It’s hard to believe it has been almost 50 years since the infamous Tate-LaBianca murders of 1969. Unfortunately we are reminded of these murders on too regular of a basis. They were again in the news recently when Gov. Jerry Brown overruled the parole board’s recommendation to release Leslie Van Houten, one of many Manson Family members convicted of murder.
To the governor, I say: Good call. She is where she belongs.
If you lived in Southern California, as I did at the time, you likely have strong memories of those events. It was an unusually hot August that year, when the Tate murders hit the news. Six people were killed in horrifically brutal fashion. One of the victims, actress Sharon Tate was eight and a half months pregnant at the time. Her baby was the sixth victim. Tate was also the wife of director Roman Polanski, which magnified the crimes’ visibility.
The next night, in upscale Los Feliz, two more people, Leno and Rosemary LaBianca, were also murdered.
I am not going to elaborate on the brutality of the crimes (full details were withheld). Those interested can research these aspects. As the details came out, the inhumanity and the cruelty involved was shocking, even to hardened investigators.
All of Southern California was on edge. My aunt and uncle lived in the area, but moved in with another uncle for a period of time. The edge abated only after arrests were made. The trials of the killers: Leslie Van Houten, Tex Watson, Susan Atkins and Patricia Krenwinkel, ended on March 29, 1971 when four– Linda Kasabian was granted immunity– of the five killers were sentenced to death. The ring leader; Charles ‘Charlie’ Manson, was convicted later.
The relatively straight forward trial lasted nine months. The case against ‘Charlie’ differed dramatically, as Manson was not present at the murders. Thus the district attorney, the late Vince Bugliosi, had to prove that Manson held sway over these people to the extent that they murdered at his command; not an easy task. Charlie helped him in this effort when he carved an X (later modified into a swastika) into his forehead. His followers watching the trial followed suit, Bugliosi later stated that his case was made at that point.
Benicia resident Donna Wigand was Ddrector of Behavioral and Mental Health Services for Fresno County while ‘Charlie’ was incarcerated at nearby Corcoran State Prison. During that time members of her staff had the opportunity to evaluate Manson. They described him as being narcissistic, psychopathic as well as sociopathic. A description that should surprise no one.
The prosecutor,Vince Bugliosi, summed ‘Charlie’ up:
“Of all the murderers, rapists, thieves and assorted other criminals I prosecuted, the only one that truly frightened me was Charlie Manson.”
Manson received the death penalty, a justice never meted out.
The California chief justice was a Brown appointee; Rose Bird, a far left extremist adamantly opposed to the death penalty. As a result of Bird’s activism, the sentences for all death row inmates were commuted to life.
Personally, I would not be opposed to the elimination of the death penalty, but only under this proviso: Those convicted of crimes to which the death penalty is currently applicable, would be permanently ineligible for parole.
Which brings us back to Leslie van Houten and the ‘Manson Family’ members.
Leslie Van Houten was granted parole in April at her 21st hearing. This is the ruling which Gov. Brown overruled.
Manson was denied parole for the 12th time on April 11, 2012. He will not be eligible again until 2031.
Tex Watson – His last hearing was in November 2011, the next one will be this November.
Susan Atkins – Died in prison in 2009, after 18 parole hearings were denied.
Patricia Krenwinkel – Denied, 12 years ago for the 13th time, is eligible again in 2018.
Many of the Manson Family members have turned their lives around: Leslie Van Houten, is a model prisoner, received a college degree and is well-known for helping other prisoners.
Tex Watson became an ordained minister and is counseling fellow murderers.
To all of that I say: Good for them. I am glad prison helped you. Now continue your good work inside, while staying inside.
The above accounting of parole hearings, just for these five family members, totals about 75 or one every eight months.
The survivors of the victims often attend these hearings, voicing their concerns, attesting to their pain and reliving past horrors.
This represents a level of cruel and unusual suffering for family members; the resultant of judicial activist decisions by Rose Bird.
I am glad that Gov. Brown denied parole, But I cannot help but wonder; Did guilt for the continuation of the pain to the survivors play any part in his decision? Would release have eased or magnified their suffering?
It is the responsibility of the justice system to assure all of us that the victims of crime are also considered in evaluations of leniency.
There is today a never-ending debate over the death penalty. Those seeking to eliminate it would better serve humanity if they demonstrated a level of empathy for the victim’s family’s equivalent to that displayed for the killers.

Dennis Lund is a mechanical engineer who lived in Benicia for more than 20 years.

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