Anyone have a murder court transcript?

mnray

mnray

New Member
I'm writing a murder novel and had the hardest time coming across a court transcript of a murder trial. I'm mainly interested in a court reporters transcript on how it is laid out. Some have numbers in the margin that show the sentence number, others do not. I can purchase one from a court, put it is usually hundreds of pages that I would have to purchase and I only need a hand full to show how it is laid out. If you have any ideas, please let me know. The court cost now days for copies is outrageous. Thanks.
 

mnray said:
I'm writing a murder novel and had the hardest time coming across a court transcript of a murder trial. I'm mainly interested in a court reporters transcript on how it is laid out. Some have numbers in the margin that show the sentence number, others do not. I can purchase one from a court, put it is usually hundreds of pages that I would have to purchase and I only need a hand full to show how it is laid out. If you have any ideas, please let me know. The court cost now days for copies is outrageous. Thanks.
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Try this. Go to the local court house, and ask to speak directly to a court reporter. Explain who you are, and what you are trying to accomplish. Somewhere there has to be a school that teaches people how to become a court reporter. Perhaps that person you talk to can describe what the transcript looks like. Or contact the school and enquire from them. Or if you get really desperate, contact Harry Bosch. JimB.
 
Sit in on a murder trial at your local state court. Also, the U.S. Supreme Court has written and oral transcripts on their web site. Since Murder is not generally a federal crime, but of course can be, you will probably have to settle for any court case.
 

ohioboy said:
Sit in on a murder trial at your local state court. Also, the U.S. Supreme Court has written and oral transcripts on their web site. Since Murder is not generally a federal crime, but of course can be, you will probably have to settle for any court case.
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Thanks, I appreciate your repsonse
 
jimintoronto said:
Try this. Go to the local court house, and ask to speak directly to a court reporter. Explain who you are, and what you are trying to accomplish. Somewhere there has to be a school that teaches people how to become a court reporter. Perhaps that person you talk to can describe what the transcript looks like. Or contact the school and enquire from them. Or if you get really desperate, contact Harry Bosch. JimB.
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Good idea, thank you. I live in Texas but was in California in October. I mentioned to my wife that I should call Bosh and see if he was available for lunch. She is more of a literal, I still think she thought I was serious... Lol. I enjoy his new series as a private investigator, but nothing will replace his work as a detective with LA PD.
 
mnray said:
Good idea, thank you. I live in Texas but was in California in October. I mentioned to my wife that I should call Bosh and see if he was available for lunch. She is more of a literal, I still think she thought I was serious... Lol. I enjoy his new series as a private investigator, but nothing will replace his work as a detective with LA PD.
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Congratulations on catching the H.B. mention. It was a bit of a subtle test, to see if you really are a writer in this type of fiction. I will point out that Connolly makes sure to give credit to the real world people who he collaborates with. My favorite is jokingly called "watchyourhousekeys" a corruption of his proper sir name. Bosch is a master class in character construction over a couple of decades in the series. Connolly some times recycles certain physical descriptions when describing Bosch's physical moves. Like... He crouched down like a baseball catcher to look at the body, or He moved his hands in a silent gesture of defeat.

-30-
 
jimintoronto said:
Congratulations on catching the H.B. mention. It was a bit of a subtle test, to see if you really are a writer in this type of fiction. I will point out that Connolly makes sure to give credit to the real world people who he collaborates with. My favorite is jokingly called "watchyourhousekeys" a corruption of his proper sir name. Bosch is a master class in character construction over a couple of decades in the series. Connolly some times recycles certain physical descriptions when describing Bosch's physical moves. Like... He crouched down like a baseball catcher to look at the body, or He moved his hands in a silent gesture of defeat.

-30-
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That is why I like about Connolly, to me, he gives real life descriptions to actions. Almost every sentence can be related to in one form or the other. He brings life to the written word...
 
jimintoronto said:
Congratulations on catching the H.B. mention. It was a bit of a subtle test, to see if you really are a writer in this type of fiction. I will point out that Connolly makes sure to give credit to the real world people who he collaborates with. My favorite is jokingly called "watchyourhousekeys" a corruption of his proper sir name. Bosch is a master class in character construction over a couple of decades in the series. Connolly some times recycles certain physical descriptions when describing Bosch's physical moves. Like... He crouched down like a baseball catcher to look at the body, or He moved his hands in a silent gesture of defeat.

-30-
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Jim, have you found any other series close to "Bosh?" He is just to hard to replace...
 
mnray said:
I'm writing a murder novel and had the hardest time coming across a court transcript of a murder trial. I'm mainly interested in a court reporters transcript on how it is laid out. Some have numbers in the margin that show the sentence number, others do not. I can purchase one from a court, put it is usually hundreds of pages that I would have to purchase and I only need a hand full to show how it is laid out. If you have any ideas, please let me know. The court cost now days for copies is outrageous. Thanks.
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Try this site?

The Carthage Conspiracy Trial: An Account
 
mnray said:
Jim, have you found any other series close to "Bosh?" He is just to hard to replace...
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Perhaps Joe Wambaugh's early books. The Onion Field comes to mind. The first few seasons of Murdoch Mysteries which were shot here in Ontario, have interesting plot lines where the Detective invents some scientific methods that modern readers will recognize, such as the taking of "finger marks " and crime scene photography. The series starts in 1890's Toronto. Murdoch is employed by the Toronto Constabulary. JimB.
 
jimintoronto said:
Perhaps Joe Wambaugh's early books. The Onion Field comes to mind. The first few seasons of Murdoch Mysteries which were shot here in Ontario, have interesting plot lines where the Detective invents some scientific methods that modern readers will recognize, such as the taking of "finger marks " and crime scene photography. The series starts in 1890's Toronto. Murdoch is employed by the Toronto Constabulary. JimB.
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Thanks, I will look them up. Sounds interesting.
 
Nathan said:
If you have the right credentials I'm sure you could go to the courthouse / records and get a copy of a court transcript, if you can reference a specific case.
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That is a good idea. I don't have the credentials, but most are probably public record, so there should not be a problem. It's just a little weird asking for only 5-10 pages for a lay-out rather than the 3,165 pages of court documents. Hahah ahaha.
 
Murrmurr said:
@mnray, you could also check out some YouTube criminal court channels. A lot of them have links to the court transcripts in the description box below their videos. Then you can actually see the trial plus get the transcripts.
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Thanks, never thought of that. I'll check with my wife tonight. She stays glued to those channels...
 
You can get a copy of a court transcript from the court reporter here in PA for a nominal fee. It really depends on how many pages.
 

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