The Manson Family Murders Part II: The Murders of the Century
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Evolution implies a progression toward earthly perfection, a process by which, over several years, a being is naturally refined to thrive within its surroundings. That certainly wasn't the case for Manson. A more fitting descriptor for his transformation may be a devolution of sorts, a gradual descent into ruin. Manson came into this world bursting with potential,

He was highly intelligent, despite being uneducated, and seductively charismatic. Even as a child, people listened to him. The boy had the makings of a benevolent leader, were it not for the hardships he was born into. Manson became corrupted by his mother's influence and defiled by the system in which she discarded him. The abuse he experienced in his early life robbed him of the ability to understand right from wrong.

Manson grew up to be remorseless, callous, and terrifyingly manipulative. This suggests that he may have developed antisocial personality disorder. Children who suffer from this condition tend to become arrogant, aggressive adults with extensive criminal records and captivating demeanors. In almost all cases, their dysfunction can be traced back to early trauma. Manson's turbulent upbringing was, without a doubt,

partly responsible for his metamorphosis into a monster. Many maintain that, had he been raised by a stable, loving family, the outcome would have been far more positive. However, many also ignore the fact that he spent almost three years with one such family when he was four years old. After his mother was incarcerated, he lived with his aunt and uncle. Although conservative, they were caring and reliable.

Despite this, Manson remained malicious and deceptive. So much so, that he came at his cousin with a sickle one day before blaming the unprovoked attack on her. His behavior only worsened, seemingly without reason. If Manson's childhood was truly the catalyst, then what about the other children who grew up under similarly traumatic conditions? Millions of youths are subjected to unimaginable suffering,

yet none go on to become infamous criminal masterminds. So, why did Manson? The general consensus is that he may have been born a monster rather than made into one, an A-grade psychopath. Manson committed depraved acts simply for the thrill of it, exploited others through emotional manipulation and oozed confidence.

He formed artificial relationships for his own gain, lacked empathy, and had a grandiose sense of self-importance and entitlement. With this in mind, one could argue that Manson was evolution exemplified: an abused little boy who evolved into an apex predator. Emboldened by his early success as a puppet master, he carried his psychopathic behavior into adulthood.

That, combined with his frivolous drug use, spawned a very deranged, very dangerous narcissist with an inescapable charm. The result? A brainwashed cult following, ritualistic orgies, doomsday delusions, and the murders of the century. Part One: Once Upon a Time in Hollywood After moving to Los Angeles in December 1967, the Manson family lived in Topanga Canyon for a while.

Manson chased his dreams of Hollywood stardom, hoping to record his album and spark a racial holy war. Thanks to the contact he got in jail, he managed to infiltrate Hollywood's inner circles. Armed with four young female followers, Manson approached Gary Stromberg from Universal Studios. The producer was immediately taken by the charismatic cult leader and, like countless others, gave in to his charms.

Manson was granted a three-hour recording session, which was a dismal failure. He was unprepared, incoherent, and incompetent. The amateur musician didn't need raw talent, though. He had dozens of young, nubile groupies willing to do anything to see his desires fulfilled. And they didn't disappoint. In March 1968,

A few of the Manson girls were hitchhiking on the Sunset Strip when Dennis Wilson of the Beach Boys picked them up. The famous drummer became Manson's gateway to the elites. Dennis welcomed the Manson family into his home on Sunset Boulevard, where they lived, partied, and networked with Hollywood scenesters for several months. Mary Brunner, Manson's first follower, gave birth to his son around this time.

Manson named the newborn Valentine after the hero of "Stranger in a Strange Land," a book about a human raised on Mars who lands on Earth and challenges society's perceptions of sex, death, religion, and money. While staying in Dennis' home, Manson managed to wangle thousands of dollars out of the drummer to book studio sessions and, hopefully, land a record deal with the Beach Boys' label.

The number of Manson girls almost doubled as the rest of their cult trickled in over time, and Dennis was persuaded to cover their costs. Housing and feeding the family ended up costing the drummer around $100,000, part of which went towards treating several of them for gonorrhea. It also included the whopping $21,000 bill he was slapped with after a few followers used and totaled his uninsured car. Dennis was compensated considerably though,

He had unlimited access to Manson's drugged-up female followers, who tended to his sexual needs and acted as servants to both men. Known as the wild child of the Beach Boys, Dennis was an easy target. He couldn't get enough drugs, booze, and women, which Manson had a steady supply of.

Eventually, the drummer's brother and fellow band member, Brian Wilson, stepped in. He was disturbed by Manson's unstable behavior and kicked the Manson family out that August. Part 2: The Wild Wild West The eviction didn't faze Manson. As always, he had a plan. The 33-year-old moved the family to Spahn Ranch near Chatsworth, Los Angeles.

The 55-acre ranch had been turned into a sprawling western-themed movie set for the film industry. When the western genre died, so did the ranch. Over time, it became dilapidated and deserted. George Spahn, the owner, was forced to adapt to get by. He cashed in on the location's popular horseback riding trails and turned the ranch into a horse rental business.

By the time Manson and his followers approached George, he was 81 years old, lonely, nearly blind, and in desperate need of helping hands. He allowed the strange hippies to live there rent-free, in exchange for several special favors, of course. The men of the Manson family would help George run his horse rental business and work the ranch. The women would take turns living with the old-timer, cooking, cleaning, and acting as his seeing eye guides.

To sweeten the deal, Manson would occasionally send a few unlucky girls to have sex with the geriatric. George actually gave some of the Manson girls their infamous nicknames, the most notable of which was Lynette Fromms. She earned the pet name Squeaky, which sounds innocent until you find out why. It was a nauseating ode to the noise she made when George slid his ancient hands up her thighs. With the owner of Spahn Ranch now under his spell,

Manson and his beguiled broods made themselves at home. The Manson family continued to drop acid, have ritualistic orgies, and soak up Manson's paranoid ramblings. They never stopped trying to get their music noticed, but struggled without a record label. Luckily, Dennis Wilson hadn't given up on them yet. In September, he convinced his fellow band members to record one of Manson's songs, Cease to Exist.

He even introduced Manson to renowned producer Terry Mulcher. Dennis thought the hookup would get Manson closer to a record deal and, hopefully, off his back. Terry frequently hung out with the wayward hippies. However, the issue of whether he would sign Manson was always avoided. Manson didn't take the hint. At the time, Terry was living in a stunning mansion at 10050 Cielo Drive in Beverly Hills.

Dennis would often visit Terry there, and Manson would tag along. Sure, he could coax the producer into recording his doomsday album. It didn't work. Terry continued to sidestep the subject. Manson became enraged. He wasn't used to being ignored. His frustration spilled over into his relationship with Dennis, which quickly soured. Manson felt Dennis wasn't doing enough to win Terry's favor.

Dennis was tired of being used by the enlightened leech. The disgruntled drummer distanced himself from the Manson family, ending the inherently transactional relationship they had formed. Part 3: The Beatles, The Bible, and The Bottomless Pit Manson almost lost hope of recording his album and bringing his ridiculous visions to life. However, after the Beatles released The White Album in November 1968, he was more determined than ever.

he grew particularly obsessed with one track called Helter Skelter. The song was true to its name, which was first coined in the 1500s. Back then, Helter Skelter described disorderly haste or confusion, or chaos, perfectly suited to the song's screeching brass and heavy bass lines.

in modern-day England, the home of the Beatles. The term Helter Skelter refers to a tall amusement park ride, a spiral slide winding around a wooden tower. This also happened to be what the song was directly referencing. Consumed by his delusions, Manson believed that the Beatles had tapped into his soul. He became convinced that the song was a cryptic premonition of the racial holy war that would annihilate the white population.

In Manson's mind, the lyrics symbolized the truth. Everything would come crashing down, and the black man would rise. In reality, the song was referencing the journey up and down the ride. As Manson fell deeper into delirium, he became adamant that he and his followers would be the only whites to survive the genocide.

He told the Manson family that his vision dictated they would ride out the mass slaughter by hiding in a bottomless pit in California's Death Valley. Manson believed that a secret underground city was hidden there, an idea he claimed was supported by the Bible and the Book of Revelation. Manson's ramblings were now ostensibly insane. However, his devotees never doubted their validity. Why did educated, middle-class youngsters never even question his prophecies?

Well, at that point, the Manson family had ostensibly begun to lose touch with reality. The isolation they experienced at Spahn Ranch was all-encompassing. There were no books, calendars, or clocks. They were sequestered from society in an eerie ghost town where time didn't exist and one's imagination could run wild. The movie set added a fantastical element to their lives at the ranch.

The bedeviled group would role play as cowboys, further removing themselves from the real world and the laws of logic that governed it. Eventually, the Manson family didn't know what was real and what wasn't. Vulnerable, impressionable, and convinced that Manson's vision was prophesied by both the Bible and the Beatles, they blindly lapped up his delusions as their own. Their collective acceptance, in turn, validated Manson's beliefs.

he became hell-bent on planning their escape, which included dune buggies, firearms, complicated maps, and scouting for a desert dwelling big enough to house his ever-expanding family. Manson made the song his anthem and christened his imaginary event after the title, "Elter Skelter." Certain that the Beatles were secretly calling on him to trigger it, his desperation to release his album, the supposed catalyst, intensified. There was one problem though,

Life at Spahn Ranch had gotten increasingly chaotic. Running a working ranch and horse rental business was hard work, and the LSD just made their efforts disorganized. Manson knew they would never be able to get any serious rehearsals done there. They needed a studio. Part 4: Cease to Exist Manson and a select few of the family moved back into town to focus on their music. The rest of his followers remained at Spahn Ranch.

The aspiring musicians rented a home at 21019 Gresham Street in Canoga Park, Los Angeles. The house stood on about an acre of land and had four bedrooms, two bathrooms, and a large kitchen. Just enough space for Manson's 20 or so chosen family members to squeeze into.

It also sported a spacious front room with excellent acoustics, making it the ideal spot for their makeshift studio. It was only a few miles down the road from the ranch and just under a 30-minute drive away from Hollywood. Manson had his followers and Terry Melcher at his fingertips. The group was only there for a few months, but they grew fond of their canary yellow sanctuary. They even dubbed the house the Yellow Submarine after its color and the Beatles' famous track.

The Manson family thought they would continue rehearsing their songs there until Terry finally recorded their album. However, their dreams of doomsday and world domination were dashed in December 1968 when the Beach Boys released their newest single, "Never Learn Not To Love." Manson was livid when he caught wind of this new development. The track wasn't new to him, it was an altered version of "Cease To Exist."

the song he had written and recorded with the help of the famous boy band. The mournful blues melodies Manson favored had been substituted for the Beach Boys' familiar upbeat pop sounds. Dennis Wilson, his former friend, had revised and retitled it without giving any songwriting credit to Manson. Allegedly, Manson flew into a rage and threatened to kill the drummer.

His behavior towards Dennis was so hostile that it unnerved Terry Melcher, who promptly cut off all contact with the Manson family. Manson was perplexed by the music mogul's silence. He continued trying to contact Terry about the potential record deal and even showed up at his home at 10050 Cielo Drive in March 1969. Unbeknownst to Manson, however, Terry had already fled the property in January, fearing the madman might retaliate.

According to Beach Boys member, Mike Love, Terry's mother had urged him to leave his home. She was disturbed by Manson's volatile behavior. More so, she was alarmed that his fixation with her son could turn violent. She was right to be concerned. When Manson arrived at what he thought was Terry's place of residence, he found an entirely new group of Hollywood elites living there.

The spurned musician stumbled on a photoshoot for 26-year-old Sharon Tate, a beloved model and up-and-coming actress who was heavily pregnant at the time. Sharon had risen to fame after her role in the now cult classic 1967 film, Valley of the Dolls. She married Roman Polanski one year later, the prominent film director, producer, and screenwriter.

the celebrity couple represented everything Manson despised about high society and everything he had hoped to become before Terry inexplicably ghosted him. Eventually, Terry got wind of Manson's persistence in trying to contact him. He had already decided not to sign Manson due to his musical ineptitude. The death threats Manson had hurled at Dennis Wilson and his flagrant racism, explosive temper, and apocalyptic rantings only justified Terry's decision.

When summer came around, Terry bit the bullet and finally told Manson that he wouldn't record his album. The news came as a shock to the cult leader. Manson was used to getting what he wanted. He expected it. Instead of taking Terry's rejection in stride and working on his music, he made Hollywood his enemy. Manson saw himself as a musical prodigy who had been unfairly persecuted by the rich and famous.

Now, he needed to find another way to jumpstart his cherished race war, and he knew exactly who to kill to do it. Part 5: Paranoia and the Black Panthers The family back at Spahn Ranch was becoming increasingly distracted without the direction of their fanatical leader. This eventually led to the events that sent the Manson family into a paranoid spiral that would end the lives of nine innocents. The catalyst? A botched drug deal.

One of his first followers, Charles "Tex" Watson, decided to try his hand at drug dealing. At least, that's what he led a black drug dealer, Bernard Crowe, to think. Tex struck a deal with the narco, agreeing to sell him weed he didn't have. Instead, Tex took the $2,500 and ran. Bernard inevitably called Spahn Ranch to demand his money back. Manson answered. During the confrontation,

Bernard threatened to kill everyone who lived there if he didn't get what he was owed. With all eyes on him, Manson couldn't ignore being disrespected by a black man. So, on July 1st, 1969, he went to Bernard's apartment in Los Angeles to make an example out of him. A deadly scuffle ensued. Manson shot Bernard in the chest and left the dealer for dead. Unbeknownst to him, Bernard survived.

A few days later, a story in the news sent Manson into a panic. The news anchor reported that police had discovered the body of a murdered Black Panther in Los Angeles. Bernard was alive and unaffiliated with the political organization, but Manson now thought otherwise. He was convinced the dealer was a Black Panther and that his brothers would be out for blood. Manson moved back to Spahn Ranch to coordinate his cult.

He called a family meeting and told his wide-eyed followers that retaliation from the black militants was inevitable. That's when the paranoia took hold. Manson militarized the family. He turned Spahn Ranch into a defensive camp where he weaponized his devotees and trained them for combat. The ranch was patrolled every night by armed guards. Cut off from society and rational thinking, the family's paranoia escalated.

In their minds, the war had already begun. This only worsened when Manson brought in reinforcements. He asked the straight Satan's biker gang for protection against the supposed Black Panther attack. Once again, the men were compensated with the Manson girls. The bikers' aggressive presence made a notable impact on the dynamic of those living at the ranch. Tensions were heightened.

Weapons were aplenty, and the Manson family was sucked into the gangster's seedy underworld of crime. This drew more police attention to Spahn Ranch, which inevitably accelerated the group's radicalization and intensified their hostility towards outsiders. What was originally a gathering of peace-loving hippies transformed into a mindless cadre of trigger-happy radicals with their own violent value system. Drunk on the thrill of living outside the law,

It was only a matter of time before they exploded and tore through Hollywood. In July 1969, their fuse was lit. Part 6: The Slaughter That Sparked the Murders of the Century Before Robert "Bobby" Beausoleil became a die-hard Manson follower, he was a wannabe biker desperate to impress the straight Satans. One day, he offered to source some psychedelics for the bikers.

He turned to Gary Hinman, a music teacher, UCLA PhD student, and friend of the family. Bobby bought about $1,000 worth of mescaline using the straight Satan's money and proudly returned to Spahn Ranch with his haul. The bikers were unimpressed. They confronted the 21-year-old, complaining that he'd wasted their money on bad mescaline. They wanted their money back, and Bobby didn't have it. Desperate and embarrassed, Bobby ran to Manson for help.

who encouraged him to be a man and get the biker's money back. The cult leader also believed Gary had come into a sizable inheritance of about $21,000. He ordered Bobby, Mary Brunner, and Susan Atkins to convince the grad student to join the family. That way, he would be forced to turn his assets over to the collective. The trio arrived at Gary Hinman's house in Topanga Canyon, Los Angeles on July 25th.

Armed with a handgun and a knife, Bobby and his accomplices held Gary hostage for two days to torture him into submission. Manson was called in for backup during this time. He arrived with followers Steve "Clem" Grogan and Bruce Davis, and instead of defusing the situation, he escalated it. Manson slashed Gary's face with a Confederate sword, all but severing his left ear. Instead of fighting back,

The grad student peacefully and repeatedly asked the group to leave his home. He was a kind, gentle soul and a Buddhist who didn't believe in violence. Manson left in Gary's car, leaving his followers to handle the rest. Eventually, it became clear that Gary wasn't going to budge.

Fearing he would go back to the police, Bobby Beausoleil stabbed him twice in the chest. Bobby, Susan, and Mary then took turns smothering Gary with a pillow before devising a way to blame the murder on the Black Panthers. They believed it would cover their tracks and help kickstart their leader's envisioned race war. The trio used Gary's still warm blood to write "Political Piggy" on the wall with the Black Panther symbol.

Whether this was on Manson's command, we can only wonder. Nevertheless, Gary Hinman died on the floor with his prayer beads clutched to his chest. The discovery of Gary's body hit the headlines a few days later. Bobby panicked and tried to flee the area but foolishly used the dead man's car as his getaway vehicle. He was caught racing down the highway by police, who quickly found the murder weapon.

The knife, still covered in congealed blood, had been stashed in the tire well. Bobby was promptly arrested and charged with Gary's murder. For the first time in years, Manson felt uncertain. Bobby was cut off from his control and isolated from the family's influence. He could easily crack under the pressure of police interrogations, and Manson knew it. Worried he may be implicated in the crimes against Gary and Bernard, Manson had to think fast.

He stayed true to his nature and chose to throw the police off the family's trail of bloodshed by creating another one. Just two days after Bobby was booked, Manson sent four family members to commit the murders of the century. He turned to his right-hand man, Tex Watson, and told him to take Susan Atkins, Linda Kasabian, and Patricia Krenwinkel to 10050 Cielo Drive, Terry Melcher's former home.

According to texts, Manson ordered them to totally destroy everyone inside and stage the slaughter to resemble that of Gary Hinman. The paranoid cult leader knew that Terry no longer lived there. However, he also knew that the celebrity status of the Hollywood elites, Roman Polanski and Sharon Tate, would be instrumental in seeing his plan through. He had several reasons for ordering their execution, you see.

Their murders would make national headlines as an unprovoked attack by the Black Panthers. As Bobby was in custody, Manson thought this would prove his innocence and force the police to release him. On top of that, the idea that a militant black power organization had brutally murdered wealthy white celebrities, one of whom was eight months pregnant, would surely incite his precious war. So, on August 8th, Charles Manson set his plan in motion.

Part 7: The Tate Murders The four Manson family members arrived at 10050 Cielo Drive in the early hours of August 9th. Techs climbed a telephone pole near the property and cut the phone line, sealing the fates of those inside. The foursome climbed over a brushy embankment and started up the driveway when headlights stopped them in their tracks.

Tex ordered the girls to hide in the bushes. He then stepped out into the driveway, forcing the approaching car to stop. It was being driven by 18-year-old Steven Parent, who graduated high school two months earlier. He had been visiting his friend and caretaker of the property, William Gerritsen. Tex pointed a .22 caliber revolver at the teenager. Steven begged the gunman not to hurt him and, in return, promised that he wouldn't go to the police.

Tex wasn't interested in making deals. He slashed at Stephen's outstretched arm, severing tendons in his wrist and the straps of the watch he wore. Tex then shot the high school graduate four times in the chest and stomach while he sat in his car, where he eventually bled to death. The foursome continued up the driveway and approached the mansion. Linda stood outside to keep watch while Tex, Susan, and Patricia snuck inside.

The bloodthirsty trio was met by far more people than the famous married couple they expected, unbeknownst to them. Roman Polanski was away in Europe at the time. His heavily pregnant wife, Sharon Tate, stayed behind with her friends. This included celebrity hairstylist Jay Sebring, coffee heiress Abigail Folger, and Wojtek Frykowski, Abigail's boyfriend. First, they found Wojtek Frykowski sleeping on the living room couch.

Tex woke him up with a kick to the face. Disoriented and bleeding, Wojtek asked who he was. Tex replied, "I'm the devil, and I'm here to do the devil's business." He bound Wojtek's hands with a towel and ordered the two remaining Manson girls to gather the rest of the occupants in the living room. They obeyed. Tex then tied Sharon Tate and Jay Sebring together by their necks with a rope before slinging it over a ceiling beam.

Jay scolded him for manhandling the expectant mother. Tex responded by fatally stabbing him seven times. Vojtek managed to free himself during the commotion. He struggled with Susan, who began stabbing his legs with her knife before breaking free and making a run for it. He only got as far as the front door before Tex tackled him to the floor.

Tech smashed Wojtek over the head with the butt of his gun 13 times with such ferocity that the barrel bent. He then shot the man twice and savagely stabbed him 51 times until he stopped moving. Aside from the occasional twitch, Linda, who was still outside, became disturbed by the blood-curdling screams and sickening thuds she heard coming from the house. She was one of the more recent additions to Manson's cult and hadn't yet succumbed to their taste for violence.

Linda shouted that someone was coming, hoping it would stop the bloodshed. It didn't. Thinking that rescue was imminent, Abigail Folger broke free from Patricia's grip and ran outside. Patricia quickly caught up and knocked her to the ground. Tex joined Patricia, and the pair flew into a feral rage, slashing and stabbing at Abigail 28 times until she finally died.

Tied to her friend's dead body, Sharon Tate quivered with terror as she listened to Abigail and Wojtek being brutally murdered. She wasn't worried about herself though. The selfless mother-to-be only feared for the safety of her unborn son, Paul. When Tex and Patricia, covered in blood and gray matter, joined Susan inside, Sharon pleaded her case. She begged them to allow her to live long enough to give birth. She even offered herself as a hostage as long as they spared her baby boy.

her pleas fell on indifferent ears. Tex murdered the pregnant actress without a second thought. He stabbed Sharon 16 times while she screamed the word mother over and over. Eventually, she stopped screaming. Silence filled the blood-soaked room and, devoid of emotion, the trio moved on to the next stage of their plan. They attempted to replicate Gary Hinman's murder by creating a copycat crime scene that would frame the Black Panthers.

Susan dipped a towel in Sharon's blood and smeared pig on the front door before they fled the scene. Part Eight: The LaBianca Murders The very next night, on August 10th, Manson deployed the same group of family members for another gruesome execution. This time, however, the foursome was joined by Leslie Van Houten and Charles Manson himself.

Their targets? Grocery store executive, Leno LaBianca and his wife, Rosemary. They weren't Hollywood elites, but they were wealthy. The running theory is that Manson hoped to steal their money and pay the straight Satans back for the mescaline fiasco. Although the first slaughters were successful, Manson felt they were far too disorganized. He needed to set an example.

Once the homicidal hippies arrived at the LaBianca's home, Manson disappeared up the driveway with Tex in tow. The pair entered the house through an unlocked back door and found Leno sleeping on a couch in the living room. Manson prodded Leno awake with his gun before motioning for Tex to bind the man's hands. The pair then brought Rosemary into the room from the bedroom. Tex covered the couple's heads with pillowcases, which he tightly bound with electrical cords, lamps still attached.

Manson then ushered Patricia and Leslie into the home before leaving them to do his dirty work. Thanks to Manson's direction and presence, the murders that ensued that night would be far more violent and calculated than the previous five. Tex sent the Manson girls into the bedroom with Rosemary while he went to work on Leno.

He managed to find a chrome-plated bayonet and used it to viciously stab the man, starting with his throat. Suddenly, Leno's gurgling was drowned out by the sounds of a commotion in the bedroom. Tex went to investigate and found the Manson girls struggling to keep Rosemary under control. As she violently swung the lamp tied to her neck, he impaled her with the bayonet before leaving Patricia and Leslie to finish her off.

Tex went back to the living room and continued to slash at Leno while he lay defenseless on the floor. After stabbing him 12 times, he carved the word "war" into the dead man's stomach. As Manson's most loyal underling, Tex returned to the bedroom to supervise Rosemary's final moments. He watched as Patricia and Leslie stabbed the woman 41 times with knives from the kitchen while she writhed in agony.

Even after Rosemary had perished, the animalistic Manson girls continued to slice open her exposed back and buttocks, spraying the walls with her blood. Satisfied, Tex wiped the LaBianca's blood from the bayonet and cleaned himself off in their shower. The Manson girls got busy staging the scene as another Black Panther crime. Patricia used the couple's blood to write "Rise" and "Death to Pigs" on the walls.

She topped it off by smearing "Hielter Skelter" on their fridge, the misspelled title Manson had given the coming race war. Patricia went on to puncture Leno's corpse 14 times with an ivory-handled carving fork, which she then buried in his stomach. For added shock value, she drove a steak knife deep into his already shredded throat. Part 9: Strangers in a Strange Land

The impact of the Tate-LaBianca murders, as they came to be known, was profound. Although not in the way Manson envisioned, the sadistic killings and ritualistic messages scrawled in blood sent Hollywood into a panic. However, instead of causing a race war, the public blamed the occult. Worse, Bobby remained in custody. The police had failed to notice the link between crimes, nor did they consider that the Black Panthers were involved.

Manson's faith never faltered though. He was steadfast in his belief that the race war would inevitably wipe out society as they knew it. He continued to stock up on the supplies the Manson family would need when they ventured into Death Valley to wait out the apocalypse, including several stolen trucks. This turned out to be a big mistake. On August 16th, the police raided Spahn Ranch on suspicion of Grand Theft Auto.

They arrested several Manson family members, who were released shortly afterwards thanks to a botched search warrant. Even so, Manson became unnerved by the police presence and knew it was time to move. He had a score to settle first, though. Manson believed that ranch hand Donald Shorty Shea had tipped the police off about the stolen cars. Whether this was true or not, we may never know.

The Manson family didn't care to know. They just followed orders. On August 26th, Susan Atkins lured Shorty to a remote section of Spahn Ranch. By the time he realized it was a trap, it was too late.

Family members Bruce Davis and Clem Grogan jumped out of the bushes and smashed Shorty over the head with a pipe. They viciously stabbed him, shredding his insides while his blood soaked the dusty dirt trail he had walked for years. Shorty's skeletal remains would only be found in 1977. Manson relocated his cult of fully fledged members to Barker Ranch, their final hideout.

The desolate property was located inside Death Valley National Park in eastern California. Surrounded by thousands of square miles of sprawling desert, the Manson family continued to prepare for the black uprising their leader predicted. Manson dragged his followers out into the searing heat of the sun-scorched desert every day. He was searching for the biblical bottomless pit that contained the underground city.

Thinking they had nothing to lose, the radicalized misfits stole dune buggies and vandalized National Park property during their trips into the barren wilderness. Astoundingly, it was those petty crimes that ended the Manson family's reign of terror, not the stomach-churning murders. Park rangers had caught on to their malicious shenanigans. Countless visitors had tipped them off about the rag-tag bunch of hippies causing havoc in the desert.

There were reports of clearly intoxicated teenagers recklessly driving dune buggies throughout the night and naked young women wandering aimlessly across the cracked desert landscape. More worryingly, a handful of concerned hikers had noticed a wild-eyed man preaching disturbing sermons to skinny, weathered kids. The brood was crammed into an abandoned cabin on Barker Ranch. When a maintenance crew radioed in to report that their brand new Michigan loader had been set on fire,

the Rangers knew precisely where to start their investigation. After days of overtime and overnight stakeouts, the Rangers had collected enough evidence to make arrests. On October 10th, a small army of park rangers, patrolmen, and sheriff's deputies drove to Barker Ranch, where they raided the property. The officers apprehended around 26 people and booked them under suspicion of arson, vandalism, and grand theft auto. However, on October 12th,

they would make a discovery that sent shockwaves throughout the state. Inside a 12 by 16 inch cupboard beneath a sink, a patrolman found a long-haired man with wild eyes. He identified himself as Charles Manson, although the name meant nothing to the officers at the time. Death Valley was 250 miles away from Los Angeles, and news didn't travel as fast back then.

When the officers booked the strange man who signed his name as Manson, Charles M. AKA Jesus Christ, God, they had no idea that they had just arrested the most wanted fugitive in America. Part 10, The Trial of the Century. Los Angeles remained gripped by terror, speculation, and morbid fascination. Its residents gossiped about the Tate-LaBianca murders, spreading conspiracies rife with Satanists and devil worshipers.

The LAPD, on the other hand, had finally connected the three crime scenes. However, they falsely believed the murders were caused by a drug deal gone wrong. Several weeks later, an unlikely source became the break in the case they needed. Susan Atkins, one of Manson's most devoted followers, ran her mouth in prison to impress her fellow inmates. She bragged about killing Sharon Tate, even though Tex was the perpetrator.

The inmates wasted no time tipping off the prison guards about Susan's confession. On December 1st, 1969, the LAPD announced that the suspects in the Tate-LaBianca murders had been identified. They were a group of brainwashed hippies and a delusional ex-con masquerading as a prophet. The almighty Charles Manson was finally exposed for who he was, an unhinged psychopath who craved money, power, women, and fame.

A few days later, the most notorious members of the family and Manson, the mastermind, were charged with the murders of the century. They were indicted on murder and conspiracy charges in the Tate-LaBianca killings, with Leslie Van Houten only being charged with the latter. Although Linda was initially indicted along with her leader and fellow Manson girls, she became the prosecution's star witness in exchange for immunity.

She was the only family member who had tried to stop the bloodshed, rather than encourage it, and hadn't participated in the murders. She did, however, know what happened on those fateful nights, making her testimony invaluable. Before their trial began, Manson waived the right to an attorney. Judge William Keene reluctantly granted this, but quickly changed his mind.

Manson proved incapable of acting as his own attorney after violating a gag order and submitting incoherent, nonsensical pretrial motions. Angered by Judge Keene's decision, Manson retaliated by filing an affidavit of prejudice against him, which saw him replaced by Judge Charles Older. On Friday, July 24th, 1970, the first day of testimony for the Tate-LaBianca trial began.

Manson appeared in court-clad and fringed buckskins with an X carved between his brows. He announced that he had X'd himself from the world, insisting that no man or lawyer would speak on his behalf. Loyal until the bitter end, the co-accused Manson girls carved the same symbol into their foreheads. Several remaining Manson family members did the same.

The trial was disturbing and sensationalized by the press, the Manson family, and Charles Manson himself. It was considerably drawn out, thanks to disruptive outbursts from Manson, his supporters inside the courtroom, and even those protesting outside. The dramatic, unheard-of conduct had the public on the edge of their collective seats. The accused Manson girls would enter the courtroom skipping, holding hands, and singing, seemingly unaffected by the lives they destroyed.

Those outside the courtroom shaved their heads in silent protest as they held vigils on the pavement. Some even went as far as intimidating and drugging witnesses, anything to free their beloved leader. Those who managed to get inside the trial wore saffron robes. They announced that if Manson were found guilty, they would set themselves alight as Vietnamese monks had done to protest the war. Astonishingly, a bomb was even detonated beneath the courthouse.

Thankfully, no one was hurt in the explosion. The police never linked the bomb to Manson's followers, but the press couldn't get enough. Manson only made things worse as he continued to spiral out of control. On October 5th, he lunged at Judge Older with a sharpened pencil, but was apprehended just in time while being let out. Manson screamed that someone should cut Judge Older's head off and the co-accused Manson girls began chanting in Latin in unison.

Judge Older wore a revolver under his robes for the remainder of the trial. The Manson girls were consumed by blind loyalty and insisted their leader was innocent, although accurate to some extent. The truth inevitably came out. Manson may not have committed the murders, but he did orchestrate them. Interestingly, despite Manson's depraved behavior, he forbade the girls from pleading insanity.

The defense rested its case without presenting any evidence or witnesses. They wanted to prevent the girls from testifying and sacrificing themselves to save their puppet master. As the trial neared its end, Manson was allowed to address the court. His testimony was an apt example of both his insanity and his inherent philosophical genius. His words rang true for the state of American society at the time, however atrocious his crimes were.

He stood before Judge Alder and said, "My father is the jailhouse. My father is your system. I am only what you made me. I am only a reflection of you. You want to kill me? I am already dead, have been all my life. I've spent 23 years in tombs that you have built.

Finally, on January 25th, 1971, the jury found Charles Manson, Patricia Krenwinkel, and Susan Atkins guilty of seven counts of first-degree murder and conspiracy for the Tate-LaBianca slayings. Leslie Van Houten was subsequently found guilty of two counts of first-degree murder and conspiracy for the slaughter of Leno and Rosemary LaBianca. Part 11. The Manson Family Faces the Music

The accused Manson family members and their diabolical leader, all of whom had shaved their heads in collective defiance, were inevitably sentenced to death on March 29th. Once Judge Older handed down their sentences, Susan Atkins screeched at the jury to lock their doors and hide their children. The girls had initially flocked to Manson to escape their troubled pasts and live a life of peace, love, and flower power. Instead,

They became empty vessels that absorbed their leaders' disdain for society. The damage had been done. They were far too gone. Charles Tex Watson had handed himself over to the police in Texas when his involvement in the Tate-LaBianca murders became known in 1969. He went on to fight extradition to California long enough to avoid being tried with the family.

He was tried in August 1971 and found guilty of seven counts of first-degree murder and conspiracy in the Tate-LaBianca murders that October. Like his co-conspirators, Tex was slapped with the death penalty. Once the hype around the trial of the century had died down, several less publicized trials commenced.

Manson and his followers Bruce Davis and Steve "Clem" Grogan were tried separately for the murder of Donald "Shorty" Shea, the ranch hand at Spahn Ranch, and PhD student Gary Hinman. Clem was sentenced to death, while Bruce and Manson were sentenced to life. Robert "Bobby" Beausoleil didn't escape the judge's gavel either. He had remained in custody ever since he was arrested for the murder of Gary in July 1969.

The then 22-year-old had gone to trial in April 1970, while the press circled the Tate-LaBianca court case. He was found guilty of first-degree murder and also sentenced to death. One year after the trial of the century concluded, the death penalty was abolished by the state of California. Manson and the convicted family members' sentences were commuted to life in prison after this groundbreaking development. This wasn't enough for Manson's followers in the outside world.

they continued to commit crimes in his honor, hoping to force the justice system into freeing their prophet. Even four years after his sentence, one dedicated devotee committed one of the cult's most notorious non-lethal crimes. On September 5th, 1975, Lynette "Squeaky" Fromm tried to assassinate President Gerald Ford during a public appearance in Sacramento, California. Thankfully, the gun didn't go off.

Like her sisters before her, Squeaky was caught, convicted, and sentenced to life in prison. Despite his followers' efforts, Manson remained incarcerated in several maximum security prisons, where he continued to prove that he was a danger to society. He never showed any remorse, rehabilitation, or sanity. In fact, he did the opposite. Manson berated female prison guards and embodied the insane game of his youth.

He even transformed the X between his brows into a swastika before joining the Aryan Brotherhood, a white supremacist group. Manson lived the remainder of his life as he had lived his early years, in prison. That is, until his death in 2017 at age 83. Charles Manson died a prisoner in agony from colon cancer, a fitting end for a man who shattered so many lives, both literally and figuratively.