On this day March 22 1984 several teachers at McMartin Preschool in Manhattan Beach California were charged with allegations of satanic ritual abuse of children. The case became one of the most infamous and controversial criminal investigations of the 1980s fueled by mass hysteria and the growing fear of satanic cults.
After a lengthy trial and years of investigations no evidence was found to support the claims and the charges were ultimately proven to be false. The case is now widely seen as an example of the dangers of moral panic and false accusations during the height of the so called Satanic Panic era.
80s insight: The McMartin Preschool trial was the longest and most expensive criminal trial in US history at the time costing taxpayers over 15 million dollars.