thevictims,buthewasthe
mastermind.
Bornin 1934 toa teenage
mother– whoatonepoint
soldhimfora pitcherofbeer
- Mansonwasbothcharming
andtyrannical.Afterspending
severalyearsinprisonfora
stringofcrimesfromtheft
toforgery,hewashedupin
SanFranciscoinlate1967.
Killercult
At33,hewasolderthanmost
oftheflowerchildrenhanging
aroundthehippiemeccaof
Haight-Ashbury,andManson,
a diminutive1.57mtall,used
hisnaturalcharismatoamass
a groupoffollowers– mostly
young,white,middle-class
womenwhofelteitherbored
orisolatedfromtheirfamilies.
Manyofthemfollowed
Mansonwhenheheaded
downthePacificcoasttoLos
Angeles,findinga baseatan
all-but-abandonedranchon
the outskirts of the city. More
followersjoinedhimthere
andbeforelonghehad 100
devoteesintheirteensand
early20s,allenjoyingthe
copiousamountsofLSD,
magicmushroomsandfree
lovethattheswinging’60s
hadbestoweduponthem.
Manson’scult– calledThe
Family– hungonhisevery
word,andhehadplentyof
them.He’dinterpretedthe
lyricsofTheBeatles’“Helter
Skelter”asaninvitationto
begina racewar,andit wasn’t
hardtotalkhisdisciplesinto
hismasterplanofbrutally
murderinga numberof
Hollywood’swealthyelite
andframingit onLA’sAfrican
Americancommunity.
Andsoit wasthatthe
TateandLaBiancamurders
tookplace– a barbarickilling
spreethatspelledtheend
oftheinnocenceofthe’60s,
replacingit withthechilling
notionthateven“goodgirls
from good homes” were
Hewasoriginally
ntencedtodeath,but
thedeathpenaltywas
ruledunconstitutional
in 1972 andMansonwa
resentencedtolifein
prison. He died in 2017.
justa fewmovesaway
fromcommitting
unspeakablecrimes.
Mansondiedinprison
twoyearsago,aged83.
SusanAtkinsdiedinprison
in2009,aged61.TexWatson,
now73,PatriciaKrenwinkel,
now71,andLeslieVan
Houten,now 69 (whotook
partintheLaBiancamurders
butnottheTatemurders)are
allstillbehindbars.Linda
Kasabian,now70,whoacted
aslookoutforthekillers,
becametheleadwitnessfor
theprosecutionandwas
givenimmunity.Afterthe
trialshechangedhername
andwentintohiding,until
a documentarycrewfound
herin2009,destituteand
livingina trailerpark.
Sevenpeopleperishedover
thetwonightsthatManson’s
“Family”ranamokinLA,each
onedyinginterrorandrobbed
oftheirfutureontheorders of
a man they’d never met.
SharonTatewouldnever
gettoholdherfirstborn
childorfulfilthepotential
ofherpromisingcareer.
HeryoungersisterDebra
Tate,66,however,hastaken
comfortfromMargotRobbie’s
portrayaloftheactress.
“Shemademecrybecause
shesoundedjustlikeSharon,”
saysDebra.“Thetoneinher
voicewascompletelySharon
andit justtouchedmeso
muchthatbigtears[started
falling].Thefrontofmyshirt
waswet.I actuallygottosee
mysisteragain...nearly 50
yearslater.
“Shedidsucha damngood
jobthat,forme,personally,
thevisitwasa littleshort.
I hadSharonbackinfront
ofmeagain,andit wastoo
short a visit.” #
PATRICIA
KRENWINKEL
LESLIE
VAN HOUTEN
TEX
WATS O N
“THE FAMILY”
LINDA
KASABIAN
CHARLES
MANSON
PICTURES: ALAMY, AP, AUSTRALSCOPE, BACKGRID, GETTY IMAGES, SHUTTERSTOCK.
Woman’s Day 29