Mar 26 – Judge Richard Schell Sunday ruled that recorded conversations between Manson family member Charles “Tex” Watson and his attorney Bill Boyd are no longer protected by the attorney-client privilege, according to a report by the Associated Press.
“The LAPD is pleased that the judge ruled in our favor,” said LAPD public information officer Andrew Smith. “We are looking forward to getting these tapes and thoroughly analyzing their content”
Smith indicated that there’s still is a 30 day window for Watson to appeal, and that detectives will wait for that time to transpire before they depart for Texas to take custody of the tapes.
Bill Boyd represented Charles “Tex” Watson in Texas after his arrest for the Tate-LaBianca murders in late 1969. Boyd fought Watson’s extradition to California long enough so that Watson wouldn’t be tried with Charles Manson, Susan Atkins, Patricia Krenwinkel and Leslie Van Houten.
Bill Boyd died in 2009, and his law firm, Boyd Veigel has since gone into bankruptcy. Department of Justice Trustee Linda Payne was put in charge of liquidating the firm’s assets. Among the thousands of legal files were audio recordings made between Charles Watson and Bill Boyd in 1970.
Upon learning about the recordings, detectives from the Los Angeles Police Department, Robbery-Homicide division became interested in them because of the possibility that they might discuss other unsolved murders the family may have committed. In March of 2012, Chief of Police Charlie Beck sent a letter to Department of Justice Trustee Timothy O’Neal asking for the tapes
Last May, Judge Brenda Rhoades ruled that the tapes were no longer protected by privilege because Watson had allowed Boyd to sell copies in 1976 to assist Chaplin Ray Hoekstra with Watson’s autobiography Will You Die For Me? Rhodes’ ruling prompted a series of appeals from Watson and his attorneys.
In October, the Los Angeles Police Department disclosed that Judge Schell had blocked their attempt to take possession of the tapes via a search warrant issued by the Fort Worth Police Department.
“The Manson crime spree is one of the most notorious cases in Southern California’s history,” said Smith. “We owe it to the victims and their families to ensure every facet of the case is thoroughly and completely investigated, and we plan to do exactly that.”
I have no love for the Manson Family, but this is just another attack on our civil rights. You may not like it-and law isn’t there to protect people like Watson, it’s there to protect the rest of us. Because once you say Watson’s speech isn’t privileged it means no one speech is privileged-but this is attorney/client privilege here, that’s right next to stuff you tell a priest and stuff you tell a psychiatrist/your medical records. I hate when people bitch and moan about how “the law protects criminals” NO, the law protects YOU from the GOVERNMENT. The law was never meant to protect us FROM criminals, but it is a way to seek redress and a way to punish crimes. Our founding fathers created our laws and constitution to protect ALL OF US FROM our government. And whenever some judge fucks over a “criminal” in this way you can’t look at it as justice, see it for what it is: an attack on the people. You know “the people” discussed in the constitution-which includes “criminals” by the way. You have no idea how important your rights are until they’re taken from you; or you’re accused of a crime you didn’t commit. Hope it doesn’t happen to anyone, it’s happened to me, and it’s terrifying. The least of which is simply being put in jail: once you’re in jail no one gives a shit about you; you’re treated like an animal, as if you were already guilty. I don’t suggest you try it, but spend a couple days even in county jail, awaiting your day in court, and it’ll change your whole f*cking perspective.