Inside the Manson Jury: From Deliberation to Death Sentence

Herman Tubick, a mortician, was the foreman for the Manson trial in 1970, at the time the longest criminal trial in US history. I'd read books by the prosecutor and by the defendants and this seemed to be the last "new" perspective to the famous case. I believe Tubick started the book but never published it during his lifetime. His family later had it published. Finding Manson & his gang guilty was probably a foregone conclusion but Tubick was a perfect person for that jury. He was a pious man who had a lot of compassion for people and he took no pleasure from convicting the defendants or recommending the death penalty. He was a stabilizing force amongst the jurors who all respected him. One member of the jury was more of a troublemaker and finally it was Tubick who got him to pull with the team rather than pull against them.

I was somewhat disappointed. I was expecting to hear about the Manson trial from the perspective of the jury and, to some extent, I did but I really wanted an introspective as to what the jury members thought when they witnessed the shenanigans that went on in that courtroom. What did they make of Manson carving and “X” in his forehead? What about the outbursts from Manson and the girls, Manson lunging at Judge Older, Manson holding up a newspaper with a headline that Nixon proclaims Manson guilty and how did it affect their ultimate decision? The author spent too much time demonstrating his lack of bias and what a good person he is that he never got down to how he felt. It was ladened with “nice” talk. By that I mean, if there was an issue with a juror, for example, the author would describe the juror in such euphemistic and politically correct terms that you couldn’t even tell what the problem was. You need to call a spade a spade. He needed to just come out and say it. I would ask the author: “What do you think?” and even though a juror is not allowed to discuss the case with the other jurors until deliberation, there must have been an exchange of knowing glances at each other while that crazy-ass stuff was going on in the courtroom. It is THAT that I wanted to hear about. I wanted a flavor of what it was like in that courtroom and how it affected their decision making. He did document some of these incidents but he expounded in such a matter-of-fact way, as though this is just the normal course of action in a trial. I’ve seen many trials and NO IT’S NOT NORMAL. Just one incident like that is worthy of prime time news coverage and a river of newspaper ink. He needed to just take a point of view and, right or wrong, back it up with his reasoning so the reader can then evaluate the situation for his/her self.The book wasn’t a total loss as it did introduce some tidbits that I had not already known and also covered what it was like to be sequestered for so long on such a high profile trial. In that respect the author covered some of the human aspects, which was fine, though there was a chapter that just should have been eliminated. It was just letters from friends and family that had nothing to do with the trial.I’m glad to have read the book but, all considered, the Kindle price should have been south of $5.00.

Don’t waste your money! Simply a dry, sparse recap of the case with occasional dull insights from jury foreman’s notes (where they ate dinner, which nights they went bowling).

It makes you feel you are part of the trial of the century… hard to put down , perfectly written

Loved this book. Always wanted to know how these jurors kept their sanity. Mr. Herman Tubik kept meticulous notes and was the jury’s foreman who managed to hold it all together. A must read, even if you think you’ve read it all!

The book includes inside information from the point of view of the juror. It is like being in the courtroom. Then you have pieces of the testimony from the original trial that shows what it was like behind the scenes. I learned many things I didn't realize about the case. I have a better understanding why it still captures the imagination of people to this day.

As a fourth generation Angeleno who was a kid while the trial was playing out in my “hometown,” this book really took me back to that unique time period in Los Angeles. Mr. Tubick’s detailed recollections of time and place, descriptions of passing time at the Ambassador Hotel while sequestered, made me nostalgic for the time period, about which Joan Dideon wrote would be forever altered because of the Manson “family’s” crimes. Unlike that other “piece of work,” the arrogant and insufferable juror William Zamora, Mr. Tubick’s kindness and deep religious faith guides us through a torturous 9.5 months that led to justice for the victims of these unspeakable crimes. Since the hot August morning in 1969 that I came downstairs into the kitchen to find my parents gasping in horror at the front page story in the LA Times, knowing the murders happened a few short miles from our home, then the subsequent fright with the discovery the following day of the LaBianca murders wondering who might be next I have been fascinated by the case, the various players, and have deep sympathy for the victims’ families. The fact that Mr. Tubick’s manuscript was discovered after his death and only then was it published lends his words a purity that the other juror’s book utterly lacks. All in all a unique and thoughtful insight into the jury foreman’s perspective, the perspective of a man you can respect and appreciate for his level head and lack of editorializing ego. One of those books you are sad to see end.

To hear another perspective on the Mansion trial from the Jurors themselves delves into new territory not heard before. Suggested read for those into murder court cases such as this. It won't disappoint.