Original subtitles

And taking baths.

Susan Atkins said that Manson was trying to ignite Helter Skelter.

She described it as the final war, all the wars rolled into one.

An apocalyptic vision in which the black man would take over.

-That's unbelievable. -Unbelievable, right? Too far out.

Maybe we just better start believing it anyhow.

Five and a half months after the killings, Judge Dell sits in for Judge Keene.

l ought to have the same rights and privileges as any other attorney.

But l wanna interview Linda Kasabian and Sadie Mae Glutz...

...and their attorneys say that l can't.

They have a right to do that, Mr. Manson.

Well, l got a message from Sadie.

And she told me the district attorney made her say what she said.

That's too nonsensical to respond to, Your Honor.

Your Honor, the people are prepared to go to trial at the earliest possible date.

l'm not ready, Your Honor. l need more time.

Continuance granted to February 9th.

That's one way to get a message to Sadie. Tell the press we coerced her.

lt's the next best thing to picking up the phone and telling her how to recant.

Hi, guy.

The exact measurements of the LaBianca knife wounds. Okay.

But why?

l need to prove that some wounds were made by knives other than the kitchen's.

l don't get it.

lf the wounds were made by the LaBianca's knives...

...the logical inference would be that they entered the residence unarmed...

...then killed the LaBianca's with their kitchen knives.

Defense counsel could raise a good point.

lf Manson sent them to kill, why would he send them unarmed?

Oh, right. Good thinking, Vince.

-Hi, Manny. -Hey, Vince. l just got word that--

This album's got all the words on it.

Yeah, l know. All the stuff that they wrote on the walls.

You knew about that?

Well, sure. l talked to Art and Mark about it only a week or so...

-...after Tate was killed. -Give me strength.

l even put it in the report, but it seemed so, you know....

-Weird. Too far out. -Yeah. Crazy.

-Unbelievable. -You said it.

No, unbelievable how in a crime like this, everyone looks for conventional clues...

-...instead of crazy ones. -l got good news for you.

Lieutenant got word they're gonna turn Watson over.

-lt's about time. -How about that?

The Texas Secretary of State just signed the extradition order.

Listen, you're not gonna try and make a motive out of this...

...Helter Skelter stuff are you? Nobody will buy it.

Unbelievable?

Manny, do you ever light those things?

Nope.

Unbelievable.

You're arraigned on seven counts of murder...

...and one count of conspiracy to murder.

Five months after the killings, Kasabian is arraigned...

...on seven counts of murder and one of conspiracy to commit murder.

Keene accepts her plea of not guilty.

At the same time in McKinney, Texas, Judge Anthony Milo...

...vacates the extradition order on Charles Watson...

...and grants another 30-day continuance.

Hey! Come on, girls, get it on! Free Charlie!

Charlie!

Right. Okay, thanks, guy. Yeah.

Vince.

Vince, l got some good news and some bad news.

Why don't you keep the bad news?

George Brewer wants to make an immunity deal for Linda Kasabian.

Oh, l'd much rather have her than Susan.

But we're already legally committed to Susan.

lt's bad enough we had to give her anything.

l don't believe this. Krenwinkel in Alabama, Watson in Texas.

We may not get them back here in time for the trial.

Van Houten, she wasn't along on the night of the Tate murders.

No way, we make deals with Atkins and Kasabian, who do we prosecute on Tate?

Just Charlie? And his is the weakest case we've got.

People won't stand for it. ln Bel Air, the fear's so real you could feel it.

Relax, will you? Relax. l said he offered her.

We may be glad to have her one day.

Take a look at some of those ones.

Copies of things Lisa, Cindy and Gypsy have been sending to Susan and Linda.

''Always think of the now. No time to look back, no time to say how.''

ln other words, don't say anything. On Manson's orders.

He wants them to drop lawyers so they'll have a united defense.

Susan's gonna repudiate her grand-jury testimony.

And refuse to take the stand. A blanket defense that fails to convict Manson...

...sets them free. lf l have time, l can make a case.

You don't have time!

Where's the missing link?

The motive.

The personal motive.

You're gonna get up there in front of that jury...

...and try to convince them that Manson wanted to start a war...

...between blacks and whites, so the blacks could take over.

-Right. -Charlie Manson, who hates blacks?

Vince, they'll lock you up.

DeCarlo and others told me that was the way Manson thought.

l interviewed Death Valley miners. He preached the same philosophy to them.

Like Hitler. Remember those magazines l found at Barker Ranch?

-The ones with articles on Hitler? -Yes.

l asked a miner if Manson ever said anything about Hitler, and he said yeah.

Manson said Hitler was a tuned-in guy who wanted to level the karma of the Jews.

That's the kind of stuff he said.

l'm gonna find out enough to convince you and a jury--

Vince. Vince, l'm on your side, remember?

-Hey, l'm sorry. -lt's frustrating.

Yeah.

That creep. Bodies all over the place. Who knows how many? lf he walks...

-...and they get on the street-- -l know what you mean.

l know you do, Aaron, l know. lt's just l gotta bitch to somebody.

Besides Gail.

Are you kidding?

Yeah, besides Gail.

-She's getting used to it. -Oh?

l don't believe me.

l've got an interview, and l'm sitting here with you.

Good luck.

Oh, let me show you this.

The new secret weapon.

The Bible?

lf all else fails, pray, right?

Paul, l understand you were sort of Manson's right-hand man at one time.

What exactly did you do?

Well, one of the things l did was l got girls for him.

-You got girls? -Charlie'd say, ''l need some new love.''

He used to call the girls young loves. So l'd go out and get him one or two.

Do you mind if l turn this on, Paul? l wanna just record this.

Testing, testing, one, two, three. Testing.

-Go ahead. -Testing.

1.98 marked down from a dollar and a half.

-Testing, testing. - 1.98 marked--

Okay.

Now, l want to go into a lot of things with you.

-The orgies Manson supposedly organized. -Did organize. Did organize.

His domination of the Family.

His attitude toward death, fear, the Beatles, the Bible.

How did he do it? Did he use fear?

Well, sure. That was a big part of it.

Charlie was always saying that fear was beautiful.

l must have heard him tell the Family 50 times...

...they ought to live in a constant state of fear.

Yeah, but why?

Well, to Charlie, fear was the same thing as awareness.

The more fear you had, the more awareness you had.

The more awareness, the more love.

You know what it's like? lt's like when you're really all scared out.

You know, and you come to now.

Well, when you're at now, you're totally conscious.

So he wanted people to be afraid, is that it?

The more fear the better.

Charlie said that death was beautiful because people fear death.

Fear really turns Charlie on.

Paul, you seem like an independent sort of guy, not just a follower.

And yet you stayed with the Family for a long time.

Was it just the girls or was there some other reason?

l thought Charlie was Christ.

Vince, don't like to interrupt you, but you looked like you could use some good news.

Krenwinkel gave up her fight against extradition.

That's right. She'll be out here tomorrow.

-Looks like our luck is changing. -Hey, man, karma. Karma.

Right, right, karma. Right.

Now, Paul, while my luck is running, l wanna get to the subject of motive, okay?

l talked to Greg Jakobson and Brooks Poston...

...and they told me Charlie was always sounding off...

...about the ninth chapter of Revelations.

Oh, yeah, the Beatles laid that on him.

You know, that White Album of theirs. Man, that blew Charlie's mind.

He said it was beautiful.

Charlie said that the Beatles were sending him messages through their music.

You know, like that song ''Revolution 9.''

Charlie dug it the most, man. He said it was beautiful.

l mean, Charlie was hip right away they were referring to Revelation 9.

l heard you knew about that, Paul, so l came prepared.

''The shapes of the locusts were like unto horses prepared unto battle.''

Right. Dune buggies.

''And on their heads were as it were crowns like gold...

...and their faces were as the faces of men.''

Bright lights. Bright lights, you know.

''And they had hair as the hair of women, and their teeth were as the teeth of lions.''

The Beatles' long hair.

''And they had breastplates, as it were. Breastplates of iron.

-And--'' -Electric guitars.

''The sound of their wings was as the sound of chariots...

-...of many horses running to battle.'' -Oh, yeah.

Well, see, that's their music, you know, the rhythm and the volume of it.

''And they had tails like unto scorpions and there were stings in their tails.''

The wires leading to their electrical instruments.

Charlie had this thing come to him once, and he says....

l don't remember all of it. May l see that?

Yeah, down here. See it right here where it says:

''And the four angels were loosed.'' That's the four Beatles.

''And the number of horsemen were two hundred thousand thousand.''

That's the motorcycle gangs roaming the Earth spreading destruction...

...according to Charlie.

And look here. Right here again where it says ''breastplates of fire.''

Electric guitars.

l wanna ask you specifically about that Verse 15 quote.

''The four angels were loosed, which were prepared for an hour...

...and a day and a month and a year to slay the third part of men.''

Oh, Charlie said those were the people who would die in Helter Skelter.

One third of mankind, the white race.

Doesn't that include the Family?

No! No way, man. That's where the fifth angel comes in.

lsn't that the fifth Beatle, the one who was killed in 1962...

-...before they took the name Beatles? -Let me see this here.

Here. Right here.

''And the fifth angel sounded, and l saw a star fall from heaven unto the Earth.

And to him was given the key to the bottomless pit.''

Hey, Mr. Bugliosi, it's no secret in the Family who the fifth angel is.

The ruler of the bottomless pit. lt's Charlie.

So being in the bottomless pit, he'd survive.

Here. Now here's Verse 11.

Where is it?

Here's Verse 11.

''And they had a king over them, which is the angel of the bottomless pit...

...whose name in the Hebrew tongue is Abaddon.''

You see, Mr. Bugliosi, you got the King James Version here.

Charlie had the Catholic version.

And in that version, the angel of the bottomless pit also had a Latin name.

-Do you remember what it was? -Sure. Exterminans.

Exterminans.

Charles Manson.

-lt fits. -Yeah, right.

The way Charlie had it figured out was that the Beatles were sending him messages.

You know, that this was all coming down now.

Not next year or sometime in the future, but right now.

He'd play that song over and over again...

...listen to every sound real close.

He said it was a message just for the tuned-in people.

That the Beatles favored the revolution.

But how was this revolution supposed to come about?

Well, according to Charlie...

...blackie would rise up and start committing super atrocious crimes...

...against whitey.

And this would start a race war.

Whitey and blackie would fight each other.

Hippie liberals and uptight conservatives would fight each other.

The Uncle Toms would fight the Panthers, and it'd be Helter Skelter.

War of all wars. Then when just about everybody was killed off...

...then the black militants would come out of hiding and wipe them all out.

-All except for Charlie and the Family. -Right on.

They'd be in the pit in Death Valley.

And this is the way it would go down from then on.

Well, now the karma's turned, right? Blackie's on top.

Well, now, blackie's gotta clean up the mess.

Just like he's always done, clean up the mess the white man made.

Try to build that world back up a little bit.

But he wouldn't know what to do with it. He wouldn't be able to handle it.

To Charlie, the only thing the black man knows how to do...

...is what whitey told him.

He wouldn't be able to run the world without whitey showing him.

-And that's where Charlie comes in. -Right, so they'd come to Charlie.

Now the Family's grown to 144,000.

That's in the Bible too. Let me see here.

Yeah. Right here.

''And l heard a number of them which were sealed...

...and there were sealed 144,000.''

Yeah, so they come to Charlie and there's 144,000 people.

A pure white master race.

And they say, ''Massa, you gotta run it.''

Charlie says, ''Hell, l'll scratch blackie's fuzzy head...

...kick him in the butt and go tell him to pick cotton like a good nigger.''

Then the Family will emerge from the bottomless pit...

...and Charlie will be king of the world, and we'll all live happily ever after.

All that's left is the Family and black servants?

According to the gospel of Charlie.

-King Charlie, the fifth angel Exterminans. -Yeah.

-But he got tired of waiting. -For Helter Skelter?

Right. You know, he said, ''Well, blackie's got no smart.

Blackie just didn't know how to bring it on all down.''

He said, ''l'm gonna have to show him how to do it.''

Charlie's gonna have to show him how to do it.

Do you remember exactly when he told you that, Paul?

Oh, l don't know. Last May-- No, early June of last year.

Yeah, he comes to me. He comes to me, and he takes me down by...

...the old trailers down at Spahn's Ranch.

And he's real frustrated, you know, like, really uptight about something. He says:

''The only thing the black man knows how to do is what whitey taught him to do.''

He was always saying that.

And he said, ''l'm gonna have to show him how to do it.''

''l'm going to have to show him how to do it.''

Yeah, man, l've got some weird pictures from that, you know.

King of the world.

Hey, man, l split. l didn't want any part of whatever he was talking about.

l mean, l was hanging out there because l thought Charlie was Christ.

Then all this stuff with Exterminian vibes. l flashed on heavy weather ahead.

We never did anything out at the ranch before Charlie got on this Beatle thing...

...but sit out there and smoke grass, trip out and orgy.

Charlie was always thinking about orgies.

Directing orgies, organizing orgies.

He'd pass around the acid, and he'd start dancing around, dancing around.

Everybody would get up and start following him, like a train.

Charlie, he'd take off his clothes...

...then everybody would start taking off their clothes.

The missing motive.

Personal power.

King of the world, huh?

You know, l think the madness is catching. You've made a believer out of me.

Now, all you gotta do is make a believer out of a judge and 12 jurors.

Yeah.

Thanks.

Susan Atkins has announced that she denies everything she told the grand jury.

She will not testify at the trial under any circumstances...

...and she's demanding to see Charlie.

Do we make the phone call now or wait 30 seconds?

To offer Linda Kasabian a deal?

Why not wait 30 seconds? We don't wanna seem too anxious.

Six and a half months after the murders...

...Linda Kasabian agrees to testify at all trial proceedings against all defendants.

In return, the Los Angeles District Attorney's Office agrees...

...after testimony is given, to petition the superior court...

...to grant her immunity from prosecution.

Hello, Linda.

Mr. Brewer's made an excellent deal for you.

l know. l didn't wanna wait for a deal, but he made me.

l'd have talked anyway.

-You would've? -l wanna get it out of my head.

l don't wanna carry it around anymore.

Manson argues a motion, the burden of which is...

...that deputy district attorneys prosecuting him...

...be incarcerated for a period of time under the same circumstances Manson was.

Judge Keene's response is to the effect that it has become abundantly clear...

...Manson is incapable of acting as his own attorney.

There is no God in this courtroom.

-You're a mockery of justice! -You old fool!

Get those people out of here.

You're a joke! You're a joke!

Linda Kasabian gives birth to a son. She names the child Angel.

Important witness Paul Watkins is pulled from his burning camper...

...with second degree burns over 25 percent of his face, arms and back.

The fire is of undetermined origin.

Manson files an affidavit of prejudice against Judge William Keene.

Judge Keene accepts Manson's challenge, disqualifies himself...

...and the case is assigned to Judge Charles H. Older.

lf Mr. Manson insists on having Mr. Scoville as his attorney...

...l must grant the request.

lf Your Honor please, l believe Mr. Scoville is a very sincere and conscientious man.

But it is well known that his cases become unduly long and complicated.

And even with lawyers known to handle matters expeditiously...

...this trial could last four months.

Then let me represent me.

lt would be a miscarriage of justice to allow you that...

...in a case having the complications of this case.

Have you affirmed Mr. Scoville as your attorney?

l'm forced into a situation.

My second alternative is to cause you as much trouble as possible.

July 24, 1970, almost one year after the killings.

Come on, lady!

Did you read it? Did you hear what Charlie's saying to you?

Statement by Manson.

''l've X'd myself out of the world.'' l'll read it later.

Yeah. l see that Kitty Lassiter is back with the Family.

Bobby Beausoleil's in the death house, this is probably all she has left.

l thought about the problem of having these people in the court.

Yeah. They'll conduct continuous harassment.

-No, they're not. They won't be there. -How's that gonna happen?

Prospective witnesses can't be in court while other witnesses testify.

So we're gonna subpoena all known Family members.

-Very good. Beautiful. -So they're excluded.

That limits the obstruction to the four defendants.

Oh, my God.

I love you.

All rise.

Department 104 is now in session.

The Honorable Judge Charles H. Older presiding.

Be seated, please.

Mr. Bugliosi, do you have an opening statement?

Yes, Your Honor.

Sharon Tate Polanski, Jay Sebring...

...Abigail Ann Folger, Voytek Frykowski...

...Steven Earl Parent...

...Leno A. LaBianca, Rosemary LaBianca.

What kind of a diabolical mind...

...would contemplate or conceive these seven murders?

We expect evidence at this trial to answer that question...

...and show that defendant Charles Manson owned that diabolical mind.

Charles Manson, who the evidence will show, had the infinite humility, as it were...

...to refer to himself as Jesus Christ.

The evidence will show Charles Manson to be a megalomaniac...

...who coupled his insatiable thirst for power with an obsession for violent death.

The evidence will show Charles Manson to be the unquestioned leader and overlord...

...of a nomadic band of vagabonds who call themselves ''The Family.''

We anticipate in Mr. Manson's defense, he'll claim neither he nor anyone else...

...was the leader of the Family and that he didn't order anyone to do anything...

...much less commit these murders.

He's making our opening statement for us!

Overruled. You may continue, Mr. Bugliosi.

Thank you, Your Honor.

We therefore intend to show that Charles Manson was, in fact...

...the dictatorial Family leader...

...and that everyone in the Family was obedient to him...

...and eventually they committed the seven Tate-LaBianca murders at his command.

Now, what about Charles Manson's followers, the other defendants in this trial?

Susan Atkins, Patricia Krenwinkel, Leslie Van Houten.

The evidence will show they, along with Charles Tex Watson...

...were the actual killers of the seven Tate-LaBianca victims.

The evidence will show they were willing participants in these mass murders...

...and that by their overkill tactics....

For instance, Rosemary LaBianca was stabbed 41 times.

Voytek Frykowski was stabbed 51 times...

...shot twice and struck violently over the head...

...13 times with the butt of a revolver.

These defendants displayed that even apart from Manson...

...murder ran through their own blood.

Now we come to the question that has been asked since these murders occurred. Why?

Why did Charles Manson order these seven murders?

Ladies and gentlemen...

...the prosecution does not have any burden of proving motive.

We have no obligation to show one single, solitary speck of evidence as to motive.

However, when we have evidence of motive, we introduce it.

For if one has a motive for committing murder...

...this is circumstantial evidence that it was he who committed the murder.

ln this trial, we will offer evidence of Manson's motives...

...for ordering these seven murders.

The evidence will show Manson's fanatical obsession with Helter Skelter...

...a term he got from the English musical group The Beatles.

To Manson, Helter Skelter meant the black man rising up...

...and destroying the entire white race.

That is, with the exception of Charles Manson and his chosen followers.

Keep it clear. Please, keep the aisle clear.

Gentlemen, keep it clear, please.

Stand back, please.

Keep it clear, please.

-Keep it-- -You'll kill us all!

Kill us all!

Raise your right hand.

Object, on the grounds this witness is not competent and she's insane.

l ask the court to strike that and find him in contempt for gross misconduct.

-This is unbelievable! -Come to the bench.

The jury is admonished to disregard Mr. Scoville's comments.

Mr. Scoville's objections alleges Linda Kasabian is incompetent...

...because she has taken LSD at least 300 times.

After 10 minutes of discussion, the objection is overruled.

Motion for a mistrial is denied.

The first question to Linda elicits another objection, another motion for mistrial.

After another 10 minutes' discussion, this second motion is also denied.

A pattern of incessant objections and motions is established...

...yet, piece by piece, the story of Linda Kasabian and the Manson Family emerges...

...from the hours of wrangling and obfuscation.

Mrs. Kasabian, do you have any children?

Yes. I have two children.

And what are their names?

Tanya and Angel.

When did you come to Los Angeles?

Maybe...

...the 2 7th of June, 1969.

Did you first meet Gypsy, or Catherine Share on July 4, 1969?

Yes.

She had come to see a friend who lived in the truck with us.

Did she have anything to do with you going to Spahn Ranch?

-Yes, she did. -And how was that?

She told me that there was a beautiful man that we'd all been waiting for.

I became a member of a family.

Now, what do you mean by that, ''a member of the Family''?

Well, we lived together as one family...

...as a family lives together...

...a mother and a father and children...

...but we were all just one...

...and Charlie was the head.

-How old are you, Vince? -Thirty-five.

You're lucky, you can go right from this case on into Social Security.

l was ready for his objections and motions. l've seen him in action.

What bothers me is he's sometimes effective. He keeps testimony out l want in.

For instance, today, l know he wore Judge Older down...

...with his constant, ''Objection, hearsay.'' He said it over and over again until...

...Older thought he was right and sustained.

lf l can't use Linda Kasabian's testimony against Manson--

This is it: People v. Stevens.

This is the kind of statement we need.

The court rules in here that you can show the existence of a conspiracy...

...by showing the relationship between the parties, including statements to each other.

Beautiful.

A little past mid-July, 1969...

...did a group of Family members and guests gather at the back house?

-Yes, they did. -About how many people?

Objection, Your Honor, ambiguous as to time and also calling for a conclusion.

Overruled.

The Family...

...maybe 20, and l believe there were three guests.

Four guests.

What took place that night?

Object, Your Honor.

Overruled, let's proceed.

-Do you have the question in mind? -Yes, l do.

There was one particular girl, l don't remember her name....

ln view of the fact that the witness--

Don't interrupt the answer. Let's proceed.

She was very young.

l'd say about 16.

And she was quite shy, very withdrawn.

And l remember she was laying in the middle of the room...

...and Charlie came over to her, and he started...

...touching her and kissing her...

...and you know.

Well, like, she was really rejecting him...

...trying to push him off...

...and he just sort of pushed her back down and kissed her.

At this point, she bit him on the shoulder, and he hit her in the face.

And then she just sort of let go or whatever.

And then he flashed the signal to Bobby Beausoleil to take over...

...and do his thing, and then he told everybody...

...to touch her and to kiss her and join in.

And everybody did.

Move to strike the entire answer as non-responsive and immaterial.

lt's hearsay.

Join in the motion, may we approach?

We have to stick more to the point here.

What is the purpose of this extensive testimony about sex?

l'm trying to prove that Manson dominated even the sex lives of these people.

Motion's denied.

Your Honor, this is the most prejudicial-- What Mr. Bugliosi is eliciting--

Excuse me, sir. Excuse me. The G is soft. lt's Bugliosi.

-l'm sorry. -Let's proceed.

Thank you.

Did anyone who was present touch this girl before Charlie told them to?

No, l don't believe so.

After everyone touched the girl, then what happened?

Then he told everybody to make love with everybody.

While you were at Spahn Ranch, did you have any discussions with Manson?

-Object! -Yes.

Just a minute, l will object, Your Honor, on the grounds of time.

Overruled.

ln your discussions with Mr. Manson, did he ever talk about right and wrong?

-Yes. -Objection! This is leading and suggestive.

-Overruled. -What did he say?

He said there was no wrong--

Everything was all right, there was no wrong.

Did he ever say anything about willing to kill or be killed?

Leading and suggestive, Your Honor.

-Overruled. -He used to say:

''lf you're willing to be killed...

...then you should be willing to kill.''

Did you ever see or observe...

...any member of the Family refuse to do anything Mr. Manson told them to?

-Hearsay, Your Honor! -Overruled.

Nobody did.

We always wanted to do anything and everything for him.

During the day of August 8, do you recall him saying anything about Helter Skelter?

-Yes, l do. -What was the occasion?

Well, we were sitting around, talking about things...

...and Charlie was saying how people couldn't get it together...

...how people were on their own little trips, and they wouldn't go on his trip.

They just couldn't get it together at all.

And then he just came out and said:

''Now is the time for Helter Skelter.''

-That was August 8th, 1969? -l believe so.

And did anything unusual happen after dinner?

Yes.

l remember l was standing out in front of the gun room at this one point...

...and Charlie came up to me and pulled me off the porch.

And he told me l needed a change of clothing...

...a knife and my driver's license.

-An additional change of clothing? -Yes.

-And did you get these things? -Yes.

And he told me to go with Tex...

...and do what Tex told me to do, and l....

l got into the car...

...and l believe Sadie and Katie were already in the back seat.

What is the next thing that happened?

Tex got in the car, and we started to drive away.

And then Charlie said:

''Leave a sign. You girls know what I mean.

Something witchy. ''

This trial is the second crucifixion of Christ.

The second crucifixion.

This trial is the second....

There's the chief crucifier! There he is!

l'm sure Mr. Bugliosi would like a picture of Charlie.

No, thanks, Mary, l already have an autographed one on my mantelpiece.

She's proof of what's wrong with immunity deals.

But without her testimony, l doubt Beausoleil would be in the death house.

But she's a killer, Aaron, running loose.

l know. l'm talking about the second crucifixion.

Still, Vince...

...if it weren't for immunity...

...we'd be nowhere without Linda.

Linda didn't kill anyone. We're not turning a killer free.

All right, don't get hot at me.

Your Honor, l have here a .22 caliber Longhorn revolver. May it be marked...

-...People's 40 for identification? -lt will be so marked.

-Have you ever seen this revolver before? -Yes, l have.

And where did you see it for the first time?

In the car.

This is the revolver in the glove compartment?

Yes.

Did you actually see Tex climb the pole?

I think so. I'm not positive.

I just remember seeing the wires fall.

Linda, l show you People's 41 for identification.

Have you ever seen this rope before?

That looks like the rope.

It looks like the rope that what?

That Tex was carrying up the hill.

What happened after you, Katie, Tex and Sadie walked up the hill?

We....

We climbed over.

We climbed over a fence.

And then a light started coming towards us.

Are you able to go on, Mrs. Kasabian?

Yes. Yes, l am.

And the man said:

''Please, don't hurt me, l won't say anything.''

Now, you say that Tex cut the screen of the window.

What's the next thing that happened?

He told me...

...to go back to the car and wait.

And l did.

And then...

...all of a sudden...

...l heard--

l heard screams.

There were no words.

lt was beyond words.

lt was just screams.

lt was horrible!

Your Honor...

...l can appreciate that, but...

...l ask that the statement about ''horrible'' ....

The statement is out. The jury is admonished to disregard it.

l'll get you a cup of water.

How long did the screaming go on?

l don't know.

lt seemed like forever.

lnfinite.

My mind went blank...

...and l was aware of my body walking towards the house.

Then l hit....

Oh, God, l'm so sorry.

Sadie, please, make it stop!

l hear people coming.

And she said:

''lt's too late.''

And then l said to Sadie:

''Sadie, please, make it stop.''

And when you told Sadie people were coming, was that the truth?

No.

And why did you tell her that?

Because l just wanted them to stop!

All right, Mrs. Kasabian, you can step down.

Ladies and gentlemen, do not converse with anyone...

...nor form or express an opinion regarding this case until it has been submitted to you.

The court will adjourn at this time until 9:45 tomorrow morning.

When was the first time you learned the names of the five victims?

The following day on the news.

Sadie woke me up and told me to go to Spahn's trailer to watch television.

When l got there, she switched the channels to the news.

And then Charlie came in and called Katie, Leslie and myself aside...

...and told us to get a change of clothing and meet in the bunkroom, which we did.

And he told me to get my driver's license.

That's three lies you've told already.

No, Charlie.

l've spoken the truth, and you know it.

Did Mr. Manson say anything to you once you were all in the bunkhouse?

He said we were going out again, tonight.

That last night was too messy...

...and that he was gonna show us how to do it.

He's had this information a week, and we haven't heard it.

l've given it three times.

Objections from the defense continue.

Terrence Milik, during a dispute, uses obscene language.

Judge Older cites him for contempt of court.

He told me that there was a man and a woman...

...tied up in the house.

And that he had tied their hands...

...and told them not to be afraid, that he wasn't going to hurt them.

And then he told them:

''Don't cause fear and panic in these people.

Don't let them know you're going to kill them. ''

And afterwards, they should hitchhike back to the ranch.

You say Mr. Manson gave you a wallet?

Yes, he did.

Did he tell you what to do with respect to that wallet?

He told me to take the change out of the wallet...

...and wipe off the fingerprints.

And then, we were going to put it someplace...

...where a black person would pick it up and use the credit card...

...so that the people, the establishment...

...would think it was some sort of organized group that killed these people.

Presumably, the black militants.

He said they wanted to show blackie how to do it.

Order.

The court will recess for 15 minutes.

l'm gonna have Bugliosi and Older killed.

Testing, testing. One, two, three, testing.

Testing, testing. Do you read me? Over.

Coming through loud and clear.

-Roger. -Vince, what if--?

lf they cut the phone wires, we have communication with police.

And come here. l got a full-time bodyguard too.

-See him? -lt's like being in a war.

Say, Vince? Vince, l want to apologize.

Terry, it was a heat-of-the-moment remark.

-l'm sorry Older found you in contempt. -That's not it.

What l did was a hell of a lot worse.

l suggested that Everett Scoville be Manson's attorney.

You testified this morning, did you not, that you have taken LSD 50 times?

Approximately, yes.

What is LSD?

Lysergic acid diethylamide. Something like that.

Well, is it a chemical? Does it provoke an emotional response like anger?

Fear? Jealousy? Hate?

My sole purpose for taking it was for realization, God realization.

-That was to discover God? -Yes.

Were you successful in that endeavor?

l realize you don't have to take peyote or LSD to discover God.

l believe you stated that you've taken 50 acid trips.

Would you please describe what happened on trip number 23?

l object to that question as being ridiculous.

Sustained.

What is this?

All counsel will come to the bench.

If jurors had been influenced by the headline...

...grounds for a mistrial may have been established.

Therefore, each juror is questioned, under oath, by Judge Older.

Do you feel that it has influenced you in any way?

No, sir.

Do you feel you can form an opinion based solely upon evidence presented to you?

l'm sure l can, Your Honor.

-Very good, you may step down. -Thank you.

-Yes, sir. -Do you feel it's influenced your thinking?

All 12 jurors and alternates state under oath...

...that they have not been influenced and will only consider the evidence presented.

l didn't vote for Mr. Nixon anyway.

Now, Mrs. Kasabian...

...you testified that when you saw the shooting of Steven Parent...

...you went into a state of shock.

Now, just exactly when did that state of shock end?

l don't know when it ended.

-l don't know if it ever ended. -Oh!

And you weren't under the influence of any drugs, is that right?

-No. -You weren't under the influence...

...of anything, right?

l was under the influence of Charlie.

Oh, yes.

Now, Mrs. Kasabian, l show you this picture.

Oh, God.

Oh, for God's sake.

Oh, God.

Mrs. Kasabian, the truth is that you made up this whole story, didn't you?

-No. -Didn't you?!

No. Nobody could make that up.

Nobody.

Mrs. Kasabian, why are you crying right now?

-Because l just can't believe-- -Believe what, Mrs. Kasabian?

-That they could do that. -Oh, that they could do that!

Not that you could do it, Mrs. Kasabian, but that they could do it.

-l know l didn't do that. -Oh?

But you were in a state of shock, weren't you?

-That's right. -Then how do you know?

Because l know.

l do not have that kind of thing in me, to do such an animalistic thing.

Linda...

...tell me, do you feel that you are controlled by Mr. Manson's vibrations?

Possibly.

Did he put off a lot of vibes?

Sure.

He's doing it right now.

May the record reflect, Your Honor, that Mr. Manson...

... is merely sitting there.

He doesn't seem to be vibrating.

Your Honor, the president said we are guilty...

...so why go on with the trial?

Would you please repeat your response?

Her reply was that Charlie had sent them, yes.

No further questions, Mr. Jones.

You may step down, Mr. Jones.

-May l examine him, Your Honor? -No, you may not.

l'm gonna fight for my life, you might as well let me do it with words.

lf you don't stop, l'll have to have you removed.

lf you don't stop, l'll have you removed. l've got a little system.

-Call the next witness. -Do you think l'm kidding?!

This is the second crucifixion of Christ! This is the second crucifixion of Christ!

This is the second crucifixion of Christ! This is the second crucifixion of Christ!

And the hypocrite....

Gillespie inquires as to the judge's state of mind.

lf he'd taken one more step, l would have defended myself.

Because of the judge's state of mind, Gillespie says he has to ask for a mistrial.

lt isn't gonna be that easy, Mr. Gillespie.

They are not going to profit from their own wrong.

Denied.

Call the next witness.

The People of the State of California rest.

-Are you ready to proceed with defense? -Yes, Your Honor.

Mr. Gillespie, call your first witness.

Your Honor, the defendants rest.

-We wanna testify! -We wanna testify!

Let us testify!

The counsel--

Older orders counsel into chambers and demands an explanation.

-Your Honor-- -l gotta keep them off the stand.

Our contention is that their testimony is already perjured...

...and it would be inadmissible as perjured evidence.

There's a split between attorneys and clients.

Atkins, Krenwinkel and Van Houten wish to testify...

...that they committed the murders and Manson was not involved.

The attorneys vehemently oppose this and want to forestall it by resting the case.

Gentlemen...

...defendants are gonna be allowed to testify.

The right to testify supersedes any and all other rights.

Before the girls are called to the stand, Manson asks permission to speak.

Judge Older grants permission, but it must be made...

...outside the presence of the jury.

l never went to school...

...so l never learned how to read or write too good.

And l stayed in jail, and l stayed stupid...

...and l stayed a child while l watched your world grow up.

And then l look at what you do...

...and l don't understand.

You eat meat...

...and you kill things that are better than you are...

...and then you say how bad...

...or even killers, your children are.

These children that come at you with knives.

They're your children.

You taught them, l didn't teach them.

l just tried to help them stand up.

The people you call my Family...

...were people you didn't want.

People alongside the road that their parents had kicked out.

So l took them to my garbage dump, and l fed them...

...and l taught them that in love, there's no wrong.

l can't dislike you...

...but l can say this to you:

lt's not going to be long before you all kill yourselves because you're all crazy.

And you can project it back on me...

...but l'm only what lives in each and every one of you.

My father's a jailhouse.

My father's your system.

l'm a reflection of you.

l'm what you made me.

l've ate out of your garbage cans to stay out of jail.

l've worn your secondhand clothes.

l've tried my best to get along in your world...

...and now you say you wanna kill me.

And l look at you, and l say to myself, you wanna kill me.

l'm already dead!

l have been all my life.

l spent 23 years in tombs that you built.

Sometimes l wanna give it all back to you.

Sometimes, l wanna jump on you and let you shoot me.

lf l could, l'd grab this microphone, l'd beat your brains out...

...because that's what you deserve!

These children...

...everything they done, they done for love of brother.

ls that a conspiracy?

ls it a conspiracy that the music...

...is telling the youth to rise up against the establishment...

...because the establishment is rapidly destroying things. ls that a conspiracy?

The music speaks to you every day, but you're too deaf, dumb and blind to listen.

lt's not my conspiracy.

lt's not my music.

l hear what it relates. lt says, ''Rise.'' lt says, ''Kill.''

Why blame it on me? l didn't write the music.

How can you blame...

...what you do on your children?

And what about your children, huh?

What about them?

You say they're just a few. Well, there are many, many more.

And they're running in the streets, all in the same direction, right at you!

-Amen. -Amen, Charlie. Right on, Charlie.

-Amen! -Amen!

Amen! Right on, Charlie!

You don't have to testify.

--has been serving as defense counsel for Leslie Van Houten...

...one of the defendants in the Tate-LaBianca murder trial.

Milik is believed to have spent the weekend on a camping trip...

...to Sespe Hot Springs, rugged terrain some 130 miles northwest of Los Angeles.

He may have been stranded there because of flooding.

His absence may delay--

And then again, he may not have been.

Hi, honey. How does this sound?

''Everett Scoville, the Toscanini of tedium...

...has accused the prosecution of tying up the court.''

''Toscanini of tedium''? l like it.

l thought you said he was the most effective of all the defense counsel.

He has been.

Vince, do you think Mr. Milik would maybe stay away...

...to sabotage the trial?

No, sweetheart. He's not the type.

And, Your Honor, on the photograph to the left of that...

...it's quite obvious that the Tate house itself was entered.

That's part of the process by which we're introducing testimony.

You're the murderer. You're the leader of the ''Pig Murder Gang.''

What did you do with my attorney?

-What'd you do with him? -Remove the defendants!

We're gonna get you!

Your guts are gonna fall out, Older! You're not gonna get any older, Older!

Help me!

No American court is required to submit to this kind of nonsense day after day.

The defendants will not be allowed to return for the remainder of the guilt trial.

And Linda Kasabian testified that Watson shot Steven Parent four times.

You heard expert medical testimony that Parent had been shot four times.

-Testified my ass. -Pig! You lying whore!

-Pig! -Yeah, she really testified, all right.

Linda Kasabian testified that Parent had slumped over toward the passenger side...

...and you saw police photographs showing Parent slumped toward the passenger side.

Forty-five instances where other evidence confirms Linda Kasabian's testimony.

Ladies and gentlemen, we are all very privileged in this courtroom...

...because we have been enlightened by a new society...

...led by a new Jesus Christ...

...who is none other than Charles Manson.

We've even learned a new commandment:

Thou shalt love thy neighbor by killing thy neighbor.

We've seen young people become disciples of this new Christ...

...by slaughtering human beings...

...for the mere pleasure and the excitement of it.

We've learned how this new Christ...

...will lead his chosen people out of the desert...

...followed by the enslaved black man.

No.

What we have learned, ladies and gentleman...

...is that this new Christ is not Charles Manson, but Charles Con Man.

That's the religion he knows very well...

...and the one over which he is the leader.

And are we supposed to pity this con man...

...who has ordered at least seven murders?

Are we to pity him for tying up the hands of Leno and Rosemary LaBianca...

...so they could be brutally butchered a little more neatly, more orderly?

Are we to pity this Family leader whose hero was Adolf Hitler...

...who had ordered the mass murder of six million Jews?

On the hot summer night of August the 8th, 1969...

...Charles Manson...

...the Mephistophelean guru...

...who raped and bastardized the minds of all those who gave themselves to him...

...sent out from the fires of hell at Spahn Ranch...

...three heartless, bloodthirsty robots...

...and unfortunately for him...

...one human being...

...little Linda Kasabian.

What resulted that night...

...was perhaps the most inhuman...

...nightmarish, horror-filled hour of savage murder...

...and human slaughter in the recorded annals of crime.

As the helpless, defenseless victims begged and screamed into the night for their lives...

...their lifeblood gushed from their bodies, forming rivers of gore.

lf they could have...

...l'm sure that Watson, Atkins, Krenwinkel...

...would gladly have swum in that river of blood...

...and with orgasmic ecstasy on their faces.

Susan Atkins, the Vampira...

...actually tasted Sharon Tate's blood.

On the very next night, Leslie Van Houten joined the group of murderers.

And this time it was poor Leno and Rosemary LaBianca...

...who were brutally butchered to satisfy Charles Manson's homicidal madness.

Ladies and gentlemen...

...in a capital case in California, the trial is divided into two phases.

Now, the first phase, with which we are dealing now, is the guilt phase.

We are not asking you to decide in the extent of the punishment.

That comes in the second phase.

The People of the State of California are asking you at this time...

...to review the evidence...

...and decide whether the prosecution has met its legal burden...

...of proving the guilt of these defendants.

And based upon the evidence you heard from that witness stand...

...not only isn't there any reasonable doubt as to their guilt...

...which is our only burden...

...but there can be no doubt whatsoever of their guilt.

Ladies and gentlemen of the jury...

...Sharon Tate...

...Jay Sebring...

...Abigail Folger...

...Voytek Frykowski...

...Steven Parent...

...Leno LaBianca...

...and Rosemary LaBianca...

...are not here with us now in this courtroom.

But from their graves...

...they cry out for justice!

And justice can only be done...

...by your returning to this courtroom with a verdict of guilty.

Ladies and gentlemen of the jury...

...this trial has been an enormous imposition on all of your personal, private lives.

And on behalf of the People of the State of California, l want to thank you very much...

...for the patience and attention you've shown throughout these proceedings.

You've been an exemplary jury.

The plaintiff in this trial is the People of the State of California.

And l have all the confidence in the world that you won't let them down.

Thank you.

Hello?

This is Mrs. Bugliosi, may l help you?

Who?

lt's the clerk of the court.

Hello?

Yeah.

Yeah, l'll be right there. Thanks.

Jury's reached a verdict. Older wants to see the attorneys.

Dress warmly. You have a temperature.

Honey, l've been aiming for this moment for 14 months.

All jurors and alternates are present.

All counsel but Mr. Milik are present.

The defendants are present.

Mr. Tubick, has the jury reached a verdict?

Yes, Your Honor, we have.

Would you hand the verdict forms to the bailiff?

Will the defendants please rise?

The clerk will read the verdicts.

January 25, 1971...

... 17 months and 17 days after the murders of the seven Tate and LaBianca victims.

ln Superior Court of the State of California...

...for the County of Los Angeles...

...the People of the State of California v. Charles Manson...

...Patricia Krenwinkel, Susan Atkins and Leslie Van Houten...

...case number A-253156, Department 104...

...we, the jury, in the above entitled action, find the defendant...

...Charles Manson, guilty of the crime of murder of Abigail Folger...

...in violation of Section 187, Penal Code of California.

A felony, as charged in count one of the indictment...

...and we further find it to be murder of the first degree.''

Susan Atkins, guilty of conspiracy to commit murder...

...and seven counts of murder in the first degree.

Leslie Van Houten, conspiracy to commit murder...

...and two counts of murder in the first degree.

Patricia Krenwinkel, guilty of conspiracy to commit murder...

...and seven counts of murder in the first degree.

The penalty phase of the trial begins.

The issue is whether they will receive life in prison or the death penalty.

The defense seeks to bring circumstances...

...background, remorse and the possibility of rehabilitation to the jury's attention.

Susan...

...were you personally involved with the Tate and LaBianca homicides?

Yes.

Did you ever feel any remorse?

Remorse?

For doing what was right to me?

l have no guilt in me.

Leslie, do you feel as if you wanted to cry for what happened?

Cry for her death?

Why?

She's not the only person who has died.

Well, do you think about it from time to time?

Only when l'm in the courtroom.

l'm the devil...

...and the devil always shaves his head.

Bugliosi...

...if l get the death penalty...

...there's gonna be bloodletting, because l won't take it.

There's already been a lot of bloodletting, Charlie. That's what we're trying to stop.

Vince.

Did you hear about Terry Milik?

They found him, face-down in a pool of water with his head wedged under a rock.

And that's only the beginning.

l don't see how you people do this without letting me put up some defense.

You people ain't got no authority over me! Half of you in here ain't as good as l am!

You ain't gonna outlive this, old man!

You ain't gonna outlive this, old man! You're gonna die, you hear?

You're gonna die! You're gonna die!

You're gonna die!

We, the jury, in the above entitled action, having found the defendant...

...guilty of murder in the first degree...

...as charged in count one of the indictment...

...do now fix the penalty as death.

You have just judged yourselves.

You better lock your doors and watch your own kids.

Your system's a game, you blind, stupid people.

Your children will turn against you.

lt's death for all defendants.

Death! That's what you're all gonna get!

Mr. Bugliosi?

Yeah, Charlie.

Can l talk to you for a minute?

-We're gonna get him upstairs, Mr. Bugliosi. -That's okay, Joe.

l don't think we'll be seeing each other again.

l don't have no hard feelings.

Thank you, Charlie.

You done a remarkable job.

You gave me a fair trial, just like you promised.

And l ain't bitter about having to go back in.

lt's always been my home anyhow.

What about death, Charlie?

What about it?

l told you, l'm already dead.

And while l'm waiting around to take the other form...

...l got steady chow. lt ain't great, but it's better than garbage.

l don't gotta work if l don't want to, so l got plenty of time to play my guitar.

You know...

...you beat a man with a whip...

...and he likes the whip...

...you're just making a fool out of yourself, partner.

-Aren't you gonna miss the girls? -l don't need broads.

There's plenty of sex in prison.

You still think the black man's gonna take over?

l may have put a clog in that one.

ln other words, the trial alerted whitey.

Yeah.

But l almost did it, didn't l? l almost pulled it off, almost made it.

No, Charlie, you weren't even close.

You killed some people, that's what you did.

You accomplished murder.

You took a bunch of sad kids, human flotsam...

...and you played jailhouse games on them.

That's it, Charlie.

You're not even important anymore.

On February 18th, 1972...

...the California State Supreme Court voted to abolish the death penalty in California.

The death sentences of the killers in the Manson Family...

...were automatically reduced to life imprisonment.

Manson himself...

...becomes eligible to apply for parole in 1978.

Susan Atkins, murderer, eligible to apply for parole in 1978.

Patricia Krenwinkel, murderer, eligible to apply for parole in 1978.

Leslie Van Houten, murderer, eligible to apply for parole in 1978.

Charles Tex Watson, murderer, eligible to apply for parole in 1978.

Bobby Beausoleil, murderer, eligible to apply for parole in 1978.

Meanwhile, other Family members, some implicated in one or more...

...of the 35 killings admitted by Charles Manson...

...are right now either at liberty or awaiting parole.

With Charles Manson in jail...

...does an era of madness now come to an end?

Or will the social compost heap from which he sprang produce other...

...perhaps more virulent strains of Mansonism?

Are there many more? Perhaps hundreds, or even thousands...

...of young Mansons germinating in the same hotbed that gave birth to Charlie?

And will they be more antisocial, more aberrant than the original?