Indictment: The McMartin Trial

In 1983, a worried mother phoned the police claiming that her little boy had been abused at his day-care center. This simple call led to an investigation of the McMartin family, who ran the center, and several members of their staff. The only problem was, the initial accuser had a prior history of leveling abuse charges -- and these defendants were not guilty. INDICTMENT: THE MCMARTIN TRIAL follows the series of events that unfolded after the initial complaint: the vigorous interrogations led by a zealous but inexperienced social worker (in which the young interviewees began to spin increasingly fanciful tales), and the persistent prosecution led by a stubborn D.A. who would not listen to her co-workers' growing doubts. Caught in the middle were the McMartins, incarcerated during the entire proceedings because the judge did not grant them bail. (Verleiher-Text)