Vincent Bugliosi, Prosecutor in Manson Trial and "Helter Skelter" Author (1934-2015)

[Zoneboy]

http://tinyurl.com/pmkdbmd

Vincent Bugliosi, the prosecutor in the Charles Manson trial who went on to write the best-selling true-crime book, "Helter Skelter," has died. He was 80.

His son Vincent Bugliosi Jr. told the Associated Press Monday night that Bugliosi died of cancer Saturday at a hospital in Los Angeles.

Bugliosi Sr. won convictions of Manson and three followers for the shocking 1969 murders of actress Sharon Tate and six others. Bugliosi turned their trial into a marathon showcase for the bizarre lifestyle of Manson and his tribe of followers known as The Manson Family.

It was the longest and most expensive criminal trial in Los Angeles history at the time.

After the trial, Bugliosi's biggest success came in true-crime and non-fiction books.

His death was first reported by KNBC-TV.

[Tighthead]

"And the Sea Will Tell" was a great read, but I disagreed with VB's assertion that his client was innocent. Of course, he may not have believed it himself.

[Kane]

Vincent Bugliosi was also, of course, an outspoken critic of the OJ Simpson case. As you'll recall, he was interviewed on UM in 1996, challenging the theory of an attempted police frame-up against Simpson. He was also the author of Outrage: The Five Reasons Why OJ Simpson Got Away With Murder. That book was mentioned in the UM segment.

[Awsi Dooger]

Very sharp guy. He was absolutely correct on O.J. Simpson and JFK.

I bought all the post-Simpson trial books, at least the mainstream ones not the wacko conspiracy versions. Bugliosi's was right there at the top. Impressive.

I sensed he was in poor health a few months ago. One of the cable networks interviewed him after a recent development. I forget what case that was. Bugliosi always had a strong presence. Now his voice was weak and he was rambling, to the point they had to prompt him to finish his point. Kind of sad but nobody should be judged based on the final years. In fact, I never understand why obituary photos insist on using the latest version. That's ridiculous, IMO. Do you really want to portray a person as they looked at 80 or 90 as opposed to their prime?

RIP

[Laura77]

Originally Posted by Tighthead

"And the Sea Will Tell" was a great read, but I disagreed with VB's assertion that his client was innocent. Of course, he may not have believed it himself.

Ms. Jenkins knew a lot more than she let on.

[TheUntouchables]

Originally Posted by Awsi Dooger

Very sharp guy. He was absolutely correct on O.J. Simpson and JFK.

Let's not pretend like the two are equally obvious. The OJ Simpson trial was a farce from beginning to end.

[Laura77]

Originally Posted by TheUntouchables

Let's not pretend like the two are equally obvious. The OJ Simpson trial was a farce from beginning to end.

That much is true. Bugliosi was correct about OJ's guilt as far as I am concerned. JFK is another matter. I always got the impression that Oswald was the fall-guy, and he was not the only gun-man.

[AB]

May he rest in peace. And I enjoyed reading his books.

[Janel "Jaycee" Miller]

Originally Posted by Laura77

Ms. Jenkins knew a lot more than she let on.

I read "And the Sea Will Tell" before I saw the TV movie it was based on. Mr. Bugliosi did such a good job at creating enough reasonable doubt, I felt his client would be found innocent even before I read that part of the book. Whether or not she is innocent is another story.

It's not very likely, but boy it would be something if Malcolm Graham's body ever washed ashore or otherwise found.

RIP Mr. Bugliosi.

[Laura77]

Originally Posted by Love A Good Mystery

I read "And the Sea Will Tell" before I saw the TV movie it was based on. Mr. Bugliosi did such a good job at creating enough reasonable doubt, I felt his client would be found innocent even before I read that part of the book. Whether or not she is innocent is another story.

It's not very likely, but boy it would be something if Malcolm Graham's body ever washed ashore or otherwise found.

RIP Mr. Bugliosi.

Bugliosi was brilliant, there is no doubt. But seriously, Jennifer Jenkins, AKA Stephanie Stearns, just believed Buck when he said the Graham's were missing, and Hey, while we're at it, why don't we just take off with their prize boat, since ours, the Iola, is not equipped for the journey. Not very likely. She was lucky to retain Bugliosi or she would've gone to prison right along with Buck.

[Kane]

The OJ Simpson trial was a farce from beginning to end.

No doubt about it. Bugliosi made no secret about his disgust with Simpson's acquittal. He was openly critical of the prosecution in particular. He faulted them for transferring the case to Los Angeles, as the jury was biased in Simpson's favor.

He also criticized them for leaving out some of the most crucial pieces of evidence, including the recorded police interrogation in which Simpson made some incriminating statements. In that interview, conducted several hours before any blood was drawn from him, Simpson was asked why there was blood around his house. He said he cut himself, but couldn't give a consistent answer as to how it happened, which was suspicious because it was a deep cut. During a 1995 interview on Geraldo Rivera's now-defunct CNBC talk show, Bugliosi described it as "powerful circumstantial evidence of guilt," questioning what the likelihood was that Simpson would cut himself like that while Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman were being stabbed to death.