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Vincent Bugliosi, Prosecutor In Manson Trial, Dies At 80

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com/AP) — Vincent Bugliosi, the legendary prosecutor responsible for putting Charles Manson behind bars, has died. He was 80.

His family confirmed to CBS2 that he died over the weekend. According to the Associated Press, he had cancer and died Saturday at a hospital in Los Angeles.

Bugliosi Sr. won convictions of Manson and three followers for the shocking 1969 murders of actress Sharon Tate and six others. Bugliosi turned their trial into a marathon showcase for the bizarre lifestyle of Manson and his tribe of followers known as The Manson Family.

RELATED: Trial Prosecutor Reveals Charles Manson's Haunting Words

At the time, it was the longest and most expensive criminal trial in Los Angeles history, and became the basis for Bugliosi's best-selling book "Helter Skelter." Bugliosi said Manson wasn't crazy, and
instead called him an evil and sophisticated con man.

In later years, Bugliosi wrote books on the JFK assassination, and even on George W. Bush.

(TM and © Copyright 2015 CBS Local Media, a division of CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2015 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

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