Uncovered: The McMartin Family Trials

I was two going on three

when I started going to McMartin.

McMartin Preschool was a premiere preschool

in Manhattan Beach.

The preschool was a trusted

neighborhood business.

I couldn't imagine what was going on over there.

The child said

that Raymond Buckey had molested him.

They take your most prized possession

and try to dement it.

I was this three‐year‐old little girl

being made to stand in front of people

and have pictures taken of her when she was naked.

Small animals were actually slaughtered

in the children's presence

in order to frighten them into submission.

Several defendants are accused

of molesting children, including 76‐year‐old

Virginia McMartin, her daughter,

and two grandchildren.

Searches were made in every location.

They found nothing.

I'm Pac‐Man

and my job is to get to hear yucky secrets.

These children

are not telling the same story.

They had a plan to use this case

to get elected into office.

We may be going back to the grand jury

with additional counts.

When you turn on the TV for news,

all of the channels,

the lead story was McMartin.

The number of possible victims have multiplied

to say the least.

It was blasted daily.

It became totally unwieldy.

We thought there was no end in sight.

This is much too important a case

to allow it to hang out there

with such a great question mark.

Raymond Buckey, how do you plead?

I'm not guilty, Your Honor.

All of them lost everything they had.

Things happened there that were so terrible.

My daughter is still in therapy

and she's 37.

I know I was molested

at McMartin Preschool.

Manhattan Beach in the '80s

was kind of a comfortable beach town.

It was a family‐oriented community,

small town feel

despite being in Los Angeles County.

So it was kind of a bubble

or a cocoon.

Back then, we didn't lock our doors.

The parents that I knew

were highly educated professional people.

Their children got the very, very best.

I had some friends in the area

that told us "Oh, this is the school to go to."

It sounded like a good place to go.

It was a cute little building and set‐up.

Had a very good reputation in the community.

I was two going on three

when I started going to McMartin.

I always remember

that there was a Valentine's Day party

and I remember the heart‐shaped cookies.

They had a great reputation.

They had been in town ever since I can remember.

There was actually a waiting list.

They had colorful toys in the yard,

so the kids were all drawn to that.

And I thought Virginia was cute,

a cute old lady.

Virginia McMartin, I think she started the school

in 1956.

She had gotten a Rose and Scroll Award in 1977,

which is the city's highest honor.

It's like the Woman of the Year Award.

The McMartin Preschool was led by Virginia McMartin,

her daughter, Peggy McMartin Buckey,

along with her grandchildren,

Peggy and Raymond Buckey.

It was a prestigious school

with teachers that had been there dozens of years.

Most of the teachers were older.

These teachers

were highly regarded and respected

members of their community.

It's a trusted neighborhood business.

At that point, I couldn't imagine

what was going on over there.

Manhattan Beach Police Department.

Uh, my name is Judy Johnson

and I want to report a crime.

Yes, ma'am.

My two‐year‐old son has been molested

at the McMartin Preschool.

The Manhattan Beach Police Department

is a small department

and they had a female officer named Jane Hoag

who was kind of a tough old‐school cop,

and so she interviewed the child.

And the child was two and a half years old,

had said that Raymond Buckey had molested him.

The child was examined by a doctor at UCLA.

And the doctor found

something consistent with molestation.

And based on that examination,

Raymond Buckey was arrested.

So now you have this investigation

of a child‐abuse suspect.

Word of it had gotten out.

They had to explain it somehow.

Judy Johnson mentioned that her child had said

two other kids were abused.

So the Manhattan Beach Police Department wrote up

a very succinct simple letter

which went out to the McMartin parents.

It said, "We don't wish to cause alarm

but if you could talk to your children,

we'd appreciate it and if you have any concerns,

please call us."

At the basis of it

was this long warning advisory

for all the parents to go out and talk to their kids,

and their families, and their friends

about molestation that was going on.

It happened to some kids, it may have happened

to your kids too.

The letter that went out to the parents,

it was gunpowder set off in the community.

They were saying that your kid,

up until that day the letter arrived,

was to you and your wife, husband, whatever, normal,

just going to school and living a good life.

And all of a sudden,

he or she had been molested for years

and you didn't know about it?

It just scared everybody.

It seemed like at that point there was

a lot of kind of paranoia.

We didn't know if it was just a couple of people

and I was pretty worried about my child.

The letter talked about Ray Buckey

and I didn't know Ray Buckey.

So I asked my daughter, do you know him?

And she said, "Yeah, Mr. Ray."

Yeah, I was just in shock.

I sat my son down in his bedroom

and had a discussion with him.

At that point, he was in kindergarten

and he said to me,

"Dad, have they been arrested?"

I said, "Yes."

He said, "Are they going to get out?"

And I fibbed to him and said, "No."

And my son was deathly afraid

that they were gonna come and hurt me.

But child abuse is a‐‐ is a hard pill to swallow.

I didn't really think it would happen.

So I remained very calm

and assured him that no one would hurt him.

There was some, uh, pushback

from people who were supportive of the school,

and thought "Geez, you know, we've known Virginia,

we've known the teachers for 20 years.

We've had three, four kids go through their school

and this would not have happened."

When we got the letter, we thought,

well, this‐‐

Elizabeth was not involved.

There was just no way.

I had no clue

that that was something that a human being

would even do.

It was beyond my imagination.

It didn't make sense.

And my job is to get to hear yucky secrets.

Kee McFarlane asked questions

with the puppets.

It got the children to talk.

Kee McFarlane reported to the parents

that, in her opinion,

the children had been abused.

The mass hysteria of the moment.

It created the appearance

of utter depravity.

Children from the McMartin School

have reportedly alleged that Ray Buckey

brandished guns in front of them.

I know my son.

And he has not harmed one child.

For a three‐, four‐, five‐year‐old

to talk about detailed sexual activity...

Unless they experienced it,