Oxygen Insider is your all-access pass to never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more. According to, reported the case had come to its final end, as, Virginia McMartin died in 1995 at age 88, and her daughter Peggy died in 2000, at 74. Concern in the 80s that children would be similarly re-traumatized led the state of California to pass a law allowing children under 14 to testify outside the courtroom via closed-circuit televisions. She designed sessions with 3-, 4-, and 5-year-old children to mimic forensic interviews. According to The Washington Post, this public outcry led prosecutors to retry Ray on 13 counts of molestation and conspiracy in March 1990. Testimony by Kee MacFarlane, Director of Children's Instititute International (Witness for the Prosecution) August 8, 1988. After the indictment, it was asserted that child pornography was the motive behind the allegations of molestation. [13], MacFarlane went on to testify before Congress that she believed there was an organized, nationwide conspiracy of individuals and "orthodox satanic groups" sexually abusing children, although she never presented evidence of who any of the individuals were nor proof of any orthodox satanic groups. The McMartin Family Trials: The Letter That Started A Firestorm, The McMartin Family Trials: Defense Attorney Danny Davis Describes Ray Buckey, The McMartin Family Trials: Judy Johnson's Allegations Spark The Investigation, The ensuing trial of McMartin owner Peggy McMartin Buckey and her son, Ray Buckey, would last for nearly three years. but she stood by her findings. A pediatrician who medically examined and photographed the children involved in the investigation, Astrid Heger testified she found physical evidence of molestation in 10 of 13 alleged victims, according to the Los Angeles Times. Peggy Buckey ended up serving two years in jail, while Ray Buckey served five. She was the Director of Children's Institute International. The human and economic cost of the trial was staggering. "What did you say to the families of the children? Johnson was not able to testify at the hearing. Peggy Buckey's bail was set at $1 million. Did you ever become boyfriend and girlfriend with Wayne Satz? Gits asked Ms. MacFarlane. Were not trying to demonstrate that Wayne Satz obtained information from Kee MacFarlane to enhance his career, said defense attorney Dean Gits. Kathleen 'Kee' MacFarlane[1] (born 1947)[2] is an American social worker known for involvement in the high-profile McMartin preschool trial in the 1980s. Amazon.com: Sexual Abuse of Young Children: Evaluation and Treatment: 9780898627039: Kee MacFarlane, Jill Waterman, Shawn Conerly, Linda Damon, Michael Durfee, . But parents and child protection groups weren't the only ones up in arms. It took a while for this particular panic to break down, and even then it occasionally resurfaced: in the mid-90s, 43 adults were arrested on more than 29,000 charges of child sex abuse in a pedophile ring operation in Wenatchee, Washington. It mentioned sex, fondling and said photos may have been taken of children without clothing, and all possibly under the pretense of taking the child's temperature. Kee MacFarlane, a social worker at the Children's Institute International, conducted interviews with hundreds of McMartin Preschool students, using sock puppets and anatomically correct dolls to help children disclose "yucky secrets." Many children initially denied being abused, according to The New York Times. Johnson made bizarre claims: Ray flew in the air and Peggy McMartin Buckey drilled holes in her sons armpits, according to, . Indeed, the day-care investigations in the 80s echoed several specific aspects of the 1692 witch hunts. There were reports that McMartin teachers slaughtered animals and babies in front of the children before abusing them. But neither Interpol nor the FBI would ever find any evidence of child pornography associated with McMartin Preschool. Although many of the stories involved repeated claims of secret passageways under the school, archeological excavations found nothing. Matthew had been complaining of an itchy anus and was obsessed with playing doctor, a game he said he played at school. Neither Ray nor Peggy were ultimately convicted of any crime. One child claimed Ray Buckey cut off a rabbits ears to scare them into silence, while another said he had been forced to drink rabbit's blood, according to The Washington Post. By the time preliminary hearings were beginning in August, prosecutors were telling the media that almost 400 sexual crimes had been committed and that at least 30 additional people at McMartin Preschool were under investigation, neither of which were true. But as Johnson continued to question her son, he "admitted that he thought Ray had once taken his temperature.". . To be sure, We Believe the Children does not set out to prove that child abuse never happened in the 80s. But they no longer provide children interview services, medical exams or make any determinations of abuse. In the end, charges were dropped against five, and the remaining two went to trial, but they were ultimately acquitted. Afteran allegation of child molestation and the arrest of a preschool teacher, the letter asked parents to investigate if their children had been victims. Defendants CII and MacFarlane filed their demurrer to the first amended complaint in September 1987 on the grounds that (1) plaintiffs' state law claims were barred under the absolute privilege of Penal Code section 11172; (2) plaintiffs' state law claims were barred because CII's reports were made in connection with an ongoing criminal Some of the children came forward years later and revealed how they knew that they were lying with their allegations. According to Debbie Nathan and Michael Snedeker, the authors of 'Satan's Silence,' (Kee) MacFarlane had been a lobbyist for NOW before she set about terrifying the children of Manhattan Beach. There were also nationwide effects. Cody said: "I said, 'Do you have an independent recollection of being abused?' Most of the testimonies at trial mirrored those given the preliminary hearing. Peggy Ann Buckey, Ray Buckeys sister, was a high school special education teacher who occasionally helped out at her grandmothers preschool. Whether Arnold Friedman was a child abuser became a very controversial topic in the late 1980s, Beck writes, but there is no question that he really was a pedophile.. Satz, who is no longer with the television station, sat in the courtroom while Ms. MacFarlane was questioned. Did you speak to them when it was over?" They first faced 115, then later 321 charges involving 48 children, according to The New York Times. Raymond Buckey, 30, and his mother, Peggy McMartin Buckey, 61, are on trial on 100 molestation and conspiracy charges linked to their now defunct McMartin Pre-School in Manhattan Beach. Johnson made bizarre claims: Ray flew in the air and Peggy McMartin Buckey drilled holes in her sons armpits, according to The New York Times. Key McFarlane, the director of CII at the time, examined and videotaped approximately 400 children using anatomically correct dolls. He said that, as a child, he claimed to have been abused by Ray Buckey, even though he had never met him. At the, conclusion, charges were dropped against Virginia McMartin, Peggy Ann Buckey, Jackson, Spitler and Raidor. A judge later ruled in her favor, according to the Los Angeles Times, and she resumed her teaching career. I dont see from whats been presented that theres a substantial issue for the jury, Pounders said after hearing Ms. MacFarlane testify about the relationship outside the presence of the jury. The only animal found was a tortoise shell, but there's evidence that the shell was a fraud and was "deliberately planted by someone wishing to incriminate Ray Buckey." But in the summer of 1983, Johnson took her son to the doctor multiple times and although the doctors didn't find cause for concern, by August, Johnson was convinced that her son had been subject to sexual abuse. Use these dolls if you're scared.. Social worker Kee MacFarlane conducted and oversaw interviews, using sock puppets and anatomically correct dolls to make the children open up, reported, Children described being molested by groups of men and women, including teachers at McMartin Preschool, in public bathrooms, the backroom of a meat market or in tunnels beneath the school, according to, On March 22, 1984, seven employees of the McMartin Preschool were indicted, including Virginia McMartin, then 76, Peggy McMartin Buckey, Peggy Ann Buckey, Ray Buckey, and employees Mary Ann Jackson, Babette Spitler and Betty Raidor. Nevertheless, Johnson took her son and left him in the preschool yard with a note in his pocketexplaining who he was. While some of those who testified in the McMartin Preschool trials maintain that they were victims of abuse, a man named Kyle Zirpolo came forward in 2005 and told the Los Angeles Times he had fabricated his accounts of sex abuse. The ensuing trial of McMartin owner Peggy McMartin Buckey and her son, Ray Buckey, would last for nearly three years. [4] Charges against the defendants eventually were dropped. It took another two-and-a-half months for the jury to return with their verdict. In January 1990, Buckey was acquitted on most of the charges, with the jury deadlocked on another 13 counts, according to The Washington Post. My son didn't do anything, nor my mother, my daughter, or any of the teachers," Peggy Buckey said. Even the retrial ended in a majority acquittal. He was retried later that year, resulting in a mistrial and all charges being dismissed, according to the Los Angeles Times. The videotape of Stevens' interview confirmed the prosecution's role in actively withholding this information, in addition to various other exculpatory evidence. Neither in tapes [sic] on the witness stand do children just say what happened. Check out never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more! Worrying about her deteriorating mental condition, Johnson's father and brother sought to have her committed to a psychiatric hospital. Throughout the 1980s, the United States became enthralled by reports of sexual abuse, child pornography and Satanism during the McMartin Preschool trials in Los Angeles, California. She was just 42 years old. Parents were encouraged to send their children to CII for two-hour interviews. Also arrested were Buckeys mother, sister, and several co-workers, who were charged with a combined 115 counts later increased to 321, according to. The. Although the letter underlined that there was no evidence to suggest that the management of the preschool had any knowledge of the potential abuse, and according to The Day Care Ritual Abuse Moral Panic, told parents not to discuss the investigation with anyone outside of their immediate family, Manhattan Beach and the Los Angeles metropolitan area was soon flooded with rumors and panicked parents. It also asked "if they have ever observed Ray Buckey tie up a child.". Can you list the top facts and stats about Kee MacFarlane? But Davis did say about his client Ray Buckey: "He was singly the most heroic client I've ever defended, not only because he was innocent, but he endured it with a quiet wisdom.". According to Times reporting, Johnsons mental stability was a major focus of the preliminary hearing. Buckey would spend the next five years in jail before being released in 1989 on $1.5 million bail. Overall, there was also lack of medical evidence and criticism of interview techniques. in 2005 that he had fabricated the allegations. The preschool they built had been repeatedly vandalized and ultimately sold off to pay their legal bills. After the trial, Buckey attended law school, reported The Los Angeles Times. 3.83 avg rating 6 ratings published 1996. Sign up forOxygen Insiderfor all the best true crime content. Kee MacFarlane, an unlicensed therapist who worked with the nonprofit Children's International Institute, was hired by the Manhattan Beach district attorneys office to help investigate the case. I remember thinking to myself, Im not going to get out of here unless I tell them what they want to hear, he said, recalling his interview at Children's Institute International. On March 22nd, 1984, three McMartin teachers, Mary Ann Jackson, Bette Raidor, and Babette Spitler, were indicted along with Ray Buckey, Peggy Buckey, Ray's sister Peggy Ann Buckey, and Virginia McMartin (pictured), who founded the preschool 30 years earlier. Police arrested Buckey on Sept. 7, 1983, but released him the same day, due to a lack of evidence, according to The Washington Post. When the McMartin trial finally ended in 1990 with no convictions, the McMartin family filed a slander suit against one parent who led the witch hunt in Manhattan Beach back in 1983. On September 8th, Harry L. Kuhlmeyer, Jr., Manhattan Beach Chief of Police, sent a letter to 200 families of children previously or currently enrolled at McMartin Preschool. Nikki Kim. The charges were dropped after the district attorney determined there was insufficient evidence to prove her guilty beyond a reasonable doubt, according to the Los Angeles Times. A jury found the mother and son not guilty of 52 counts of child molestation, but remained deadlocked on 12 molestation charges against Ray Buckey, as well as a single count of conspiracy against Ray and Peggy, according to AP News. "I just can't imagine ever molesting a child.". MacFarlanes findings and techniques were later criticized, as was her relationship with reporter Wayne Satz, who extensively covered the McMartin Preschool story for Los Angeles KABC, according to the Associated Press. "Once the parents began to believe that there had been crimes committed, then the case got very heated," Cody said. Sign up forOxygen Insiderfor all the best true crime content. "Perhaps, it started as a misreading of an innocent act " said Danny Davis, who represented Ray Buckey, who was tried with his mother, Peggy. Rubin reflected on the many changes that came about as a result of the McMartin trial, which affected criminal cases across the country. By the time she was finished, over 350 out of the 400 children she interviewed made allegations of abuse against people who worked at McMartin preschool. The organization provided counseling and therapy to 400 former McMartin students and helped determine if abuse had occurred. The photographic method she developed has been successfully used in hundreds of molestation cases. District Attorney Robert Philibosian added the 93 counts mostly as a strategy to help him win in an upcoming primary election for governor of California. Following the Buckeys acquittals, MacFarlane claimed she was naive in never having been part of a case like this, but she stood by her findings. According to We Believe the Children: A Moral Panic in the 1980s, Peggy McMartin, the administrator of the school, believed that Johnson must have been experiencing "enormous stress to do something so rash." Ray Buckey was held without bail, and would remain incarcerated for five years during the length of the trial. The attorneys also argued that her credibility might be damaged if jurors knew about the relationship. One of the prosecutors was quoted as saying, "Kee MacFarlane could make a six month old baby say he was molested." The preliminary hearing lasted 20 months and cost $4 million. You must be dumb, she added, speaking to him through a puppet. Some of them were things I knew. They say 'No' and I say 'OK, let's not talk about it.' No matter what Jennifer said, her therapists insisted she had been abused. A girl later testified that children were forced to play a game called naked movie star, during which they took their clothes off and were photographed, according to the Los Angeles Times. All of their savings went to lawyers' fees and according to Peggy, they "lost everything.". by. He is previewing the testimony before jurors hear it. Create a free profile to get unlimited access to exclusive videos, breaking news, sweepstakes, and more! Although few children corroborated the allegations of abuse, those who did embellished Judy Johnson's stories. Beck notes how the book recast victims as survivors and made victimization into an identity with its own kind of bleak attractivenessthe testimony of some survivors suggested that much of what made the process appealing were the crises themselves..
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