Tate Jury Chosen; Evidence to Begin
Monday, July 13th, 1970
LOS ANGELES, Jul. 13 – The selection of 12 permanent jurors was completed today at the trial of Charles Manson and three young women members of his “family” in the Tate-Labianca murder case.
After a month of questioning almost 150 citizens, both prosecution and defense settled on a panel of seven men and five women to hear the charges that the hippie cult killed seven persons in two days last August.
The state’s opening statement against the 35-year-old Manson and his female followers was expected to be made later this week.
There was no official announcement that the jury had finally been selected but both prosecution and defense lawyers told newsmen during a recess that the 12 persons in the jury box would hear the case.
Selection of alternate jurors will begin tomorrow and may last for several days.
Superior Court Judge Charles H. Older dismissed the jury panel after a brief session today and told them to report tomorrow morning. He scheduled the remainder of the day fix pretrial motions including one by Manson’s lawyers challenging the entire system of picking jurors in Los Angeles County.
Manson’s strategy during jury selection has been to ignore the prospective panel.
The three young women defendants, Susan Atkins, Patricia Krenwinkel and Leslie Van Houten, have stuck to Manson’s strategy.
The “family” is charged with the grisly slayings of five persons at the home of actress Sharon Tate last Aug. 9 and the killing the next evening of grocer Leno Labianca and his wife.
One of the first prosecution witnesses is expected to be Linda Kasabian, 20-year-old mother of two who lived with the Manson family for a month at the Spahn Ranch, an abandoned movie set.
Mrs. Kasabian reportedly acted as a “lookout” at both the Tate and Labianca homes.
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