2:00 am
>> hail mary, full of grace, blessed are you -- >> reporter: mountains of trash and things we use and cast away. before detective julissa trapp, this will always be hallowed ground. >> it is hard to look at that, and no that is the end but you are in a better place and you are together and helping each other. you can rest now. and i can take it from here. that is all for this edition of dateline. thank you for watching. hello, i'm andrea canning, represent the malignant sidemo of humanity. these people enjoyed killing. woman: things that the police had never seen before. the malignant side of humanity.
2:01 am
these people enjoyed killing. >> things that the police had never seen before. >> sharon tate begged her, please don't kid me. >> average kids would be the killers. >> he would dose them with lsd. >> are you sane? >> sane? >> charles manson stole lives. >> grief like you cannot imagine. >> he stole innocence. >> he looks beautiful and happy. it draw as lot of people. >> and left the city living in fear. >> gun stores sell out. guard dogs are now selling for $5,000. >> good. happy. >> you may think you know the manson story, but not like this. >> he's a very evil, sophisticated conman who knows exactly what he is doing. ths
2:02 am
exactly what he is doing. ths >> it's all in play, isn't it? >> hello, and welcome to "dateline." he was a charismatic excon who dreamed of being a rock star. then he found a ragtag group of hippies in search of direction and purpose to follow him. in the end, their toxic union
2:03 am
would result in a frenzy of brutality. how was charles manson able to security his influence for a murderous rampage? she's keith morrison with manson. april 14 was a clear blustery day in los angeles. inside of the walls of the prison, a gray-haired inmate appeared before the parole board many times as she has before, but this time something remarkable. appeared before the parole >> the parole panel is recommending the release of former charles manson following lest see vanhouten. >> linked to charles manson. >> you don't understand me. that's your trouble, not my recommending the release of former charles manson following lest see vanhouten. >> linked to charles manson. >> you don't understand me. that's your trouble, not my fault because you don't understand me. i don't understand you either. >> the story of charles manson is family, and all of the horror they rot is s.e ime >>bu archives. long obsolete. yet somehow it infeels present. that hot summer night that caught the world utterly unprepared.
2:04 am
when louisiana -- the lapd working the shift. >> officer pedrosa found the dead end street, and a neighbor flagged him down. m suddenly the drunken call was something else. >> he told me the maid came running back out, blood, bodies. >> derosa all alone d,nosed his squad car up the gated driveway. he could see right away things were not right. >> the telephone wires that were cut were hanging over the gate. i go through the gate, and t there's a car parked in the driveway. >> in the thcar he found not a drunk, but a body.
2:05 am
>> he had been shot. i walked around the front of the location, and there were e two more bodies on the lawn. >> then backup arrived, and they went in to the house and d found a scene horrible in a way that would go down in history. there was a young woman. >> there were multiple stab wounds on her, and then there was a thick rope that was wrapped around her neck. >> and something else. e the young woman was pregnant, eight months pregnant, and she had been stabbed repeatedly. next to her a man with a bloody towel over his head. shot at close range and also close range. it was a blood bath. had you ever seen such a thing before? >> no. no. it was horrendous. >> he could besee a guest house near the swimming pool. he and a second officer went to check it out, and inside they
2:06 am
found a young man, alive. >> i thought this guy knows >> william garrison said he was the caretaker. he told derosa he knew nothing, saw something, and heard nothing. gunshots, and fighting -- >> how could he not hear it? >> i would think so. sathg.y walked past the bodies.r
2:07 am
derosa took him to the station house to book him, and then the detectives arrived. and of course, the press. >> at 8:30 an employee came to work and found several bodies in the house. >> they did not share the american flag was draped over the couch or someone had written in blood one door, pig. >> any suspects at all? >> no, the only person we have at this time is mr. garrison, who we are questioning. >> the lapd was not saying much, did not know much. >> were the bodies badly
2:08 am
mutilated? >> this i would not like to discuss. >> who would know the fear that -- but that night, the main thing that no one knew was what started on celea drive was not over. coming up, there was still another big shock to come. the identities of the victims. >> my boyfriend called my mother, and he had heard five people were dead, and it was rumored to be the house of sharon tate. >> when "dateline" continues. sharon tate. >> when "dateline" continues. diabetes, copd and certain other conditions. but i'm protected. arexvy is proven to be over 82% effective in preventing lower respiratory disease from rsv and over 94% effective in those with these health conditions. (♪♪) arexvy does not protect everyone and is not for those with severe allergic reactions to its ingredients. those with weakened immune systems may have a lower response to the vaccine. the most common side effects are injection site pain, fatigue, muscle pain, headache, and joint pain. arexvy is number one in rsv vaccine shots. rsv? make it arexvy.
2:09 am
introducing new advil targeted relief. the only topical pain reliever with 4 powerful pain-fighting ingredients that start working on contact to target tough pain at the source. for up to 8 hours of powerful relief. new advil targeted relief. alright, sandworm's out of the basem*nt fand the furnaces has been exorcised. another progressive home and auto bundle fully protected from the unexpected. beetlejuice caused quite a ruckus, huh. -jamie! don't say his name. -beetlejuice? saying his name three times is how you summon him. riiight. what if i say other words in between? -does that restart it? -don't overthink it! or what if i broke it up into two parts like someone said what's your favorite bug -- beetle -- what's your favorite morning beverage? -j-- -j-- [ body thuds ] you're welcome. "beetlejuice beetlejuice," in theaters september 6th. if you have wet amd, you never want to lose sight of the things you love. some things should stand the test of time. long-lasting eylea hd could significantly improve your vision.
2:10 am
more people on eylea hd had no fluid in the retina, compared to those on eylea at 4 months. eylea hd is the only wet amd therapy that helped 8 out of 10 people go up to 4 months between injections, after 3 initial monthly treatments. if you have an eye infection, eye pain or redness or allergies to eylea hd, don't use. eye injections like eylea hd may cause eye infection, separation of the retina, or rare but severe swelling of blood vessels in the eye. an increase in eye pressure has been seen there is an uncommon risk of heart attack or stroke associated with blood clots. the most commons side effects were blurred vision, cataract, corneal injury and eye floaters. and there's still so much to see. if you are on eylea or a similar type of treatment, ask your retina specialist about eylea hd today for the potential for fewer injections. emergen-c crystals pop and fizz when you throw them back. and who doesn't love a good throwback? ♪♪ now with vitamin d for the dark days of winter.
2:11 am
now with vitamin d keith morrison: it was media frenzy 1969 style, recorded on 16-millimeter film. we have a weird homicide, with the two bodies inside, two bodies outside. keith morrison: but word of mouth had skewed the awful truth by the time 16-year-old
2:12 am
debra tate heard it. debra tate: my boyfriend called my mother. and he had heard that there was a fire in benedict canyon,d . and it was rumored to be the house of sharon tate. it was media it was media frenzy, 1969 style. recorded on 16-millimeter film. >> we have a weird homicide with two bodies inside and two bodies outside. >> but word of mouth had skewed the awful truth by the time 16- year-old deborah tate had heard it. >> my boyfriend called my mother and heard there was a fire in benedict canyon, and five people were dead, and it was rumored to be the house of sharon tate. >> sharon tate, deborah's
2:13 am
sister. her biggest film, valley of the dolls was behind her. she was known less for her acting than her beauty and her style and her husband. director roman polanski had recently shot to fame with rosemarry's baby, where a woman discovers she may be carrying the baby of the devil. in real life sharon and roman were expecting, too. >> she was so terribly excited, like a new mom-to-be, creating the nice little home nest for the family to welcome the new life. >> and now deborah, frantic to learn what happened to her sister pressed her panic- stricken mother. >> mother, mother, tell me what? >> she was out of her mind crazy. grief like you could not imagine. >> but it was no mistake, and the murders already gruesome, now took on the trappings of celebrity. >> it was at the home of movie director roman polanski, and his wife sharon tate was one of the victims. >> sharon tate, abigail folger. it was her body the officer saw in the front yard. beside her was her boyfriend 32, a sometimes actor and old
2:14 am
friend of roman's. next to sharon, the man with the towel over his head, 35- year-old jay sebring. >> famous hairdresser to the stars who had been sharon tate's boyfriend. they had remained friends, and sharon tate had invited sebring over that evening. >> this is sebring's nephew. >> one of the sad ironies, he was supposed to be in los angeles that night. for whatever reason, he decided to stay. >> the body in the car was 19- year-old steve parent who was visiting the property's caretaker. parent went out to his car at just the wrong moment and never got out of the driveway. l.a. struggled to understand. why would anyone kill all of these people? why in such a sad*stic manner?
2:15 am
the lapd searched for clues in the surrounding brush among the neighbors, as, of course, to the ever growing army of reporters. >> the lights went on, and usually the gate light is on at least. >> why would you take note of that? >> it's always on. >> strange despite the carnage, no real clues. though, there was this one thing. >> a small amount of narcotics was found in the car of sebring. >> pot and hash were also found in the house, too. police wondered if it had something to do with the lives they led. roman found himself in front of a camera defending his dead wife. >> sharon, not only didn't use drugs. she didn't touch alcohol. she didn't smoke cigarettes. >> all sharon was thinking
2:16 am
about was her baby he added, their baby who died with her. >> there was a lot of blood, all over the place, baby clothes, and that's all. >> then another rumor hit the press, the killings were somehow connected to the horror movie rosemary's baby. >> this time a representative spoke for pulanski. >> sharon and all three friends -- >> the news liked to try to pin on sharon and her friends, you know, the drugs, sex, and rock and roll devil worshiping. >> horrific, yes. all of those ugly theories. >> there was this kind of gossip sub text that these people brought.
2:17 am
-- sort of you know tragically, they were played off as a morality tale. >> there was no stopping the gossip. if anyone believed it, then what happened next made no sense at all. >> coming up. >> everybody in los angeles is petrified, where will they strike next? >> and then someone does. >> i felt there was an immediate connection. >> when "dateline" continues. > (man) mm, hey, honey.
2:18 am
looks like my to-do list grew. "paint the bathroom, give baxter a bath, get life insurance," hm. i have a few minutes. i can do that now. oh, that fast? remember that colonial penn ad? i called and i got information. they sent the simple form i need to apply. all i do is fill it out and send it back. well, that sounds too easy! (man) give a little information, check a few boxes, sign my name, done. they don't ask about your health? (man) no health questions. -physical exam? -don't need one. it's colonial penn guaranteed acceptance whole life insurance. if you're between the ages of 50 and 85, your acceptance is guaranteed in most states, even if you're not in the best health. options start at $9.95 a month, 35 cents a day. once insured, your rate will never increase. a lifetime rate lock guarantees it. keep in mind, this is lifetime protection. as long as you pay your premiums, it's yours to keep. call for more information and the simple form you need to apply today.
2:19 am
there's no obligation, and you'll receive a free beneficiary planner just for calling.
2:20 am
2:21 am
welcome back. the unsolved murders of the pregnant actress sharon tate and her friends sent the rumor mill churning. because tate's husband, roman polanski, had directed the horror film "rosemary's baby," the press wondered about a satanic connection. or were the brutal stabbings drug related? now a second attack was about to send the media into overdrive, with shockwaves traveling through the hollywood hills and beyond. once again, here's keith morrison with manson. keith morrison: nearly 24 hours after this truly horrific crime, with la in deep shock, the police were baffled. anything that i'd tell you at this point would be mere speculation. keith morrison: and then it happened again. welcome back. the unsolved murders of the pregnant actress sharon tate and her friends sent the rumor mill churning because her husband roman polanski -- or were the brutal stabbings drug related? a second attack was about to
2:22 am
send the media into overdrive with the shock waves traveling through the 40 the hollywood hills. here's keith morrison with manson. >> with l.a. in deep shock, the police were baffled. >> anything i tell you would be mere speculation. >> and then it happened again. >> the bodies of a man and his wife, found in their home, both stabbed to death, repeatedly stabbed. >> for 30 years. >> what's their names? >> labianca. >> rosemary and leno labianca. rosemary's children found them. the scene every as horrible as ten miles away. leno's hands were tied with a cord, face covered with a pillow case, stabbing 26 times. rosemary, 41. overkill would be an understatement. and again, just as it was at sharon tate's house, the murder scene seemed almost art directed to elicit fear. >> a fork was jammed into
2:23 am
leon's abdomen and left sticking there. >> in blood on one, the word rise, and on another death to rise, and on the other, helterskelter. >> in the chest was carved war. >> these were brutal killings. in the middle of the night, showing up with knives, stabbing people multiple times, even when they were dead. things the police had never seen before. >> the killer seemed to have no conscious. >> they killed a husband and wife, took a shower in their home, calmly ate some food, and left. >> over two successive nights, seven people and an unborn baby were ruthlessly slaughtered. l.a. braced itself for the next
2:24 am
wave especially after william garrison was freed and released. >> there's crazied killers and an immediate panic. >> it was a hot august, but they locked their doors and closed their windows. >> gun stores sell out. guard dogs who were going for $200 a piece are now selling for $5,000. everybody in los angeles is petrified. where are they going to strike next? >> hollywood was even scared, and it's my understanding that roman polanski was paranoided thinking it was someone among his peers. >> warren said it was like a smack nuclear device had gone off in hollywood. people tried to make sense to make sure they were not involved in it. >> people knew it all over town in their gut that the murders had to be related. >> i felt there was an immediate connection, and so did everyone in my family.
2:25 am
>> why did you think it was a connection? >> the writing on the wall. that was the main thing. >> officer jerry derosa working the tate crime scene thought so, too. >> i heard about some of the conditions at the location at the labianca house, and i thought to myself, i wonder if this is connected in some way. the blood on the wall, you well right away? >> yeah. >> but it did not seem that way to the brass at the lapd. the department signed a team of detectives to investigate the tate murders and another time of investigators to labianca. they worked out of the same squadron, but the problem was, they didn't work together. >> they didn't like each other. they didn't get along very well, and they didn't exchange information for months. so each of those murders was pursued separately.
2:26 am
>> detectives acknowledged the crime scenes looked similar, but the labiancas were middle class folks who owned grocery stores. they didn't hang out with movie stars, unlikely the same people committed both crimes. >> the labianca may have used the same technique to throw police off the track. >> the media was quick to say, these two crimes look similar, and the police were quick to say no, it's copycat because what would one have to do with the other? it didn't make sense on the surface. >> the labianca cops looked into the usual, a workplace dispute? lover turned violent? the tate police looked for drug dealers. the summer of '69, for weeks,
2:27 am
like the smog over downtown l.a. >> was there a time you thought it would never be solve, early on? >> yes, it seemed to have gone on forever. >> you will never find out who did this? >> and that's its own kind of hell. >> all the while the cops failed to realize the killers were hiding in plain sight. all it would take was a chance encounter with two unlikely characters in an l.a. jail to crack the case wide open. >> coming up, a jailhouse chat with a killer. >> she proceeded to tell me how sharon tate begged her, please don't kill me, please don't kill me. >> and a dark obsession with the beatles. >> they really did listen to the white album over and over. >> when date line continues. thl n from within. serious allergic reactions can occur that can be severe.
2:28 am
tell your doctor about new or worsening eye problems such as eye pain or vision changes including blurred vision, joint aches and pain, or a parasitic infection. don't change or stop asthma medicines without talking to your doctor. ask your eczema specialist about dupixent. emergen-c crystals pop and fizz when you throw them back. and who doesn't love a good throwback? ♪♪ now with vitamin d for the dark days of winter.
2:29 am
pete g. writes, now with vitamin d “my tween wants a new phone. how do i not break the bank?" we gotcha, pete. xfinity mobile was designed to save you money and gives you access to wifi speeds up to a gig. so you get high speeds for low prices. better than getting low speeds for high prices. right, bruce?
2:30 am
jealous? yeah, look at that. honestly, someone get a helmet on this guy. get a free unlimited line for a year when you buy one unlimited line. plus, get up to $800 off google pixel 9 phones. switch today! i have i have a news update.
2:31 am
president biden confirming that american hersh goldberg-polin was one of the americans found dead in gaza. representatives from his family released a statement about his death. he was attacked and taken hostage at the music festival on october 7th in a statement biden said he was devastated, outraged, and heartbroken by the news. for now, back to "dateline." welcome back to kate line. i'm andrea canning. two years after hippies rocked the summer of love in san francisco, los angeles was paralyzed with fear. seven victims and sharon tate's unborn baby were massacred during a two-day killing spree. it had been a month since the rampage, and detectives were
2:32 am
stymied. were the murders even connected? it remained a bloody mystery, but the most unlikely source will deliver a game-changing jail confession. here's keith morrison with manson. >> autumn of '69, it was still hot in l.a. the police investigation of the grizzly murders was ice cold. not a lead, a clue, or a suspect in sight.
2:33 am
then in october, a woman widely known on the hollywood party circuit found herself in the women's jail. her name was virginia graham, and she knew people, once dated frank sinatra. >> i was there for a violation of probation. >> that's where virginia was when she met a young woman not like the other inmates. >> she was very pretty. very friendly, always happy, singing, doing cart wheels in fact up and down the aisle. >> the woman's name was susan atkins. virginia was intrigued. >> i casually asked her one day what she was there for, and that's when she said murder. >> susan told virginia she had been accused of killing a guy out in the suburbs months earlier, but then she went on, bragging that the cops didn't know a fraction of what she had really done. >> she said well you know those murders in benedict canyon? >> of course everyone in l.a. knew about that. >> she said you know who did it, don't you, and i looked at her and said no, i don't, and her words were you're looking at her. >> and just that casually susan atkins confessed to the crime the whole nation was talking about, enthusiastically describing the killings in all their blood curling detail. >> sharon tate begged her,
2:34 am
please don't kill me, please don't kill me, and she looked at her eye to eye and said to her i don't care if you're going to have a baby or not. i'm going to kill you. >> and then atkins told her she was part of a group that would kill a lot more people like celebrities like frank sinatra. >> the fact that there were going to be other murders of other people, i could never, ever live with that. >> virginia got through to the police and told the whole story. now lapd detectives zeros in on susan atkins and learned she belonged to a commune called the family that moved to a ranch in death valley. the leader was a small time criminal named manson. charles manson. the cops, to their surprise, discovered manson and several
2:35 am
of his followers were already in custody. not for murder, but for car theft. >> manson was a lifelong criminal who never could go more than a day or two of his free life without breaking some law. >> the people with him? young, mostly women, were barely more than half his age. >> they are easily influenced. you know, they came from broken homes or they were bullied at school. they didn't fit in, and he was able to tap in to all of that. ♪♪
2:36 am
e who >> police began to >> police began to interview the women. one was 18-year-old barbara hoyt who spoke about what attracted her to charles manson. >> he was loving, a father figure. >> how did it make you feel when he was nice to you? >> special like we were all fingers on one hand, like we were the digits and charlie was the hand. >> police spoke to other manson women, too. they learned in the fall of '67, manson moved to los angeles where he sent his girls out to find someone, anyone who could make him a rock star. they encountered dennis wilson of the beach boys who took manson to the beach boys studio
2:37 am
where he recorded this. ♪ restless as the wind, this town is killing me >> it never went anywhere. manson was a singer-song writer. he and his family, 20 of them, settled in the rugged foothills outside of l.a. at spahn ranch. >> they were allowed to stay there because they would do chores. >> when they weren't working, the family went dumpster diving for food, panhandled for money, sometimes stole cars. there were a lot of drugs and plenty of sex, all directed by manson. >> he told people who to sleep with, what to eat, where to, you know, do their bodily functions. >> barbara hoyt told the detectives he preached to the flock constantly. >> he would quote from the book of revelations. >> he knew pretty well? >> not pretty well.
2:38 am
we are talking word for word. >> and then they found out about his other source of inspiration. >> they really did listen to the white album over and over. >> the beatles, sprawling double album released a few months before the murders. one song in particular captivated charlie helter skelter. >> the beatles said it was harmless fun from an amusem*nt ride, but for him? helter skelter meant something apocalyptic. what could the beatles song have to do with the murders in los angeles? it all made perfect sense to charlie manson. >> coming up, manson's unshakable hold on his family. >> he dances, he sings. he looks beautiful. he looks happy, and it draw as lot of people. >> the possible motive behind the murders. >> charlie would be king of the world. >> that's crazy talk. >> it wasn't to us. >> when "dateline" continues. the murders. >> charlie would be king of the world. >> that's crazy talk. >> it wasn't to us. >> when "dateline" continues. sy mptom relief at 4 weeks with skyrizi, including less abdominal pain and fewer bowel movements. skyrizi helped visibly improve
2:39 am
damage of the intestinal lining. and with skyrizi, many were in remission at 12 weeks, at 1 year, and even at 2 years. serious allergic reactions and an increased risk of infections or a lower ability to fight them may occur. tell your doctor if you have an infection or symptoms, had a vaccine or plan to. liver problems may occur in crohn's disease. ask your gastroenterologist how to take control of your crohn's with skyrizi. ♪ control is everything to me ♪ learn how abbvie could help you save. (psst psst) ahhhh... with flonase, allergies don't have to be scary spraying flonase daily gives you long-lasting, non-drowsy relief. (psst psst) flonase. all good.
2:40 am
protect against rsv with arexvy. arexvy is a vaccine used to prevent lower respiratory disease from rsv in people 60 years and older. arexvy does not protect everyone and is not for those with severe allergic reactions to its ingredients. those with weakened immune systems may have a lower response to the vaccine. the most common side effects are injection site pain, fatigue, muscle pain, headache, and joint pain. arexvy is number one in rsv vaccine shots. rsv? make it arexvy. your hair can grow 590 miles over your lifetime. arexvy is number one in rsv vaccine shots. it's in your nature to grow. nature's bounty helps you grow thicker fuller hair with just one capsule a day. you are bountiful, it's in your nature.
2:41 am
choose advil liqui-gels for faster, stronger and longer-lasting relief than tylenol rapid release gels. because advil targets pain at the source of inflammation. so for faster pain relief, advil the pain away. upset stomach iberogast indigestion iberogast bloating iberogast thanks to a unique combination of herbs, iberogast helps relieve six digestive symptoms to help you feel better. six digestive symptoms. the power of nature. iberogast.
2:42 am
the power of nature. keith morrison: october 1969, after two months of false leads in the tate and labianca murders, suddenly, there was news. reporter: police apparently got their break in the tate october 1969. after two months of false leads in the tate and labianca murders, suddenly there was news. >> police apparently got their break when this girl, susan adkins, was arrested and talked to a cell mate about the killings. >> reporter: that led the investigators and the media to a hippy cult called the family and their lead charles manson. >> he dances. he sings. he looks beautiful. he looks happy, and this draw as lot of people, just like people are drawn to little babies. >> they looked like all the other hippies hanging around l.a. >> hippies at this point,
2:43 am
associated with peace, love, sharing. >> prosecutor vincent buliosi interviewed them extensively and soon found out in 2008, these hippies were different, especially their leader, mapson, an ex-con and wanna be rock star obsessed with the book of revelation and the beatles. >> he thought they were prophets speaking to him and other tuned in people beneath the lyrics of their songs. >> in particular the cut called helte r skelter. his followers were aware of the racial tensions across the country and in l.a. he said it was the beatles prophecy of the race war, the division of -- racist. >> there will be an all-out war. during this war, he will lead
2:44 am
his family in to death valley, where there is a bottomless pit and a city underneath the surface. they will go down there and be safe. when the war is over, the blacks will have won, but they will not have the intellectual capacity to governor themselves. >> then charlie told them, the family would take over. >> in other words, charlie would be king of the world. >> then again manson was feeding them a steady diet of lsd. he was serious about this? >> yeah. >> that's crazy talk. >> wasn't to us. the world was crazy to us. investigators learned from manson's followers he was not content to wait for helter skelter. he wanted to start it by murdering wealthy white people who he called piggies.
2:45 am
manson didn't plan to kill the piggies himself. he wanted his so-called family to do that. >> by that point, they were willing to do anything for him. >> because they loved had im? because they feared him? because they were under his spell? what? >> they say at that time they were brainwashed. >> it hardly seemed possible, and yet as the prosecutor was able to piece it together, manson sent susan a -- whom he tried and failed to get a record contract. he was well aware the producer had moved out. he also knew this. >> whoever is living there now has to be rich and famous. no one else could afford a house like that. the house is picked because of
2:46 am
its location. >> then, manson sent the same group plus leslie van houten to the labianca home the following night. seven savage murders. all in the service of one man's twisted fantasy. >> he knew exactly what he was doing. he's not crazy at all. he's evil. very evil, sophisticated conman, but he's not insane at all. >> he gathered a grand jury, and susan atkins was the star witness, revealing the gruesome details of how the family members slashed everyone in the home and scrawled in blood what charles manson had taught them. >> when the words helter skelter was found, that was the equivalent of manson's fingerprints at the scene. >> in california, five members of a religious cult, including
2:47 am
charles manson the guru or high priest have been indicted in the murder of sharon tate and six others. >> they brought charles manson in to los angeles to the police station, and they are expecting, my god, this must be some kind of monster, and instead of some big beast barely restrained, there's this little tiny guy with long hair. >> are you sane? >> that's relevant. >> now with the '60s coming to a close and the world watching, charles manson would go on trial. >> he was the mastermind. these murders would have never taken place if it had not been for charles manson. >> if looking back the case against charlie seems obvious, not for buliosi. manson didn't personally commit the murders. there was no physical evidence to prove he manipulated his
2:48 am
group turning them into bloodthirsty robots. >> i had to bring in circ*mstantial evidence. >> he decided to use helter skelter. it played well on the white album, but how would it play with the jury. >> the court case that captured the country. coming up, before o.j., this was the trial of the century. >> charlie always wanted to be famous, and by god, if this is how it was going to happen, he would do it right. >> it's all a play, isn't it? >> does one of the killers have a chance at freedom? when "dateline" continues. "dai n s erful relief. new advil targeted relief. nexgard® plus helps you protect your dog from fleas, ticks, heartworm disease, and more... all in one delicious, monthly, soft chew. use with caution in dogs with a history of seizures or neurologic disorders. nexgard® plus: the one you want for one-and-done protection.
2:49 am
emergen-c crystals pop and fizz when you throw them back. and who doesn't love a good throwback? ♪♪ now with vitamin d for the dark days of winter. protect against rsv with arexvy. arexvy is a vaccine used to prevent lower respiratory disease from rsv in people 60 years and older. arexvy does not protect everyone and is not for those with severe allergic reactions to its ingredients. those with weakened immune systems may have a lower response to the vaccine. the most common side effects are injection site pain, fatigue, muscle pain, headache, and joint pain. arexvy is number one in rsv vaccine shots. rsv? make it arexvy.
2:50 am
2:51 am
is it possible to count on my arexvy is number one in rsv vaccine shots. internet like my customers count on me? it is with comcast business. keeping you up and running with our 99.9% network reliability. and security that helps outsmart threats to your data. moaire dida twoo? -your data, too. there's even round-the- clock customer support. so you can be there for your customers. with comcast business, reliability isn't just possible. it's happening. switch to reliable comcast business internet with security and get started for $49.99 a month. plus ask how to get up to a $500 prepaid card. call today!
2:52 am
welcome back. it had been nearly a year since the tate-labianca murders had shaken los angeles to its core. susan atkins told investigators in lurid detail how charles manson convinced her and other members of their cult-like group welcome back. it had been nearly a year since the tate labianca murders had shaken los angeles to its core. susan atkins told investigators in detail how charles manson convinced her and other members of their cult-like group to do the unthinkable, massacre innocent people. her testimony would be key to the case, but there was no physical evidence linking manson to the killings. what would it take to convince the jury he was the evil puppet master behind the bloodshed.
2:53 am
here's keith morrison with the conclusion of manson. >> 1970 was the summer of manson. >> all the elements are presence for one of the most sensational murder trials in u.s. history. >> charles manson and three of his followers went on trial for the lathe and labianca murders. >> i think -- >> prosecutor had ever encountered. >> he had to prove that charles manson, this weird little guy could have some control over the followers to make them commit murder, but not to the extent that the followers were mentally incompetent to be tried either. >> that's a tricky business. >> that is very tricky. >> the trickiest part would be making the charge of first- degree murder stick against
2:54 am
manson himself. >> it's difficult to convict because he did not physically participate in the murders. >> a two-part strategy, prove manson's domination over his family and explain the motive, but what motive? >> the motive was helter skelter to ignite the war between blacks and whites. it was he who introduced it to the family and talked about it all the time. >> the star witness, susan atkins who confessed the whole story in jail and repeated it to the grand jury. >> now that you have had a chance to get it off your chest, how do you feel? >> dead. >> and then atkins recanted and said she made up the whole thing, so buliosi turned to other families like barbara hoyt who left when manson's behavior scared her. >> i decided do i want to live
2:55 am
with myself -- >> she knew she would take the stand in full view of her family, the manson followers. >> they were kissing up to me in the back of the courtroom, smiling at me and all of that. that changed when i started to open my mouth on the witness stand. >> day after day members of the manson family demonstrated at the courthouse, performance art, with a sinister gloss. >> your system wants destruction, and that's what it's going to get. >> inside, charlie's coconfidents, lesli e -- manson at the center. >> i killed chickens one. >> you are innocent of the
2:56 am
conspiracy to commit murder or telling anyone or planning it? >> i would plead guilty to the indians. >> one day manson was in court with an x scratched in to his favorite. the rest of the family quickly followed suit. >> it was theater. charlie always wanted to be famous, and by god, if this is how it was going to happen, he was going to do it right. >> how are you doing, charlie >> good. how are you this morning? >> sharon tate's little sister deborah scathed watching it play out on tv. >> they were mocking america. they were mocking our very foundation. >> everyone seemed to be watching. everyone seemed to have an opinion, even the president of the united states. >> here is a man who is guilty, directly or indirectly of eight murders without reason. >> the next headline l.a. times manson guilty, nixon declares, and through the trial
2:57 am
and to turmoil. >> all the while manson basked in the glow of the media saying anything about anyone. >> the judge made a fool about himself, again, and then he questions my sanity. i question his. >> at the end of the 22-week trial, buliosi said the family preached love but practiced cold-blooded murder. >> literally slaughtered the victims. >> the verdict after nine days of deliberations. the jury found all four defendants guilty of first- degree murder. >> in my verdict, i wanted to protect the society. after all, this is the united states of america, and we have a heritage, and this is something we must protect. >> all were sentenced to death. >> is he prepared to die? >> he's already dead. he's already dead. he has no thoughts. he has no opinions.
2:58 am
he's just ap empty hole. it's infinite. >> tex watson was convicted and sentenced to trial in a separate trial. in 1972 the supreme court ruled the death penalty unconstitutional, and the sentences were reduced to life in prison. there would be no gas chamber for any of the manson family, which meant all of them, even charles manson himself, would have a chance at freedom after serving their sentences. manson, tex watson, patricia krenwinkel and susan atkins each had parole hearings in 2009 atkins died in prison. the rest kept trying. here's leslie van houten speaking at a parole hearing. >> i feel responsible for both of their deaths.
2:59 am
>> in april 2016, the parole board recommended releasing van houten and did so on five occasions, but each time the governor's office overruled the decision. sharon tate's younger sister deborah was rebelieved. >> i don't think she deserves it. they were brutally butchered. there has to be some kind of accountability in this world. >> but then, in the spring of 2023, deborah tate got the news she feared for years, the california court of appeals overruled the governor and granted leslie van houten's parole. >> what do you want to call me a murderer for? i never killed anyone. i don't need to kill anyone. >> charlie manson would spend the rest of his life behind bars in november 2017, after his 83rd birthday, nearly 50 years after orchestrating the crimes, he died in prison. throughout his long life, he
3:00 am
never admitted regret or remorse. >> remorse for what? you people have done everything in the world to me. doesn't that give me equal right? i can do anything i want to you people at any time i want to because that's what you have done to me. >> charles manson will remain, forever seared in the public consciousness, evil personified. some say helping bring down the curtain on the '60s as an age of innocence who ultimately in his own twisted way achieved the fame he had been seeking all along. >> that's all for this edition of "dateline." i'm andrea canning. thanks for watching. ng. thanks for atching.
tv
Through rarely-seen interviews and footage, a new look at the Manson Family murders that gripped the nation during the summer of 1969.
- TOPIC FREQUENCY
- Keith Morrison 9, Charles Manson 9, L.a. 8, Susan Atkins 8, Labianca 7, Charlie 6, Virginia 4, Us 4, Beatles 4, Deborah 4, Lapd 3, Atkins 3, Benedict Canyon 3, Comcast Business 3, Andrea Canning 3, Leslie Van Houten 3, Amd 2, America 2, California 2, Biden 2
- Network
- MSNBC
- Duration
- 01:00:58
- Rating
- TVPG
- Scanned in
- San Francisco, CA, USA
- Language
- English
- Source
- Comcast Cable
- Tuner
- Virtual Ch. 787
- Video Codec
- h264
- Audio Cocec
- ac3
- Pixel width
- 1280
- Pixel height
- 720
- Audio/Visual
- sound, color
- Item Size
- 2.5G
Notes
This material may be protected by copyright law (Title 17 U.S. Code).
0 Views
Uploaded by TV Archive on
Terms of Service (last updated 12/31/2014)