On January 25, 1971, Charles Manson and three of his followers, Susan Atkins; Leslie Van Houten; and Patricia Krenwrinkle, were convicted of the savage murders of seven people in 1969. Manson was given the death penalty, but California’s Supreme Court ruled that all death sentences prior to 1972 were invalid; the charge was changed to life in prison. Manson served his sentence at California State Prison-Corcoran until he died in 2017.
Manson created a cult based on his apocalyptic philosophy that a race war in America would reveal five angels: himself as Jesus Christ and the Beatles as the other four angels. Manson convinced his followers that in order for “Helter Skelter” to happen, it was necessary to commit murder; Sharon Tate became the first target.
On August 9, 1969, four members of the Manson Family went to the home of actress Sharon Tate. “The Family” murdered Tate, who was eight months pregnant, three of her friends who were staying at her home, and a young man who was visiting the caretaker. The next night Manson instructed his followers to murder Leno and Rosemary LaBianca. Leno was a grocery store owner and Rosemary was a successful businesswoman.
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