Manson’s Family And The Tate Murders

On the morning of August 8, 1969, the city of Los Angeles awoke to the horrific news that the wife of film director Roman Polanski, Sharon Tate, and four others had been murdered at Polanski’s home. It took police nearly a year to find and arrest the culprits, four young men. They belonged to the so-called. Manson’s family or cult.

Charles Manson was the leader of the cult. Although he had nothing to do physically with these deaths, he was considered the initiator of them. Manson’s family showed the dark side of the hippie counterculture that began at that time.

Charles Manson, leader of the Manson family

When Charles Manson was released from prison in the late 1960s, he encountered a hippie movement that was rapidly expanding at the time.

During this time he managed to recruit some members of the Manson family. Eventually, they ended up staining their hands with blood for Charles.

Manipulator

Manson knew how to manipulate and manage vulnerable youth. Many experts emphasized his ability to detect weaknesses in those around him and manipulate them.

He was able to develop these abilities in his dysfunctional childhood and adolescence. He was clearly negatively affected by the upbringing.

However, Manson did not choose to be a cult leader. He wanted to be famous. He wanted to achieve success precisely in the music industry. His failure became one of the triggers for the fatal events of the summer of 1969.

Manson’s family, Followers

Manson moved with his disciples to Spahn Ranch in Simi Hills and Santa Susana. In total, there were 39 adults and 7 children. They lived in complete isolation, far from all outside influences.

Manson controlled what happened all the time. His goal was to gain complete dominance and power. To this end, he persuaded members of his cult to perform certain tasks.

Manson came to dominate the minds of his followers to the extent that they believed that the world was coming to an end and that outside was dominated by interracial war.

The murders of Cielo Drive 10050

Manson chose four of his followers for the murder. They were Charles ’Tex” Watson, Susan “Sadie” Atkins, Patricia “Katie” Krenwinkle and Linda Kasabian. The target was the mansion of Roman Polanski and his wife Sharon Tate.

Shortly before midnight on August 8, 1969, Manson gave the order to Watson. They all left the mansion carrying several knives, rope and gun.

Quiet night

On August 8, Sharon Tate had invited several friends to her home. She felt lonely as her husband Roman Polanski was in Europe preparing for her next film. Sharon’s friends  Jay Sebring, Abigail Folger and Voytek Frykowski were going to stay the night.

Steve Parent died first. He was an 18-year-old young man who was visiting his friend, the site property manager, who lived in the house next door. Watson shot Parent to death.

After that, Watson, Atkins, and Krenwinkle broke into the house through an open window.

Horror unleashed

Manson’s family gathered Sharon Tate and her guest in the living room. There they tied Sharon, Abigail, and Jay by the neck. Jay tried to protect Sharon, but Watson shot him and then hit him in the face with a revolver.

The voytek that Atkins had held in his grip managed to break away. However, Watson stabbed him several times in the leg and struck his gun in the back. Abigail had also managed to escape and get into the garden, but Krenwinkle caught him and stabbed him repeatedly. The only person left was Sharon. Although she prayed for her life in order to give birth to her son, she too was stabbed to death.

Judgments

When Atkins was convicted of another murder, he admitted his involvement in the murder of Cielo Drive 10050. He confessed on December 5, 1969, in exchange for not receiving the death penalty.

Police then issued arrest warrants to Krenwinkle, Watson, Manson and Kasabian. The latter became the main witness of the prosecution. He testified and provided evidence against Manson and his family in exchange for immunity. To this day, he is the only one who is free.

The jury ruled on January 25, 1971. Krenwinkle, Watson, and Manson were found guilty of conspiracy and murder along with another successor, Leslie Van Houten (from a different murder). On March 29, they were sentenced to death, including Atkins, for deciding to withdraw his initial statement.

However, the state of California overturned the death penalty in 1972. For this reason, all sentences were commuted to life imprisonment.

The end of Manson’s family

Convicted members of the Manson family remained in various prisons. They were repeatedly denied parole.

Atkins died in prison in 2009 of brain cancer. Manson died in 2017 in prison at the age of 83. He had been in life since 1971.

Watson, still in prison, converted to evangelical Christianity. He married and had four children thanks to marriage-prison visits. Krenwinkle remains in prison and has proven to be a role model.

At the time, people were horrified to hear that young people from normal middle-class families had committed these murders. People wondered how they could commit such bloody murders by order of Charles Manson.

The Cielo Drive 10050 mansion was demolished and nothing has been built in its place.