Linda Deutsch, AP Court Reporter Who Covered Charles Manson and OJ Simpson Trials, Dies at 80

For nearly 50 years, she covered the biggest trials, beginning with Robert F. Kennedy's assassin Sirhan Sirhan

Mike Roe - September 1, 2024 @ 8:10 PM

Longtime Associated Press court reporter Linda Deutsch has died at the age of 80 years old, according to the AP. She covered the trials of Charles Manson, O.J. Simpson, Michael Jackson and numerous others over her nearly 50 years with the news agency, beginning in the late 1960s before her retirement in 2015.

Deutsch was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in 2022. While she was successfully treated at the time, her cancer returned this summer and she died at her Los Angeles home on Sunday.

She covered numerous other high-profile trials over the years, including those of the police charged with beating Rodney King, Patty Hearst, Phil Spector, the Menéndez Brothers, "Night Stalker" Richard Ramirez, "Unabomber" Ted Kaczynski and more.

Deutsch began her career covering courts at the AP in 1969, when she covered the trial of Robert F. Kennedy gunman Sirhan Sirhan.

In her X profile bio, Deutsch described herself by writing that she'd "covered every big trial except Socrates'." She remained active on social media, with her last Twitter post being a retweet of a June story criticizing Donald Trump. Among her more personal tweets was one earlier this year asking for followers to join a petition to abolish the death penalty.

"She was an incomparable friend to hundreds of people who will miss her wit, wisdom, charm and constant inquisitiveness," longtime friend Edith Lederer told the AP.

"You may not recognize the name but I am sure you have read her words," author and journalist Alan Duke wrote on X.

The AP's Eric Tucker wrote on X, "One of the most legendary AP journalists ever, an incredibly kind and gracious person, a gifted raconteur and a mentor to so many over the decades."

"My predecessor, whose work I can only hope to approximate," the AP's Andrew Dalton wrote on X. "A master, a legend and a friend."

"RIP Linda Deutsch," Politico's Josh Gerstein wrote on X, before adding, "An old-school pro at courtroom reporting, which just might be harder than it looks."

"Rest in power to a great one," NPR journalist Ameera Butt wrote on X. "What sad news about Linda. Sending so much love to her family and friends."

Nurse Narek Petrosian of Olympia Hospice Care said that she died surrounded by family and friends.