Crime, Conspiracy, Cults and Murder - Ep. 55 | The BRUTAL Manson Family Cult Murders

Episode Date: June 18, 2025

This episode dives into the dark story of the Manson Family—how a failed musician named Charles Manson turned a group of free-spirited youth into a deadly cult. From mind control to murder, we unravel how his twisted ideology led to one of the most shocking crime sprees in American history. You’ve heard the name—but do you really know the story? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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On two hot August nights in 1969, a series of brutal murders in Los Angeles shocked the world and shattered in era's innocence. And at the center of it all was Charles Manson. An ex-convict turned cult leader who had dispatched a group of devouted followers to do his dirty work. And by the time all the bloodshed was over, seven people were dead. The savagery of the Manson family crimes, coupled with their eerie ritualistic elements, ensured the case would seriously. itself into the hearts and minds of those who hurt it. And more than half a century later, the Manson family murders remain a cultural touchstone.

They marked, in many eyes, the moment the 1960s died, bringing an abrupt end to the decade's character of peace and love. And the idea that a roving band of hippies could become an instrument in an apocalyptic-type violence struck deep chords of fear. And even today, news of Manson or his followers, From parole hearings to rumors still command attention. So this enduring cultural and psychological significance begs the question. Why are we still talking about Charles Manson?

Crime, conspiracy, cults, serial killers, and murder, all things that I love to consume, and I know you do too, you sick, twisted, intellectually, beautiful-minded, freak. And today I have a little buddy, since we're talking about a little tiny man, a little evil tiny man I brought with me, Another tiny man, but he's not evil. He's so sweet baby. He's a sweet baby, and he's my true crime pal. And for those of you who are just listening, I'm holding Rupert, my little docksen up to the camera. So ready to talk about Charles Manson cult. So let's do it. All right, so without further ado, let's unbuckle our seatbelts, come off-five down the highway, slam on the brakes, and bust through this windshield into one of the most infamous cults together.

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in the name of the person who gave me the deal. Additional terms, conditions, and restrictions apply. So Charles Manson was not born to be a cult leader, believe it or not. But he was shaped into one by a life of chaos and rejection, like most cult leaders. He was born on November 12, 1934, Scorpio, to a 16-year-old mother in Cincinnati, Ohio. And Manson would enter the world unwanted and unnamed. Ouch! And his birth certificate would simply list him as Manson. And his mother, Kathleen Maddox, was a troubled teenager who drunk heavily and spent time

in prison for robbery when Charles was just a small boy. So not a good start. Apple didn't fall far from the tree. So young Charles would be passed among relatives and guardians. And at one point in 1939, after his mother was incarcerated, he was sent to live with an aunt and uncle in rural West Virginia. Although Kathleen was paroled briefly when he was seven years old and she was reunited with him. But that stability did not last. Though Manson would later describe this period of his life the happiest he had ever been. But soon, his mother would be back. to her old ways of neglect and petty crime. And Charles would unfortunately be left feeling abandoned yet again.

So by nine years old, Manson began exhibiting some disturbing behavior. And by disturbing, I mean, that shit crazy! Because at nine years old, he would set his school on fire, just foreshadowing a pattern of crime yet to come. And with a childhood just tainted by neglect, transients, and abuse, he became a part of the juvenile justice system pretty early on. So at 13 years old, Manson would be sent to Gibalt School for Boys, a strict reform school where beatings and harsh punishments were routine.

And as you can imagine, this didn't do much for rehabilitating him. If anything, it just hardened him even more. Different times. And a psychologist who actually evaluated a teenage Manson noted his quote unquote, he was aggressively antisocial and he had a persecution complex, attributing these traits to an unfavorable family life, if it can be called family at all. In other words, Charles Manson basically just grew up feeling unwanted and unloved.

And learning early on that violence and deceit could serve as survival tools in a very hostile world. So Manson's childhood and early adult years were a revolving door of correctional institutions. Because if he wasn't running away from a reform school, he was committing new offenses that landed him in juvenile halls and eventually federal prison. And at the age of 17, after escaping a minimum security, facility, Manson would be caught driving a stolen car across state lines. I don't know much about law, but I think that's illegal. And it was.

It was a federal crime, in fact. And this is when he would start his first prison stint. And over the next 15 years, he would be incarcerated for a number of offenses, including, but not limited to, car theft, armed robbery, pimping, check fraud, and others. So by the time he reached his early 30s, Manson had spent over half of his life behind bars. And for someone who was unwanted and unloved and really didn't have a place in the world, prison kind of became his home. In fact, when he was due to be released from Terminal Island Prison in March of 1967, Manson begged not to be let out. And we actually know that this is a thing that happens to prisoners.

They spend so much of their time in jail. That's the only place they know. So it's the only place they're comfortable. And if they get out, they actually really struggle with real life. And sometimes they even take their life. Oftentimes, they fall back into crime just to end up in the same place that they already were. But there are some that are rehabilitated and can enter society. But it is not as common as you'd like to think after requesting permission to stay incarcerated.

But of course, that request was denied. And at 32 years old, Manson was thrust back into society during the Summer of Love. And this was a period during the late 1960s. And it was a time of radical culture upheaval, especially in California. Yet for Manson, the world outside of, prison was just overwhelming and confusing. So Manson would get out of prison and he would slowly drift over to San Francisco's hippie neighborhood of Hyatt Ashbury.

And upon release, Manson initially actually reported to a transitional clinic in the Hyatt run by researchers studying the effects of LSD on youth culture. Sign me up. Just kidding. I'm so, I'm kidding. And I'm definitely kidding because it was covertly funded by agencies like the CIA. Let me know if you want me to deep dive into the CIA. and MK Ultra and all that fun stuff because it's fucked up and I would love to cover it. So let me know down below if you want me to do that.

If you want me to cover that, put the alien emoji down in the comments. But anyway, in Hyatt, Manson found himself in the epicenter of free love, psychedelic drugs and anti-establishment politics, along with spiritual experimentation. So it was just a perfect breeding ground for someone with his particular skill set. And that skill set was manipulation. So Manson quickly learned how to take advantage of this hippie subculture by adopting its look and its lingo. With his long hair, scraggly beard, and intense eyes, it's insanely intense eyes. He's like, it's terrifying.

He's like a little freaky freak. And some said he even resembled Jesus Christ, which that's a bit blasphemous, but all right. And as Vincent Bouliosi, the prosecutor who put Manson on trial observed, Plenty of con men and criminals had committed worse crimes. Quote unquote, so why are we still talking about Charles Manson? But Velosi would say that Manson, quote unquote, had an aura. 1,000th of 1% of people have. A near mystical charisma that drew people in.

I don't know exactly what people are talking about, because you hear him talk like in interviews and everything, and it's just whack nonsense, you know, but I guess most people were on drugs and stuff, so it might make sense, I guess. But anyway, behind bars, Manson had been a student of human behavior and extreme ideas. And he would actually study Dale Carnegie's How to Win Friends and Influence People, learning tactics to charm and manipulate others.

And prison records show that he actually explored Scientology. And he would absorb concepts from occultish groups like Process Church of Final Judgment, whose prophecy of reconciliation between Satan Jesus Christ at the end of the world intrigued him a lot. And Manson was also deeply impressed by literature. notably Robert A. Heinley, and specifically a science fiction novel that was named Stranger in Strange Land, which features a charismatic figure who found a spiritual movement of shared women and communal living. So this combination of self-help, Scientology, science fiction, and apocalyptic religion blended Manson's mind. And so he began crafting his own personal philosophies.

And perhaps the most significant influence on Manson was music. And he actually fancied himself an aspiring singer-songwriter. And music became both his passion and tool for evangelism. Because in prison, he actually learned guitar from a seasoned bank robber. And he would just cultivate his dreams of pop stardom. And after release, he would constantly talk about the Beatles, whose 1968 white album he believed contained hidden messages that were meant just for him. This is where the crazy's starting to brew.

And the song, Helter Skelter in particular, took on a prophetic meaning in Manson's mind. And Manson's musical ambitions were not entirely, delusional. Because through a chance and counter, he befriended Dennis Wilson of the Beach Boys in 1968. You know, I'm picking up a good vibration. He's picking up a good vibration. I like the Beach Boys, don't judge me. And Wilson was actually charmed enough by Manson and his entourage of free loving girls that he let them crash at his mansion for a time. Like, I just want to know exactly what he's saying of these people, because it's crazy. And the Beach Boys even recorded one of Manson's songs and released it. Unfortunately for Manson, it was uncredited, but it was a B-side to a single in 1968.

And it was called Cease to Exist and then Retitled to Never Learn Not to Love. So Manson would see this as just the beginning. And through Dennis Wilson, he met a music producer, Terry Milcher. And he would harbor hopes of actually landing a record deal. But when those hopes fizzled, it was a crushing blow to Manson. And rejection by the music industry would soon fester into one of many resentments driving his dark fantasies. Guy holds a grudge. So to understand how Manson could attract followers and convince them of wild ideas,

one must understand the climate of the 1960s. The era was ripe with cult formation, as we know, if you watch this channel. Because the youth were rebelling against mainstream authority, spurning traditional religion and square society in favor of spiritual exploration, psychedelic drugs, and communal living. Free spirit hippie life, you know? In San Francisco in 1967 to 1968 was the heart of this counterculture.

It was just a place where runaways, dropouts, and seekers converged. All just desiring connection in alternative families. And into the scene stepped Charles Manson. A man with nowhere to go and nothing to lose. Armed with a career criminal's cunning and in amateur guru's patter. And he would just package himself as this guru prophet figure.

just borrowing liberally from decade symbols. And as one cultural scholar observed, Manson, quote unquote, took on all those signs, LSD, music, free love, communal lifestyles, and reframed them as tools for apocalyptic mass murder, totally bizarre, totally evil,

and very, very seductive. Oh. And ironically, while Manson did appropriate the hippie image, he was never a true believer in peace and love. And he would just present himself as this kind of Messiah. A Messiah of love, but beneath that facade,

he nursed hatred towards society and towards racial minorities and towards the establishment. Like that one uncle at Thanksgiving that nobody likes. Still, at a time when so many people were desperate for meaning and belonging, Manson's mix of flower child outward vibes

and doomsday intermessets struck a chord with people. And this was the era of Vietnam war protests, racial conflict, and political assassinations. So chaos and uncertainty were just filled in the air. And to souls drifting through the Hyatt or Los Angeles, his certainty and charisma were just magnetic. So before long, Charles Manson had gathered around him a very devoted circle of followers,

who would come to be known as the Manson family. This is Euphoria Calvin Klein, the new Elixir Collection, featuring three perfume intense scents, inspired by a unique Orchid Accord, paired with vanilla, Each with its own distinct attitude. Each with its own universe. Bold elixir.

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Find your euphoria. Discover the euphoria elixir collection by Calvin Klein. So the Manson family did not form overnight. And it grew gradually as he roamed California from 1967 to 1968. Just picking up the young. and seemingly voiceless along the way. And his earliest recruits would be vulnerable young women. Classic, classic cult leader stuff, who found Manson the acceptance and attention that they so desperately craved. And his former family member Diane Lake recalls, quote unquote,

They all instantly loved Bon Me. It was so emotionally fulfilling to feel so loved and accepted. And Lake was only 14 at the time she met Manson. She was a literal child. And like many others, she saw him as a caring father figure that she never had. I would have been fucked. I would have way too many daddy issues, man. I would have been in it. I'm kidding. I'm kidding.

But like, you know, also not. I'm just kidding. So Manson deliberately targeted such people. So mostly women often in their late teens or early 20s and many from middle class backgrounds, but with very troubling pasts, either family issues, insecurities, or just a hunger for belonging. And with each new follower, Manson employed the same tactics. flattery affection and a sense of adventure. And he would often invite a girl to join the circle,

sitting cross-legged on the floor while singing her a song and telling her she's most beautiful girl in the world. I would have been sucked right in. I would have been sucked right in. I was like Play-Doh back then, my lord. I always think about, you know, who, how could these people, you know, how could these people be so, so silly and so dumb and like, be so... This, are you kidding me?

You get me at like 17 years old, just wanting to rebel for my family, let alone in the 60s, you don't have a phone, you don't know anything about the world. Dude, it's like 80% of us would have been in this guy's hand, all right? I'm, I'm, well, at least me, at least me, probably. I would have said no, obviously the murder part, but I think, uh, I think I would have been strumming an acoustic guitar and doing some doing some LSD back in the 60s probably for sure. But anyway, he just had this uncanny ability to probe someone's insecurities and just manipulate their vulnerabilities. And in the, you know, the U.S. euphoric summer of love atmosphere, young runaways and hippies were just primed to embrace a man preaching free love and utopian ideals.

So from the High Ashbury scene, Manson's entourage just swelled. And by 1968, Charles Manson had gathered a core group of two dozen or so followers who believed that he was no ordinary man. To them, Charlie was a guru, even Jesus or the devil incarnate, depending on the day. And though Manson portrayed the family of a tribe of equals, in truth, it operated just like a cult hierarchy with Manson at the apex. And we see the same thing over and over again with Jim Jones and Heaven's Gate and all these are the children of God. They all act like it's all super even, this commune, but there's always a hierarchy and it's always a fucking douchebag with a weird stare. So one of the first to join Manson was Mary, and she was a 23-year-old librarian who Manson charmed and convinced to let him move into her apartment in Berkeley. And Mary would soon quit her job and hit the road with Charlie, becoming a mother of sorts to the family.

No, not RuPaul, although RuPaul is mother. And she would actually fall pregnant with Manson's child in the summer of 1967. And Valentine Michael, nicknamed Pooh Bear, was born April 15, 1968. gonna lie, kind of a cool name. And then there was Tex. Tex was born an athlete. He's six-three, and Tex was Manson's chief enforcer, and ultimately the lead killer in the family's most heinous crimes. And Manson used to say that Tex was his right hand when it came to getting things done. And it was Tex whom Manson would later task in initiating the murder spray. In unquestioning and very efficient, Tex became the family's instrument of death on those

infamous knights. And then there was Bobby, Bobby Bosolet. A former member of several rock bands, his love for music was a deep connecting factor for him and Manson. And he was a key member in the Gary Hinman murder who Bobby was living with when he met Manson. And he was intensely loyal to Manson. He even stated at a sanity hearing along four other Manson associates. Quote unquote, I'm at war with everyone in this courtroom. It's nothing personal, but the world has been getting at my brothers and sisters as long as they are ripping off our world, our friends, and our children. You better pray I never get out. Okay.

And then we have Susan Sadie Atkins. Sadie was known to be street smart and deeply devoted to Manson. She also had a wild, impulsive streak and desperately sought Manson's approval. And Atkins would take part in the first murder the family committed. And she would later brag about her crimes while in jail. Next, we have Patricia Katie Crenwinkel. And she was quiet. and seemingly gentle in the early days.

But Katie underwent a very dark transformation under Manson's influence, as most of them did. But she had been a church-going teenager before she met Charlie. And afterwards, she became one of the most obedient disciples. And Katie would participate directly in the murders on Manson's orders as well. And then we have Leslie Lulu Van Houten. She would be the youngest of Manson's women at 19 years old, and Leslie was drawn in by the free love lifestyle and LSD trips.

she was in it for the drugs, at least at first at first night killings, she was one of the killers on the second night. And then there was Lynette Squeaky Fromm. And though not involved in the 1969 murders, Squeaky was one of Manson's most fanatically loyal followers. And in 1975, Squeaky proved her radical devotion by attempting to assassinate U.S. President Gerald Ford. But thankfully, her gun did not fire. But she did claim it was in service of environmental causes and Manson's teachings. But each played a part in the family's functioning, but all revolved around the singular figure of Charlie Manson. And his girls would do anything for him. They would cook, they would have sex on command, and they would beg on the streets for money for him. Yet as male followers provided muscle and petty crime skills.

So it was a cult of personality in the truest sense, with Manson's whims dictating the family's every single move. So how the fuck did Manson transform these... young, ordinary, like people into blindly obedient extensions of will. I'll teach you. I'm just going to teach you. I'm just going to teach you. I'm just going to tell you what went down, all right? But the answer lies in classic cult brainwashing techniques that Manson intuitively employed.

And you guys should already know this if you watch my videos. We cover a lot of cults and we know how to make them, right? You're in my cult. Did you know that? We're a good cult though. We don't do anything. We just have fun, eat snacks, and listen to true crime. right? Fist bump me. Awesome. All right. Anyway. So first, Manson would break down their identities.

His new members were typically high on psychedelics, often supplied by Charlie, and encouraged to abandon their egos and inhibitions. Much easier to keep people in line when they're literal drug zombies. And in group LSD sessions, Manson acted like a high priest, administering acid like a sacrament, placing tabs on each person's tongues. If you've ever been to Catholic Church, you do the body of Christ, you get the little cracker, kind of the same thing, except, you know, drugs. And he would guide their trips with his own narration of cosmic visions. And Diane Lake would say, An acid trip in the Manson family was more of a spiritual awakening.

Describing how Charlie molded minds in these vulnerable moments. And Manson also exploited sex and affection as weapons of control, because he would sleep with new female recruits almost immediately, even minors, which is so fucking disgusting. And he would just frame it as liberating or a sacred experience. And one 14-year-old member recalled that Charlie made love to her in a way that made her feel, quote-unquote, like she was a woman, not just a little child, and she felt wonderful, only years later recognizing it as predatory abuse, obviously. But by establishing this sexual dominance and fatherly intimacy, Manson bound the women to him. And they would compete for his favor and saw him as a source of love that they desperately wanted.

And he similarly flattered male followers or bonded through music and philosophical talk to make them feel included in this grand mission. But crucially, Manson fostered this us versus them mentality. And he would preach that the outside world was corrupt and that parents and society had failed his followers and only Charlie truly cared for them. And a group gatherings around the campfire or in their makeshift homes, he spun elaborate sermons mixing Bible verses with beetle lyrics. And he would mourn of a coming apocalypse and assure the family that they alone would survive it. Does it sound familiar kids? Can you think of anyone else that said that before? Exactly.

So under his guidance, everyday life for the family became a process of continuous indoctrination. So members would renounce their possessions. And Manson insisted they give up any money that they had or belongings to the communal pot, just increasing dependency on him. They would also dress similarly, often in dirty jeans or buckskin imitating Charlie. And they would even move or speak in unison at times. They were really creepy and weird. They were just slowly all morphing into Charlie.

They were losing themselves completely. And any sort of original thought or questioning was just not tolerated by Manson. And if anyone questioned Manson, he would just belittle them or make them feel like the butt of the group and ridiculed them until they conformed. And over time, Manson's tactics would grow harsher. And what started as love bombing and drugs later incorporated fear and violence. And once the core members were hooked on his approval, Manson would test their loyalty by commanding ever more extreme behavior. And he would have the family perform nighttime creepy crawlies, which is horrifying. And these would be missions where they would break into random houses while occupants slept.

And it wasn't to steal anything. No, no, nay. But simply to rearrange furniture and creep out unseen. Basically, just psychologically torturing people and just to see if they were capable of doing it. You know? If I can imagine waking up in the morning and just seeing your fucking Chase lounge in your kitchen. What do you do with that? I don't know.

I don't know. I think I would go mad, which I think is what was the point of it. But it was just this bizarre training of lawbreaking and daring intended to numb the group to the fear of invading homes. And it would just be a rehearsal for the later murders. Zootopia 2 has come home to Disney Plus. Let's go. Get ready for a new case. We're going to crack this case and prove we're decoranist partners of all time.

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You're clearly. Working at it. Zootopia, too. Now available on Disney Plus rated PG. So he began enforcing discipline through physical abuse as well. And several female followers, including Diane Lake and Catherine Cher, later recounted that Manson beat or raped them to control them. And Cher described being beaten, quote unquote,

within an inch of her life over a trivial mistake. So Manson really understood the power of terror. And Charlie himself boasted in a recorded interview, I never lose control. I take control. Just a little man fucking devil freak. And by mid-1969, the family was effectively under Manson's total domination. They lived together, they isolated from outsiders,

reinforcing each other's beliefs in Manson's vision. So the stage was set for these indoctrination, followers to follow Manson straight into the abyss when he decided the time for Helter Skelter had come. So in July 1968, after drifting up and down the California coast, the Manson family found a semi-permanent home at Spawn Movie Ranch. And Spawn Ranch was a rundown-acre horse ranch and former Western movie set in the Rocky Hills northwest of L.A. And its owner, George Spahn, was an elderly blind man and allowed Manson and his motley crew to stay on the the property in exchange for odd jobs and sexual favors. And those sexual favors would come from the

Manson girls. And a gross, not so fun fact is that young Lynette Squeaky From got her nickname from the squeaking sounds she made to entertain George Spahn, which is, it's just so fucking gross. So the setting was rustic and removed from civilization, just how Manson liked it. Because here he could play the role of Frontier Patriarch, ruling over his kingdom without much interference at all. And daily life at Spawn Ranch outwardly resembled a hippie commune. And the family forged food from dumpsters or made runs into the town to collect discarded produce. And if you've ever seen Once Upon a Time in Hollywood by Quentin Tarantino, a very good movie, I suggest you go watch it. It's a spinoff from this, but he really gets that cult feeling. I feel really well,

because I was so uncomfortable watching the Manson family operate in Spawn Ranch. It was so weird, but I think he got it pretty on point. But anyway, they would hold catfire songs, sing-alongs with Manson strumming his guitar, and singing his original folk songs while everyone joined in the chorus. All well, dropping acid on a frequent basis and just practicing free love. A new children were born into the Manson family, including Manson's own son, with Mary Brunner, and they were raised in the commune. Yet there was an undeniable dark side to spawn ranch.

And family members carried knives and even guns, considering themselves a self-defense tribe preparing for end times. And Manson and the men just stockpiled stolen cars and converted them into dune buggies, just ready for desert warfare or escape. And target practice became a form of recreation. And they would stage bizarre military-style drills at Manson's whim. And all of it was just trained.

for what Manson warmed was imminent. And that was the great race war of Helter Skelter. And Spahn Ranch also became the backdrop for the family's earlier crimes. Because in 1969, Manson became increasingly more erratic and paranoid. And Tex had been doing some small-time drug dealing, and he was hanging around rock circles. And in July, 1969, a botched drug transaction

between Tex and a dealer named Bernard Lotzapapa Crow led Manson to shoot Crow to protect Tex. And Manson believed, that he had actually killed a Black Panther, just heightening his paranoia that the Black Panthers were now after the family. But little did Manson know that Crow was not actually a Black Panther, and Crow survived the attempt of his life.

But this incident just fed Manson's race war delusions and added a sense of urgency to his helter-skelter timeline. And one family acquaintance, a musician named Gary Hinman was brutally murdered in his home in late July of 1969, after Manson sent Bobby, Susan, and Mary to rough him up over for a dispute. And Hinman had allegedly received an inheritance of around $20,000. And Manson instructed his family to go and get it. And Manson himself had actually sliced Hinman's

face with a sword during the incident. And Bobby later stabbed Hinman to death while the terrified man begged for his life. And at the crime scene, one of the family members wrote political piggy in Hinman's blood on the wall. And they also drew a panther paw attempting to pin the blame on the militant Black Panthers because it was one of their symbols. And for those of you who don't know, the Black Panther Party was founded in 1966 by Huey P. Newton and Bobby Seal in Oakland, California. And it was as a response to police brutality and the failures of nonviolent tactics. And the party advocated for black nationalism, armed self-defense, and socialist ideals,

positioning itself as a revolutionary force within the black power movement. So after they killed Hinman, they would head back to Spawn Rand. And shortly after, Bobby would actually be arrested for Hinman's murder on August 6, 1969, and Manson became furious and desperate. So this was the turning point. And he told his family that they now might need to stage copycat murders to make it look like real killers were still at large and thus get Bobby out of jail. And this plan just joined with Manson's Helter Skelter prophecy, which he had been preaching, as we know, four months at this point. So the lazy laid back summer days at Spawn Ranch were about to erupt in a

storm of violence. So throughout the family's formation, Manson never relinquished his dreams of musical success. Guy was determined. Guys was determined to be the Beatles. But the stream had major consequences. Now his connection to the LA music scene was weak but tantalizing. And through Dennis Wilson and other contacts, Manson occasionally mingled on society's fringes with entertainers and producers. And as briefly mentioned earlier, Wilson introduced Manson to Terry Melcher, who was an influential producer for acts like the birds. But despite hints of interest, Melcher ultimately decided not to sign Manson to any record deal. And Manson would be devastated by this rejection. And it would bruise that little man's ego deeply. And making matters worse, in Manson's mind at least, Melcher had been

renting at a house at 150 Cello Drive in Benedict Canyon, which was a very secluded luxury home. But by mid-1969, Melter had moved out. And the house was then leased to Roman Polansky and his wife, Sharon Tate. So Manson was very aware of the house and had actually been there before when it was Melcher's residence. But this address would soon become the site of unspeakable violence. And it was a choice of location that was not at all coincidental. But then, of course, there was the Beatles. And Manson just saw them as angelic harborers of the coming apocalyptic war. And he would just dissect their songs for secret messages all the time, one of them being Helter Skelter. And this was the obvious one, because he took the title for his overall prophecy.

And then there was Piggies, which spoke of the downfalls of the establishment, inspiring the family to later scrawl death to pigs in blood on the wall. And then there was Revolution 9, which Manson interpreted as coding to start the race war and reference to chapter 9 of the book of Revelation, and to call for black people to rise up. And then there was Blackbird, which he thought was also a call for Black people to rise up. to take power. So in essence, Manson twisted the music industry's output into a soundtrack for his madness.

And when his direct bid for stardom failed, he redirected his energies into making Helter Skelter a reality. And tragically, it worked. And Manson would achieve a dark immortality, but at the cost of innocent lives and his own soul. So Helter Skelter, two seemingly harmless words that Charlie Manson fused with terrifying significance,

referred to a spot viral slide at a playground or fair. And Paul McCartney's lyrics allegedly used it as a metaphor for the rise and fall of the Roman Empire. But to Manson, Helter Skelter meant something completely different. It was the impending apocalyptic race war that he believed would destroy American society. And Manson claimed Helter Skelter was a message about chaos and revolution. But Manson himself did not come up with this concept in a vacuum. Because the late 1960s were marked by civil unrest, including riots and cities and militants.

groups like the Black Panthers advocating armed self-defense against racial injustice. A newscasts about these events would filter into Spawn Ranch. And Manson, a lifelong white supremacist at heart, seized on the racial tensions of the time and spun them into a grandiose prophecy. And it was a ludicrous self-serving fantasy, but the family accepted it. And ultimately, a full-on conflict between black and white people would erupt. And this was the Helter Skelter. And as bizarre as it sounds, this was the ideology that Manson drilled into his followers day after day in 1968 to 1969. He so frequently spoke of Helter Skelter as a coming reality that it became sort of a cult mantra. And family members would scraw the words, Helter Skelter or the walls of Spawn Ranch, because it was their great commission, and it was the violent purpose that justified their entire existence.

So in Manson's apocalyptic vision, the family itself had a very special role. They wouldn't actively participate in the race war at first. Rather, they would go into hiding in the underground paradise. Because Manson told his followers somewhere out in the desert, specifically beneath California's Death Valley, you know, the hottest place in the fucking world, was a hidden city like Atlantis. And it was a bottomless pit described in the book of Revelation,

where the family could wade out to the coming conflict and safety. And the family actually spent time searching for this entrance to the pit in Death Valley, guided by Manson's hunches of biblical references, with some Beatles references thrown in there too. But, alas, they never found such a place who could have thunk? But that did not dampen their belief. And while hiding, Manson said the family would multiply and be ready to emerge when Helter Skelter had run its course.

And once the dust settled topside, where most white people would just be exterminated by black people, the victors would just be unable to govern, as they had been subject to control for too long and wouldn't know how. So the family would come back to the surface. And at this point, Manson prophesized black people would turn over the power to Charles Manson. What the fuck.

Recognizing him as the rightful ruler of the world. Guy was fucking nuts. Dude. So in essence, Helter Skelter was just a convoluted route for Manson to become king of the world? And it's important to stress how incredibly grandiose and racially warped to this vision was.

Because it combined Manson's personal megalomania, because he genuinely saw himself as destined for Messiah-like greatness, with severe racism, with the idea that black people could win this war, but would still be inferior and need him to rule over them, which is just fucked up beyond so many levels. But the family would accept this gospel, whether out of sincere belief or simply because Manson would allow no disagreement. So to the outside observer, Manson's helter-skelter doctrine was pure insanity. But inside the cult, it was sincerely held faith, reinforced by what they saw in the world. As throughout 1968-1969, current events seemed to validate Manson's predictions, including the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in April of 1968, which had ignited a lot of riots. And news of the Black Panthers arming themselves and clashes with police were very common.

And Manson would just point to these headlines as signs that helped us. Skelter was brewing, and he deliberately excited the family's fears by claiming that the Black Panthers were on their way to spawn ranch to get revenge for the black man Manson believed he'd killed, which was Bernard Crow. So the family would do things like guards spawn ranch at night, convinced that they might be attacked at any given moment. And Manson also roleplayed biblical scenarios to cement his status. And sometimes he would speak as Jesus preaching love and salvation. And other times he ranted as Satan, promising chaos and demanding obedience. And he'd say that in him, opposite met Christ and the devil were one being. And it just gave a semi-spiritual weight to all of his commands. Because if the family feared what

they were about to do, Manson assured them it was predestined. And on occasion, he cited the book of Revelation's imagery, saying that they were living in the end times. And additionally, Manson drew on occult and fringe beliefs to justify brutality. And then by mid-1969, Manson's preaching had reached a fever pitch. And the group was on edge believing any day now the race war would erupt. And if it didn't start on their own, they may have to teach black people how to do it. And this was the final logical leap. The idea that the Manson family could ignite helter-skelter themselves by committing murders so shocking they would be blamed on black revolutionaries, thus accelerating the chaos. Just a horrific, racially motivated racist crime. And unfortunately,

by July 1969, all of the pieces were in place for Manson to test his theory, and his followers were prepared to kill at his command. So the lead-up to the murders involved deliberate rehearsals and a selection of targets, all under Manson's direction. As mentioned, the family's creepy-crawly exercises were essentially practice runs for home invasions. But these strange night drills served a dual purpose, because they bonded as a group through secret shared crime. and it desensitize them to violating the sanctity of Strader's homes. So by the time Manson ordered actual killings, waltzing into occupied homes at night already felt eerily familiar to his minions.

And Manson's control over the family was near absolute. So this cult of one for all and all for one meant that if Charlie decreed someone must die for the cause, the family members felt it was their duty to make it happen as agents of Helter And the family members were so steeped in Manson's beliefs at this point that they didn't even question how insanely crazy the plan was. Because in their acid-fueled worldview, it made sense that butchering innocent people could be a revolutionary act to save the world and fulfill prophecy. And soon, one of the most infamous crimes of the 20th century would occur, a crime that the family believed would be the opening shots of Helter-Skelter, but which in reality would mark the beginning of their own end. So late on August 8th, 1969, Charles Manson gathered a group of his most trusted followers and sent them on a mission of death. And their destination was 1-0-50 CLO Drive.

But Manson himself did not go, nay, nay. Instead, he ordered Tex Watson to, quote unquote, Totally destroy everyone in the house as gruesome as you can. And he would be joined by Susan Atkins, Patricia, and Linda. And Manson would instruct the women to obey Texas Orleans. as if they were his own. And shortly past midnight, in the early minutes of August 9th, a vehicle driven by Linda quietly approached the secluded property.

And the occupants had no personal connection to these intruders. But they were about to become victims of horrifying scene meant to jumpstart Helter Skelter. And when they reached the gate of 10050 CLO Drive, Tex climbed a telephone pole and cut the phone line to prevent any calls for help. So they would park down the hill and snuck back up on foot. The Tex would carry a 22 caliber revolver and a knife. And the women brought knives and a length of rope.

And as they went across the darkened property toward the main house, headlights suddenly swept across them. Because a car was coming down the driveway from the house. And this was an unexpected twist. And it would be 18-year-old Stephen Parent, who was actually a visitor that had just said goodbye to the estate's caretaker in a guest house. And Tex would immediately spring into action and leap in front of parents' car with a gun drawn. And Parent would plead for them not to hurt them, but Tex coldly shot him four times at point-blank range. And he would kill the team before he could even exit the car. So the first victim had now fallen.

And those in the main house remained completely unaware of the horror creeping toward them. So Tex would order Atkins and Patricia to push the car further up the driveway out of sight. Meanwhile, Linda was assigned as a lookout by the gate. Next, Tex would cut open a window screen and slip into the house. Then let Atkins and Patricia in through the front door. And inside the house would be five unsuspecting people. And the first would be Sharon Tate. And she would be a 26-year-old Hollywood actress who was also eight and a half months pregnant.

And then there was Jay Sebring, a 35-year-old celebrity hairdresser and friend of Sharon Tate. And then there was Abigail Fulger, a 25-year-old coffee heiress. And then there was Vojccik Vigowski, who was a 32-year-old man, and was also Fulger's boyfriend. And outside in the guest house was the caretaker William Garrison, whom parent the teen had just visited. And Roman Polansky, Tate's husband, was away in Europe filming a movie. So that night, the friends had spent a casual evening at the house, and as midnight passed, some were starting to doze off. But the killers struck quickly. Tex encountered Friovsky, sleeping on the living room couch, and kicked him in the head.

And this would startle Friovsky asking who he was and what he was doing in the house. And in words that could have been scripted. from a horror movie, Tex replied, quote unquote, I'm the devil, and I'm here to do the devil's business. Business. What the? Oh, God. It's so fucking unnerving.

And in an instant, any illusion that this was a simple robbery or prank evaporated, because these intruders were here to kill. So under Texas' direction, Susan Atkins found the other occupants and rounded them up into the living room. And that's when Tex would pull out a rope that he'd brought and loop it around to tape. and Siebring's necks and slung it over the ceiling beam, effectively tethering the two together by their throats. And Sebring, seeing the rough treatment of the heavily pregnant Tate, started to protest, begging them to ease up on her. But without hesitation, Tex shot Jay Sebring

in the chest, silencing him completely. And he also stabbed him seven times, as if he hadn't already done enough. And chaos erupted as the intruders began to take control of the house. Susan Adkins briefly escorted Abigail Fulger back to her bedroom to retrieve her purse, from which Fulgers would give her $70. And this was an attempt to appease the invaders. In Frikovsky's hands were tied with a towel, but in the confusion, he managed to work them free. And that's when he would lunge at Susan Atkins,

grappling her neck and receiving several stab wounds to his legs as Atkins tried to fend him off. So now injured and bleeding, he stumbled out the front door, desperately yelling for anyone to help. But Tex would chase him onto the front porch and pistol whip him with a revolver, cracking Freikovsky's skull so violently that the gun grip broke. Tex would then shoot Freikovsky twice and continue stabbing him repeatedly. And it only ended when Freikovsky finally fell dead on the lawn with 51 stab wounds and blunt force injuries.

And during this mayhem, Linda, standing guard by the cars, heard the horrifying sounds of screams coming from the house. And terrified and regretful, she actually ran toward the house. and lied to Susan Atkins that someone was coming, hoping to halt the murders. But at this point, it was too late, and the violence had its own momentum. Now, back in the house, Abigail Fulder

actually left momentarily unattended after fetching the purse because she saw her chance and bolted out of the bedroom door to the pool area. But that's when Patricia would pursue her across the lawn. And Fulger dressed in a white nightgown and now splattered with blood, ran. But Patricia would catch up to her and she would tackle her, stabbing her ferociously.

And Tex would soon join and together they would stab Abigail 28 times, leaving her lifeless in the grass. And back inside, Sharon Tate, now the sole survivor, was begging for her and her unborn baby's life. And she pleaded with Susan Atkins and Tex Watson to spare her, sobbing that she wanted to live long enough to have her child and even offering herself as a hostage. But there would be no mercy. And Tex and Atkins stabbed Sharon Tate 16 times, killing both her and her unborn baby. The brutality was unspeakable. Even the coroner later noted that Tate may have died after being hanged by the rope Tex had tied, though the cause was massive hemorrhage from the stabbings.

So in the span of roughly half an hour, the Manson family killers had exterminated five innocent human beings, but their dark work was not even finished. And Susan Atkins, remembering Manson's instructions to leave a sign, specifically something witchy, dipped a towel in Sharon Tate's blood and used it to scrawl a single word on the front door of the house, which was, Pig. And Atkins would later admit that they wrote Pig to make it look like the Hinman murder and get Bobby out of jail shifting the blame. And as news of Tate's murder spread, Los Angeles was plunged into panic. Because five people were slaughtered in an upscale neighborhood with no clear motive or any suspects.

But little did anyone suspect the nightmare was not over. And the Mansid family was just getting started. So after the savagery of the tape murders, one might think that the killers would now lay low. Shockingly, the very next night, August 9th, in the early hours of August 10th, 1969, they struck again. Because Manson, allegedly unhappy with the tape murders, decided to personally supervise the second mission. So in the evening of August 9th, he piled into a car with Tex Watson and Patricia and Leslie, Linda, Susan, and Steve Clem Grogan. And Manson told Linda to drive to 3301 Waverly Drive in the Las Felas District. And this was the home of Leno and Rosemary La Bianca, a couple in their 40s.

And the choice was semi-random. The La Bianca house was next door to a home where Manson and some family members had once attended a party the year before. And Manson remembered the street and decided it would do. So Manson and Tex would quietly approach the house while the others waited back in the car. and Manson would enter the home first, waking Leno, who was dozing on the couch. And that's when Tex would tie his hands, and Manson would hold him at gunpoint. And Manson would then escort Rosemary from the bedroom into the living room, also at gunpoint. And that's when Tex would then use a pillowcase and lamp cords to cover and bind the victim's heads.

And once the Labiancas were effectively blindfolded and restrained, Manson left the house and Van Houten and Krenwinkel would enter. Because Manson, he never got his hands dirty. He never got blood on his hands. And Manson would take Susan, Linda, and Clem with him to find another target the same night, which was a Lebanese actor named Saladin Nadir. And Manson would leave them there at the apartment complex and returned to the branch. And this meant that he dropped his followers off at two locations to commit murders,

and then left them to hitchhike home on their own. And allegedly, Linda initially knocked on the wrong apartment door, waking a neighbor and preventing the murder from occurring at all. And back at Waverly Drive, Tex was again in charge inside the house. with Crenwinkel and Van Houten as his accomplices. And Tex would send the women back to the bedroom. And without much dialogue, Tex began to stab Leno, plunging the bayonet he brought into his throat and body repeatedly.

And in the bedroom, Rosemary sprang up from the bed and started wildly swinging the lamp that was still attached to the cord around her neck at the intruders. And a chaotic struggle began to ensue in the bedroom. And Van Houten and Crenwinkle tried to subdue Rosemary as this terrified woman fought like an animal for her life. hearing the commotion, Tex now done with Leno, and Leno at this point was still alive, but gravely wounded, ran over to the bedroom. And Tex would see that Rosemary had managed to keep the woman at bay for a moment, flailing the lamp around as a weapon. But Tex would launch himself at Rosemary,

stabbing her several times with the same bayonet he used to kill her husband. And that's when Rosemary would collapse. And Tex would then return back to Leno and resume his assault, seeing that he was not yet dead. And at the end, he stabbed Leno 12 times. with a bayonect. And he would carve the word war into Leno's abdomen. And Patricia would grab a kitchen knife and begin stabbing Rosemary as she lay on the floor. And between Crenwickle and Van Hootin, Rosemary Le Bianca was stabbed approximately 41 times. So with both the LeBianka's dead, the killers now took time to perform the witchy ritual that Manson so desired. Using Leno's blood, Patricia dipped an old carving fork and worked a message on the walls of the living.

room, saying rise and death to pigs. And on the refrigerator, she scrawled the misspelled words held her skilter in blood. And not content with writing alone, Crenwinkel physically mutilated Leno's body to just drive the point home. And she would take a two-pronged carving fork and stab it into Leno's stomach, leaving it jutting out of the corpse and also planted a steak knife in his throat. Oh my God. Just fucking horrifying. And after cleaning, up a bit, Tex even took shower in the La Bianca bathroom to rinse off the blood. Crenwinkel, Van Hootin, and Watson then headed out. And they would meet up as the others as planned, hitchhiking and driving back to Spawn Ranch under the cover of darkness. And the La Bianca's bodies would

later be discovered on the evening of the 10th by their children. So in the immediate aftermath of these horrifically brutal murders, law enforcement was scrambling because the Tate murders were national news. And initially, the Tate and La Bianca cases were investigated separately by Los Angeles Police Department or the LAPD and the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, respectively. But there was confusion, false leads, and growing public clamor for answers. And for a time, the words pig and helter-skelter on the walls meant nothing to police beyond bizarre graffiti.

And the Manson family at first wasn't even on the radar. Because in those early weeks, the killers returned to semi-normal life at Spawn Ranch. but a breakthrough would come in a completely unrelated arrest. Because on August 16th, 1969, just one week after the murders, police raided Spawn Ranch and arrested Charles Manson and about two dozen family members on suspicion of auto theft. Because the group had been stockpiling stolen Volkswagen Beatles converted into dune buggies on their preparation for a desert escape,

which attracted law enforcement attention. However, these charges were mishandled as a warrant was misdated. And within a few days, the entire group, was released without anyone connecting them to the high-profile murders in L.A. So the family would promptly regroup and actually move out to that Death Valley area at Barker Ranch, thinking the heat was completely off them now. But unfortunately, for Manson, yet another raid was conducted regarding the suspected stolen vehicles. And he would be found hiding under a sink and arrested.

Like the fucking little tiny, measly piece of shit he is. And this time, thankfully, the arrest would stick and he would be placed in jail. And for a while, it looked like the Tate and La Bianca murders might become California's great unsolved mystery. But then, the dam broke from the inside. In October of 1969, a captured family member started talking. Susan Atkins, who had been implicated by Bobby and arrested in early October for her role in the Gary Hinman murder, ended up in jail, sharing a cell with two other women. And feeling boastful or perhaps burdened, Atkins confessed in graphic detail to her cellmates about

killing people for Charlie. And she told them about stabbing Sharon Tate, tasting her blood, and writing those words on the walls. Like a fucking idiot. But I'm glad she did. The cellmates reported Atkins' story to the authorities in November of 1969.

And at nearly the same time, an LAPD investigation finally put together one of the puzzle pieces. And that was a gang of local bikers told detectives that Manson had been talking about crazy killings and Black Panthers around the time of the murder.

And by early December of 1969, the case cracked wide open. Because on December 1st, LAPD announced warrants for the arrest of Tex Watson, Patricia Cranryinkle, and Linda Kasabian in the Tate case. And Charles Manson and Susan Atkins were already in custody, picked up from the prior raids and thus not named in the initial warrant press release. And Leslie Van Houten's involvement in the Le Bianca wasn't immediately known at this point. But she, too, had been arrested in October Barker Ranch raid of the theft charges. And soon enough, detectives connected Van Houten to the Le Bianca murders via evidence and she was also charged. And Tex Watson had fled back to his home state of Texas. Yes, Texas from Texas.

Not very, not very original. But he would be arrested on November 30th of 1969 after his fingerprints was matched to one found in the Tate House. And Crenwinkel had run off to Alabama, where she was likewise arrested. And Linda, who had left the family and had gone to New Hampshire, learned of one of the warrants and voluntarily surrendered herself eager to tell her side of the story. So with the key players in custody by early 1970, the full story of the family Manson's crime spree began to emerge. And Susan Atkins initially cooperated and gave a statement to a grand jury,

recounting the details of the tape murders. But she later recanted and refused to testify at trial. Fortunately, for the prosecution, Linda stepped up as a star witness. And Linda, who had not killed anyone technically, was deeply remorseful and was offered immunity in exchange for testimony. And she provided a distressing, firsthand narrative of both nights' murders, cooperating physical evidence and confirming Manson's role as the mastermind. And thus, within a few months of the crimes, police and prosecutors had pieced together what had happened exactly.

And the links between Manson and the victims, the helter-skelter motive as told by Atkins and Linda, and the identity of all participants. But the challenge ahead would be proving Charles Manson's guilt, since he had not personally stabbed or shot anyone. Nonetheless, the stage was set for what many call the trial of the century, a spectacle that would play out in Los Angeles courtroom over many months during 1970 to 1971. So the trial of Charles Manson and the co-defendants began on June 1970 and quickly became a media circus of unprecedented scale. The proceedings were held in the Hall of Justice in downtown LA.

And from day one, it was clear this was no ordinary trial. So on the prosecution side, it was Vincent Bouliosi, A sharp, unflappable deputy district attorney determined to hold Manson accountable not only for murder, but for commanding others to murder via an elaborate conspiracy. And the defendants, Charles Manson, Susan Atkins, Patricia Crenwinkel, and Leslie Van Hootten presented a unified front. And Tex Watson's trial was separated as he delayed extradition from Texas. And Manson, ever theatrical, initially insisted on acting as his own attorney, Ted Bundy style, although this was before Ted Bundy.

And the judge, William Keene, allowed this briefly. But Manson's antics, such as submitting nonsensical motions and attempting to make bizarre opening statements, led to that privilege being revoked. And Keene was replaced by Judge Charles Older after Manson filed an affidavit of prejudice against him. And security at these trials was extremely tight. And the family members who were not on trial, such as Squeaky, Sandy, and others gathered daily outside the courthouse. And they would just support from the sidewalk. And they would have their heads, shaves, and exes carved.

into their foreheads to match the mark Manson had made on himself, and often chanted and sang in the street. You know, like a cult. In prosecution, worried that these devoted family members might try to influence their harm witnesses, took an unusual step. And they subpoenaed many of them as prospective witnesses just so they could be legally barred from the courtroom, as witnesses are excluded until testimony. But despite these efforts, the family found ways to make their presence felt. And at one point, family members attempted to intimidate a key witness, Paul Watkins, a former member who had defected, and another Juan Flynn by threatening them. And Watkins even suffered a suspicious fire in a van that burned him, which he believed was a relation to the family. And another member,

Barbara Hoyt, who knew incriminating details, was lured to Hawaii by family member Ruth Ann Morehouse. And she was nearly killed when Morehouse slipped her an LSD-laced hamburger. But Hoyt survived, and the attempt only made her determined to testify even more. And inside the courtroom, the defendants engaged in continuous disruptions. And one bizarre episode occurred when Manson dramatically held up a Los Angeles Times front page with a headline, Manson guilty, Nixon declares, in front of the jury. And Judge Older had to individually ask jurors if they could be impartial. And they all said yes, averting as a mistrial.

And the female defendants tried to exploit Nixon's comments by standing on saying, essentially, see, the president says we're guilty. so why go on? But the stunt also failed. Yet one of the most dramatic moments came on October 5, 1970. Frustrated that he couldn't directly cross-examine a witness, Manson suddenly leaped over the defense table

and lunged at Judge Older. And chaos ensued as bailiffs tackled Manson to the ground, which didn't take much because he's really fucking short. And the female defendant stood up and began chanting some kind of gibberish, which was possibly Latin, further freaking out the courtroom. And after this incident, Judge Older started carrying a 38 revolver under his robes for protection, which like, yeah, rightfully so.

So it was that kind of trial, a fucking chaotic shit show of a trial. And the defense attorneys, for their part, were in a bind. Because each woman had her own lawyer, and Manson had one after his self-representation ended. But the defendants often seemed to be sabotaging their own case on Manson's behest. So the defense team was just like, we can't fucking wrangle these fucking psychos. So the women's lawyers revealed to the judge in a private conference that their clients wanted to testify that Manson had nothing to do with the murders and that they did it all on their own. Brainwashed. Essentially, martyering themselves to save Manson.

And one attorney, Ronald Hughes, who was Leslie's counsel, refused to go along with a perjury plan, saying that he would not push a client out of the window by allowing her to take the blame. And this would just create conflict between Manson and the lawyers. And on November 16th, 1970, the prosecution rested at... after presenting months of evidence. And shockingly, on November 19th, the defense rested without calling a single witness. And the defendants shouted in protest at their own lawyers, demanding the right to testify.

And the tensions would just run high as a trial edge toward conclusion. But the courtroom atmosphere was so volatile that one of the defense lawyers, Ronald Hughes, disappeared toward the ends of the trial. And he would actually go missing during a short recess and was later found dead in early 1971 under suspicious circumstances. circumstances, possibly a victim of retaliation by remaining family members, because he defied Manson's wishes. Nevertheless, the trial pressed on to the verdict phase. In our January 25th, 1971, after a

trial that lasted about nine months, the jury returned its verdict. Guilty on all counts for Charles Manson, Susan Atkins, Patricia Crenwinkel, and Leslie Van Hootin. Specifically, Manson was convicted of first-degree murder and conspiracy of the killings of seven people, the Tate victims and the Love Biancas. And the three women, were convicted of murder in those cases as well. And it was one of the most headline-grabbing convictions in U.S. history. Yet, there remained a penalty phase to determine their sentences. And here, more drama unfolded. Because during the penalty phase, the defense actually unleashed a copycat motive story in a last-ditch effort to save Manson from the death penalty. And Atkins, Krenwinkel, and Van Houten took the stand against their lawyer's advice and testified that the murders were solely an

idea to copy the Hinman killing and free Bobby. And the plan was supposedly made by the love struck Linda, the one who came forward eventually. And they claimed that Manson had nothing to do with ordering it. But no one really believed this, thankfully. And the prosecutor easily highlighted the obscurities. For instance, Susan Adkins couldn't explain why she had written political piggy in blood at the Hinman House to begin with, if these were all separate copycat actions. And the woman effectively fell on the swords for Manson, but it was too late and not believable at all. And the jury did see it as for what it was, which was a last-ditch effort by three of his brainwashed followers. And then the final act of Theta, Charles Manson dramatically altered his appearance mid-trial. And he shaved his head completely

and trimmed his beard into forked devilish style, saying to reporters, I am the devil, and the devil always has a bald head. Okay, buddy. Lock him up. But it was one of the many surreal visuals of the trial. So Manson, glowering with a shaved skull and carved forehead, staring down a jury as if daring them to condemn him. And on March 29th, 1971, that jury did just that. And they returned with a verdict of death for all four defendants. And Judge Older formally sentenced Charles Manson, Susan Atkins, Patricia Crenwin, and Leslie Van Houten to death on April 19th, 1971. However, none of them, as it turns, out would be executed because in 1972, the California Supreme Court abolished temporarily the death penalty, commuting all existing death sentences to life imprisonments. Thus, Manson and the three women,

escaped execution and instead faced the prospect of decades behind bars. And Tex Watson, who was tried separately in 1971 after being extradited, was also convicted and sentenced to death. But his sentence also became life in prison after 1972. But the trial's legacy was enormous. It was one of the longest and most expensive trials in American history at that time. And it fundamentally shifted how the public viewed the late 60s. Because no longer was it an age of innocence, but one that bred monsters. And it also set legal precedents, affirming that a person could be found guilty of murder for directing others to kill, even if they hadn't personally wielded the knife.

And the Manson conspiracy conviction was a key in that regard. And Vincent Biliosi emerged a bit of a celebrity prosecutor. Later writing a best-selling book, Helter Skelter, which further some the helter-skelter motive in popular lore. And as a convicts were shipped off to prison, one might think that that was the end of the Manson family saga. Ney-nay. Because in many ways, it was just the beginning

of this family's strange afterlife and prison cells in crime history. So in the wake of the convictions, the Manson family's reign of terror officially ended. But the fates of its members would continue to unfold over decades, often making headlines. And Charles Manson, once again, became an inmate.

Initially sent to San Quentin's death row. He was moved into Genpop, which is general prison population, after a sentence was commuted to life. And he would spend the next 46 years behind bars, bouncing between facilities and periodically emerging into public view through interviews or parole hearings. And Manson proved to be a troublesome little prisoner at times. In 1984, a fellow inmates set Manson on fire for allegedly spouting racist remarks, causing burns to a significant portion of his body. Boo-ho. But still, Manning. Metson survived and continued to spread his wild ideas from prison.

And he would be denied parole at every single hearing, a total of 12 times. And famously, in the 2010s, he had a swastika tattooed on his forehead. How charming. But Charles Manson would fortunately die on November 19th, 2017 at the age of 83. And it would be of natural causes in a California hospital, and he was still an inmate and still extremely notorious. And with him, passed one of the most infamous figures of the 20th century. A criminal who, quote unquote, occupied a unique position in the American cultural imagination, as NPR observed. And in the early years of incarceration, Atkins remained devotely loyal to Manson, even carving an X into her forehead in prison to match him.

But by the late 1970s, she had an apparent change of heart. How wonderful. Becoming a born-again Christian and renouncing Manson. Which, you know, that's good, at least. And she would actually marry twice in prison. Once to a self-proclaimed minister. and later to an attorney James White House. And Atkins became California's longest serving female inmate,

and she would be repeatedly denied parole. And she would be turned down over a dozen times. And in 2009, terminally ill with brain cancer and partially paralyzed, Atkins made a compassionate release plea. But it would be denied. Ooh, that's karma. And then she would die in prison in September of 2009 at the age of 61. And Crenwinkel also eventually distanced herself from Manson

and had been described as a model prisoner. And she earned a degree behind bars and expressed remorse, saying in one parole hearing, quote, unquote, I wake up every day knowing I'm a destroyer of the most precious thing, life. But still, the heinous of her crimes had made the parole board unwilling to free her. And for decades, any mention of parole for Crenwinkel was met with public outrage, and lobbying by victims' families, especially by Sharon Tate's family. And Patricia Crenwinkel remains incarcerated in California. She's also the state's longest surviving female prisoner after Atkins' death.

But Van Houten's story is somewhat different, because many view her as the most redeemable of the trio. Because she was the youngest, 19 at the time of the crimes, and she did not participate in the Tate murders. And by all accounts, reformed herself in prison. Leslie became a model, inmate, and earned a bachelor's degree and a master's degree and worked in rehabilitative programs. And starting in the 1990s, some parole boards actually recommended her for release, citing her exemplary behavior and apparent genuine remorse. However, California governors repeatedly vetoed. those recommendations, partly due to the gravity of her crimes and public sentiment. But finally, after over 20 denials in July of 2023, Leslie Van Houten was released on parole at the age of 73,

after she had served 53 years in prison. And her release stirred some controversy, to say the least. Some felt it was justice long overdue from a reformed woman, and others were dismayed that a Manson follower walked free. But Van Houten has since been living under a parole supervision, She's just a frail, elderly woman whose youth was spent under Manson's stark shadow. And then there's Tex. And after being extradited and convicted separately, Tex initially faced a death sentence like the others, as we know. But when that became life in prison, he underwent a jailhouse conversion to born-again Christianity and even became an ordained minister behind bars. And Watson actually fathered four children

via conjugal visits in the 1980s. How was this guy allowed to procreate? What the fuck? And these types of visits were later barred for lifers. But despite religious demeanors, Tex has never been granted parole, and he's been denied roughly 18 times. And he remains in California prison now in his 70s. And as mentioned earlier in 1975, Squeaky Fromm attempted to assassinate President Gerald Ford in Sacramento, pointing a Colt 45 at him at close range, but the gun did not fire. But it had a loaded magazine. It just didn't have a round in the chamber, thankfully. So she was tackled and arrested, and she smiled in custody.

and Fromm would be convicted of attempted assassination and sentenced to life in federal prison. And she would serve 34 years before being paroled in 2009. And now in her 70s, Fromm moved to upstate New York and lives quietly. But she never renounced Manson. In fact, she repeatedly said after his death in 2017 that she still loved him. And perhaps the single family member who achieved an unexpected mercy was Clem. Because Clem was convicted alongside Manson for the murder of Spawn Ranch stuntman, Donald Shorty Shea. He was killed in late August of 1969. But Clem was often described as slow-witted and completely

under Manson's sway. And remarkably, in prison, he cooperated and revealed the location of Shea's buried body to authorities in 1977. And partly due to that cooperation and reportedly showing genuine remorse, Clem became the only prisoner convicted of Manson-era murders to be paroled. And he would actually be released in 1985. And he has kept a low profile ever since and believed to be currently working as a musician. And then there's Bobby. Convicted of the Hinman murder, Bobby has spent over 50 years in prison. He's a talented musician and artist, and he has composed music and created visual art behind bars. And he has been denied parole multiple times, though in recent years some parole boards recommended him, only to be voted out by governors. And as of 2025, Bobby

remains incarcerated in California and he's now in his mid-70s. And then there's Mary, Manson's first follower, and mother of his child. And burner was involved. And Berner was involved, in the Hinman robbery, holding him at one point, but made a deal for immunity to testify in the early Hinman proceedings. However, she did later participate in the 1971 plot to hijack a plane to demand Manson's release, but the plan was foiled, and also of an armed robbery in a surplus store, so she would serve several years in prison for those, but be released in the late 1970s. And since then, Mary Brunner has completely withdrawn from public life, and she reportedly lives under a new name in the Midwest. And then there's Diane Lake. She was,

youngest family member at age, 14 when she joined. Lake was not involved in the murders and eventually testified at the prosecution as a witness. And she just went on to lead a normal life, marrying and raising her children and later authored a memoir in 2017 called member of the family. And Lake just became a symbol of how someone could recover from cult indoctrination. And she eventually became a schoolteacher and openly denounced Manson's manipulations, which is fucking metal. So Charles Manson's family effectively died as a group when he was arrested. But its individual members carried pieces of that dark legacy with them through the decades. So the Manson murders didn't quietly enter the bowels of true crime.

They exploded into the public consciousness and stayed. And media coverage was immediate and overwhelming. And Manson became a cultural symbol referenced in headlines, TV specials, and documentaries for decades. And Vincent Bouliosi's Helter Skelter remains one of the best seller true crime books still. with adaptations and renewed interests surfacing during anniversaries and cultural milestones like Tarantino's once upon a time in Hollywood. But the case really marked a symbolic end of the 1960s idealism. A killer cult rising from the hippie movement triggered public fear. And Manson dubbed the most dangerous man alive became a boogeyman of peace and love generation. And pop culture just leaned into it with songs and shows

and even Marilyn Manson's stage name echoed this. And the Beatles distanced themselves. from Hilt or Skelter to say it the least. While Bono famously declared, we're stealing it back. But this attention just provoked ethical concerns. Because victims' families, especially Doris and Deborah Tate, pushed back against Manson's infamy, advocating for victims' rights and parole reform.

And Manson also sparked debates on brainwashing and cult influence. And in the 70s, fears of mind control and dangerous gurus spurred the rise of de-programmers and changed how cults reviewed legally and psychologically. And Manson's interviews, bizarre, rhetoric, and wild-eyed persona fascinated the public. And some subcultures mythologized him, sparking backlash. And parole hearings just became media events, with society often viewing at any potential release as unacceptable. But pop culture in it of itself at that time just became darker.

The music, films, and public attitudes all reflected just a loss of trust. And as one writer put it, he was the man who killed the 60s. The Manson murders weren't just a crime. They were a rupture. Manson's power came not from physical dominance, obviously because he was really fucking small and weak and stupid, but belief. His followers weren't monsters. They were transformed by manipulation. And the case still resonates because its lessons remain urgent. Evil can be seductive, and utopias can mass control, and ideology can be weaponized. But so can memory. And Sharon Tate's family turned pain into advocacy. And some family members actually feel found remorse and Manson tried to tear society apart. But by studying him, we fortify it. The danger isn't gone. It's just evolved. But so has our understanding. And in remembering the victims, we reject myth in favor of truth. And Manson's story just warns us that belief without question is perilous and that the line between peace and chaos is far thinner than it seems. And with that,

that is the end of the video. This was a big one. This was a big one. A lot. A lot of A lot of people asked for it. I hope this was, I don't want to say good, but I hope, uh, hope you got something out of it. If you have any other cases you want me to deep dive into, please let me know down below. I always read the comments. And until I see you again, please stay safe and I will see your beautiful face in the next video. All right. Bye.