Abstract
In July and August of 1969 the nation was shocked by two brutal mass murders in upscale homes located near Hollywood. The murders were committed by youths, all followers of cult leader Charles Manson within a three-day period. These murders were likely made even more infamous due to the ruthless and senseless nature of the killings along with the fact that one was the home of movie director Roman Polanski, who was not present, and his beautiful and popular actress wife Sharon Tate who was pregnant with their first child at the time of her murder. Additionally, the circus-like atmosphere of the event added intrigue. The Manson murders and subsequent trial was watched intently by a frightened, shocked nation that was used to heinous events including the Vietnam War and the recent deaths of Martin Luther King and Robert Kennedy. All Manson family defendants were convicted and are today have either died or remain imprisoned.
The trial of the “Manson Family” ended in January 1971 following a seven-month trial. It took jurors 10 days of deliberation to reach its verdict. Charles Manson, Susan Atkins, Patricia Krenwinkle and Leslie van Houtan were convicted on all counts of first degree capital murder and sentenced to death. (Linder, 2017). Another cult member, Charles “Tex” Watkins, who fought extradition to California from Texas, was sentenced to the same punishment in a separate trial that same year. (CNN Library, 2017).
A few months prior the trial President Nixon made a public statement regarding the highly publicized murders saying Charles Manson “was guilty, directly or in directly, of eight murders.” (“Problem,” 1970). In addition to the president’s vocal intervention, the disturbing and bizarre nature of the crimes along with the constant media attention may have influenced the jurors or judge. The facts of the case do bear out that all were guilty, no question in anyone’s mind either then or now. Whether or not one believes the death sentence is just or moral, if anyone deserves to die, it’s Manson and his followers. The callousness and indifference the members exhibited before, during and after the trial is sufficient for the public, no matter their opinion on the death penalty, to allow their conscience to demand this punishment.
Manson, according to definitions outlined by the FBI was not a serial murderer. Rather, him and his followers were involved in a “killing spree” defined as “killings at two or more locations with almost no time-break between murders.” A serial murder, according to the FBI, requires a “cooling off” period between murders. The murders occurred within two days of each other therefore it is not considered a serial murder but a killing spree. (Bonn, 2014).
Could it happen today? Of course. Mass murders occur with regularity in the US. Maybe not under the exact same circumstances. Maybe not as gruesome, such as the writing of blood from a pregnant woman on the walls by young hippies, but it wouldn’t surprise anyone for another killing spree to occur. It was shocking then but today would be just another mass killing and more likely by firearms rather than knives.
- Bonn, Scott A, PhD. Psychology Today. Retrieved from https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/wicked-deeds/201403/if-not-serial-killer-then-what-is-charles-manson
- CNN Library. (2017). Manson Murder Fast Facts. CNN. Retrieved from http://www.cnn.com/2013/09/30/us/manson-family-murders-fast-facts/index.html
- Linder, Douglas. (2017). The Charles Manson Trial: A Chronology. Famous Trials. Retrieved from http://www.famous-trials.com/manson/246-chronology
- Problem of a Fair Trial for Manson. (1970). New York Times. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/1970/08/09/archives/problem-of-a-fair-trial-for-manson.html
