September 26, 2025 • 10 mins
The McMartin Preschool Allegations became one of the most infamous cases of the 1980s, sparking nationwide hysteria during the height of the “Satanic Panic.” What began as a single accusation quickly spiraled into years of courtroom battles, sensational headlines, and ruined lives. But behind the lurid claims of underground tunnels, secret rituals, and widespread abuse—what was the truth?
In this episode of Rogue Darkness, we unravel the McMartin case from its explosive beginnings to its dramatic collapse. Was it a cautionary tale about fear and mass hysteria, or was something darker left unresolved?
Join me as we dive into one of the most controversial and haunting chapters in modern history.
📚SOURCES:
Nathan, Debbie. *Satan’s Silence: Ritual Abuse and the Making of a Modern American Witch Hunt*. HarperCollins, 1995.
Victor, Jeffrey S. *Satanic Panic: The Creation of a Contemporary Legend*. Open Court, 1993.
Lanning, Kenneth. *Investigator’s Guide to Allegations of “Ritual” Child Abuse*. National Center for the Analysis of Violent Crime, FBI, 1992.
Nathan, Debbie. “The Ritual Sex Abuse Hoax.” *The Village Voice*, 1990.
Toubia, Nahid. “False Memories and Satanic Abuse: Lessons from McMartin.” *Journal of Child Abuse & Neglect*, 1996.
🔊NEWS AUDIO CLIPS USED:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=...
https://youtu.be/MD5aT6kZ5MQ?s...
#TrueCrimePodcast #McMartinPreschool #SatanicPanic #TrueCrimeCommunity #PodcastCoverArt #ParanormalPodcast #DarkHistory #CrimeDocumentary #InfamousTrials #CultCases #TrueCrimeObsessed
In this episode of Rogue Darkness, we unravel the McMartin case from its explosive beginnings to its dramatic collapse. Was it a cautionary tale about fear and mass hysteria, or was something darker left unresolved?
Join me as we dive into one of the most controversial and haunting chapters in modern history.
📚SOURCES:
Nathan, Debbie. *Satan’s Silence: Ritual Abuse and the Making of a Modern American Witch Hunt*. HarperCollins, 1995.
Victor, Jeffrey S. *Satanic Panic: The Creation of a Contemporary Legend*. Open Court, 1993.
Lanning, Kenneth. *Investigator’s Guide to Allegations of “Ritual” Child Abuse*. National Center for the Analysis of Violent Crime, FBI, 1992.
Nathan, Debbie. “The Ritual Sex Abuse Hoax.” *The Village Voice*, 1990.
Toubia, Nahid. “False Memories and Satanic Abuse: Lessons from McMartin.” *Journal of Child Abuse & Neglect*, 1996.
🔊NEWS AUDIO CLIPS USED:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=...
https://youtu.be/MD5aT6kZ5MQ?s...
#TrueCrimePodcast #McMartinPreschool #SatanicPanic #TrueCrimeCommunity #PodcastCoverArt #ParanormalPodcast #DarkHistory #CrimeDocumentary #InfamousTrials #CultCases #TrueCrimeObsessed
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:02):
Dark Cast Network.
Speaker 2 (00:03):
Welcome to the dark side of podcasts, Leader.
Speaker 1 (00:13):
They would decliffe animals dark world of ritualistic child abuse?
Speaker 3 (00:18):
Is there a well organized plot, an insidious design to
program the minds of our children towards the occult and witchcraft?
Speaker 4 (00:26):
Does it make you want to hate murder?
Speaker 2 (00:28):
Or does it make you.
Speaker 1 (00:28):
Want to do murder?
Speaker 2 (00:30):
Well, let's explore the darkness of mankind.
Speaker 4 (00:32):
With one crime at attack.
Speaker 5 (00:37):
And what may become one of the biggest child molesting
cases ever on record. Seven nursery school teachers were arranged
today on more than one hundred counts of child molestation.
Speaker 3 (00:46):
Accused include the preschool owner, seventy six year old Virginia
mc martin, her daughter, and two grandchildren.
Speaker 1 (00:53):
Finding out just what happened to the McMartin preschoolers in
Manhattan Beach, California, would spark a national media session.
Speaker 5 (01:00):
The case, which has shocked much of southern California and
caused a lot of parents to worry about the safety.
Speaker 1 (01:06):
Of their children, setting off a panic around the country.
Speaker 4 (01:09):
In alarming numbers, preschoolers have been exploited.
Speaker 3 (01:12):
Could it be your child?
Speaker 1 (01:14):
The media blitz demonstrated unstening belief that this had happened.
Speaker 2 (01:18):
It was sensational and lurid, and seemed to always be expanding.
Fourteen one hundred children in this community have been ritualistically abused?
Speaker 1 (01:30):
But were they? Decades later, While the McMartin case has
been largely forgotten, its impact lives.
Speaker 2 (01:36):
On Welcome Back to Rogue Darkness, the podcast that uncovers
how the misinterpretations and misinformation surrounding witchcraft, the occult, and
other beliefs have led many to do unthinkable crimes. From
ritualistic killings and the demons that live in all of us,
to exploration of the macabre and delving deep into the unknown.
(01:59):
Let's explore the dark wackness of mankind, one crime at
a time. I'm your host of the German Gruesome. Raven
accusations of underground tunnels, tales of blood rituals, witches, and
(02:19):
children forced into the unthinkable. In the nineteen eighties, a
single allegation at a California preschool spiraled into the longest
and most expensive trial in American history. But beneath the fear,
the panic, and the whispers of satanic ritualistic abuse, we
must ask ourselves, was there ever any truth to these claims?
(02:44):
The cultural climate of the early nineteen eighties in the
United States was steeped in fear.
Speaker 4 (02:49):
Of the occult. The so called Satanic Panic swept across
the nation, fueled by sensational media coverage, televangelists, and books
like The Shell Remembers, which claim to recount recovered memories
of ritual abuse. Parents struggling with guilt over leaving their
children in daycare. As more women entered the workforce became
(03:12):
especially vulnerable to fears that preschools could be hubs for
sinister practices. In nineteen eighty three, Manhattan Beach, California, became
the epicenter of what would spiral into hysteria. Judy Johnson
accused Ray Bucky, a young teacher at the McMartin Preschool
and son of administrator Peggy McMartin, Bucky of sexually abusing
(03:36):
her son. Johnson's claims quickly escalated to include sodomy, ritual abuse,
and allegations of underground tunnels where children were taken for ceremonies.
Speaker 5 (03:48):
I just kept the bail very high on the six
women and one man who were indicted yesterday for allegedly
molesting children at a Manhattan Beach preschool. The seven individuals,
all of them at one time on the stay half
of the McMartin preschool, were in court today and in
police custody. Since not all of them have attorneys yet,
they didn't enter pleased today, but as Wayne Satch reports,
(04:09):
the defendants will have a difficult time.
Speaker 3 (04:11):
Making bail and may be so. Jerry the judge kept
the bail high, partly on the grounds that these former
teachers could be dangerous to children if released. They have
been indicted, after all, on the belief that they sexually
assaulted and terrorized more than one hundred children in their care.
So the suspect Ray Bucky, for example, still faces an
unprecedented million dollars bail, and the judges indicated that he
(04:33):
may not accept bail from them in the form of
real estate, and that even their cash may be viewed
as tainted and not accepted. So seven people who were
once respected in their community and have virtually no prior
records are now in jail, indefinitely viewed by authorities as
child molesters.
Speaker 4 (04:50):
On September eighth, nineteen eighty three, Manhattan Beach Police mailed
a letter to over two hundred parents urging them to
question their children about possible abuse. This letter fanned the
flames of panic. Johnson, who would later be diagnosed with
paranoid schizophrenia, died in nineteen eighty six before the preliminary
(05:13):
hearing ended. Evidence of her mental illness was not initially
disclosed to the defense. Soon children began recounting bizarre and
fantastical stories witches flying through the air, animals being slaughtered
in rituals, secret tunnels beneath the preschool, and even being
(05:34):
taken on airplanes and hot air balloons. One child even
identified actor Chuck Norris as an abuser in a photo lineup. Investigators,
often using leading questions and coercive interview techniques at Children's
Institute International, under social worker Kee MacFarlane, rewarded children or
(05:55):
providing sensational details. Psicology now identifies this as a classic
case of false memory implantation, children attempting to please authority
figures by fabricating stories. In total, about three hundred sixty
children were interviewed, forty one testified at preliminary hearings, but
(06:18):
fewer than a dozen actually testified at trial. By nineteen
eighty four, seven staff members were indicted. Virginia McMartin the
preschool's founder, her daughter Peggy McMartin Bucky, her grandson Ray Bucky,
Peggy Ann Bucky, and teachers Mary Anne Jackson, Betty Reyder
and Babbett Spitler. Originally, one hundred fifteen counts of abuse
(06:42):
were filed, later expanded to three hundred twenty one counts
involving forty eight children. The preliminary hearings lasted nearly two years.
By nineteen eighty six, District Attorney Ira Reiner dropped charges
against all but Peggy McMartin, Bucky and Ray Bucky. The
case went to trial in nineteen eighty seven under Judge
(07:04):
William Pounders. It lasted until nineteen ninety, costing about fifteen
million dollars, making it the longest and most expensive criminal
trial in US history at the time. Ultimately, Peggy was
acquitted on all charges and Ray was acquitted on fifty
two counts, with the jury hung on the remaining thirteen.
(07:25):
A retrial was attempted for Ray on six of the
unresolved counts, but in nineteen ninety another jury deadlocked and
all remaining charges were dismissed. No physical evidence of abuse
was ever found, No tunnels, no corroborating forensic evidence, and
no credible witness testimony. The allegations left the Buckey family
(07:48):
and other staff members with destroyed reputations and years stolen
from their lives. The case traumatized children who were pressured
to testify, and it fueled a national hysteria about ritual abuse.
The McMartin case is now remembered as a cautionary tale.
It is often studied in psychology, law, and criminology as
(08:12):
an example of hysteria driven prosecution. It also serves as
a reminder that echoes of such fears remain with us,
resurfacing in modern cases like the Hampstead allegations. While the
Satanic panic era may have faded, paranoia and conspiratorial thinking
it fostered remain alive in new forms. In two thousand five,
(08:38):
one former child witness publicly recanted, admitting they were pressured
into false statements. The McMartin preschool trial destroyed lives, drained millions,
and set the stage for decades of suspicion around occult
practices and child care. It's a haunting reminder that sometimes
(08:59):
the most terrifying monsters aren't found in rituals or shadows,
but in fear itself, fear that blinds us, and fear
that condemns the innocent.
Speaker 2 (09:22):
If you enjoyed this episode, please consider subscribing to Rogue
Darkness on your favorite podcast platform. Your support helps us
continue to bring you more stories of true crime and
the paranormal. Definitely let me know your thoughts on this
case and if you have any questions regarding it or
any other cases I've previously covered, you can always contact
me at Rogue darknesspod at gmail dot com. You can
(09:46):
also always reach out to me directly on my socials, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok,
and YouTube are all at Rogue Underscore Darkness. As always,
be sure to share the podcast with anyone who you
think would like it, and be sure to leave a
rating and review you over on Apple, iTunes, Spotify, good Pods,
or anywhere else you can leave a review to let
other listeners know you enjoy the show and if you
(10:09):
want some personalized shoutouts and other exclusives, definitely check out
my Patreon by visiting Patreon dot com slash Rogue Darkness.
You can also check out my Bonfire shop if you
want to get your hands on some merch to support
the show even further. As always, all the links for
everything discussed in my episodes are down in the description
box of the episode. And with that said, that concludes
(10:31):
this week's episode of Rogue Darkness. The darkness is all
around us, and I can confidently say that reality truly
is more terrifying than fiction. Until next time,
Dark Cast Network.
Speaker 2 (00:03):
Welcome to the dark side of podcasts, Leader.
Speaker 1 (00:13):
They would decliffe animals dark world of ritualistic child abuse?
Speaker 3 (00:18):
Is there a well organized plot, an insidious design to
program the minds of our children towards the occult and witchcraft?
Speaker 4 (00:26):
Does it make you want to hate murder?
Speaker 2 (00:28):
Or does it make you.
Speaker 1 (00:28):
Want to do murder?
Speaker 2 (00:30):
Well, let's explore the darkness of mankind.
Speaker 4 (00:32):
With one crime at attack.
Speaker 5 (00:37):
And what may become one of the biggest child molesting
cases ever on record. Seven nursery school teachers were arranged
today on more than one hundred counts of child molestation.
Speaker 3 (00:46):
Accused include the preschool owner, seventy six year old Virginia
mc martin, her daughter, and two grandchildren.
Speaker 1 (00:53):
Finding out just what happened to the McMartin preschoolers in
Manhattan Beach, California, would spark a national media session.
Speaker 5 (01:00):
The case, which has shocked much of southern California and
caused a lot of parents to worry about the safety.
Speaker 1 (01:06):
Of their children, setting off a panic around the country.
Speaker 4 (01:09):
In alarming numbers, preschoolers have been exploited.
Speaker 3 (01:12):
Could it be your child?
Speaker 1 (01:14):
The media blitz demonstrated unstening belief that this had happened.
Speaker 2 (01:18):
It was sensational and lurid, and seemed to always be expanding.
Fourteen one hundred children in this community have been ritualistically abused?
Speaker 1 (01:30):
But were they? Decades later, While the McMartin case has
been largely forgotten, its impact lives.
Speaker 2 (01:36):
On Welcome Back to Rogue Darkness, the podcast that uncovers
how the misinterpretations and misinformation surrounding witchcraft, the occult, and
other beliefs have led many to do unthinkable crimes. From
ritualistic killings and the demons that live in all of us,
to exploration of the macabre and delving deep into the unknown.
(01:59):
Let's explore the dark wackness of mankind, one crime at
a time. I'm your host of the German Gruesome. Raven
accusations of underground tunnels, tales of blood rituals, witches, and
(02:19):
children forced into the unthinkable. In the nineteen eighties, a
single allegation at a California preschool spiraled into the longest
and most expensive trial in American history. But beneath the fear,
the panic, and the whispers of satanic ritualistic abuse, we
must ask ourselves, was there ever any truth to these claims?
(02:44):
The cultural climate of the early nineteen eighties in the
United States was steeped in fear.
Speaker 4 (02:49):
Of the occult. The so called Satanic Panic swept across
the nation, fueled by sensational media coverage, televangelists, and books
like The Shell Remembers, which claim to recount recovered memories
of ritual abuse. Parents struggling with guilt over leaving their
children in daycare. As more women entered the workforce became
(03:12):
especially vulnerable to fears that preschools could be hubs for
sinister practices. In nineteen eighty three, Manhattan Beach, California, became
the epicenter of what would spiral into hysteria. Judy Johnson
accused Ray Bucky, a young teacher at the McMartin Preschool
and son of administrator Peggy McMartin, Bucky of sexually abusing
(03:36):
her son. Johnson's claims quickly escalated to include sodomy, ritual abuse,
and allegations of underground tunnels where children were taken for ceremonies.
Speaker 5 (03:48):
I just kept the bail very high on the six
women and one man who were indicted yesterday for allegedly
molesting children at a Manhattan Beach preschool. The seven individuals,
all of them at one time on the stay half
of the McMartin preschool, were in court today and in
police custody. Since not all of them have attorneys yet,
they didn't enter pleased today, but as Wayne Satch reports,
(04:09):
the defendants will have a difficult time.
Speaker 3 (04:11):
Making bail and may be so. Jerry the judge kept
the bail high, partly on the grounds that these former
teachers could be dangerous to children if released. They have
been indicted, after all, on the belief that they sexually
assaulted and terrorized more than one hundred children in their care.
So the suspect Ray Bucky, for example, still faces an
unprecedented million dollars bail, and the judges indicated that he
(04:33):
may not accept bail from them in the form of
real estate, and that even their cash may be viewed
as tainted and not accepted. So seven people who were
once respected in their community and have virtually no prior
records are now in jail, indefinitely viewed by authorities as
child molesters.
Speaker 4 (04:50):
On September eighth, nineteen eighty three, Manhattan Beach Police mailed
a letter to over two hundred parents urging them to
question their children about possible abuse. This letter fanned the
flames of panic. Johnson, who would later be diagnosed with
paranoid schizophrenia, died in nineteen eighty six before the preliminary
(05:13):
hearing ended. Evidence of her mental illness was not initially
disclosed to the defense. Soon children began recounting bizarre and
fantastical stories witches flying through the air, animals being slaughtered
in rituals, secret tunnels beneath the preschool, and even being
(05:34):
taken on airplanes and hot air balloons. One child even
identified actor Chuck Norris as an abuser in a photo lineup. Investigators,
often using leading questions and coercive interview techniques at Children's
Institute International, under social worker Kee MacFarlane, rewarded children or
(05:55):
providing sensational details. Psicology now identifies this as a classic
case of false memory implantation, children attempting to please authority
figures by fabricating stories. In total, about three hundred sixty
children were interviewed, forty one testified at preliminary hearings, but
(06:18):
fewer than a dozen actually testified at trial. By nineteen
eighty four, seven staff members were indicted. Virginia McMartin the
preschool's founder, her daughter Peggy McMartin Bucky, her grandson Ray Bucky,
Peggy Ann Bucky, and teachers Mary Anne Jackson, Betty Reyder
and Babbett Spitler. Originally, one hundred fifteen counts of abuse
(06:42):
were filed, later expanded to three hundred twenty one counts
involving forty eight children. The preliminary hearings lasted nearly two years.
By nineteen eighty six, District Attorney Ira Reiner dropped charges
against all but Peggy McMartin, Bucky and Ray Bucky. The
case went to trial in nineteen eighty seven under Judge
(07:04):
William Pounders. It lasted until nineteen ninety, costing about fifteen
million dollars, making it the longest and most expensive criminal
trial in US history at the time. Ultimately, Peggy was
acquitted on all charges and Ray was acquitted on fifty
two counts, with the jury hung on the remaining thirteen.
(07:25):
A retrial was attempted for Ray on six of the
unresolved counts, but in nineteen ninety another jury deadlocked and
all remaining charges were dismissed. No physical evidence of abuse
was ever found, No tunnels, no corroborating forensic evidence, and
no credible witness testimony. The allegations left the Buckey family
(07:48):
and other staff members with destroyed reputations and years stolen
from their lives. The case traumatized children who were pressured
to testify, and it fueled a national hysteria about ritual abuse.
The McMartin case is now remembered as a cautionary tale.
It is often studied in psychology, law, and criminology as
(08:12):
an example of hysteria driven prosecution. It also serves as
a reminder that echoes of such fears remain with us,
resurfacing in modern cases like the Hampstead allegations. While the
Satanic panic era may have faded, paranoia and conspiratorial thinking
it fostered remain alive in new forms. In two thousand five,
(08:38):
one former child witness publicly recanted, admitting they were pressured
into false statements. The McMartin preschool trial destroyed lives, drained millions,
and set the stage for decades of suspicion around occult
practices and child care. It's a haunting reminder that sometimes
(08:59):
the most terrifying monsters aren't found in rituals or shadows,
but in fear itself, fear that blinds us, and fear
that condemns the innocent.
Speaker 2 (09:22):
If you enjoyed this episode, please consider subscribing to Rogue
Darkness on your favorite podcast platform. Your support helps us
continue to bring you more stories of true crime and
the paranormal. Definitely let me know your thoughts on this
case and if you have any questions regarding it or
any other cases I've previously covered, you can always contact
me at Rogue darknesspod at gmail dot com. You can
(09:46):
also always reach out to me directly on my socials, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok,
and YouTube are all at Rogue Underscore Darkness. As always,
be sure to share the podcast with anyone who you
think would like it, and be sure to leave a
rating and review you over on Apple, iTunes, Spotify, good Pods,
or anywhere else you can leave a review to let
other listeners know you enjoy the show and if you
(10:09):
want some personalized shoutouts and other exclusives, definitely check out
my Patreon by visiting Patreon dot com slash Rogue Darkness.
You can also check out my Bonfire shop if you
want to get your hands on some merch to support
the show even further. As always, all the links for
everything discussed in my episodes are down in the description
box of the episode. And with that said, that concludes
(10:31):
this week's episode of Rogue Darkness. The darkness is all
around us, and I can confidently say that reality truly
is more terrifying than fiction. Until next time,
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