Episode Transcript
Amanda: Hey, there all you true crime fans. I'm Amanda.
Kori: And I am Kori.
Amanda: And welcome back to Colorado Crime. You know the drill. We're just two best friends who want to chat about all things true Crime. This week, we will continue to talk about the life and crimes of Charles Manson and get to know the Manson family members a little better. So without any further ado, let's jump into this week's joke.
Kori: Why can't you hear a pterodactyl going to the bathroom?
Amanda: Why?
Kori: Because the pee is silent.
Amanda: I love it. Dino jokes are my favorite.
Kori: You're welcome.
Amanda: Thanks. I think we should have another one next week. Another dino joke.
Kori: Okay.
Amanda: Make that happen for us.
Kori: I'm on it.
Amanda: Cool. Okay, guys, so a few episodes ago we talked about who Charles Manson was. And if you need a refresher, just go listen to that episode first and then come back to this one.
Kori: It was a long time ago.
Amanda: It was a while ago. But this week we're going to discuss the infamous family members. But we want you to remember that Leno and Rosemary LaBianca, sharon Tate and her unborn son Paul richard Polanski, J Sebring, Voitek Frykovsky, Abigail Folger, Steve Parent and their families and loved ones are the most important part of this horrendous story. They're the ones who should be remembered.
Kori: Exactly. Well, let's jump right in. Okay, so we're going to start out with Mary Teresa Bruner. She was born December 17, 1943. Mary was born in Euclair, Wisconsin to parents George and Nelsie Bruner. In 1965, she graduated from the University of Wisconsin at Madison and she took a job at the University of California, Berkeley where she became the college's librarian. Manson targeted Mary when he was in need of a place to stay. In between prison stints, the two began a sexual relationship. Shortly after, Mary quit her library job and began living in a van with Charles. In 1967, Mary gave birth to her and Charles's son inside of a condemned home in Topanga, California. If you remember from the previous episode, charles thought so highly of himself he named several of his sons in his honor. This one was surprisingly not named Charles, though. The two named their son Valentine Michael, but called him Pooh Bear. By the time the couple grew their family, the Family had begun to grow, too. Several other female family members assisted Mary with her home birth. During Mary's time with the Family, she was known by several names. Mary Uchi, Ooch mother mary mary Manson, linda D manson and Christine. Mary Yukes. Around this time, the Family had grown between 20 and 30 members. Some of these people became quite devoted followers of Manson while others floated in and out. The group traveled up the west coastline from California to Washington and Oregon. They even made their way to Nevada. They finally settled near Los Angeles they finally settled near the Los Angeles suburb of Chatsworth at an occasional movie set. This land was owned by George Spawn and was known as the Spawn Ranch. George was 80 years old when the Family came to live with him. He was also nearly blind. Charles ordered his female followers to cook and clean for George, but also to perform sexual acts on him in return. George looked the other way when it came to the Family's less than legal ways of operating, even providing nicknames for several of the females squeaky, Sadie, May and Wish. Charles Watson, aka Tex, also received his nickname from George due to his Southern drawl. On April 20, 168, mary and several other family members were arrested near Little Sycamore Canyon in California. They were found sprawled nude around a campfire inside a 1952 bus stuck in a deep ditch that had been reported stolen in San Francisco. On April twelveTH, Manson was remanded into custody under the suspicion of grand theft auto and possession of two driver's licenses. Mary was booked on endangering the life and health of a child after her one week old son, Valentine was found by deputies.
Amanda: Wake up.
Kori: Found by deputies improperly dressed and shivering, the baby was placed in the care of Ventura County General Hospital. Some people should not have children. Charges against Mary were later reduced to contributing to the delinquency of a minor and she was given two years probation and a 15 day suspended jail sentence. She subsequently told authorities she planned to return to her parents home in Wisconsin and Valentine was returned to her just a few months later. In June 1968, Mary, along with other members of the Manson Family, were arrested again, this time in Medicino County, California for supplying narcotics to minors. Mary was present at the Hinman murder in 1969. Hinman was a close friend of Mary's as well as her former roommate at the direction of Charles Manson. Mary, Bobby Busole and Susan Atkins killed Gary Anne Hinman on July 20, 769 by stabbing and smothering him. The death was brutal and the crime scene was gory. The home was ransacked and his Fiat and Volkswagen Van were stolen. Mary was arrested on August 8, 1969 at a Sears for using a stolen credit card. It was Gary's stolen credit card. Mary Bruner and Susan Atkins were subsequently charged, along with Bobby Buselet, for the murder of Gary Hinman. Mary later received immunity from prosecution to testify against both Bobby Buselet and Susan Atkins. Busele's trial ended on a hung jury, with Bobby claiming that Manson alone had married Gary Hindman. However, during Busalay's March 1970 trial, mary recanted her testimony that Busele murdered Hinman and Busele produced an affidavit signed by Mary stating that Bobby did not stab Hinman. Mary eventually reputed her previous testimony and insisted that she had said Busolet stabbed Hinman to death in her attempt to absolve Charles Manson of any participation in the crime. Various former Family members contradicted this testimony and testified that Manson confessed to them that he, in fact, was present at the henman house and that he fully participated in the murder. Mary and Charles met lynette Squeaky From in 1967 when the couple was living in Venice Beach. Lynette had a typical upbringing. She was born on October 22, 148 in Santa Monica, California to an aeronautical engineer. Father William and Mother Helen fromm Squeaky got her name from the sound she made when George would run his hand up her thigh. Before she became a member of the infamous Manson Family she was a touring member of the Westchester Lariats. She is currently 74 years old. The Family moved to Redondo Beach in 1963 where Lynette became involved in drugs and alcohol and her grades drastically suffered. She was able to graduate in 1966. However, she enrolled in college but had an argument with her father which resulted in her being kicked out and homeless. From there, Lynette went to Venice Beach in 1967 at the age of 19. Homeless and sitting on a curb. She had the single most life changing encounter with the one and only Charles Manson. Lynette found Manson's teachings very likable and enjoyed her time with him and the Family. She was, however, absent from the Lobianca and Tate murders. She would go on to make an attempt at President Gerald Ford's life. Lynette was present during a 1972 Stockton murder of parents James and Lauren Willett. She had traveled there with two females and two males. The men were Aryan Nation members. The men reportedly shot Lauren and left her body in the basement. James's body was found decapitated in November 1972. It is believed that he was killed sometime in September. The murderous group did leave James and Lauren's eight month old daughter Heidi alive and unharmed. Lynette was arrested but later released due to lack of evidence. Sometime in 1973, Lynette began to work on an extensive 600 page book about the Manson Family including intricate drawings and photos. Other members of the family contributed as well. She even went as far as to sell her book to publishers but quit pursuing it at the urge of clem grogan due to how incriminating the book was. The book was ultimately published in 2018 and it was titled Reflection. Lynette received life in prison for the September 575 attempt on President Gerald Ford's life but escaped on December 23, 1987 from federal prison Camp Alderson in West Virginia in an attempt to meet Manson. She was captured two days later and incarcerated at the Federal Medical Center carswell in Fort Worth, Texas. From continued to profess total allegiance to Manson. Lynette first became eligible for parole in 2005 and was entitled by federal law to a mandatory hearing after 30 years but she could waive that hearing and apply for release at a later date. She waived her right to request a hearing and was required by federal law to complete a parole application before one could be considered and granted. She was granted parole in July 2008 but was not released because of extra time added to her sentence for the 1987 prison escape. She was released on parole from Federal Medical Center Carswell on August 14, 2009, and moved to Marcy, New York, where she and her boyfriend Robert Vladner lived in a house decorated with skulls. Like real skulls or fake ones?
Amanda: I don't know. But, I mean, you've been convicted of murder and served a lot of time. Well, you weren't convicted of murder. You were convicted of attempted murder. So I feel like decorating with skulls is maybe bad taste.
Kori: Right? I'm no expert. In a 2019 televised interview from Said about Manson was I in love with Charlie? Yeah. And I still am. I bet her boyfriend was sad about that.
Amanda: It's just gross. So Susan Denise Atkins was born May 7, 1948, in San Gabriel, California. She was the second born of three children. She was known within the group as Sadie May Glutz or Sexy Sadie. Susan claimed her parents were both alcoholics. However, her mom died from cancer in 1964 and was never able to defend those claims. Susan was well liked growing up, and shortly before her mother's death, organized the church choir to sing Christmas carols outside of her mother's window. Life from there got pretty rocky for Susan. Her family began to fall apart and moved several times. Susan began working during her junior year of high school to support herself and her younger brother Stephen. Susan's father was working construction during this time and was rarely home. In early 1967, the same year she met Charles Manson, susan was working as a stripper. Susan met Charles Manson after he was playing guitar at a friend's home where she was staying. Police raided the home several weeks later, and Susan was left homeless. Manson saw this as an opportunity and asked Susan to join the family. On October 7, 1968, susan gave birth to her and Bruce White's love child. While the boy was not Manson's son, he did name him Zizozo's Zadfrak Glutz.
Kori: Oh, my God. I'm so sorry for that child. I hope he changed his name right.
Amanda: Well, Susan was present and an active participant in Gary Hinman's murder, leon and Rosemary LaBianca's murders, as well as the Tate murders at Cielo Drive. She was even responsible for writing pig in Sharon Tate's blood on the front door. Susan became known for her viciousness, but also for her inability to shut her mouth. On August 16, 1969, just eight days after the Tate La Bianca murders, police raided Spawn Ranch in connection with auto thefts. The charges were later dropped, and everyone was released. Soon after their release, Manson and his followers left Spawn Ranch for Barker Ranch, another isolated location. However, authorities were still suspicious of the group. Their new location at Barker Ranch was raided on October 10 and October 12, 1969, the group was arrested again on auto theft charges. This was the last time many of them were free. Just after this arrest, another member of the group implicated Susan in the hinman murder and she was charged with that crime. While in jail, Susan befriended two middle aged career criminals virginia Graham and Veronica Ronnie Howard to whom she confessed her participation in the Tate Lobianca murders, for example, telling the women that she had stabbed Sharon Tate and tasted Sharon's blood. And at this time, authorities had no suspects or idea of who had even committed this. So this was huge information. The inmates subsequently reported her statements to authorities. This, combined with information from other sources led to the arrests of Susan and others involved in the Tate Lobianca murders. Virginia Graham and Ronnie Howard later received the bulk of the $25,000 award offered by Roman Polanski, Sharon Tate's husband, for solving the murder case. Their testimony was corroborated by extensive forensic evidence the testimony of Linda Cassabian and the grand jury testimony of Susan herself. Susan arrived on California's death row on April 23, 1971, but her death sentence was automatically commuted to life in prison the next year following the California Supreme Court's People versus Anderson decision, which invalidated all death sentences imposed in California prior to 1972. In 1977, Susan published her autobiography, Child of Satan, Child of God in which she recounted the time she spent with Manson and the Family, her religious conversion and her prison experiences. From 1974 onward, Susan said she was a bornagain Christian. After seeing a vision of Jesus Christ in her cell, she became active in prison programs, teaching classes and received two commendations for assisting in emergency health interventions with other inmates, one of which was a suicide attempt. Susan married twice while in prison. Her first marriage was to Donald Lee Laser. On September 2, 1981, susan became Lazier's 36th wife.
Kori: Honestly, that seems like 35 too many.
Amanda: That's just insane. Well, they go on to get a divorce. After he sought to marry again, she married for the second time in 1987 to James W. Whitehouse, a graduate of Harvard Law who was 15 years her junior and who represented her at her 2000 and 2005 parole hearings. He maintained a website dedicated to her legal representation. During Susan's 2000 parole hearing, Sharon Tate's sister Deborah read a statement written by their father, Paul, which said in part, quote 31 years ago, I sat in a courtroom with a jury and watched with others. I saw a young woman who giggled, snickered and shouted out insults. Even while testifying about my daughter's last breath, she laughed. My family was ripped apart. If Susan Atkins is released to rejoin her family, where is the justice? End quote. On June 1, 2005, Susan had her 17th parole hearing. This resulted in a three year denial. She was given less than six months to live and subsequently requested a compassionate release from prison in regards to Susan's son. Her parental rights were terminated after she was convicted of the multiple murders and she never had contact after no one from her family would take her son, and he was later adopted and given a better name. Susan was convicted of nine murders and served life in prison. She died on september 24, 2009 from brain cancer at the central California women's facility. She was 61 years old.
Kori: You notice how in 2005, she was given six months to live and then she didn't die in 2000, and then.
Amanda: She kept on living.
Kori: Yeah, compassionate smashing it. Stay in jail. Sorry.
Amanda: Charles Denton, or Tex Watson, was born on December 2, 1945 in Dallas, Texas. He was the youngest of three children. Tex grew up attending church and was an honor student, editor of the school paper, captain of the football team, and set a state record for the low hurdles at Farmersville High School. In September 1964, Watson moved to Denton, Texas, to attend the University of North Texas, where he became a member of the Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity. In January 1967, Tex began working as a baggage handler. Using free airline tickets, he visited a fraternity brother in Los Angeles. There he became interested in the psychedelic and music lifestyle that the 60s was infamous for. One day, Tex picked up the Beach Boys singer Dennis Wilson while he was hitchhiking and brought Dennis to his house. That's when Tex and Charles manson crossed paths. At this time, the Manson Family was living with Dennis Wilson for a short time. In December of 1968, Tex left the Family to live with a woman who sold small quantities of marijuana and LSD. The two became sexually involved, and life seemed to be going well for Tex. But he quickly grew bored of his simple life and rejoined the Family.
Kori: At.
Amanda: Manson's request to, quote, find money for Helter Skelter. End quote. Tex stole money from his lover's friend Bernard Crowe. Crow called the ranch and spoke to Charles Manson directly. He told Manson that he would kill everyone if he didn't get his money back. Charles Manson took this as an opportunity and shot Bernard Crowe in the stomach, using the same gun that Tex would later use in the Tate murders. Tex was present and an active participant in the August 1969 Tate murders. Tex stabbed Abigail Folger 28 times alone. The following night, Charles Manson and Tex Watson entered the lobbyanca home where Tex tied the couple up before Charles Manson held them at gunpoint. Tex also participated in their murders. On October 2, 1969, watson fled the Spawn Ranch and headed back to his native state of Texas. On November 30, 1969, he was arrested in Texas for the Tate LaBianca murders. He and his lawyers fought extradition to California for nine months. Upon arriving in California, he stopped talking and eating, losing 55 pounds, and began regressing to a catatonic state. He was admitted to the Atuscadero State Hospital for a 90 day evaluation period to determine if he was fit to stand trial. He stayed there until February 1971, when he was deemed able to stand trial. On October 12, 1971, Watson was convicted on seven counts of first degree murder and one count of conspiracy to commit murder. One week later, the same jury took only two and a half hours to determine that he was sane. On October 20, 171, he was sentenced to death. He arrived on California's death row on November 17, 1971, but avoided execution due to people versus Anderson invalidating all death sentences imposed in California prior to 1972, he was found guilty of the murders of seven people abigail Folger. Voitek Frikowski stephen Parent pregnant sharon Tate Polanski j sebring leno LaBianca and Rosemary LaBianca Tex Watson converted to Christianity in 1975 and published an autobiography titled Will You Die For Me. In 1979, he married Christian Joan Sveg. Through conjugal visits, they were able to have four children, three boys and one girl, but those visits for life prisoners were banned in October 1996 after 24 years of marriage. Sveg divorced Watson after meeting another man in 2003. He became an ordained minister in 1981 and received a Bachelor of Science in Business Management in 2009 from California Coast University. Watson's minimum eligible parole date was November 26, 1976. He has been denied parole 18 times since then, including two stipulations. He was most recently given a five year denial of parole at a board hearing in October of 2021. He remains incarcerated at Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility in San Diego, California.
Kori: In case anybody wanted to know, I am also an ordained minister. Linda Darlene Cassabian was born on June 20, 149. She was born in Bedford, Maine, and raised in the New England town of Milford, New Hampshire. Linda's parents fought often, and eventually her dad left the family when Linda was still young. She was regarded as intelligent and a good student, but a starry eyed romantic. Linda's mother remarried. Linda and her new stepfather never really got off on the right foot. Linda left home when she was 16 and married Robert Peasley, but the couple divorced shortly after. She then made her way to Miami to reconnect with her biological father, but that relationship soured as well. Then, in 1968, she traveled to Boston and married her second husband, Robert Kasabian. The two quickly welcomed a daughter they named Tanya. That relationship also ended, and Linda moved back to New Hampshire with her family. Robert convinced Linda to join him in Los Angeles, where he wanted her to meet his friend Charles Milton. Robert and Charles were planning a boating trip in South Africa and wanted Linda and Tanya to accompany them. Linda became pregnant for a second time, but her abandonment issues were in full swing after Robert left her and their children behind when he literally sailed off into the sunset with Charles Melton. That's when Linda took a friend's advice to check out a hippie commune. The group welcomed her with open arms and assured her and her daughter would be taken care of she began a sexual relationship with Tex soon after arriving. Both described their encounter as very intense. Soon after, she was introduced to Charles Manson, who she described as, quote, Godlike, end quote. And after he felt her legs, she was asked to stay. That's weird. Linda was the only member of the Manson family to receive immunity for her crimes. She agreed to testify against the other members and escaped jail for the murders. She assumed a new life in Tacoma, Washington and lived under a cloak of anonymity until her death on January 21, 2023.
Amanda: Patricia Diane Crenwinkle was born on December 3, 1947. During her time with Manson's group, she was known by various aliases such as Big Patty Yellow, marnie Reeves and Mary Ann Scott. But to the family, she was most commonly known as Katie. Patricia was born and raised in Los Angeles. Her father was an insurance salesman and her mother was a homemaker. Patricia was the victim of frequent bullying due to her being overweight and the fact that she grew excessive body hair. After her parents divorced, she went to live with her father for some time and enrolled in college. She even considered being a nun. I mean, you would have dodged so much trouble had you gone that route. After one semester, she dropped out of college and went to live with her sister in Manhattan Beach, California and began working as a processing clerk. It was in Manhattan Beach that Patricia met Charles Manson, Mary Bruner and Lynette Frohm. Charles and Patricia had sex the first night they met. In later interviews, she claimed that Charles was the first person to tell her she was beautiful. Patricia fell under the spell of Manson's charm, and the rest was history. She left her car, apartment and even her last paycheck behind to go live the nomadic lifestyle that Charles claimed was the only way to escape the upcoming race war. It would be Patricia and another lesser known Family member that would get the Beach Boys'name tangled up in some of the most horrific, heinous and deplorable murders the nation has ever seen. The girls were picked up by Dennis Wilson while hitchhiking, and the Family began staying with him. Patricia arrived on California's death row on April 28, 1971. She received a death sentence for the seven counts of first degree murder she was convicted for. Patricia was present at both the Tate murders and the Lobianca murders which we'll discuss more in depth in the next episode. During her time in prison, she graduated with a bachelor's degree in Human Services and is an active member in Alcoholics Anonymous as well as Narcotics Anonymous. Patricia did eventually turn away from Manson after several years in prison. And in a 1994 interview with Diane Sawyer she admitted feeling remorse for her part in the crimes and especially for what she did to Abigail Folger. On May 26, 2022, Patricia was granted parole but that decision was overturned by Governor gavin Newsom on October 14, 2022 after he deemed her a threat to society if released. Currently, she is still incarcerated at the California Institute for Women in the Chino District of Corona, California following the 2009 death of fellow Manson cult member Susan Atkins. Patricia is now the longest incarcerated female inmate in the California penal system.
Kori: Catherine Louise Cher was also known within the family as Gypsy. She was born on December 10, 1942 in Paris, France. Her parents were refugees and members of the French Resistance during World War II. Her paternal grandmother died in the ghetto in Eastern Europe and her maternal grandparents died in concentration camps when Catherine was two, both her parents committed suicide. Before her father's death, he worked with a French lawyer to help his daughter escape France. She was set to be adopted by an American family, but before she could reach the States, the couple divorced and she was awarded to her adopted mother, Patricia Johnson. Her adopted mother remarried a psychologist who adopted Catherine, giving her the last name Cher. After the couple was married, they moved to Hollywood, California. In 1959, her mother was diagnosed with cancer and committed suicide. Catherine was just 15. She dropped out of college and became immersed in the 1960s counterculture. She met another family member on the set of a softcore **** movie called The Ram Rotter. She then went on to meet Charles Manson and moved on to the Spawn Ranch with the other family members. Catherine was not directly involved with the murders the family went on to commit, but she did testify that Linda Kasabian was the mastermind and tried to absolve Charles Manson of any involvement in these murders. She was charged in 1970 with the attempted murder of former family member Barbara Hoyt. Catherine and several other members tried to persuade Barbara not to testify against those being charged with the Tate Lob Yankee murders. They planned to have Barbara lured to Hawaii, so she was unable to testify. But if she resisted, she was supposed to be killed by Ruth Anne Morehouse. Ruth Anne was the one to give Barbara a hamburger laced with a fatal dose of LSD. But Barbara survived. Catherine was sentenced to 90 days at the Los Angeles county jail. While incarcerated, Catherine gave birth to a son, Phoenix son. On January 571. The baby was placed in foster care. She would later reconnect with her son for a short time. Her life of crime wasn't over just yet, though. Catherine, along with other family members Mary Brunner, Dennis Rice, Charles Lovett and Larry Bailey drove a van to Hawthorne, California, where they held up a liquor store and then a Western surplus store, brandishing guns and ordering patrons and the clerks to lie on the floor. The group took 143 rifles from the store, loaded them in a van and set off. One of the clerks hit a silent alarm, and the police were quickly en route. Catherine opened fire on the arriving officers and Mary, Catherine and Larry were wounded in the crossfire. Catherine and Mary were sentenced to five years in the California Institution for Women. They were held in a special unit that was created to house Leslie von Houten, Susan Atkins and Patricia Crinwinkle. Like many former Manson family members, catherine claims to be a born again Christian. She has been an advocate against cults and developed a close relationship with her son. She would probably join another cult if given half the chance.
Amanda: Robert bobby kenneth Busele was born on November 6, 1947. Bobby was convicted and sentenced to death for the stabbing death of friend Gary Hinman. Bobby's sentence was later commuted from death to life in prison. Bobby was born to working class parents charles Buselet and Helen Maddox. He was the first born in a Catholic family and had four other siblings. When he was 15, he was sent to Los Pritos Boy Camp for ten months for running away from home and a series of juvenile pranks. Upon his release, he moved to Los Angeles and drifted between there and San Francisco. He tried his hand at music and was in several rock bands beginning in 1965. In 1968, at just 21 years old, bobby was living with his friend Gary Hinman in Topanga Canyon when he met Charles Manson. The two men were friends until a drug deal went bad and Bobby went to live at Spawn Ranch with Charles Manson and the other family members. Manson felt that Gary had wronged the family and owed them money that he had received in an inheritance. On July 20, 569, Bobby Busele, along with Susan Atkins and Mary Bruner, went to Gary Hinman's house and demanded money, but Gary claimed he didn't have any to give them. Bobby called Charles Manson and told him there was no money and asked what to do next. Manson instructed Bobby to hold Gary captive in his own home until Manson arrived. Bruce Davis, another family member, drove Charles Manson to the Topanga Canyon home, taking a samurai sword and a bayonet along with him. Charles Manson struck Gary Hinman with the sword, severely cutting his face and ear. Bobby claims he sewed up Gary's wounds with dental floss, but other accounts say the two women did this. Gary begged for medical attention and for his life for three days before he was killed by Bobby Busolet. Charles Manson instructed Bobby to make the killing look as though it had been committed by black revolutionaries. Remember, Charles Manson was trying to start a race war. His crimes were meant to appear as though African Americans were unhinged and taking over the white man's world. This is what he referred to as Helter Skelter. Bobby Busolet stabbed Gary Hinman to death while Gary, who was a devout Buddhist, repeated a Buddhist chant. While Gary lay dying, Bobby, Susan and Mary took turns smothering him with a pillow before leaving the scene of the crime. Bobby wrote political. Piggy on the wall in Gary's blood. In an attempt to lead police to believe the murder was committed by the Black Panthers, bobby left the home of his former friend in the Fiat that belonged to Gary. Bobby was arrested on August 6, 1969, after falling asleep in the car. Police found the murder weapon in the wheel well. On April 18, 1970, a mere 22 year old Bobby Busalay was found guilty of first degree murder and sentenced to death. Bobby's pregnant 18 year old girlfriend, Catherine testified against him in court. Catherine went on to give birth to their daughter, who was raised by Catherine's parents. Bobby's sentence was later commuted to life imprisonment. In 1982, Bobby was stabbed by other prisoners. Up until this point, he had been a loyal follower of Manson's, but he began to distance himself from the family. He has since ceased to justify their actions and express more regret about what they had done. Bobby Busole has faced the parole board several times and has been denied parole each time. As of 2023, only two people convicted of the Tate Lobianca murders have been paroled steve Clem Grogan in 1985 and Leslie Van Houten in 2023.
Kori: Stephen Dennis Clem Grogan was born on July 13, 1951. He was a musician, artist and a high school dropout when he became a member of the Manson family. He was actually left at Spawn Ranch in 1967 by his frustrated parents after he was involved in several minor crimes. He was one of the first family members upon his arrival at the ranch. Ranch hand. Donald Shea. Aka. Shorty, took Clem under his wing, but that would later prove to be a fatal mistake. Clem was nicknamed Scramblehead because of his lack of intelligence. He was also friends with the beach boy, Dennis Wilson and it is believed that Clem wrecked Dennis's uninsured Ferrari. In 1969, he was sentenced to be observed for 90 days in the Camarillo State Mental Hospital for exposing his ***** to a group of schoolchildren. Clem rode with the other family members to the home of Rosemary and Leno LaBianca to commit the murder. That was planned, but he was not an active participant. He was, however, found guilty of murdering his friend and confidante, Donald Shea. Clem, charles Manson, Tex Watson, and Bruce Davis killed Donald Shea solely for the fact that he married an African American woman. At sentencing, the jury returned verdicts of life imprisonment for Manson and Davis but the death penalty for Clem. However, on December 23, 1971, judge James Colt stated that Grogan was too stupid and too hopped up on drugs to decide anything on his own and that it was really Manson who decided who lived or died and reduced Clem's sentence to life imprisonment. It was later revealed that the baby born to Catherine Cher in January of 1971 was fathered by Clem. During his time in prison, Clem assisted authorities and drew a map to where Donald Chay's body was buried. He also served as head of the prison's program to deter juveniles from a life of crime. Stephen Dennis Clem Grogan was released on parole on November 18, 1985. He is one of two people to be paroled from the Manson family.
Amanda: Ruth Anne Morehouse was born January 2, 1953 in Ontario, Canada. She was the youngest of four children born to Dean Morehouse and Aubrey Surplus. Ruth Ann had three siblings a brother named Dean, who was born in 1941 and two sisters Kathleen, who was born in 1940 and Sharon, who was born in 1945. Her three older siblings were born in Minnesota. The family moved to California, where Ruth Ann seemed to excel. She was even part of the student council at her high school. In 1967, her father Dean, who was a former Protestant minister befriended Charles Manson as he was hitchhiking and Charles then became a frequent visitor to the Morehouse home. The two men bonded over their love of music and talked religion for hours. Dean told Charles Manson he was welcome in the Morehouse home anytime. Dean even gave Charles the family's piano when he expressed his interest in it. Charles Manson seemed to also take an interest in 14 year old Ruth Anne even taking her on a trip in a newly acquired VW microbus. He traded the Morehouse family piano for Ruth Ann's. Parents were unaware of their minors travel plans and reported her missing to authorities. On July 28, 1967, charles and Ruth Anne were stopped by police. Ruth Anne was returned home to her parents and Charles Manson was arrested for trying to interfere with police. In August of 1967, Ruth Anne's mother filed for divorce after her husband's friendship with Charles Manson made her uncomfortable. She left the family home and went to stay with her sister. On May 20, 1986 Ruth Anne Morehouse married 23 year old bus driver Edward Lewis Huvelhorse in Santa Cruz in an effort to become emancipated from her father which Charles had advised her to do. According to Ruth Ann, the marriage only lasted one day and she moved to the Los Angeles area that Manson and his followers had relocated to months earlier. When Dean Morehouse discovered this, he traveled to Los Angeles to find Charles and to get his daughter back. When Dean entered the house of Dennis Wilson he was welcomed in by Charles Manson who began kissing his toes. Charles then introduced Dean to LSD. Dean spent the summer with the family living in Dennis Wilson's guest house as his newly hired landscaper. Dean became a devout follower of Charles Manson and even lived at Spawn Ranch for a short stint in 1968. The friendship stalled when Charles threatened to have sex with Ruth Ann something Dean did not approve of. Ruth Anne went on to have an affair with music producer Terry Melcher. He attempted to employ her as a housekeeper at his 10 00:50 Yellow Drive home which Candice Bergen, who starred in Sweetheart alabama miscongeniality bride wars and Murphy Brown disapproved of while living at Spawn Ranch, Ruth Ann was responsible for taking care of the children, dumpster diving and panhandling. She acquired her nickname Wish from ranch owner George Spawn. Although there are different theories as to what this nickname meant, one theory is that it was because of the sound that her pants made when she walked by. Another is because it was the whistling sound men made when she walked past them. In April of 1969, George Spawn agreed to act as Morehouse's foster parent after she was arrested and placed in juvenile hall. A week after the Tate La Bianca murders, ruth Anne was arrested with the family in the August 16, 1969, Spawn Ranch raid as, quote, suspects in a major auto theft ring that had been stealing Volkswagen Beetles and converting them into dune buggies. Weapons were seized, but because the search warrant had the wrong date on it, the group was released a few days later. Months later, at the Myers Ranch in Death Valley, susan Atkins told Ruthann about the murders of coffee heiress Abigail Folger and pregnant actress Sharon Tate. Ruth Anne allegedly responded with laughter and told Atkins she couldn't wait to get her first pig. Ruth Anne later told Barbara Hoyt that she knew of ten more murders other than Tate. Ruth Ann was again arrested with the family in the October 10, 1969, Barker Ranch raid. Ruth Ann later recalled, quote just before we got busted in the desert, there was twelve of us apostles and Charlie. End quote. In 1970, when the district attorney wanted Barbara Hoyt to testify against the Manson family, ruth Anne and Barbara Hoyt took a vacation to Hawaii. Ruthann was receiving some pressure from other family members to stay loyal. Several other family members traveled with the pair and planned to poison Barbara Hoyt with an LSD laced hamburger. Ruth Ann remarked, quote, imagine what it would be like if that hamburger had ten tabs of acid in it. End quote. After Ruth Ann left, according to Barbara, she, quote, then went into the city. All of a sudden, I was feeling really weird, very high and I realized there were ten tabs of acid in the hamburger. I got to the bathroom and made myself throw up. I don't know how I did, but I got to the steps of the Salvation Army building. A man asked me, Are you all right? And I said no. I told him, call Mr. Buglosi. They took me to the hospital and gave me Valium by IV to bring me down. That's when I lost consciousness. Even though they tried to kill me, I had to testify. I'd seen Sharon Tate's mother on TV talking about her grief. That's what swayed me. What it finally came down to for me was this did I want to be able to live with myself when I got old? I decided I did. End quote. On December 18, 1970, morehouse rice grogan from and Catherine Cher were charged with attempted murder of Barbara Hoyt. On February 26, 1971, a heavily pregnant Ruth Ann appeared on the witness stand during the Tate LaBianca murder trial where Vincent Buglosi cross examined her. She was also questioned by Manson's attorney and said that Manson was at a waterfall several miles from the Spawn Ranch on the night of the Tate murders. On March 23, 1971, ruth Ann, Catherine Cher, lynette From, Clem Grogan and Dennis Rice were allowed to plead no contest to the lesser charge of conspiracy to dissuade a witness and the murder counts were dropped. The following month, the defendants were sentenced to 90 days in jail for conspiracy to dissuade a witness. Ruth Ann did not appear at the sentencing hearing and fled the state to go live with her sister in Carson City, Nevada. On April 10, 1971, Ruth Ann gave birth to a daughter named Ladai Fawn and returned to her mother's home in Minnesota. Then, on October 6, 1972 she married construction worker Harold Irving Fowler in Reno. In the following year, their daughter, Amber Natasha was born. In 1975, the FBI located Ruth Ann living in Sacramento where she had been residing since August of 1974. They informed Sacramento authorities who arrested her in October of that year on the four year old warrant for attempting to murder Hoyt. Her bond was set at $1,000 and she was released later that day after a family member posted the bond. A week later, Ruth Ann appeared in court with her lawyer who said, quote, the family told her she had to shave her head and that she had to have her baby in jail and she wanted none of that, end quote. Her lawyer also claimed that Ruthanne did not appear at the sentencing hearing because she was nine months pregnant at the time and that Lynette From and Sandra Good had been harassing Ruth Anne's sister in Nevada and urging Ruth Anne to return to the family on November 4. The judge ruled that because she was abandoned by her father and, quote, thrown willy nilly into the Manson Colt, end quote she could go free with no time served. In 1975, Ruth Ann underwent plastic surgery to remove the swastika from her forehead. She moved to Burnsville, Minnesota, and married for a third time. She wed Dale Warren Geist on August 11, 1979. They had two sons together brody Forrest, who was born in 1980 and Logan Anthony, who was born in 1983. Her daughter Amber died at the age of seven on March 3, 1980 and Geist later divorced on November 14, 1994.
Kori: Barbara Hoyt was born on December 27, 1951 in Seattle, Washington. Prior to graduating from high school, she ran away to Los Angeles. There she met Karate Dave at a house she was living in. She followed Karate Dave to the Spawn Ranch and became a member of the Manson family. She became a devout follower of Charles Manson until her life was threatened, and she consumed ten hits of acid in a late hamburger. This attempt on her life was due to District Attorney Vincent Buglosi requesting her to testify against family members in the Tate Lobbianca murders. She was lured to Hawaii, and after she finally recovered from her overdose, she became the state's key witness against the other family members of the Manson family. She became friends with the late Sharon Tate'sister and even submitted letters to parole boards against the release of fellow family members. After Barbara left the Family, she pursued a career in nursing. Barbara Hoyt died from kidney failure on December 3, 2017 at the age of 63.
Amanda: The last family member we're going to talk about is a controversial one, mainly because she's one of two members who's been released on parole. Leslie Luis Van Houten was born on August 23, 1949 in Los Angeles, California. To parents Paul and Jane Van Houten. Leslie grew up in a middle class, church going family. She had an older brother and two adopted siblings from Korea. Her parents divorced when she was 14, and she began smoking marijuana and taking LSD. When she turned 17, she ran away from home with her boyfriend, but returned so she could complete high school and accept her diploma. According to Leslie, she discovered that she was pregnant and was ordered by her mother to undergo an abortion and bury the fetus in the backyard. Leslie stated after this event she felt very removed from her mother and harbored intense anger towards her. She had a period of interest in yoga and took a year long secretarial course, but became a hippie and began living at a commune. After living on the commune for several months, leslie met future family members Bobby Busole and Catherine Cher. The three moved in together during the summer of 1968 with another woman, but their roommate arrangement didn't work out due to several jealousy issues. Catherine Cher moved out and went to live at Spawn Ranch. Leslie, who was 19 at the time, followed Catherine at the commune. Charles Manson decided when they would eat, sleep and have sex and with whom they would have sex. He also controlled the taking of LSD, giving followers larger doses than he himself took. According to Charles Manson quote, when you take LSD enough times, you reach a state of nothing, of no thought, end quote. According to Leslie, she became saturated in acid and could not grasp the existence of those living a nonpsychedelic reality. Life went on like that for Leslie until August 1969, when she and another family member held Rosemary law Bianca down while Tex Watson stabbed her to death. After Tex had finished stabbing Rosemary, he handed the weapon to Leslie, and she proceeded to stab Rosemary at least 14 more times. Unlike many of the other family members, leslie was not charged with any of the murders. At the Cielo Drive Home on March 20, 1971, she was convicted of murder along with other defendants. During the sentencing phase of the trial, in an apparent attempt to exonerate Manson, leslie testified that she had committed a killing in which she was not involved. She told a psychiatrist of beating her adopted sister, leading him to characterize her as, quote, a spoiled little princess and a psychologically loaded gun, end quote and was adamant that Manson had no influence over her thought processes or behaviors. Leslie also told the psychiatrist that she would have gone to jail for manslaughter or assault with a deadly weapon without ever meeting Manson. When her lawyer attempted to prove Leslie felt remorse and asked if she felt sorrow or shame for the death of Rosemary LaBianca, leslie replied, quote, Sorry is only a five letter word. You can't undo something that is done. In cross examination, Leslie implicated herself in inflicting wounds while Rosemary was still alive. She vehemently denied acting on instruction from Charles Manson. Originally, Leslie was sentenced to be executed. She was the youngest woman ever condemned to death in California. No death row for female prisoners existed, and a special unit was built. The death sentences were automatically commuted to life in prison. After the California Supreme Court's pupil versus Anderson decision with a first degree murder conviction, she was eligible for parole once she had served seven years. In order to be released after seven years, she would have to have had been granted parole at her first parole hearing. The governor would not have been able to rescind that parole since California governors did not gain that power until Proposition 89, which was passed by voters on November 8, 1988. Leslie was granted a retrial in 1977 due to the failure to declare a mistrial when her lawyer died. Her defense argued that Leslie's capacity for rational thought had been diminished due to LSD use and Manson's influence. The jury could not agree on a verdict. According to what the jury foreman later told reporters, they thought it was difficult on the basis of the evidence to determine whether Leslie's judgment had been unimpaired enough for a verdict of first degree murder rather than manslaughter. It was reported in the news media that because of time already served, leslie could potentially go free that year if she was convicted of manslaughter. By law, prosecutors are not allowed to mention the possibility of the defendant being released on parole when arguing for a murder rather than manslaughter conviction because it's considered highly prejudicial to the defendant. At Leslie's second retrial, the prosecution was being aided by a specialist in diminished responsibility. She was on bond for six months before being found guilty of first degree murder. Leslie was given a life sentence that entailed eligibility for parole for which the prosecution said she would be one day suitable for. And lucky for her, that one day came after spending 53 years in custody and being denied parole more than 20 times. On July 11, 2023, leslie Luis Van Houten was released from prison. She is currently 73 years old.
Kori: And that, Crime fans, is where we will say goodbye to the Manson family. Next week. We will discuss the victims and the horrible crimes that were committed to them and the unlived lives that they left behind.
Amanda: All right, Crime fans. Until next time. If you haven't already, please subscribe so you can be notified every time we upload. If you enjoy listening to us every week, please leave us a review on Apple podcasts or wherever you listen to your podcasts. We love doing listener shoutouts, so make sure you leave us a comment or a review. New episodes are released every Friday at 10:30, a.m. Mountain Standard Time. Please follow us on Instagram at coloradocrimepod or on Facebook at coloradocrimepodcast for information on next week's episode, as well as other true crime happenings. We hope you have a beautiful day wherever you are, and as always, stay safe.
Kori: Until next time, podcastians have the weekend you deserve.
