THIS NIGHT IN HISTORY

37 YEARS AGO...THE MANSON MURDERS

On the night of August 8, 1969, Manson directed members of his cult “Family”, Charles "Tex" Watson, Patricia Krenwinkel, Susan Atkins, and Linda Kasabian to go to the former residence of an acquaintance, record producer Terry Melcher, and kill whoever was on the premises.













Charles Manson once knew the producer Terry Melcher (son of Doris Day) through the Beach Boys singer, Brian Wilson. At the time, Melcher and his girlfriend, actress Candice Bergen, were living at the Tate house, and it was there Manson met him and cut a record with Brian Wilson using Manson’s lyrics. After realizing they were dealing with a psychopath, they cut off all connections to him and his family members. At one point, Manson and his family took over Brian Wilson’s house and wouldn’t leave for an entire year. Brian Wilson ended up leaving his home…he was that scared.


After the rejection, Manson decided to get back at "Hollywood". Through his manipultion, drugs and brainwashing techniques, he successfully ordered the members of his family to kill for him in order to blame the black man and incite a race war.


The four arrived at midnight at the grounds of the Beverly Hills home of the film director Roman Polanski and his wife Sharon Tate. Polanski, highly acclaimed for his recent hit Rosemary's Baby, was in London working on his next film and had asked friends to stay with Tate, who was eight and a half months pregnant.


Before entering the house, they shot dead Steven Parent, an 18-year-old friend of Tate’s gardener, who was leaving the property and had unwittingly seen the intruders. Linda Kasabian, who was acting as the getaway driver, expressed horror at the murder of Parent and was told to remain outside and keep watch while the others entered the house. "Tex" Watson quoted before every killing, "I am the devil, and I have come to do the devil's work".


They assembled the four occupants of the house into the living room where they were tied together. Jay Sebring, a noted hairstylist and friend of Sharon Tate's was visiting, and when he attempted to defend Tate, he was shot by Watson, who then kicked him several times in the face.




Wojciech Frykowski and Abigail Folger (heir to the Folgers coffee company), were able to escape from the living room and were each pursued as they ran onto the front lawn. Quickly overtaken by the attackers, Frykowski was stabbed fifty-one times, shot twice, and pistol-whipped 13 times in the head; Folger was stabbed twenty-eight times.


Tate remained in the living room and begged for the life of her unborn baby. Susan Atkins replied, "Look bitch, I don't care about you. I don't care if you are having a baby. You are going to die and I don't feel a thing about it", and stabbed her to death. Before leaving the house she used a towel to soak up some of Tate's blood and then wrote "PIG" on the front door. This was allegedly inspired by the Beatles song Piggies.


Linda Kasabian later received immunity for submitting evidence against the group. She told Manson, "I'm not like you, I can't kill," and evinced shock and horror at finally seeing the pictures of the killings in court.

(Source)