Linda Deutsch, AP Court Reporter Who Covered High-Profile Trials, Dies at 80: 'A True Trailblazer'

Mar. 15, 2025

Linda Deutsch poses for a photo at Baltaire in Los Angeles, California on March 7, 2016.Photo:Jim Steinfeldt/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty

Jim Steinfeldt/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty

Linda Deutsch, a longtime Associated Press court reporter with nearly five decades of experience covering some of the most significant trials in U.S. history, has died at 80, according to theAP.

Among the many high-profile trials that Deutsch reported on over the years are those ofO.J. Simpson,Michael Jackson,Phil Spector, theMenendez Brothers, the officers charged in the beating ofRodney King,Patty Hearst, and “Unabomber"Ted Kaczynski.

Self-described on herX(formerly Twitter) account as someone who has covered “every big trial except Socrates',” Deutsch got her start in court reporting in 1969 with the trial of Sen. Robert F. Kennedy’s assassin, Sirhan Sirhan, when she was just 25 years old, per the AP.

Linda Deutsch speaks to reporters on August 9, 2007 in Alhambra, California.Damian Dovarganes-Pool/Getty

Damian Dovarganes-Pool/Getty

Deutsch, who joined the AP in 1967, later covered what she called the “surreal spectacle” of the months-long Charles Manson case in the early 1970s. From there, over two decades later, she was also in the courtroom for the historic Simpson case — and his acquittal — and would conduct several exclusive interviews with the former athlete over the years following what he considered fair coverage of his trial, per the AP. Michael Jackson also called Deutsch for an exclusive interview following his acquittal in his 2005 molestation case, the outlet previouslyreported.

Deutsch retired in 2015 following a 48-year career with theAssociated Press, per the publication.

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Louis D. Boccardi, former president and CEO of the AP, described Deutsch as someone who “mastered the art of celebrity trial coverage and, in the process, became something of a media celebrity herself,” according to the outlet.

“When a big trial loomed, AP’s assignment editors didn’t have to ask who should get the assignment. No, the instant question was, ‘Is Linda available,'" he shared.

Edith Lederer, AP chief United Nations correspondent and longtime friend of Deutsch, called the accomplished journalist “an incomparable friend to hundreds of people who will miss her wit, wisdom, charm and constant inquisitiveness,” while AP’s executive editor and senior vice president Julie Pace described her as “a fearless reporter” who covered some of “the biggest stories.”

“She was a true trailblazer whose command of her beat and tireless work ethic made her an inspiration to so many journalists at the AP and across our industry,” Pace said, per the AP.

“It’s as old as Shakespeare and as old as Socrates,” she said of the courtroom in 2007, the outlet noted. “It’s an extremely powerful theater that tells us about ourselves and about the people on trial. And I think it’s ever fascinating.”

source: people.com