child abuse included other locations: St. Cross Episcopal Church in Hermosa Beach, CA and 8 other Manhattan Beach schools. Teachers at the schools were said to belong to a Satanic cult and a child pornography ring. About 100 teachers "were accused of child molestation and/or Satanic rituals." ₅   Children were pressured by parents; CII interviewers used leading, suggestive, and repeated questions. These are the precise techniques that almost guarantee the implantation of false memories in the minds of children.

The interviewers gave rewards to the kids for disclosing the "right" answers: These were that the children:

• were victimized by teachers who were members of an intergenerational Satanic conspiracy.
• were required to participate in "major, major sacrifices" connected with the "Satanic Church." ₁
• were sexually abused by Ray Buckey who was dressed as a police officer, fireman, clown or Santa Claus.
• were forced to act in pornographic movies, and submit to the taking of millions of "kiddy-porn" photographs.
• saw the mutilation and killing of animals.
• saw an AWOL Marine sodomize a dog.
• Were forced to ride naked on a horse.
• were forced to engage in Satanic rituals, including ritual murder of infants and drinking of baby's blood.
• saw dead and burned babies, flying witches, movie stars and local politicians.
• were forced into a coffin and buried.
• were molested in a market and a car wash.
• were forced to watch while Ray Buckey killed a sea turtle by stabbing its shell with a knife; this was a demonstration of what would happen to the children if they told. (in reality, turtle shells are much too tough to be penetrated with a knife)
• were taken to the airport, traveled to Palm Springs either in an airplane or hot air balloon, sexually abused and returned.
• were driven from the school in cars, and sexually abused on the side of the highway.
• were flushed down toilets, traveled through sewers to a place where adults sexually abused them, cleaned them up and later returned them to the pre-school so they could be picked up by their parents.
• were taken through trapdoors in the floor of the center, taken through underground tunnels to both underground and above ground rooms where they were abused. No tunnels were ever found. However, some old trenches which pre-dated the McMartin building and were filled with pre-World War II garbage were located; some claim that they were tunnels that the staff had filled in.

A 1986 survey of residents in Los Angeles County was taken before the first trial. It showed that 90% of the potential jurors believed that Raymond and Peggy were guilty. In spite of strong bias by the townsfolk, the judge refused the defense's request for a change of venue. Judy Johnson continued to make allegations of abuse; among other charges, she said that her ex-husband had sodomized their son and the family dog, that her son had been injured by a elephant and lion during a school field trip, that her son had been tortured by teachers who put staples in his ears, nipples and tongue, and had put scissors in his eye. There was, of course, no physical evidence of any of this trauma. She was later diagnosed as suffering from acute paranoid-schizophrenia, was hospitalized and died at home of alcohol related liver disease before the trial began. Information of her mental illness was kept from the defense.

Armed with search warrants, they police searched 10 schools and one church. They found nothing. Groups of parents searched the school yard for signs of tunnels, underground rooms and sacrificed infants or animals. They did find the remains of a sea turtle. A forensics exam showed that the sand inside the shell was foreign to the area. This indicated that the remains had probably been dug up on a beach and planted in the yard.

Was a witch hunt or hysteria involved?:

Some groups who believe that ritual abuse actually happened at the preschool have attacked both the defense attorneys and skeptics in this case: 

• The Santa Cruz Ritual Abuse Task Force stated that: "The defense claimed that the kids hadn't really been abused, but that their memories were implanted by a conspiracy of witchhunting therapists." ₆
• Dr. E. Gary Stickel wrote that skeptics believed that "very young children were moved by the hysterical overreaction of various adults to make unfounded accusations." ₇

Perhaps a more accurate theory is that:

• The CII employees sincerely believed that extensive ritual abuse occurred. They used interview techniques that were standard at the time, but which are now known to lead to false accusations by very young children. The extensive revelations by the young children were assumed to be accurate descriptions of real events. This convinced the CII, police and District Attorney's office that major ritual abuse happened.
• Worried parents repeatedly asked their children direct questions about abuse. This led to more false accusations. 

With the possible exception of the lead prosecutor in the case, there is little evidence of hysteria or a witch hunt at McMartin. The prosecution was simply the result of sincere but misguided individuals working with the disclosures of young children which were unrelated to any real abusive events.

The trial:

"Nothing about the McMartin case was simple, easy or fast. It cost taxpayers more than $13 million. The preliminary hearing alone took 18 months. The entire case took seven years to wind through the courts, and involved six judges, 17 attorneys and hundreds of witnesses, including nine of the 11 children alleged to have been molested...After the trial ended, Ray Buckey was retried on eight counts on which the first jury had deadlocked, but a mistrial was declared when the second jury also deadlocked" ₈

In 1984-MAR, 208 counts of child abuse involving 40 children (some sources say 42) were laid against 7 adults: the owners of the school, Ray Buckey and 4 school teachers. After 20 months of preliminary hearings, the state's case appeared weak. They offered the defendants immunity from prosecution or leniency if they would be willing to testify against the other defendants. None took up the offer. The prosecution produced a pair of rabbit ears, black candles and a black cape during the trial. They presented these items as evidence of Satanic Ritual Abuse. The defense lawyers were able to prove that this material was totally unrelated to the McMartin case.

In 1986-JAN, Ira Reiner was elected district attorney. He dropped all charges against 5 of the adults. Remaining were 52 charges against Ray Buckey and 20 counts against Peggy Buckey, plus a single count of conspiracy. An area telephone survey showed that:

• 96% of the adults had heard of the case
• 97% of those with an opinion believed that Ray Buckey was guilty
• 93% believed that Peggy McMartin was guilty

Glenn Stevens, an assistant to the lead prosecutor, Lael Rubin, resigned his office in disgust after having worked for two years on the case. He revealed material that had been withheld from the trial, including claims by the original accuser, Judy Johnson, that people had flown through windows, killed lions, and had sexual encounters with giraffes. Ray Buckley was alleged to have beaten a giraffe to death with a baseball bat. ₄

On 1990-JAN-18, after almost three years of trial testimony and 9 weeks of deliberation, the jury cleared Peggy Buckey of all 13 remaining counts. Ray was acquitted on 39 of 52 counts; the jury's vote was split on the remaining counts, with large majorities in favor of acquittal. Superior Court Judge William Pounders, said that the case had "poisoned everyone who had contact with it."

Ray was later retried on some of the 13 counts; the second jury delivered its verdict in 1990-AUG. They were also hung. The prosecution finally gave trying to obtain a conviction.

During and after the trials, such television programs as Geraldo, Oprah, and 20-20 ran exposé's on McMartin and similar MVMO cases across the U.S. This raised public consciousness and hysteria nationwide