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Charles Milles Manson was an American criminal and cult leader. In mid-1967, he formed what became known as the "Manson Family", a quasi-commune based in California. His followers committed a series of nine murders at four locations in July and August 1969. Although the motive for the murders was disputed by Manson, the Los Angeles County District Attorney believed that Manson intended to start a race war. In 1971, he was convicted of first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder for the deaths of seven people, including the film actress Sharon Tate. The prosecution contended that, while Manson never directly ordered the murders, his ideology constituted an overt act of conspiracy.
Helter Skelter or Helter-skelter may refer to:
Vincent T. Bugliosi Jr. was an American attorney and New York Times bestselling author. During his eight years in the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office, he successfully prosecuted 105 out of 106 felony jury trials, which included 21 murder convictions. He was best known for prosecuting Charles Manson and other defendants accused of the Tate–LaBianca murders of August 9–10, 1969.
Richard Anthony "Cheech" Marin, is an American stand-up comedian, actor, writer, activist, and art collector who gained recognition as part of the comedy act Cheech & Chong during the 1970s and early 1980s with Tommy Chong and as Don Johnson's partner, Insp. Joe Dominguez, on Nash Bridges. He has also voiced characters in several Disney films, including Oliver & Company, The Lion King, the Cars series, Coco and Beverly Hills Chihuahua.
Susan Denise Atkins was an American convicted murderer who was a member of Charles Manson's "Family". Manson's followers committed a series of nine murders at four locations in California, over a period of five weeks in the summer of 1969. Known within the Manson family as Sadie Mae Glutz or Sexy Sadie, Atkins was convicted for her participation in eight of these killings, including the most notorious, the Tate murders in 1969. She was sentenced to death, which was subsequently commuted to life imprisonment when the California Supreme Court invalidated all death sentences issued prior to 1972. Atkins was incarcerated until her death in 2009. At the time of her death, she was California's longest-serving female inmate, long since surpassed by her fellow murderous Manson family members Leslie Van Houten and Patricia Krenwinkel.
Leslie Louise Van Houten is an American convicted murderer and former member of the Manson Family. During her time with Manson's group, she was known by various aliases such as Louella Alexandria, Leslie Marie Sankston, Linda Sue Owens and Lulu. Van Houten was arrested and charged in relation to the 1969 killings of Leno and Rosemary LaBianca. She was convicted and sentenced to death. However, the California Supreme Court decision on People v. Anderson then ruled in 1972 that the death penalty was unconstitutional, resulting in her sentence being commuted to life in prison. Her conviction was then overturned in a 1976 appellate court decision which granted her a retrial. Her second trial ended with a deadlocked jury and a mistrial. At her third trial in 1978, she was convicted of two counts of murder and one count of conspiracy and sentenced to seven years to life in prison. In relation to her case, high courts, parole boards and the state governor have said that an inexplicable or racial motive for murder could merit exemplary punishment and outweigh any evidence of subsequent reform.
The Manson Family was a commune and cult led by Charles Manson that was active in California in the late 1960s and early 1970s. The group consisted of approximately 50 followers, who lived an unconventional lifestyle with habitual use of hallucinogenic drugs such as LSD. Most were young women from middle-class backgrounds, many of whom were radicalized by Manson's teachings and drawn by hippie culture and communal living.
"Helter Skelter" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles from their 1968 album The Beatles. It was written by Paul McCartney and credited to Lennon–McCartney. The song was McCartney's attempt to create a sound as loud and dirty as possible. It is regarded as a key influence in the early development of heavy metal. In 1976, the song was released as the B-side of "Got to Get You into My Life" in the United States, to promote the Capitol Records compilation Rock 'n' Roll Music.
Helter Skelter is a 1976 television film based on the 1974 book by prosecutor Vincent Bugliosi and Curt Gentry. In the United States, it aired over two nights. In some countries it was shown in cinemas, with additional footage including nudity, language and more violence.
Linda Darlene Kasabian is a former member of the Manson Family. She was the key witness in District Attorney Vincent Bugliosi's prosecution of Charles Manson and his followers for the 1969 Tate–LaBianca murders.
Stephen Hall Railsback is an American theatre, film, and television actor. He is best known for his performances in the films The Stunt Man and Lifeforce, and his portrayal of Charles Manson in the 1976 television mini-series Helter Skelter.
William King Baggot was an American actor, film director and screenwriter. He was an internationally famous movie star of the silent film era. The first individually publicized leading man in America, Baggot was referred to as "King of the Movies," "The Most Photographed Man in the World" and "The Man Whose Face Is As Familiar As The Man In The Moon."
The Helter Skelter scenario is a theory put forth by Vincent Bugliosi, lead prosecutor in the Tate–LaBianca murder trial, to explain the series of murders committed by the Manson Family. Bugliosi described his theory at trial and in his book Helter Skelter: The True Story of the Manson Murders. According only to Bugliosi’s theory, Charles Manson often spoke to the members of his "family" about "Helter Skelter" in the months leading up to the murders of Sharon Tate and Leno and Rosemary LaBianca in August 1969, an apocalyptic war arising from racial tensions between black and white people. This "chimerical vision" involved reference to music of the Beatles, particularly songs from their eponymous 1968 White Album, as well as the New Testament's Book of Revelation.
Paul Alan Watkins was a member of Charles Manson's "Family". In the period leading up to Manson's trial for the Tate–LaBianca murders, Watkins provided the prosecution with information that clarified the "Helter Skelter" motive.
Lt. Robin Crusoe U.S.N. is a 1966 comedy film released and scripted by Walt Disney, and starring Dick Van Dyke as a U.S. Navy pilot who becomes a castaway on a tropical island. Some filming took place in San Diego, while a majority of the film was shot on Kauai, Hawaii.
George Christian Spahn was an American rancher who once owned the Spahn Ranch near Chatsworth, Los Angeles. Spahn rented the ranch to the movie industry to film Westerns, and later allowed Charles Manson and his "Family" of followers to live at the site.
Catherine Louise "Gypsy" Share is a former member of the Manson Family. Share was not directly involved in the Tate-LaBianca murders that sent Charles Manson and some of his followers to prison. She was convicted for trying to intimidate a witness against testifying, serving 90 days, and later served five years in prison for armed robbery. Following her release in 1975, she disassociated herself from the "Family" and sought plastic surgery to remove the "X" that she and others had burned and carved into their foreheads following Manson's lead during his infamous trial.
The Tate–LaBianca murders in 1969 were perpetrated by members of the Manson Family in Los Angeles, California, under the direction of its leader Charles Manson. They murdered five people, including actress Sharon Tate and several of her guests, on August 9–10, 1969. Allegedly displeased with the subsequent panic around the murders, Manson ordered the murders of supermarket executive Leno LaBianca and his wife Rosemary the following evening in the Los Feliz section of Los Angeles with the goal of making it seem like the murders had been perpetrated by the Black Panthers.
CHAOS: Charles Manson, the CIA, and the Secret History of the Sixties is a 2019 non-fiction book written by Tom O'Neill with Dan Piepenbring. The book presents O'Neill's research into the background and motives for the Tate–LaBianca murders committed by the Manson Family in 1969. O'Neill questions the Helter Skelter scenario argued by lead prosecutor Vincent Bugliosi in the trials and in his book Helter Skelter (1974). The book's title is a reference to the covert CIA program Operation CHAOS.
References
- ↑ "Cameraman Killed Filming Disney Picture in Hawaii." Los Angeles Times . May 19, 1965. Lihue, Hawaii (AP). p. 1.
- ↑ "Film Cameraman Killed by Wave." Los Angeles Times. May 20, 1965. p. 3.
- ↑ Bugliosi, Vincent with Gentry, Curt. (1973). Helter Skelter: The True Story of The Manson Murders . Norton. p. 267. ISBN 0-393-32223-8.
- ↑ California Marriage Index, County: Los Angeles, Registrar No.: 19561, State File No.: 44686, Date: May 25, 1968, Groom: Stephen K. Baggot, Age: 24, Bride: Marilyn M. Thompson, Age: 24.
- ↑ Chong, Tommy. (2008). Cheech & Chong: The Unauthorized Autobiography. Simon Spotlight Entertainment. pp. 182-183. ISBN 1-4169-5345-0.
