Two notorious USA legal stories on the one day

1971 It was a day for big legal news in the USA. Charles Manson, convicted on January 19, 1971 of the ghastly cult murders of seven people, was sentenced to life imprisonment (after a 9 ½ month trial – the longest in Californian history). His Los Angeles, California jury recommended the death penalty for Manson and three of his female followers.

On the same day, Lieutenant William Calley of the US Army was found guilty of his role in the My Lai massacre, in which "at least 22" Vietnamese civilians were killed on his orders (the precise number killed varies from source to source, with 347 and 504 being the most commonly cited figures). Although sentenced to life imprisonment, Calley served only three years, under house arrest ...

Tagged: usa, law, legal, army, vietnam, military, history