By Molly Flynn

It’s not every day that a living legend visits our school, but last May, we were honored by a visit from iconic courtroom journalist Linda Deutsch, a graduate of BBES and member of our “Hall of Fame” who wrote about some of the most gruesome trials in modern history for the Associated Press during her 50-year career.

Ms. Deutsch, who now lives in California, talked to students about some of her famous cases such as the Night Stalker, Charles Manson, O.J. Simpson, and Michael Jackson, along with memories of her years here in Bradley Beach.

She was in town to deliver keynote addresses at Monmouth University, and receive an honorary degree, “Doctor of Humane Letters.” Ms. Deutsch graduated from (then) Monmouth College in 1965. In 1996, she received the Distinguished Alumni Award. In 2018, she established the Linda Deutsch ’65 Scholarship for Communication Students, and in 2019, the university celebrated the naming of the Linda Deutsch ’65 Student Journalism Center, according to a Monmouth University press release.

Born in Perth Amboy, Ms. Deutsch was raised in Bradley Beach and has many fond memories of our school. She told us that when she was in fifth grade, it was her birthday and her dad came home with a big box. It was the surprise that started her career. In that big box was a brand-new typewriter. With her friends at BBES, she created the first Elvis Presley fan club. She sent out many letters all around the world. She sent it to Europe and around the United States.

When Ms. Deutsch was a student at Monmouth College, she was interning for the summer at the Perth Amboy Evening News. She heard about a march that was going on in Washington D.C. It was 1963, and that march was none other than the March on Washington.

The young reporter asked her editor to send her, but the newspaper would not pay for the trip. Deutsch then called up the NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People) and asked if she could ride on the bus to the speech with them. She attended the march and witnessed Martin Luther King’s historic “I Have a Dream” speech. 

When Ms. Deutsch was 23, she was hired by the Associated Press, an organization that gathers news and produces reports for major daily newspapers, television, and radio. She was the only woman that worked in the Los Angeles bureau. She was replacing another woman who left because she had a baby on the way. When Ms. Deutsch walked in, the editor was annoyed because she was new. Though all of her coworkers were men, they treated her with respect and cared for her, she said. At that time, that was not the case for all women reporters.

One of Deutsch’s most famous trials was the Michael Jackson case. She was hanging out with her best friend (also from BBES) when she got a phone call. Her best friend picked up the phone and she sounded surprised. It was the prince of Bahrain! He said that Michael wanted to speak to her. Michael Jackson wanted to thank her for not going against him in her coverage, and keeping to the facts.

Ms. Deutsch also wrote about the Charles Manson case. This case also just came up for a new reason. One of Manson’s followers, Leslie Van Houten, was just released from prison. While Deutsh was here, she mentioned that some of Manson’s followers should be released from prison because they did nothing wrong.  

Now it’s time for Ms. Deutsch’s most famous case, O.J. Simpson. Ms. Deutsch was so astonished about this case, it was difficult to write about. But she decided to do what she does best, stick to the facts! She said, “It may be the trial of many centuries. I don’t think you’re going to see its like ever again.” Simpson was the most famous American ever charged with murder. The Michael Jackson trial was huge but it didn’t involve murder. The Manson trial was huge but it didn’t involve a celebrity defendant. Manson and the girls became celebrities after the crimes in which they were tried. After that, she wrote the book Verdict: The Chronicle of the O. J. Simpson Trial. 

 Ms. Deutsch had so many stories to tell about her childhood and her career that it would be impossible to cover them all. Luckily for us, she said she is working on a memoir. And you can find a lot of great material on her website, lindadeutschnews.com. Thanks, Ms. Deutsch, for spending some time with us.