Manson Jurors Finish Day of Deliberation
Sunday, January 17th, 1971
LOS ANGELES, Jan. 17 – The Tate-LaBianca murder trial jury deliberated for its first full day yesterday without reaching a decision on the fate of Charles Manson and three female followers.
The seven man, five woman jury ended its consideration of the evidence at 4:50 p.m. bringing the total time of deliberation yesterday to six hours and 40 minutes.
The panel deliberated an hour and 10 minutes Friday after the charge by trial Judge Charles H. Older.
The jury will be back at 9 am tomorrow to the ninth floor Hall of Justice room where it will stay until it reaches a decision on whether Manson and the others are guilty or innocent of the August 1969 murders of seven persons, including actress Sharon Tate.
Meanwhile, security at the Hall of Justice was tight and all those entering the building were searched thoroughly.
The increased security reportedly was due to Sheriff’s Dept. intelligence reports that friends of Charles Manson or his hippie tribe might try in some way to disrupt the deliberations.
All persons entering the Hall of Justice were asked for identification and searched thoroughly. The search covered everyone including an 8-year-old girl who had come to the courtroom with her reporter mother.
When the jury arrived at the Hall of Justice all members were dressed in casual attire. The women were wearing slacks and the men were in colorful sports shirts, in marked contrast to the way they had dressed during the trial.
The 36-year-old Manson, leader of a band of nomadic hippie young people who call themselves the “Family,” is the accused mastermind of the August 1969 murders of Miss Tate and six others.
Patricia Krenwinkel 23, Susan Atkins 22 and Leslie Van Houten 21 are on trial with him.
The jury, which has been sequestered at the Ambassador Hotel since last July 15 — a month after after the trial began, indicated it wanted to work yesterday.
The jury will have today off and resume its consideration of the evidence at 9 a.m. tomorrow.
Attorneys on both sides have been cautious in making estimates on how long the jury will deliberate, but the general consensus seems to be about a week.
After all, they have pointed out, the jurors have to go through more than 300 pieces of evidence and discuss the testimony of 84 witnesses — all of them for the prosecution.
The defense rested its case last November without calling a single witness and the last words heard by the jury before it began deliberation Friday were from Manson.
“Tell them why we couldn’t put on a defense, old man.” the hippie chieftain shouted at Judge Older as the jurist finished a one-hour-and-five minute charge.
Manson made the remark through the screened opening in the door of a holding cell adjacent to the courtroom. He and his co-defendants were banished last Dec 22 after boisterous courtroom outbursts.
Since then, Manson and the others have listened to trial proceedings by means of loudspeakers. Manson’s loudspeaker is in his cell and the young women were put in a room one floor above the court.
The jury, immediately after it went upstairs to deliberate Friday, elected mortician Herman Tubick as foreman.
Tubick, a gray-haired, distinguished man, is in his 40s. He worked for Rose Hills Cemetery in Whittier.
The jurors range in age from 25 to 74, although most are past 30.
The youngest is a chemical reactor operator from Downey, William McBride III, and the oldest is a former deputy sheriff, Alva Dawson.
Others on the jury include:
Mrs. Thelma McKenzie of Commerce, a supervisor for the Dept. of Public Social Services; Mrs. Shirley Evans, a secretary for the city school district; Mrs. Jean Roseland, an airlines secretary from El Segundo, and Anlee Sisto, an electrical technician.
Also, William Zamora, a technician for the Division of Highways; former drama critic Marie Mesmer; John Baer of Eagle Rock, who works for the Dept. of Water and Power; telephone company repairman Larry Sheely, and Mrs. Evelyn Hines, a dictaphone operator
By SANDI METTETAL
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