Trial of Michael Jackson as well as conspiring to commit extortion and child abduction. Jackson pleaded not guilty to all counts. The trial spanned approximately 18 months, from Jackson's arraignment on January 16, 2004 to June 13, 2005, when the jury delivered a verdict of not guilty on all fourteen charges, which included the above ten plus four lesser misdemeanor counts. In a 2003 Granada Television documentary titled "Living with Michael Jackson", British journalist Martin Bashir interviewed Jackson extensively over a period of 8 months. The film was broadcast in the UK on February 3, 2003, and in the U.S. three days later. In
Michael Jackson solo performer in the early 1970s, he maintained ties to the Jackson 5 and Motown. Between 1972 and 1975, Michael released four solo studio albums with Motown: "Got to Be There" (1972), "Ben" (1972), "Music & Me" (1973), and "Forever, Michael" (1975). "Got to Be There" and "Ben", the title tracks from his first two solo albums, became successful singles, as did a cover of Bobby Day's "Rockin' Robin". The Jackson 5 were later described as "a cutting-edge example of black crossover artists". Although their sales began to decline in 1973, and the members chafed under Motown's refusal to allow