Prosecutor in Charles Manson trial dies
His son, Vincent Bugliosi Jr, said his father died of cancer at a hospital in Los Angeles on Saturday.
Bugliosi won convictions against Manson and three followers for the shocking 1969 murders of actress Sharon Tate and six others. He 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.
As an author, he was best known for Helter Skelter, which was his account of the Manson Family and the killings of Tate and six others by followers of cult leader Charles Manson.
Bugliosi had prosecuted Manson and his female followers, winning convictions in one of the most sensational trials in the US.
He was an unknown Los Angeles deputy district attorney when, on August 9, 1969, the bodies of the victims, including Tate, the actress wife of film director Roman Polanski, were found. Bugliosi was one of those assigned to the team of prosecutors while the case was being investigated.
