Manson prosecutor critiques Simpson case

Vincent Bugliosi said he has professional respect for fellow lawyers Marcia Clark and Christopher Darden.

Bugliosi, the man who prosecuted the Charles Manson case, spoke to about 700 people in Schwab Auditorium in an event co-sponsored by the Justice Association and the Pre-Law Society.

The author of Outrage: The Five Reasons Why O.J. Simpson Got Away With Murder, Bugliosi said the Simpson prosecutors' "extreme incompetence and abysmal preparation" led to the "inexcusable" acquittal of O.J. Simpson for the double murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman.

"They were not taking care of business," he said. "They did a terrible, terrible job."

Bugliosi said the prosecution failed to offer incriminating evidence, such as a transcript of a phone conversation between Simpson and his mother, because the prosecution did not want the jury to hear Simpson deny guilt for the murders.

However, Bugliosi attacked this strategy as ridiculous.

"The jury had already heard O.J. deny guilt. After all, he was pleading not guilty."

Bugliosi said Clark and Darden failed to address the main argument of the defense -- that Simpson was framed in a conspiracy perpetrated by racist Los Angeles Police Department officers.

The prosecution's summation, Bugliosi said, while eight hours long, addressed the conspiracy argument for only one minute. Lead defense attorney Johnnie Cochran's closing argument, in contrast, was 90 percent conspiracy theory, Bugliosi said.

He also criticized Clark and Darden for poor preparation. Bugliosi said that on the night before the prosecution gave closing arguments, Clark and Darden were up until 4:30 a.m. preparing their summation.

"There's one word for this -- inexcusable. It's almost alien," Bugliosi said. "If two people hadn't been brutally murdered, it would almost be funny."

Hugo Bonifaz (sophomore-administration of justice) said he appreciated Bugliosi's commitment to fact.

"I think he brought to light a lot of facts that hadn't been made public," he said. "I think a lot of the truth came out today."

Bugliosi, the co-author of Helter Skelter, is no stranger to high-profile murder cases. He earned the death penalty for Charles Manson and three of his co-defendants in the other "trial of the century" in 1970 and 1971. The death sentences were commuted to life imprisonment by the U.S. Supreme Court in 1972.

Bugliosi said the Manson murders are "probably the most bizarre in the annals of American crime."

"Most of the killers were young women," Bugliosi said. "I'm not sure we've had that before."

Manson never killed anyone himself, but instead commanded others to commit the murders, Bugliosi said. His magnetic personality gave him this power over his followers, he added.

"He's just a very evil, sophisticated con man," he said. "He had the inherent ability to dominate another human being."