Legal Tactics
According to Tate-LaBianca prosecutor Vincent Bugliosi, Kanarek was legendary in Los Angeles courts for his dilatory, obstructionist tactics. In his book Helter Skelter, Bugliosi claimed that Kanarek in a different case once objected to a witness identifying himself; the lawyer claimed it was hearsay because the witness had first heard it from his mother.
In the Tate-LaBianca trial, Kanarek objected nine times during opening statements, despite continuous censure by Judge Charles Older. During a later objection, he called witness Linda Kasabian insane, and by the third day of the trial, he had objected more than 200 times. During the trial he was sent to jail twice by Judge Older for being in contempt of court. In his summation, Bugliosi dubbed Kanarek "the Toscanini of Tedium."
However, Bugliosi also felt Kanarek was the most effective of all the defense attorneys in the Tate-LaBianca trial. Kanarek frequently scored points and kept vital evidence out of the trial. According to Bugliosi, Kanarek fought as if he personally were on trial.
Read more about this topic: Irving Kanarek
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