Charles Manson - Unauthorized

by John E. Derossett

  Linda Kasabian

  Mary Brunner – Brunner was born on December 17, 1943 in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. She attended the University of Wisconsin and then moved to Los Angeles after she graduated. This was around 1965 and she had been offered a job as a library assistant at the University of California, Berkley. While working there, she met Charles Manson, who had just been released a few weeks earlier from the Terminal Island Penitentiary in California. She then let Manson begin staying with her at her apartment and within weeks the two were sleeping together. Manson would eventually have 18 other people living with them in the apartment. Manson was given a piano by one of his other friends, which he then traded for a Volkswagen van. Brunner became pregnant by Manson and had a boy which she named Valentine Michael. The nickname given to the baby was Pooh Bear. She had the baby in an abandoned house, assisted by other female members of the family, with no formal medical care.

  Brunner had a handful of aliases, like the rest of the family members, including “Mary Manson”, “Linda Dee Manson”, Christine Marie Euchts and several others. After moving to Venice, California, they met Lynette Fromme. The three moved in together in a house in San Francisco located at 636 Cole Street. Throughout the next two years, the group would grow to some 30 members who lived communally. A handful of the “Family Members” like Brunner and Fromme would become ardent supporters of Manson. Others however would drift in and out when things began to look “too creepy” to them. It seems to be common knowledge by this time, that not everyone agreed with Manson’s way of thinking. Those who were vocally against some of the acts committed by the family either left or were otherwise forced out. Not everyone knew everything that was going on. Brunner would later admit that orgies and drug use were part of the everyday life of the family while they were at Spahn’s.

  Mary Brunner

  Leslie Van Houten – Van Houten was born on August 23, 1949. She was first introduced to the Manson Family in 1968 by Catherine “Gypsie” Share and Bobby Beausoleil. She had met them while in San Francisco, and they began telling her about this “great Commune” at the Spahn Ranch. When she finally met Manson, she was captivated by him. She was so taken with him and the family, that she joined the group in September 1968, moving to the Spahn Ranch to be with them.

  Despite the fact that Van Houten was literally smitten by Manson, he treated her distantly and considered her to be the “property” of Bobby Beausoleil. This left Van Houten with a strong need to prove herself to Manson and the rest of the family. She would it seems, do anything to gain his approval…

  Leslie Van Houten

  Lynette Fromme – Fromme was born October 22, 1948 in Santa Monica, California. During her younger years, she was part of a popular local dance group that toured the US and Europe. She was in the 1959 tour that appeared on the Lawrence Welk television show, and even appeared at the White House. The group was called the Westchester Lariats.

  Her family eventually moved to Redondo Beach and Fromme began drinking and using drugs at that time. Though her grades dropped significantly after the move, she managed to graduate from high school in 1966. She moved out of the home of her real for a few months, and then her father managed to convince her to consider going to school at El Camino Junior College. She attended school there for only a couple of months until she got into an argument with her father, which led to her becoming homeless.

  Fromme met Charles Manson in 1967 after going to Venice Beach. She was suffering from depression at the time, so it was easy for her to begin liking Manson’s philosophy on life. She then began traveling with Manson, Mary Brunner and Susan Atkins. She would eventually gain the nickname of “Squeaky” from George Spahn because of the squeaky sound she made when he touched her.

  Fromme was never convicted of murder because she did not participate in the violent acts that Manson ordered at the Sharon Tate residence, and at the home of the LaBiancas. She would however, go on to claim her own fame and end up with a life prison sentence. Her act of violence was an attempted assassination of President Gerald Ford on September 5, 1975. Though she was given life, she was paroled after serving 34 years. It is believed that she is now living in Marcy, New York.

  You have now met the main actors in the tragedy that is about to unfold before your eyes, including several key members of the Family who did not actively participate in any of the murders that the Family was charged with. It is said, by Charles Manson himself, that everyone who has made money off of his name, “would pay” one day. In many interviews, he actually refuses to be “interviewed, instead, trying to take control and say only what HE wants to say. Such is the way when dealing with a psychopath. The psychopath has a burning need to be in control, whatever the situation, and Manson is no different.

  Lynette Fromme

  Before the murders

  We’ve already established that Charles Manson was the leader of the so-called “Manson Family”. This is undisputed by all, except perhaps by Charles Manson himself, who says that he was not a leader of anything. He says that he was just there, and gave advice to people when they asked for it. Whether they carried out the advice he had given them, was of no consequence to him, he would say.

  It is well-known however, that the family members did absolutely NOTHING without Manson’s permission. It is rumored that several family members have “disappeared” when going against Charlie on anything. This included instructions from Manson to obtain money that was needed to finance the family through “Helter Skelter”. Manson believed, according to testimony by family members as well as Vincent Bugliosi, who prosecuted the murders of those at the Tate-Polanski residence, and Leno and Rosemary LaBianca. Bugliosi (pronounced “bully-ocie”) used the “Helter Skelter” theory in his case against the family members in order to be able to tie Charles Manson in with the murders and to establish the motive for the crimes. Otherwise, Manson might have gone free in the case, something that Bugliosi did not want to happen.

  In any case, the family financed their way of life, and made preparations for the upcoming “revolution” by stealing cars, selling drugs and doing just about anything else that they could do to raise money. When Linda Kasabian became part of the family, she had given Charlie $5,000 dollars, which she had stolen from her estranged husband’s friend. What actually happened with the money is unknown, but at some point, Manson had told Charles “Tex” Watson that he needed to find ways to come up with the money needed to get the family through the coming revolution.

  Meanwhile, on May 18, 1969, Terry Melcher, the son of Doris Day, and a record producer, had come to the ranch to hear Charlie and the girls sing. He then came back another time, and brought a friend with him who had some portable recording equipment. The idea was to capture Manson and the girls singing, but Melcher’s friend was the one to do the recording, not Melcher. Melcher would maintain that Manson was “OK” as a singer, but that he (Manson) had nothing that he (Melcher) wanted to actually produce.

  By the time June 1969 rolled areound, Manson starting becoming more vocal about Helter Skelter. He actually believed that the Beatles were sending messages to him through the songs on the “White Album” about the impending revolution. “This revolution”, Charlie said, “Would involve “Blackie” rising up and wiping out the white man.” He went on to say that the family would be among the few surviving white people, and that at some point “Blackie” would need help, because he wouldn’t know how to run the world properly. He had said that the black man did not know what to do without the white man guiding him. He went on to say that the black man would then approach Manson Family for advice on how to properly run the world, and would eventually ask that Charlie lead them because they didn’t know what to do.

  What Manson could not have known at the time, because black people were still fighting for equal rights, that by the time 2008 rolled around, American’s would see a black president in the White House, and more and more interracial marriages would be popping up across the country.

  In orde
r to bring some money into the family, Tex Watson defrauded a drug dealer named Bernard “Lottspoppa” Crowe. Crowe was incensed and threatened to wipe out the entire family at the Spahn Ranch. Manson responded to this threat by shooting Crowe in his Hollywood apartment. Manson mistakenly believed that Crowe was part of the Black Panther Movement. In reality, Crowe was not, but Manson believed that the Panthers would retaliate.

  Manson then began turning Spahn Ranch into a fort of sorts, setting up defensive positions all around the ranch. Tex Watson would go on to say that if there was ever any proof needed that “Helter Skelter” was coming, this was it. The next day after Manson shot Crowe, a Black Panther member was found dumped in a location in the city, and this is what led Manson to fully believe that Crowe was the man the news reporters was talking about, though of course, he was not. Crowe actually survived the shooting and would come back to haunt Manson at trial when the Family was finally caught and brought to justice.

  At the beginning of November 1968, Manson established an alternate family headquarters on a ranch in Death Valley owned by a woman with the last name of Barker. He convinced her to allow the family to stay there, and sweetened the deal he made by giving her a Beach Boys gold record that he had gotten from Dennis Wilson. Manson says that Wilson had given him the record, but those “in the know” said that Manson had stolen the gold records from the Beach Boys drummer. Wilson, it is said, wanted to be done with the family simply let them keep the stolen items. They had already cost him a considerable sum when they were staying at his house and destroyed it. In any case, the record now belonged to the woman, who just happened to be the grandmother of one of the new women in the group. Part of the deal in return for their being permitted to stay at the Death Valley ranch, was that they do some work to fix the place up a bit.

  Finally, in January 1969, the family left Death Valley because of the cold and took up residence in a canary yellow house in Canoga Park, just a short distance from Spahn Ranch. Manson called the house the “yellow submarine”, again, another reference to the Beatles. While there, family members occupied their time with repairing automobiles and studying maps of Death Valley.

  By the time February had arrived, Manson’s vision was complete. The family would record an album of songs that were just as subtle as those of the Beatles. This, Charlie said, would trigger the chaos and the murder of white people by the blacks. The whites would then retaliate, and there would be a split between the racist whites and the non-racist. This would result in the eventual annihilation of the white race. The Family, Charlie preached, would be safe from the turmoil, because they would ride the storm out in Death Valley, in a place called the “bottomless pit”, which was a secret city below Death Valley. At some point, Manson was brought to believe that Terry Melcher was going to stop by to hear the music the family had written. The girls cleaned the house up, and prepared a nice dinner for him, but Melcher never showed, and Manson became extremely angry. There is no indication that Melcher was to have returned to the ranch for any reason.

  Manson went to the residence at 10050 Cielo Drive on March 23, 1969. This was Melcher’s residence and Manson believed that he was still living there. The house was actually owned by Rudi Altobelli however, and Melcher only rented from him. Melcher had moved out and the property was now rented by Sharon Tate and Roman Polanski.

  Roman was in Europe making a film. Shahrokh Hatami was at the house to take some publicity photographs of Sharon before she had to leave for Rome the next day. He saw Manson coming toward the front door and went to confront him, asking who he was, and why he was there. When Manson asked for Terry Melcher, Hatami had no idea of whom Charlie was talking about, and told him to try the back alley. There was a caretakers residence at the back of the property, and that was what he was referring to. For those of you who have seen the movie “Helter Skelter”, it was Wojcieck Frykowski who answered the door. However, this is not correct, and it was in fact, Hatami. Hatami was concerned that there was a stranger on the property, and was wondering how he got onto the property, since it had a security gate and wall around the premises. Hatami and Tate stayed where they were, while Manson walked to the caretaker’s residence. He then came back a few minutes later and left.

  Later that same night, Manson came back to the property again, and went to the caretaker’s house. He was going to enter the enclosed front porch when he ran into Rudi Altobelli. Altobelli was just coming out of the shower, and though Manson was asking for Melcher, Altobelli for some reason thought that Manson was actually looking for him. Altobelli told Manson that Melcher had moved out of the house and took up residence in Malibu. Manson wanted to know Melcher’s new address, but Altobelli lied to him and told him that he did not know. Manson asked Altobelli another question, to which he replied that he was also in the music business, but he suspected that Manson had already known this because the two met at a party at Dennis Wilson’s house on another occasion the year before. At this party that Wilson was having, Altobelli had complimented Manson, somewhat lukewarmly, on the recordings that Wilson was playing of Manson’s. Altobelli then told Manson, for some reason, that he was going out of town the next day, and Manson indicated that when he returned, he would like to meet with him. Altobelli then lied again, and told Manson that he was going to be gone for at least a year. Altobelli then asked Manson how he came to be here, and Manson replied that he was directed to the caretaker’s house by those up at the main residence. Altobelli then told Manson that he did not wish for him to disturb his tenants, because this was a private residence.

  Manson then left the property and Altobelli flew to Rome the next day with Sharon. Tate, on the flight to Rome, asked Altobelli if the “creepy-looking guy” had come back to the caretaker’s house the day before, to which Altobelli replied that yes, he did.

  By May 1969, Manson had thought that he had murdered Crowe, and was talking about how the Family had to help “Blackie” to get the revolution started once and for all. This would then start the chain of events that inspired the movie “Helter Skelter”, and keep the Family in the public eye for close to a half-century. As you will soon see, Manson shows zero remorse for the lives that were lost in that horrific summer that brought the hippie movement to an abrupt end.

  “Why should I feel bad? I didn’t kill anybody!”

  - Charles Manson

  Gary Hinman Murder

  In July 1969, Manson, for some reason, believed that Gary Hinman had received some money from an inheritance. He sent Beausoleil to the house to persuade Hinman to turn the money over to the Family. Mary Brunner and Susan Atkins went with Beausoleil and the three held Hinman hostage for two days, beating him in an effort to get him to turn the money over to them. Hinman maintained that he didn’t have anything to give. Beausoleil told Manson that he was not getting anywhere with Hinman. Manson came over to the Hinman house to talk with Hinman. After some pleas from Hinman and denials that he had any money, Manson cut off Hinman’s ear with a sword. Manson then left the house, saying to Beusoleil “you know what to do”. Beausoleil then stabbed Hinman to death. He maintains to this day that Manson ordered him to kill Hinman.

  Before the three left the property, someone, probably Susan Atkins, wrote “political piggy” on the wall in Hinman’s blood. They also drew a panther paw near the words, in an effort to make it look as if the Black Panthers committed the murder, setting the stage for Manson’s revolution.

  In later interviews, Beausoleil would maintain that he went to Hinman’s house to recover some money that he had paid him for drugs. He alleged that Hinman sold him “bad dope” and that he wanted his money back. He said that Atkins and Brunner had no idea that a murder was going to happen, and that they had just “come along for the ride” and to visit with Hinman. In her autobiography however, Atkins maintained that Manson had sent the trio to the house to get the supposed inheritance, some $21,000 dollars. Atkins said that two days before the murder, Manson told her that if she wanted to do something “important�
�, she could kill Hinman and get the money from him.

  Twelve days after Hinman’s murder, Beausoleil was arrested and questioned about driving Hinman’s car, when Hinman was dead. The murder weapon used to kill Hinman was found in the tire well in the trunk of the car, and Beausoleil was subsequently charged with murder. Mary Brunner, though present when Hinman was murdered, would eventually be given immunity to testify against Beausoleil.

  Gary Hinman

  Murder at the Tate-Polanski Residence

  Bobby Beausoleil was arrested on August 6, 1969 for the murder of Gary Hinman. Had he not been arrested, there is little doubt that he would have been along for the ride on the night that Sharon Tate and the others at her house were murdered. Nonetheless, these murders could not be pinned on him because he was already locked up.

  On August 8, 1969, witnesses said that Manson came into the room and announced that “Now is time for Helter Skelter”. Susan Atkins would later say that Manson ordered her, Watson, Krenwinkel and Kasabian to go to “that house that Melcher used to live in”. Once they were there, Manson said that they needed to kill everyone in the house. He told the girls to listen to Watson and to “do everything he tells you to do”. As they were driving away from the ranch to go to the house, Manson told the girls to leave some sort of sign at the crime scene. “Do something witchy”, he said.