Irving Kanarek

Irving A. Kanarek (May 12, 1920[1] – September 2, 2020) was an American criminal defense attorney. He was best known for representing Charles Manson and "Onion Field" killer Jimmy Lee Smith.[2][3] During the course of the trial he was jailed twice by Judge Older for contempt of court. In his summation, Bugliosi dubbed Kanarek "the Toscanini of Tedium."[4]

Kanarek was born in Seattle. He attended the University of Washington as an undergraduate and Loyola Law School. He was admitted to the California Bar in 1957.[5] His first career was as an aerospace engineer working for North American Aviation (NAA), where he invented a corrosion inhibitor for Inhibited Red Fuming Nitric Acid for the Army's Project Nike.[6]

On July 12, 1954, while employed as a chemical engineer for North American Aviation, Kanarek lost his security clearance when the United States Air Force revoked it. On September 21, 1955 it was restored. He was dismissed from NAA. While employed as a chemical engineer for North American Aviation he was, like many in the McCarthy era, falsely accused of being a communist. Irving lost his security clearance, but after fighting the case in court he cleared his name and had his security clearance restored. He also won his lawsuit for his back pay.[7]

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 Kanarek, in a different case, had once objected to a witness identifying himself: Kanarek claimed that the witness’s name was hearsay because the witness had first heard it from his mother.[8]

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. Bugliosi, also wrote of Kanarek as opposing counsel during the Manson case saying, “The press focused on his bombast and missed his effectiveness. He fought as if he were personally on trial." During the course of the trial he was jailed twice by Judge Older for contempt of court. In his summation, Bugliosi dubbed Kanarek "the Toscanini of Tedium." [9]

Kanarek believed fiercely in the constitutional right to counsel, and that everyone was entitled to their day in court. He said, “I would defend a client who I knew was guilty of horrific crimes. They have to be proved guilty. I’ve had cases where people were guilty as hell but they couldn’t prove it. And if they can’t prove it, he’s not guilty. In that case, the person walks free. That’s American justice.” [10]

Later life and death

Throughout his later life, Kanarek lived in Orange County, California. He married, had two daughters, and later divorced. Kanarek died at 100 on September 2, 2020 in Orange County, CA. [11]

References

  1. ↑ Parsons, Dana (October 25, 1998). "Barred From World He Loved, Just Getting By Is a Trial". Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles, CA. Retrieved September 28, 2009.
  2. ↑ Sutton, George Paul (2006). History of liquid propellant rocket engines. Reston, Virginia: American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics. p. 40. ISBN 978-1-56347-649-5.
  3. ↑ US 2760845, Irving A. Kanarek & Paul E. Friebertshauser, "Stabilized Fuming Nitric Acid", published 1956-08-28 
  4. ↑ Bugliosi, Vincent; Gentry, Curt (1974). Helter Skelter. USA: Bantam Books. p. 549. ISBN 0553022229.
  5. ↑ "Attorney Search". State Bar of California. Retrieved September 28, 2009.
  6. ↑ McFadden, Robert D. (2020-09-03). "Irving Kanarek, Lawyer Who Defended Charles Manson, Dies at 100". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2025-05-31.
  7. ↑ McFadden, Robert D. (2020-09-03). "Irving Kanarek, Lawyer Who Defended Charles Manson, Dies at 100". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2025-05-31.
  8. ↑ Vincent Bugliosi (1974). Helter Skelter. Internet Archive. Bantam Books.
  9. ↑ Vincent Bugliosi (1974). Helter Skelter. Internet Archive. Bantam Books.
  10. ↑ Carroll, Rory; Hattenstone, Simon (2014-06-27). "Defending the indefensible? Lawyers on representing clients accused of nightmarish crimes". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2025-05-31.
  11. ↑ X; Instagram; Facebook (2020-09-09). "Irving Kanarek, hard-charging attorney who defended Charles Manson, dies at 100". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2025-05-31. {{cite web}}: |last2= has generic name (help)

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