Inside the Manson Jury: From Deliberation to Death Sentence - Paperback

by Herman Tubick (Author), Helen Tubick (Author), Deborah Herman (Author)

An insider's account of the Tate-LaBianca murder trial, from the jury foreman who helped decide the fate of Charles Manson and three of his followers.

In August 1969, Charles Manson descended upon a Los Angeles home with a group of his followers, and they initiated a series of brutal murders that would leave eight dead, including Sharon Tate and her unborn child. The killers would be brought to trial that following June . . .

On June 22, 1970, funeral director and Marine veteran Herman Tubick had no reservations about being summoned for jury duty at the Superior Court of Los Angeles. He saw it as a responsibility and a privilege. Of course, he had no idea that he was about to become the jury foreman for the Manson trial . . .

On January 25, 1971, Tubick handed the bailiff a note declaring that Charles Manson, Susan Atkins, Patricia Krenwinkel, and Leslie Van Houten were all guilty of seven counts of first-degree murder and one count of conspiracy. Less than two months later, Tubick and the jury sentenced them all to the death penalty.

After the trial, Herman and his wife, Helen, gathered his notes and memories into a manuscript that remained in a desk drawer until discovered by Herman's nephew Rick Ortenberger in 2017, the year Manson died. Based on their 1973 manuscript, and expanded with trial documents and notes from attorney and journalist Deborah Herman, Inside the Manson Jury offers readers a 360-degree view of the case, showing what jurors lived through and what happened behind the scenes. This is essential reading for true crime fans, historians, law students, and anyone fascinated by one of the most dangerous figures of the era.

Author Biography

Herman Tubick (1912-1985) was a mortician and the foreman of the jury in the Charles Manson murder trial. His journals, written during over nine months of sequestration, form the basis of Inside the Manson Jury, the only account to combine a juror's perspective with behind-the-scenes context for a complete view of the "trial of the century."

Helen Tubick (1913-2002) was the wife of jury foreman Herman Tubick. Helen kept their home and business running while Herman was sequestered for over nine months, seeing him only sporadically. Helen co-authored Inside the Manson Jury with her husband after the Manson trial.

Deborah Herman is an attorney, journalist, and author of thirteen books. Co-author of the best-selling memoir Member of the Family with Dianne Lake, she is recognized as a leading commentator on Manson and cult dynamics. For Inside the Manson Jury, she brought her legal and journalistic expertise to compare jury foreman Herman Tubick's 1973 manuscript with 20,000 pages of trial transcripts, creating a rare 360-degree view of the "trial of the century."

Rick Ortenburger (1948-2019), nephew of jury foreman Herman Tubick, was a writer, researcher, and family historian who authored more than forty books on genealogy and history. After rediscovering his uncle's 1973 manuscript, he ensured its preservation and commissioned illustrations, making Inside the Manson Jury possible.