Charles
Manson
The Crimes |
The Tate/Polanski House on Cielo Dr.
This is also the same house that became the temporary
residence of Nine Inch Nails lead singer Trent Reznor
while he recorded, The Downward Spiral.
Once Manson had whipped his family into a frenzy and the idea of murder was fresh in their minds, several key players stepped forward and offered to put Charles’ plan into action. Manson claims that he did not tell the Family members to commit murder; he just told them that they knew what he wanted them to do and to just do what they needed to do.
The most heinous crime committed by the Manson
Family was the massacre that took place at the Tate/Polanski home in
prestigious Bel Air. On the night of
August 9, 1969 Tex Watson, Susan Atkins, Leslie Vanhouten, and Patricia
Krenwinkel made their way to the secluded home of actress Sharon Tate.
Five innocent people and the unborn baby of Sharon
Tate’s were murdered (more
on the victims). All but one of the
victims was stabbed many times, and several were beaten severely. Derogatory words were smeared, in blood, on
the walls, doors, and the refrigerator.
The intensity of the scene and the excessive number of wounds were stark
evidence of the anger and confusion that the murderers felt.
Unfortunately for two other unsuspecting victims,
Charles was not pleased with the mess that the four Family members had at the
Tate home. He decided that he would
have to show them how to murder someone properly. The following night, August 10,1969, Charles led his followers to
the home of Leno and Rosemary LaBianca.
Manson tied them up and told them that they would not be hurt. He then told his disciples that he needed to
leave the scene before the murders occurred because it would violate his
parole. His minions believed him with
utter confidence and proceeded to murder Leno and Rosemary.
Two more murders, those of Gary Hinman and Donald
“Shorty” Shea, were also linked to Manson family members. There is speculation that the Manson Family
committed several other unsolved murders.