5. Paranoia Meets Political Opportunism
The McMartin preschool accusations were fantastic, but they were still believed. At the time, America was gripped by widespread fears of ritual sexual abuse of children, connected in some way to satanic worship and dark magic rites. With elections drawing near, ambitious Los Angeles District Attorney Ira Reiner sought to capitalize on the mounting public hysteria. So he slapped Ray Buckey and his mother Peggy McMartin with 208 counts of child molestation.
Mother and son were arrested in 1984, and the investigation lasted until 1987, when they were put through a three-year trial that lasted from 1987 to 1990. It was the longest and most expensive criminal trial in American history. It ended with Peggy McMartin acquitted of all charges, while Ray Buckey was acquitted of 52 of 65 charges, with the jury deadlocked on the remaining counts, 10 to 2 in favor of acquittal. Those charges were then dropped, and the mass hysteria and subsequent trial concluded without a single conviction.