STUDIO CITY—On Saturday, June 6, it was confirmed that Vincent Bugliosi died at the age of 80 from cancer at a Los Angeles hospital. Bugliosi is well-known for being the prosecutor for the Manson Family trial, who also wrote a book that chronicled the trial.
In 1969, Charles Manson and some of his followers were placed under arrest for the murders of seven people including actress Sharon Tate, who was the wife of filmmaker Roman Polanski, and four of Tate’s friends.
Tate’s mutilated body was found along with her four friends who were visiting Tate while her husband Polanski was away on business. The actress was eight months pregnant at the time of her murder. The Manson Family were also responsible for killing a married couple the next day.
Bugliosi, born in 1934, was 36 when he was assigned the case of prosecuting the Manson Family. The trial lasted from June 1970 to January 1971, and was considered a long time frame for a criminal case. Bugliosi won his case and the Manson family was sentenced to death. The case went to the Supreme Court and the death penalty was overturned in 1972, ruling that it was unconstitutional. The Manson Family was sentenced to life imprisonment; Charles Manson remains in jail to this day. He has been up for parole several times, but it has been denied.
After the trial, Bugliosi wrote several books. He co-authored “Helter Skelter,” which chronicled the Manson family trials. The title was based on the words that the suspects left behind after the murder of Sharon Tate. It has been reported that several words were written in blood on the walls of the Polanski house. One of the words was smeared and was believed to have been “Helter Skelter,” the title of a Beatles song.
Vincent Bugliosi is survived by his wife Gail, his son Vince Jr., and his daughter Wendy.
