234
volatile personality began to make
Wilson uncomfortable. Wilson
abandoned both the group and the
house, and in August 1968, Manson
and his followers were evicted by
the authorities.
The group moved to the
deteriorating remnants of a
Western movie set in the San
Fernando Valley called Spahn
Ranch. The owner allowed them to
stay on the ranch in exchange for
doing chores. While at the ranch
the group became closer and
started calling themselves the
“Manson Family”. They lived a
communal life, regularly engaging
in orgies and dropping LSD.
The Family was based at Spahn
Ranch for much of 1968 and 1969,
and their numbers continued to
grow. Charles “Tex” Watson, a
college dropout from Texas, joined
the group, as did Linda Kasabian,
a 20-year-old single mother with a
16-month-old daughter.THE MANSON FAMILY
In December 1968, Manson visited
a friend who played him the
recently released Beatles’ White
Album. Manson became obsessed
with the group. He believed that
their songs contained hidden
messages that warned the Family
of an impending disaster. Manson
believed he knew what this
disaster would be.Helter Skelter
On New Year’s Eve 1968, as the
Family gathered around a campfire
at Spahn Ranch, Manson warned
members of the Family that racial
tensions between black and white
Americans were growing, and that
African Americans would soon rise
up in rebellion across the country.
He claimed that the whites were
doomed due to a split between
racist and nonracist whites.
Manson also told the group that
the Beatles were sending messages
about the race war to the Family,who would be spared by hiding
out in Death Valley. The Manson
Family began preparing for the
impending apocalypse, which the
cult leader had termed “Helter
Skelter”, after the Beatles’ song.
Initially, Manson’s vision was to
release an album like the Beatles
had, with subtle lyrics that would
trigger chaos. In early 1969, the
Family left the desert and moved to
a home in Canoga Park in order to
monitor racial tensions in Los
Angeles and write songs for their
supposedly world-changing album.
By June, when the apocalypse
failed to materialize, Manson
started to tell the Family that he
had to lead the way. He needed
to show the nation how to startSpahn Ranch was the perfect location
for Western films – such as Duel in
the Sun (1946) – with mountainous
territory and plenty of open land. The
Manson Family lived there until 1969.230_237_Manson_Family.indd 234 02/12/2016 15:04
MURDER CASES 235
“Helter Skelter” by killing wealthy
white people and framing African
Americans for the crimes.
On 25 July, Manson sent Family
member Bobby Beausoleil, a young
rock musician, along with Brunner
and Atkins to the house of
Manson’s acquaintance, Gary
Hinman. Manson believed Hinman
had money that they could steal to
fund an underground bunker.
After being held hostage for two
days, however, Hinman still refused
to give up the money. Angered,
Manson slashed Hinman’s ear off
with a sword. On Manson’s orders,
Beausoleil stabbed Hinman to
death. One member of the group
wrote “political piggy” in Hinman’s
blood on the wall of his home. They
also drew a Black Panther symbol
on the wall, hoping the police
would believe that the murder was
committed by a member of the
black nationalist organization.
The ruse was unsuccessful. On
6 August, Beausoleil was arrested
for the murder while out driving
Hinman’s car. Two days later,
Manson declared that it was time
to begin “Helter Skelter”, and told
them to start at the house currently
occupied by Roman Polanski.I’ve done nothing I’m ashamed
of. Nothing I couldn’t face God
with. I wouldn’t kill a bug.
Charles MansonOn the evening of 8 August 1969,
Polanski’s wife dined at her
favourite restaurant, El Coyote,
with Folger, Frykowski, and
Sebring. Tate was just two weeks
away from giving birth and had
complained that day about Polanski
delaying his return from London.
At around 10:30pm, the four friends
returned to Tate’s rambling house
overlooking Benedict Canyon.Deadly night
Just before midnight, Watson,
Atkins, Krenwinkel, and Kasabian
drove to the house. In the driveway,
Watson shot and killed 18-year-old
student Steven Parent who had
been visiting the caretaker in the
guesthouse. While Kasabian
waited in the car, the others broke
into the house and slaughtered all
four occupants.
The bodies were discovered at
9:15am the next morning by Tate’s
maid, Winifred Chapman. The
carnage sent her screaming into
the street for help. A neighbour
called the police. When the police
arrived at the scene, they reported
seeing looks of terror on the
victims’ faces. They were unable
to save Tate’s unborn child.The murder sent shockwaves
throughout the community, but
Manson was displeased. The panic
failed to ignite the race war that he
had predicted.
The next evening, the four
killers, Leslie Van Houten, and
18-year-old Steve “Clem” Grogan
went with Manson to the home of
Leno LaBianca, a wealthy 44-year-
old supermarket executive. The
Family entered the property on
Waverly Drive in Los Feliz, Los
Angeles. Manson roused the
sleeping LaBianca from the living
room couch at gunpoint. LaBianca’s
wife, Rosemary, was forced into the
living room, and pillowcases were
put over the couple’s heads. They
were told that they were being
robbed, but would not be harmed
if they cooperated.
Manson then left, instructing
Van Houten and Krenwinkel to
follow Watson’s orders. Watson had
been told to kill the LaBiancas. He
stabbed Leno more than a dozen
times with a chrome-plated
bayonet and carved the word “War”
onto his bare abdomen. Van Houten
and Krenwinkel were told to kill
Rosemary LaBianca, who was
stabbed 41 times in the back and
buttocks. Krenwinkel also wrote
“Rise” and “Death to pigs” on the
walls in the LaBiancas’ blood. ❯❯Charles Manson
Born to 16-year-old Kathleen
Maddox in Cincinnati, Ohio,
Charles Manson had a grim
upbringing. Shortly after
Manson’s birth, Kathleen went
to jail for robbery and he was
sent to live with relatives in
West Virginia. As a teen,
Manson committed a string of
petty crimes, robbing liquor
stores and stealing bikes. After
he robbed two grocery stores,
aged 13, he was sent to a boy’s
school. Despite having a high
IQ, Manson was illiterate and acaseworker deemed him
aggressively antisocial. He
was sent to a minimum-security
institution in October 1951 and
paroled in May 1954.
In 1955, Manson married
hospital waitress Rosalie Jean
Willis and the couple had a son,
Charles Jr. After Manson was
sent back to prison, the couple
divorced. He was paroled in
1958, but soon returned to
prison after attempting to cash
a forged cheque. Manson was
released in March 1967, and
moved to San Francisco, where
he established his cult.230_237_Manson_Family.indd 235 02/12/2016 15:04