YT YouTube2Text

YouTube2Text → Transcripts → Carolyn Gusoff coverage of trial of Martin Tankleff, News 12 Long Island 1990

Carolyn Gusoff coverage of trial of Martin Tankleff, News 12 Long Island 1990 — Transcript

by Carolyn Gusoff · 2,829 words · 436 segments · language en · Watch on YouTube

Open in transcriber Summarize with AI Download SRT/VTT

Full transcript

0:0013 had a loving relationship with his
0:02parents right after the time they were
0:04murdered Israel's Carolyn gesoff has
0:06been covering the tankless trial she's
0:07here now with today's story Carolyn
0:09Scott and Melba they are people the
0:11defense says no Martin tankleff best his
0:14relatives and his friends who say he is
0:16not the spoiled ingrate prosecutors say
0:19he is tankless West Coast relatives made
0:21the trip from California to tell the
0:23jury of the 10 days they spent at the
0:25tank look home just weeks before the
0:27murders his aunt broke down when she
0:30recalled how she felt about her own
0:32daughter then and how her sister Arlene
0:34Tank live would speak of Martin with my
0:37daughter was one of the purest
0:42and I was honest I've ever had
0:49and that's how we felt
0:51about our children her daughter Jennifer
0:53also took the stand as a character
0:55witness for the defense she said her
0:57cousin Marty never complained about the
0:59so-called crummy old Lincoln he had to
1:01drive the Lincoln Police say he listed
1:03as a reason for killing his parents
1:05Martin tanklev's best friend backed that
1:07up he said the summer before the murders
1:09Martin tankless and his parents had a
1:12very loving relationship did he ever
1:14complain about his parents we didn't
1:16they have complain about his car no he
1:18didn't have a complaint about his boat
1:19no he didn't but on cross-examination
1:21Mark Perrone acknowledged changing one
1:23part of his story when first interviewed
1:25by police Perrone said Martin tanklev
1:28was a light sleeper now he says Tank
1:30live slept medium to heavy it's an issue
1:33because the defense claims Morton
1:34tankless slept through the brutal attack
1:36on his parents a sound expert testified
1:39even in a worst case scenario if Arlene
1:42tankless had screamed with her door wide
1:44open Martin tank would have not heard a
1:47thing in his cubby-styled
1:49cross-examination though presented
1:51another scenario if the defendant was in
1:55his mother's room
1:57pounding and slashing the life from her
2:01body
2:01is there any doubt that he could have
2:04heard that
2:06I don't think that that's
2:08why I'm tired the question here is
2:11whether or not the sound could be heard
2:12thank you
2:15the prosecution's cross-examination has
2:17been brief like that but to the point
2:19like after Martin tanklev's best friend
2:22testified the defendant wasn't strong
2:24couldn't even reel in a fish the
2:26implication was that he could not have
2:28overpowered his mother but the
2:30prosecutor sarcastically asked the fish
2:32wasn't sleeping was it the prosecution
2:34contends Arlene tankleff was asleep when
2:37her son leaped across the bed and killed
2:39her Melba and Scott how much longer do
2:42you expect this testimony to go I think
2:44there is finally a light at the end of
2:45the tunnel I think the defense will
2:47probably wrap either tomorrow or the
2:49earlier part of next week and we could
2:51have summations by mid uh the week mid
2:55next week yes all right Carol thank you
2:58and some other
2:59and now the Evening Edition
3:04the case of a belter teen accused of
3:07murdering his millionaire parents is now
3:09in the hands of a Riverhead jury and
3:11it's day two of hearings looking into
3:13what caused Avianca Flight 52 to crash
3:15into a hillside in Cove neck last
3:17January news 12's Scott Feldman has been
3:20covering the investigation he'll have a
3:22live report for us but first we begin
3:24with the Martin tank left murder trial
3:26the jurors that sat through The
3:28Sensational trial for the past nine
3:30weeks wanted to go to the Belt air
3:32murder scene but the judge said no
3:34that's been just one of the requests by
3:36the jurors in this first day of
3:38deliberations news 12's Carolyn gussoff
3:40is standing by with more Carolyn Bill
3:42since the judge instructed the jury
3:44early today we have seen dozens of
3:46requests for photographs for exhibits
3:49even for the jury to be allowed to
3:51return to actually go themselves to the
3:54Belterra crime scene instead the judge
3:56is only allowing them to view the
3:58videotape of the home all this on a day
4:00when the lead detective in the case made
4:02some startling Revelations about just
4:05who does support Martin tankleff and who
4:07does not
4:09our faith is still unshaken
4:12since the beginning we've maintained
4:15this strong faith in Marty's innocence
4:17you could see the strain of 12 weeks on
4:19the faces of family members who have
4:21accompanied Martin tanklev every day
4:23since jury selection began and you could
4:25hear them predict and hope but down the
4:27hall detectives who took Martin
4:29tanklev's confession hoped to and
4:31predict a quick verdict of guilty no
4:34person none of you standing here right
4:36now would ever admit to killing your
4:38mother and father if you didn't do it
4:40but Martin tankless attorney says don't
4:42be so sure we'll understand what it was
4:44like for a young boy who had just found
4:46his parents brutally killed what it was
4:48like for him when he was being
4:49questioned at his house understand what
4:51it was like when he was brought into the
4:52interrogation room in fact fact the
4:54judge instructed the jury that if they
4:56find there was a scheme by police to
4:58keep tankla from his family as the
5:00defense contends and that therefore the
5:02confession was not voluntary and not
5:04truthful they don't have to consider it
5:06that's why this case has detectives
5:08feeling as if they too are on trial I
5:11know that my actions my partner's
5:13actions during this entire case were
5:15totally proper we did nothing wrong it's
5:17the word of police in this case against
5:19the word of the defendant and detective
5:21McCready says we don't lie he says the
5:24beltair teenager has duped his whole
5:26family all except for his sister Sherry
5:28Rother and her husband who detective
5:30McCready confirm has been talking to and
5:33cooperating with police for more than a
5:35year I spoke to him this morning I spoke
5:38to them yesterday and I have been
5:40speaking with them and they have been on
5:41our side since January 4th of 1989.
5:44which Gary Rother did not take the stand
5:46in this case Martin tankleff did and
5:49detective McCready says he's glad he did
5:51his own words will convict him now the
5:54defendant's own sister Shari Rother who
5:56had first supported her brother had no
5:58comment on this on where she stands now
6:00in the case or whether indeed she has
6:02been helping police but from her Port
6:04Jefferson home she said something has
6:06been forgotten in all this she said we
6:08have two victims here and no one's out
6:10there protecting them as for the jury
6:12they have two choices in this case it's
6:14really all or nothing they can choose
6:16guilty of second-degree murder or not
6:19guilty at all in Riverhead I'm Carolyn
6:21gossoff reporting let's go back now to
6:23the studio
6:24okay Carolyn thanks our other top story
6:26tonight
6:28ladies and gentlemen of the jury have
6:30you agreed upon a verdict yes we have
6:32well the defendant please rise and face
6:34the jury
6:35the foreman please rise
6:38how do you find as the defendant Martin
6:40tankless as to count one murder second
6:43degree
6:48how do you find
6:50defendant Martin tankless
6:53murder second degree guilty
6:56[Music]
6:58how do you find actual defendant Martin
7:01tankless as to count three murder second
7:04degree guilty
7:06number four will not be considered you
7:09may be seated maybe seated sir
7:12and that was the scene in Riverhead
7:14today Martin tancliff broke down and
7:16cried when the verdict came in the 18
7:18year old had been found guilty of
7:20intentional murder in the killing of his
7:22father and and Mother by Murder By
7:24depraved indifference to human life in
7:27the killing of his mother this was the
7:28first time the belt 13 showed any
7:30courtroom of motion during this 13-week
7:32trial a trial that involved 57 Witnesses
7:35almost 300 pieces of evidence We Begin
7:38our team coverage tonight with news 12's
7:40Carolyn gussoff Carolyn Scott it was 21
7:43months ago police were called to a
7:45sprawling waterfront home in Belle Terre
7:48and found a young man bloody hands
7:50waving in the air screaming someone
7:52murdered my parents he later said he was
7:54afraid the killer was still in the house
7:56well today a jury apparently agreed with
7:59the prosecutor that the killer was
8:01indeed in that house he lived there
8:04confined as the defendant Martin
8:06tankless as to count one murder second
8:09degree
8:14how do you find ask the defendant Martin
8:17tankless
8:18shoot out two murder second degree
8:20guilty
8:23Agony registered on the face of an 18
8:25year old just convicted of murder the
8:28verdict chattering hopes of a lifetime
8:29of privilege and instead virtually
8:31ensuring a lifetime of prison tour
8:34number one was that your verdict yes
8:36juror number two was that your verdict
8:38yes it's not possible said cousin Ron
8:41felby there were optimists till the end
8:43the family couldn't conceive of a guilty
8:45verdict so reality was devastating
8:50as Morton tankless was led away in
8:52handcuffs to face up to 50 years in jail
8:54his family wailed
8:59all along they insisted police made a
9:02mistake had jumped to the wrong
9:03conclusions and tricked an innocent boy
9:05who adored his parents into confessing
9:08but the jury just didn't buy it
9:10[Music]
9:12pale shaken and some in tears jurors
9:15left through a back door after seven and
9:17a half days they apparently agreed you
9:19don't confess to a murder you didn't
9:21commit nobody's ever taken the position
9:23that somebody could not be brainwashed
9:26into admitting something they didn't do
9:28however not in this set of facts and not
9:31under these circumstances the verdict
9:33closes a chapter in a drama which began
9:35September 7 1988 when Arlene and Seymour
9:39tankless were found with their heads
9:40nearly cut off that day police arrested
9:43Martin tankless the couple's adopted son
9:45saying his inappropriate responses made
9:48them suspicious and his confession made
9:51them certain the motive they said a pile
9:53up a petty adolescent gripes but the
9:56trial came down to the word of police
9:57against the word of the defendant do you
10:00feel like you've won oh absolutely I
10:01feel Vindicated uh I don't think anybody
10:04really wins in this situation nobody you
10:07can't bring back Seymour and Arlene tank
10:08lift so the rest of the family loses no
10:11matter what but police say evidence not
10:13admitted in the trial better explains
10:15how a son could kill his own parents
10:18prosecutors now confirm that Martin
10:20tanklov ordered 750 dollars worth of
10:23steroids weeks before the murder they
10:26tried to test his blood for the presence
10:27of the substance some theories say can
10:30send aggressions out of control but they
10:32didn't have a large enough sample
10:35the defense says it was only a vitamin
10:37supplement and claims it was police not
10:39Morton tankless whose responses were
10:41inappropriate in this case the defense
10:43still maintains police forced a
10:45confession to save face and ignored a
10:47man with a possible motive for murder
10:49Jerry stewartman the tankless indebted
10:51business partner to the defense this
10:54murder was a low-level hit not a teenage
10:56temper tantrum and there will be an
10:58appeal there are many things that were
11:00not heard by the jury
11:02that we did want to go into which were
11:05excluded
11:07those issues plus those other issues
11:09obviously can serve as the basis for for
11:11an appeal
11:13the story of the belt here teenager
11:15doesn't end here he's lost his fortune
11:17but there's still the matter of his
11:18freedom he sentenced on August 28th the
11:22day before his 19th birthday Scott and
11:25Melba Carolyn you've just heard from
11:26Jerry Sturman what did he have to say
11:28Jerry stormman says that he is relieved
11:30that he's glad that the pressure is off
11:32his family that they could finally hold
11:34their heads up high and they're happy
11:36that they can get on with the rest of
11:37their lives and basically his family
11:39says that they feel like the real
11:41victims in this case Arlene and Seymour
11:43tancliff have really been pushed aside
11:45and ignored and they're they're glad
11:47that the focus is back on the real
11:49victims here all right thank you Carolyn
11:51Long Island defense attorney Eric nyberg
11:53has been a regular News 12 commentator
11:55on this case tankless was convicted of
11:57depraved indifference well after eight
11:59days of deliberations after nine weeks
12:01of testimony the jury convicted Martin
12:03tankleff of the intentional murder of
12:06his father Seymour and of killing his
12:07wife or rather his mother Arlene with
12:10depraved indifference to human life the
12:12convictions carry on maximum prison term
12:14of 50 years to life with sentencing now
12:16set for August 28th that is the day
12:18before Martin tankless 19th birthday
12:20news 12's Carolyn gustoff has been with
12:22this story since tank lift was first
12:24arrested and she's here now with more it
12:26was a long trial it was indeed Lee and
12:28Carol there is a man in Lake Ronkonkoma
12:31today who is breathing a sigh of relief
12:33Jerry stuerman the tankless business
12:35partner who the defense suggested should
12:37have been on trial says his family can
12:39again hold their heads high but he says
12:42he's sorry about one thing the victim
12:43Seymour and Arlene tankless were lost
12:46and forgotten in the trial it was a
12:48trial which to the end centered on the
12:50young man who said he was the victim of
12:52a tragic mistake
12:55how do you find as the defendant Martin
12:57tankless as to count one murder second
13:00degree
13:04how do you find ask the defendant Martin
13:08tankless at the top two murder second
13:11degree guilty
13:13[Applause]
13:14Agony registered on the face of an 18
13:16year old just convicted of murder the
13:19verdict chattering hopes of a lifetime
13:20of privilege and instead virtually
13:22ensuring a lifetime of prison juror
13:25number one was that your verdict yes
13:27juror number two was that your verdict
13:29yes it's not possible said cousin Ron
13:32falby there were optimists till the end
13:34the family couldn't conceive of a guilty
13:36verdict so reality was devastating
13:39foreign
13:41as Morton tankless was led away in
13:43handcuffs to face up to 50 years in jail
13:45his family wailed
13:50all along they insisted police made a
13:53mistake had jumped to the wrong
13:54conclusions and tricked an innocent boy
13:56who adored his parents into confessing
13:59but the jury just didn't buy it
14:03pale shaken and some in tears jurors
14:06left through a back door after seven and
14:08a half days they apparently agreed you
14:10don't confess to a murder you didn't
14:12commit nobody's ever taken the position
14:14that somebody could not be brainwashed
14:16into admitting something they didn't do
14:19however not in this set of facts and not
14:22under these circumstances the verdict
14:29tank lip for found with their heads
14:31nearly cut off that day police arrested
14:34Martin tankless the couple's adopted son
14:36saying his inappropriate responses made
14:39them suspicious and his confession made
14:42them certain the motive they said a pile
14:44up of petty adolescent gripes but the
14:47trial came down to the word of police
14:48against the word of the defendant do you
14:50feel like you've won oh absolutely I
14:52feel Vindicated uh I don't think anybody
14:55really wins in this situation nobody you
14:58can't bring back Seymour and Arlene tank
14:59lift so the rest of the family loses no
15:02matter what but police say evidence not
15:04Ed in the trial better explains how a
15:06how a son could
15:08carence prosecutors now confirm that
15:11Martin tanklov ordered 750 dollars worth
15:14of steroids weeks before the murder they
15:17tried to test his blood for the presence
15:18of the substance some theories say can
15:21send aggressions out of control but they
15:23didn't have a large enough sample
15:26the defense says it was only a vitamin
15:28supplement and claims it was police not
15:30Morton tankless whose responses were
15:32inappropriate in this case the defense
15:34still maintains police forced a
15:36confession to save face and ignored a
15:38man with a possible motive for murder
15:40Jerry stewerman the tankless indebted
15:42business partner to the defense this
15:45murder was a low-level hit not a teenage
15:47temper tantrum and there will be an
15:49appeal there are many things that were
15:51not heard by the jury
15:53that we did want to go into which were
15:56excluded
15:58those issues plus other issues obviously
16:00can serve as the basis for foreign
16:02appeal
16:04family members were thinking about
16:05making some kind of public statement
16:07late last night but for now they say
16:09they're too distraught as they fled the
16:10courthouse yesterday in tears Arlene
16:12tanklev's sister repeated he's innocent
16:15Carolyn Lee now you say family members
16:17these are the cousins the aunts and the
16:19uncles the people who stood who stood by
16:21him throughout the trial there was of
16:23course Sherry Rother on the other side
16:24his sister who wasn't in court yesterday
16:26and who was sitting on the other side on
16:29the prosecutorial side at the end

About this transcript

This page contains the full transcript of Carolyn Gusoff coverage of trial of Martin Tankleff, News 12 Long Island 1990 by Carolyn Gusoff, generated from the public captions YouTube serves with the video. The transcript has 2,829 words across 436 segments, with the original timestamps preserved so you can click any line to jump to that moment in the embedded player.

What you can do with it

Use the transcript to take notes, quote the speaker, build a study guide, generate a summary with ChatGPT or Claude via the YouTube Summary tool, or export it as a timed subtitle file with YouTube to SRT. You can also re-open it in the transcriber to translate the transcript into 100+ languages.

Free YouTube transcript tool

YouTube2Text is a free YouTube transcript generator — no signup, no daily limit. Paste any YouTube link and get the full transcript instantly, with timestamps, click-to-jump, translation to 100+ languages, AI prompts for ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini, and exports to TXT, SRT, VTT, or Markdown.