By Scott A. Grant
mail@floridanewsline.com
The most horrifying memory of my childhood occurred in the summer of 1969, when members of the Manson family brutally murdered seemingly random people for no reason. Those heinous crimes repulsed and captivated the nation. They still do. At the time, an effort was made to shield a sensitive society from the details. Mothers told their children that the Manson family would be executed or at least locked away. It turns out neither of those things were entirely true.
At the time and to this day, the media frenzy has tended to concentrate on the killing of actress Sharon Tate and her unborn baby, forgetting that four other people were murdered that night as well — as if the coffee heiress, the celebrity hairdresser, family friend, and a young man who just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time were mere extras in a gory horror film. The cult’s copycat killing the following night at the home of Leno and Rosemary LaBianca played out in the media like a bad sequel.
If the murders were news, the nine-month long trial would be even more of a media frenzy. Charles Manson, Susan Atkins, Patricia Krenwinkel, and Leslie Van Houten were tried together in Los Angeles in a circus-like atmosphere. Outside, other members of the Manson family protested and kept watch. “Squeaky” Fromme and others attempted to murder a family member who had turned state’s evidence. Unable to prove the attempted murder charge, prosecutors settled for an obstruction charge. Fromme and the others were sentenced to 90 days. In 1975, Fromme was convicted of attempting to assassinate President Gerald Ford. She was sentenced to life and paroled in 2008.
Manson and the three women were sentenced to death. Shortly after the sentence, the California Supreme Court declared the death penalty to be unconstitutional and all four sentences were commuted to life with the possibility of parole. Charles Manson got married in prison and died in prison. Susan Atkins, who had once danced topless during Church of Satan rituals, was baptized by immersion, married, divorced, and ultimately died in prison as well. Patricia Krenwinkel remains in prison. Leslie Van Houten was recently paroled after 53 years in jail and 24 parole hearings.
Van Houten was not part of the Tate murders. She was taken the second night to the home of the LaBiancas. She allegedly stabbed Rosemary LaBianca 16 times, although Rosemary was probably already dead. At the time of her initial sentencing, she was 21, the youngest woman ever sentenced to death in California. The commuted life sentence was overturned in 1977, because her attorney had died during the initial trial. Her second trial ended in a hung jury, and she was released on bail pending a third trial. During her brief hiatus from prison, Van Houten attended the 1978 Academy Awards. It was the 50th Anniversary of the Oscars; Bob Hope acted as master of ceremonies. At her third trial, the prosecution added a robbery charge and was able to convict her under the felony murder rule, this time for life with the possibility of parole.
The press has reported that Van Houten was the first Manson family member to be paroled. That is not entirely true. Besides the aforementioned Squeaky Fromme, another Manson family member by the name of “Clem” Grogan was released years ago. He was with Van Houten and Manson on the night of the LaBianca killings. He did not go into the house. Later, he would be convicted along with Tex Watson and Charles Manson in the less sensationalized torture and murder of a ranch hand named Donald Shea. He also was initially sentenced to death in 1971. The judge reduced his sentence to life saying he was “too hopped up on drugs to decide anything on his own.” Grogan was paroled in 1985 after fathering two children while in prison.
It was always a strongly held belief of mine that Charles Manson and his followers would never be paroled. There are some crimes for which there would seem to be no redemption. It is hard to imagine Perry Smith or Ted Bundy being paroled. And yet, we release Van Houten into a world still fascinated by the crimes she and the cult committed more than 50 years ago. Dozens and dozens of books and movies have been produced about the Manson family. At this point, Charles Manson is probably better known than Bob Hope.
Scott A. Grant is a local author and historian. He welcomes your comments at scottg@standfastic.com.
