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- [00:02]
Celisia Stanton
You're listening to a Tenderfoot TV podcast. Ready to level up? Shumba Casino is your playbook to fun. It's free to play with no purchase necessary. Enjoy hundreds of casino style games like bingo, slots and Solitaire anytime, anywhere with fresh releases every week. Whether you're at home or on the go. Let Shumba Casino bring the excitement to you. Plus get free daily login bonuses and a free welcome bonus. Join now for your chance to redeem some serious prizes. Play Chumba Casino today. No purchase necessary. VGW Group void where prohibited by law 18/ TNC supply hi friends, I am thrilled to share a recent collaboration I did with the team here at Tenderfoot TV for their latest series up and Vanished Weekly. This week I joined the up and Vanished team to dig into the tragic story of Mitrice Richardson, a case that's haunted Los Angeles for over a decade. It began on September 16, 2009 when 24 year old Mitrice was acting oddly at a Malibu restaurant. Authorities were called, but hours later she was released from custody in the middle of the night. No car, no phone, no wallet. What happened next is a heartbreaking mix of mystery and tragedy. Up in Vanish Crater, Payne Lindsay discusses the details of Mitrice's case step by step. Then host Maggie Freeling and I break down the case, asking the tough where did the system fail and who should be held accountable to Listen to the full episode, search up and Vanish Weekly in your podcast app or wherever you listen. While you're there, follow the show for more investigative episodes. Hi friends, I'm so excited to share this new Season two episode of Truer Crime with you. If you want an ad free Listening experience, subscribe to Tenderfoot Plus@tenderfootplus.com or on Apple Podcasts. Hi friends, Quick update before we get into today's episode. Two weeks ago I shared this big goal of hitting 2000 reviews for true Crime before the end of the season. And honestly, you all have been showing up in such a big way. We're making real progress and I just want to take a second to say thank you to everyone who's left a review so far. And if you haven't yet, it's still the perfect time to jump in. I know sometimes it's hard to know what to say, so here's maybe an easy way to start. Just think about the episodes that you've listened to so far. Is there something that stuck with you? A story that you appreciated? Something that you know stood out about the way that we told it? Sharing that in a review not Only helps us, but it also puts that episode in front of someone new. And that means more people discovering these stories, which, especially with cases like last Week's episode on DeForest Johnson, really matters. A lot of you told me that you love true crime because it feels different from so much of the true crime out there that's intentional. Like, from the very start, I wanted to be a part of shifting the true crime genre, making space for stories that are actually digging deeper, that challenge us, that center people over spectacle. And my biggest hope is to get this show into as many ears as possible. Already, so many of you have been spreading the word, telling a friend, sharing about the show on Instagram, texting a family member, and that that's genuinely huge. That's how a lot of new listeners are finding truer crime. Not from an algorithm, but because someone they trust said, hey, you should check this out. So if you love the show, please be loud about it, share it, post about it, text someone who might connect with one of these stories. It all matters, and we won't get to where we want without that. And here's the truth. If every person who listened left a review and shared the show today, we would not just hit our goal, we would blow past it. We'd rise through the charts, reach thousands of new listeners, and get these stories in front of the people who need to hear them. And that starts with you. So can you help me make it happen? If you're on Apple, leave a rating and review. If you're on Spotify, a quick star rating works just as well. And please take a second to share the show. That's how we grow, and that's how we keep going. All right, thank you, truly, for being here, for supporting the show. I love you guys. Now let's get into the episode. Please be aware that today's episode contains mentions of sexual assault and violence. Please take care while listening. The most famous murder in the history of Los Angeles.
- [04:47]
Payne Lindsay
Five dead, brutally shot or stabbed. 169 stab wounds between the five. In all my years, I have never seen anything like this before. The killers used Tate's blood to write pig on the front door. A macabre message that shocked and confused the city. They were average American kids, and that's what was so shocking. Believe me, if I started murdering people, there'd be none of you left.
- [05:18]
Celisia Stanton
The Manson family murders. It's the kind of tragic tale that's spawned countless headlines and a seemingly endless barrage of media adaptations. Often on this show, I explore the kinds of cases that rarely get covered. The stories left untold. Manson's saga is the exact opposite. In true crime, it's everywhere. But that fact, well, it sparks a whole different set of questions. What if the same structures that decide which stories aren't talked about are also shaping how we tell the stories we do talk about? What sorts of details fly under the radar no matter how much coverage a case gets? And what if it's precisely because we think we know a story that it's important to revisit it? So today, we'll be exploring just that as we dive into a series of murders that have both fascinated and terrified Americans for more than 60 years. I'm Celisia Stanton, and you're listening to Truer Crime. The story of Charles Manson has had its grip on American culture for decades. So maybe you've heard of it. Or at least the sensationalized version of it. The tale of a hippie cult leader whose miraculous powers of manipulation convinced a group of girls to embark on a murder spree that resulted in the deaths of at least seven people. It's this simple telling that I was vaguely familiar with before researching today's episode. One day, early in that research, I opened up my computer and tapped Manson trial into my Google Image search bar. The photos that filled my screen were striking Manson followers sitting outside the courthouse in protest.
- [07:08]
Payne Lindsay
Charlie will be coming out soon.
- [07:10]
Celisia Stanton
In one photo, four women knelt on the sidewalk, their heads shaved, bare X's carved into their skin. I soon learned that the X's were meant to match one Manson had cut into his own forehead during the trial. And the shaved heads, Those appeared after Manson had shaved his own.
- [07:30]
Payne Lindsay
Of course, people see that this is the end, that a revolution's coming, or a lot of big changes are.
- [07:36]
Celisia Stanton
I couldn't help but wonder who these girls were. Why would they put so much trust in a man like Charles Manson? And then there were the photos of Manson himself. Wide eyed, hair and beard long and unkempt. I kept scrolling. Suddenly, a different image stopped me dead in my tracks. It's a prison mugshot. Manson, older now, is smiling. The X once gouged into his forehead, now hid beneath a tattoo of a swastika. Wait, what? How had I never known Manson made permanent on his body such a striking, visible, unmistakable symbol of hatred and racism. His story is everywhere. But I never heard anything about this. And as I continued my research, it became clear that the parts of this story related to race, well, they'd become a footnote in the cultural memory. But how could that be? And as I would Discover. Answering that question means returning to the beginning. It means going back to a time before the newscasts, before the trial, before that deadly night in the summer of 1968. It means learning about the creation of Manson himself. Manson's father was never in the picture, and so his mother Kathleen gave her son the name of a different man who she'd soon marry and then divorce. In 1939, when Manson was four years old, his mother went to prison for robbery. After she got out, Manson was shipped to boarding school. He ran away, charging headfirst into an adolescence filled with lying, thieving and violence. And then, on March 7th of 1949, Manson appeared on the front page of the Indianapolis News under the headline, Dreams Come True for Ladd. He's going to Boys Town. Next to the article, a picture shows Manson, 14, well dressed in a suit and tie, clean shaven and fresh faced, shaking hands with the judge. The words it's goodbye and good luck appear above Manson's smiling face. The article, written by Robert Newell, details Manson's difficult and unstable life and how it all led him to act out. Manson told the court he didn't know where his mom was, and at that point he didn't care. But still, the article reads as a happy story about the promise of a second chance at a good life, this time at Boys Town. Reflecting on his future, Manson told the court, I think I could be happy working around cows and horses. I like animals. The article ends with a quote from the judge. Maybe you'll have that farm yet and be a real farmer, son. You just try hard to learn the things they teach. The article was heavy with hope. Celebrating would be a new phase of life for Manson. And if I'd found this article in 1949, it might have read like a feel good community feature. But I was reading it in 2024 and knew how the story ended. Manson broke out of Boys Town just four days after he arrived. A few weeks later, he was sent to an even tougher reform school with even harsher punishments, followed by yet another attempt to escape. It's a story that would continue to echo and rhyme in a kind of deja vu that seemed to meander not march or sprint, but cycle and drift to a deeper, darker place, like water circling a drain. More reform schools, more crime, his own marriage, a child, and soon enough, divorce. Eventually, unsurprisingly, prison. There he discovered Scientology, learned dubious new skills, and read the work of Dale Carnegie, author of how to Win Friends and Influence People. And all of this was paired with a new dream. One where Manson would become a successful musician so big he'd even outshine the Beatles. Here I remembered the article that I'd found earlier, the one showing a smiling 14 year old Manson on his path to Boys Town, still clinging to the hope of a better life. But now, as I read the details of Manson's twenties and early thirties, it was bleak. The same patterns cementing themselves well into his adult life. What was most apparent to me was no matter how many times he was arrested or how many years he spent in prison, his behavior on the outside only got worse. But Manson wouldn't stay in prison forever, and at 32 years old, he'd be released one final time.
- [12:30]
Maggie Freeling
Escape to a bygone age of mystery, danger and romance as you immerse yourself into the world of June's Journey, a hidden object mystery mobile game that puts your detective skills to the test. Play as June Parker and investigate beautifully detailed scenes of the 1920s while uncovering the mystery of her sister's murder. With hundreds of mind teasing puzzles, the next clue is always within reach. Wouldn't you love to play a game on your phone where you can become a detective and find clues? Figure out scandalous family secrets with each scene leading to a new thrilling storyline. Solve mind teasing mysteries of the Roaring Twenties. Each chapter uncovers a collection of dazzling hidden object spectacles for you to solve. This game is about a daring young girl, June, traveling to her sister's estate to uncover scandalous family secrets, mystery, danger and romance. Where will each new chapter take you? Collect scraps of information to fill your photo album and learn more about each character. Chat and play with or against other players by joining a detective club. You'll even get the chance to play in a detective league to put your skills to the test. If you're craving a good mystery or just looking for an escape, June's Journey is what you need in your life. I just got through the vault door in the secret tunnel and I'm not going to tell you what's behind it. You'll have to find out for yourself. Discover your inner detective when you download June's Journey for free today on iOS and Android.
- [14:00]
Celisia Stanton
Oh sheet. Honey, chill. It's just laundry. Not that I'm talking about these Arm and Hammer Power sheets. All the power of Arm and Hammer laundry detergent in a convenient tossable sheet. Oh sheet. That's what I'm saying. And Arm and Hammer Power sheets deliver an effective clean at a great price. Think of all the laundry we'll do and all the money we'll save oh, sheet, arm and hammer, more power to you. To truly comprehend what happened next after Manson was released from prison, you gotta understand the landscape. It happened in the 1960s. The 60s were a turbulent decade in America and worldwide. And with the Vietnam War raging, so too was the resentment of the American people. According to Sarah Pruitt, writing for History, many folks, especially young people, saw the war as a senseless and immoral fight, responsible for the murders of innocent people, all while wasting billions of dollars. What's more, they felt that the government had been lying to them, drafting young men just to send them to their deaths. And as news stations televised the reality of the war, many Americans became even more validated. And in their disagreement, when all was said and done, hundreds of thousands of Americans across the country collectively protested the conflict. It was a movement made up of diverse communities, from civil rights protesters and the hippies to women's liberation activists and the Black panthers. And in 1967, Manson, now 32, had just completed another stint and lockup. According to author Jeff Guyn, it was a transition Manson had been anxious about. With no clear plan about what would come next, he decided to trek to San Francisco. But the world of the late 60s was much different than the one he navigated just a few years prior. The civil rights movement, which had won a series of victories in the middle of the decade, seemed to be losing steam for many. The assassination of Martin Luther King in 1968 marked the end of the unified movement. But this wasn't the only countercultural community that was changing. Manson's release from prison lined up perfectly with what we now call the Summer of Love, a period where thousands of young people flocked to San Francisco to experiment with drugs, music, sex, and alternative lifestyles. According to writer Sarah Pruitt, the hippie movement was blooming in every major US City from Boston to Seattle, from Detroit to New Orleans, encompassing some 300,000 people. Manson, fascinated by this new scene, quickly adapted to it. He grew his hair long, wore colorful clothes, played guitar, and preached his own philosophy of love and freedom. But despite what seemed to be the high point of the hippie movement, the culture's focus on drugs meant that things had started to take a darker turn. Photographer Joe Sandberg, who documented the destruction of the hippie scene, would tell the Atlantic, all they really cared about was drugs, drugs, drugs. They just supported anything that was against the establishment. There was no intellectual foundation. The spirit everyone had talked about, the feeling of love and New Age and progressive politics was dying a miserable death. It started out with all this higher thinking. But once the drugs took over, all those big ideas disappeared. It was a coincidence of timing that for Manson would turn out to be exactly what he'd been looking for. Suddenly he had a plan for what he'd do next. Becoming a guru in his own right, Manson blended in with the hippies, amassing a following of folks who believed in his new vision of the world, one of chosen family, freedom, sex and psychedelics. The first person to follow Manson was Mary Brunner, a 23 year old librarian who, according to Laist, was walking her dog when she stumbled upon Manson. The two connected immediately and he'd soon find a spot on Mary's couch. She supported him for a while before he eventually made a key request to expand their relationship and have more women move in with them. Mary was on board. She quit her job and moved with Manson from place to place, actively recruiting new women to join the group. According to ABC News, the second woman to join Manson was Lynette Fromy, an 18 year old runaway who'd hitchhiked to Venice.
- [18:25]
Payne Lindsay
I didn't have anywhere to go. I was on a bench in Venice because my father had kicked me out. So I was out at the beach there all by myself and here's Charlie.
- [18:38]
Celisia Stanton
After talking for a while, Manson offered Lynette a place to stay. Initially, she was a little apprehensive. Staying with a stranger, well, she knew the risks. But something about Manson made Lynette feel safe. Sensing her hesitation, Manson reportedly told her, I can't make up your mind for you. Years later, Lynette would recount this moment to ABC News, stressing that Manson never forced her to do anything and that was exactly why she decided to trust him. It reminded me of something Jeff Guinn had noted about Manson's studies of Dale Carnegie in prison. Specifically, it was a quote from how to Win Friends and Influence People. One of Carnegie's core teachings let the other fellow feel that the idea is his. And this strategy was one Manson used frequently, a theme consistent among so many of his eventual followers. Deciding to join Manson was their decision, and this feeling would remain even as Manson's guidance led his followers into compromising and even dangerous situations. But gradually, over the next two years, Manson amassed dozens of followers, a group often referred to as the Manson Family. According to Vox, the family grew to include about 30 core members and around 100 casual followers. A few of the followers were men, but most were young women and girls, many of whom Manson recruited through the promise of a romantic relationship. According to the Rolling Stone, Phil Kaufman, a record Producer who'd met Manson in prison saw his powers of persuasion firsthand. He'd say that quote every time Charlie saw a girl he liked. He'd tell someone, get that girl. And when they brought her back, Charlie would take her out in the woods and talk to her for an hour or two, and she would never leave. And once they were in, they spent their days hanging out and taking drugs, surviving on whatever they could get for free. Dumpster diving for the rest. And as I read more stories about these women, many of them still just girls, a few themes emerged. Most were young, think late teens, early 20s. They often came from unstable family backgrounds. Many had dropped out of school, running to the hippie scene for refuge. They all believed in free love and heavy drug use. But each follower was a person with their own unique story. And the one I couldn't get out of my head was Diane Lake, who would be the youngest to join the family. Diane and her parents moved to California intending to join the hippie movement. Diane would tell Elle, my dad, Clarence, had a desire to shun the establishment and lead a more trusting of God lifestyle. That's what the counterculture was really. People were dropping out of society, taking lsd, joining communes, and it seemed like a new way of life. My parents got swept up in all that as I did. And as the summer of love took hold, Diane was barely a teen, living out of a bread truck and staying at a commune called the Hog Farm. But her stay there was short lived. As she'd explained later, I was underage, so I was unwelcome. I was jail bait, and people didn't like that. So she decided to leave her parents and move in with a couple she befriended. As she would later tell ABC News, it was a decision that would change her life forever.
- [22:00]
Payne Lindsay
One day, a couple that I had been living with said, hey, we want you to meet this groovy guy. Charlie gets up out of the circle. He'd been in the circle playing the guitar and he, you know, gives me a big hug and oh, we're so happy to see you. I just felt, ah, someplace I belong, someplace somebody wants me.
- [22:19]
Celisia Stanton
In a separate interview, she'd tell the Los Angeles Times how the rest of the evening unfolded.
- [22:24]
Payne Lindsay
Then that night, he took me to the bus and, you know, made love to me in a very wonderful way that made me feel very, very accepted and very like a woman, not like a little kid. And, you know, I was hooked.
- [22:39]
Celisia Stanton
Diane was just 14 years old, and Manson, he was 33. And while Diane recounts this experience as consensual her age classifies it as statutory rape. Diane would tell Oxygen in 2019 that this sexual freedom provided opportunity for women to be abused or taken advantage of. Asia Romano writes for Vox that many hippie communities tended to recreate the same dominant and oppressive gender norms of the time. Despite their general rejection of mainstream society. It was a reality that made young women and girls especially vulnerable. After the party, Diane joined Manson's family. She'd tell Elle, there was something different about this group and I knew immediately I wanted to be a part of it. I'd always been an afterthought, and now I was belonging in a way that I hadn't anywhere in months. As Adam Janos would report, Diane's time with Manson was filled with drugs and group sex. And these orgies were highly precise, extremely ritualized. Gathering his followers in a circle, he'd hand out LSD as if it was a sacrament and then order members to remove each other's clothes. He called the orgies Love Ins, but they had always been about Manson's need for control. They kept the members in a drug fueled haze and forced community among the family. And with the family growing, Manson held tight to his ambitions of fame and musical stardom. According to Vox, he'd befriended several actors and music producers. One person was Dennis Wilson of the Beach Boys. According to Curbed Los Angeles, Dennis was intrigued by Manson's philosophy and musical ability. Eventually, Dennis would invite Manson and his followers to stay at his home in exchange for household chores and sexual favors. It was now the summer of 1968, and while Diane would tell Elle that this time was perhaps the most happy and fun, that summer of luxury would soon come to a screeching halt. Decades later, Diane would say, I could never have predicted the horrific chain of events that was about to unfold. Even if I had, I doubt I would have changed anything. According to Jeff Guinn, that same summer, Dennis Wilson toured with the Beach Boys, leaving Manson and members of his family alone at his house. When he returned, Dennis discovered the wreckage, including an $800 charge to a local dairy company and a totaled Mercedes. According to Curbed, Wilson estimated that the family cost him $100,000. In an attempt to avoid the fallout, Dennis left his house and instructed his manager to evict the family. So, needing a new home base, Manson moved to a remote and rundown ranch in the Santa Susana Mountains. Owned by George Spahn, the ranch had been primarily used as a movie set for western films. But the property, which in its heyday had been the backdrop of Movies like Bonanza and the Lone Ranger was not as shiny as it once had been. But by 1968, George Spahn, who was 81 years old and blind, was quite lonely. So Manson befriended George, spending hours sitting and talking with the older man and pondering life's philosophical questions. Manson added vibrancy to George's life, so they'd come to an agreement. If the family was willing to help upkeep the ranch, they could also stay there. As Leslie Kennedy reported, the girls alternated staying with George at his home, helping him cook and clean. Lynette Fromi would become his primary source of support, though he'd reminded her of her grandfather, a man she'd never been able to spend time with. And the family's time at the ranch. Well, as Diane Lake would tell ABC News, it was fun at first, a place filled with music and dancing. Author James Buddy Day told history. All the people I've met have good memories of that time. And sure things weren't always ideal. They continued rummaging through dumpsters for food. But Spahn Ranch provided the perfect backdrop for play and imagination. One day they could pretend to be cowboys. Maybe tomorrow they'd roleplay pirates. But like the movies it was once home to, they the ranch seemed severed from reality. According to Gay Talese, writing For Esquire in 1970, rows of empty buildings extended along the dirt road toward Spahn's shack. Decaying structures with faded signs marking them. A saloon, a barbershop, a cafe, a jail, a carriage house. It was the type of place where time seemed to stand still. There were no clocks, no calendars, no newspapers, no radios, no televisions. And the drug use? Well, the drug use was constant. According to curbed follower Leslie Van Houten would later say she'd become saturated in acid with no clear sense of what was real. But the ranch was physically separate too, surrounded by hills and canyons. The only sounds were the wind, the animals, the music, and the chance of the Manson family. The isolation was the perfect backdrop for Manson's continued manipulation. As Manson prosecutor Vincent Bugliosi would say, cut off from the rest of society. Manson created in this timeless land a tight little society of his own with its own value system, holistic, complete and totally at odds with the world outside. One where Manson could preach his apocalyptic vision of an impending race war with little resistance. You see, at the end of 1968, the Beatles dropped their self titled album, also called the White Album. According to Rolling Stone, Manson returned with the album after a trip to LA and played it for his followers on New Year's Eve. But this wasn't any standard listening session. This was a lesson. Manson, who claimed to hear messages in the White Album, told his followers that the songs had hidden meanings. According to him, it was all predicting the start of a race war, an apocalyptic conflict he'd refer to as Helter Skelter.
- [29:01]
Payne Lindsay
He played it backwards. He played it forwards. He was convinced that they were sending him a message.
- [29:09]
Celisia Stanton
Manson family member Paul Walken said Manson had claimed to find messages in the Beatles music before, but this time was different. According to Paul, before Helter Skelter came along, all Charlie cared about was orgies. But now Manson was fixated on a new future. By his telling, most tracks on the White Album were proof of his apocalyptic vision, though some songs were more explicit than others. Manson prosecutor Vincent Bugliosi would detail many of these interpretations in a book he wrote, aptly titled Helter Skelter. As Paul Watkins would tell Bugliosi, one song Manson was particularly fixated on was Blackbird. He claimed it was a rallying cry for black folks, encouraging them to rise up and revolt against their white oppressors. Paul would say that Manson, quote, figured the Beatles were programming the black people to get it up, get it on, and start doing it. This uprising, Manson predicted, would be incredibly violent, and white folks like the Family were directly at risk at the time.
- [30:12]
Payne Lindsay
It was supposed to help people. That's, you know, that's what he said, that that next summer there would be this big revolution and that the chosen people would live in a hole in the middle of the desert.
- [30:24]
Celisia Stanton
Manson's vision of Helter Skelter pulled heavily from existing cultural touchstones and especially from the Bible's book of Revelation. The final chapter of the New Testament talks extensively about an apocalyptic future. And while the original Book of Revelation mainly revolves around the punishment of sin, Manson's vision centered instead on the looming violence of black people. According to HuffPost, this came primarily through the Beatles song Revolution 9. How it would all play out was clear. First, with the encouragement of the Beatles, black folks everywhere would start a massive, violent uprising, killing one third of the population. During this time, black Manson would lead his followers to a secret location in the desert where the Family would hide while the race war raged outside. In the end, black folks would win the war. But according to Manson, they were too stupid to know what to do with this power. As a result, they'd happily hand over the reins of control to Manson and return to their former chains. The family emerging from hiding and living the rest of their days. In Paradise, I told those people the.
- [31:31]
Payne Lindsay
Same thing that the United States President would tell them. The only way that you can dispensate life and death is you have to be willing to give yourself to that cause. You can't fight a revolution, you can't do anything unless you're willing to submit yourself to that cause.
- [31:48]
Celisia Stanton
By now you're probably scratching your head wondering how anyone could possibly believe in an apocalyptic conspiracy like Manson's Helter Skelter. For me, it all seemed absurd. That is, until you consider just how pervasive drug use was in the family. Take Susan Atkins, for example. Here she is being interviewed by TV reporter Stan Atkinson. In 1978.
- [32:12]
Payne Lindsay
During her Manson years, Susan Atkins dropped acid at least 300 times. And she smoked, swallowed, shot up and snorted every other drug in sight. All of the lsd, all of the other drugs had put her in a fog. You'd have to understand what acid does to the mind in order to understand how a person can get confused behind drugs. But it was powerful enough to keep you in the fog for all those years, even after you stopped using. I used to think that you came down off an acid trip after 12 hours. That's not true. Every time you take LSD, you, your conscious level rises or expands. When you take acid, your mind expands beyond these moral characteristics and your concepts of right and wrong. So you step out beyond those bounds. And when you step out beyond those bounds, the imagination begins to take over. And the imagination can be a very deceitful thing. It's a fantasy. And when you take acid, you go out beyond that. You think you're coming back to where you started from originally. You don't. And every time you drop acid, you get a little bit further away from reality. And I took so much acid that I just was what I would term spaced.
- [33:34]
Celisia Stanton
In this drug fueled mental state that Susan Atkins described as being spaced, it was much easier for Manson to convince them of doomsday conspiracies. And it didn't hurt that he had a habit of giving himself smaller doses of LSD than the ones he provided the rest of the family. To me it all seemed calculated, a way to maintain control at all times, all punctuated by tests of loyalty. Former family member Leslie Van Houten described some of this to ABC News.
- [34:05]
Payne Lindsay
Sometimes he would reenact the crucifixion when we were on lsd. And it was very realistic. You pretend that he was being nailed. Yeah. And go through the whole thing and then make the connections of man. Son, son of man. You know. And then the questions would begin. Would you die for me?
- [34:31]
Celisia Stanton
And it worked. Manson's followers found themselves wrapped up alongside him, believing in things they probably wouldn't have predicted just a few years prior. In an interview with Adam Janos, Diane Lake recalled that her perception of black folks was positive before joining the family. I was surprised to learn that Diane was raised in my hometown of Minneapolis before she moved to California. It was an environment she recalled as very diverse. She'd tell Janos that her first boyfriend, Michael, was black. The two had started a sweet childhood romance. At 11 years old, they'd spend most of their time together listening to the Beatles, gathering at swing sets and playing music from a transistor radio. The day Diane's family left Minneapolis, she and Michael chased each other around the neighborhood, both too afraid to initiate a kiss goodbye. It was all so simple then. Both were still immersed in the innocence and ignorance of childhood. Only a few years later, Diane was listening to the Beatles again. But this time, she was hearing them through the lens of Manson's interpretation, one that portrayed black folks as violent, a direct threat to the family and white folks everywhere. I did start to fear black people, diane admitted. According to Rolling Stone, Manson and his followers would play the white album constantly, their vision of this bloody future becoming a soundtrack for their lives. And so the family began preparing for the war, collecting any supplies they might need to survive. Manson follower Lynette Fromi would describe it in an interview with ABC News.
- [36:17]
Payne Lindsay
So we were collecting dune buggies, parachutes, canvas knives, everything that we might need to go to the desert.
- [36:28]
Celisia Stanton
It was only a matter of time before all this paranoia came to a head. In the spring of 1969. You see, the thing Manson cared most about his music and rise to fame, it wasn't taking off like he'd hoped. Even though he seemed to make all the right connections, he'd hit a series of dead ends. According to Fox 10 Phoenix, Dennis Wilson of the Beach Boys had introduced Manson to several of his connections in the music industry. One of these was Terry Melcher, the son of actress Doris Day and a producer at Columbia Records. According to Vox, Manson believed Dennis and Terry were his path to a record contract. In what seemed like a step forward in Manson's career, the Beach Boys even recorded one of his songs, Cease to Exist. But when it was eventually released, Manson's contributions were erased. The song had undergone a makeover. The Beach Boys altered it to fit their usual pop sound. And now called Never Learn not to Love, the song was released without any listed credit to Manson, he felt betrayed. And he didn't hide his anger from Dennis, allegedly threatening to kill him and Terry Melcher. Well, according to People magazine, Terry visited Spahn Ranch twice to audition Manson. But Manson gave Terry plenty of reasons not to offer him a record deal. According to Vox, Terry didn't actually find Manson that talented. And that, paired with Manson's violent temper and racist rants about Helter Skelter, made him a volatile business partner. So finally, In June of 1969, Terry broke the news to Manson. There would be no record deal. Manson had hit his final musical dead end. Manson would compare the end of his relationship with Dennis and Terry to the betrayal Jesus experienced in the Bible. His framing of himself as the Messiah once again connected to his predictions of Helter Skelter. These delusions weren't helped by the fact that the Family's only real contact with the outside world was through occasional visitors, primarily drifters and drug dealers. Weapons began piling up at the ranch, and the Family's criminal activities, which had previously been limited to a few burglaries here and there, they'd started intensifying. Perhaps the first domino fell in July of that summer when Manson shot and wounded a man named Bernard Lotzapapa Crow, a black drug dealer who'd allegedly ripped Manson off. Manson, who believed he'd killed Lotsapapa, feared that he was a member of the Black Panthers. He told the Family that they had to be ready for retaliation from the Panthers, that they were likely to come to the ranch to kill them. The next domino would come later, the same month, when Manson sent three of his followers, Bobby Boussel, Susan Atkins and Mary Brunner, to rob Gary Hinman. According to insider, Gary was a music teacher and acquaintance who Manson believed had recently come into money. They'd ultimately hold Gary hostage, demanding he hand over the cash. When he refused, Bobby Bousel killed him, hoping to pin the murder on the Black Panthers. The group would write political piggy on the wall alongside a bloody paw print. The phrase was a calling card of the black nationalist group. But it wouldn't take long before the police were onto Bobby. And just days later, he was arrested after being caught driving Gary's car. It all set off intense paranoia for Manson, who became panicked that a now apprehended Bobby would spill and point the finger at him and the rest of the Family. But this. Well, it was only the start of Manson's problems. It had been many months of him preaching the same impending race war that had yet to come to fruition. It was time to do something to catalyze Helter Skelter himself. It was the last domino in the row. The end of a chain reaction that would catapult them all toward a harrowing night that would live in the public imagination for decades to come.
- [40:40]
Payne Lindsay
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- [41:11]
Celisia Stanton
When a body is discovered 10 miles out to sea, it sparks a mind blowing police investigation.
- [41:17]
Payne Lindsay
There's a man living in the Isidras in the name of deceased.
- [41:21]
Celisia Stanton
He's one of the most wanted men in the world. This isn't really happening.
- [41:25]
Payne Lindsay
Officers finding large sums of money. It's a tale of murder, skulduggery and international intrigue.
- [41:32]
Celisia Stanton
So who really is he?
- [41:34]
Payne Lindsay
I'm Sam Mullins and this is Sea.
- [41:37]
Celisia Stanton
Of lies from CBC's uncover, available now. Manson felt he knew exactly what needed to be done next. Believing that black people weren't smart enough to start Helter Skelter on their own, he decided to do it for them. If he could target white folks who were wealthy enough, important enough, and then if he could pin the crime on black folks, maybe, just maybe, that would be enough to catalyze the race war. Manson knew the perfect place. A secluded mansion on Cielo Drive in the hills of Benedict Canyon, Los Angeles. A house previously owned by Manson's former friend, Terry Melcher, the same record producer who earlier that summer had effectively ended Manson's Hollywood dreams for good. But the mansion on Cielo Drive was no longer Terry's. His move was no accident. After Terry told his mother about Manson's violent and erratic behavior and the flock of girls who seemed alarmingly devoted to him, Doris Day urged her son to move, and ultimately he'd heed her advice. But while Terry no longer lived at the house on Cielo Drive, Manson had never forgotten it. The new tenants were actress Sharon Tate and her husband, movie director Rowan Polanski. Tate was a rising star in Hollywood, known for her roles in films like Valley of the Dolls and the Fearless Vampire Killers. And in August of 1960, 9. She was eight and a half months pregnant with her first child, a son. But the fact that Terry Melcher no longer lived at the mansion on Cielo Drive, that was irrelevant to Manson because according to Vox, one evening that summer he'd gather family members, Susan Atkins, Tex Watson, Linda Kasabian and Patricia Krenwinkel and instruct them to go to that house where Melcher used to live and totally destroy everyone in it. And I have to be honest with you, I had a really hard time researching and writing for this part of today's story because what happened that night on Cielo Drive is extremely hard to hear. And the details that have come out in the years since have been, quite frankly, horrifying and deeply disturbing. And I don't think I need to add to that pain by describing everything that transpired that day. But I will tell you what you need to know, which is this. On the night of August 8, 1969, Sharon Tate was expecting a few guests at her home. Her husband, Roman Polanski, had been away in Europe working on his new film. And so Sharon invited over her best friend, Jay Sebring, a celebrity hairstylist who, from the likes of Steve McQueen to Frank Sinatra, had made a career working with the greats. Jay and Sharon had previously dated, but remained close even after she was married. According to writer H. Legger Lansing, Jay was deeply protective of Sharon and it was important to him that she was comfortable during her pregnancy. Also invited to the home that night was Wojczek Frykowski and Abigail Folger. Wojciech was a Polish writer and a friend of Sharon and Roman's, and Abigail Wojciek's girlfriend was heiress to the Folger coffee fortune. The last guest that evening was Stephen earle Parent, an 18 year old student and friend of the property's caretaker. Stephen's appearance that night had been coincidental. He'd driven to Cielo Drive to sell the caretaker a radio. Mike McPadden writes for Investigation Discovery that the four members of the Manson family arrived at Cielo Drive that night around midnight. They cut the phone lines and climbed the fence. And what followed was a nightmare scene that ended with the murders of Steven Wojciech, Abigail, Roman and Sharon. But after the killings, their work wasn't finished, according to Curbed. Before the group left the ranch that evening, Manson stopped and gave one last directive. Leave a sign, you girls know what to write. And they did. Before departing the home, they wrote pig on the front door in blood, hoping to implicate the Black Panthers and Copycat the previous murder of Gary Hinman, the music teacher who'd been killed by Bobby Bousel a few weeks earlier. But unfortunately, the madness wasn't over. The very next night, on August 9th, Manson decided to join his followers for another round of killings. Driving with a group of family members, they'd ended up in the Los Angeles neighborhood of Los Feliz. They'd stopped at a home belonging to leno and Rosemary LaBianca. Leno, a wealthy supermarket executive, and Rosemary, a dress shop owner, were a successful and respected couple with five children between them. And while Manson would enter the house to tie up the labiancas, he departed shortly after, leaving their murders to his followers. According to ksbw, the killers would carve the word war into Leno's stomach and use blood to write Helter Skelter, Rise and death to pigs on the walls and refrigerator. And then they left, leaving behind the chaotic scene and hoping they'd done what was necessary to kick off Manson's prophecy, the race war. Hearing these things, it's hard not to feel overcome by a range of difficult emotions. Deep sadness, lingering disbelief. Manson's manipulation had culminated into something so horrifying. And the reality of that violence, it's not softened by an understanding of the events that had led to all, left me with the sense that there was so much to uncover, so many questions I still needed answers for. Would police initially blame the Black Panthers? How exactly did the case against Manson come together? And what really happened during that infamous 1970 murder trial?
- [47:35]
Payne Lindsay
She started saying about how stupid the police were and how they really were on the wrong track on a lot of crimes. He was calling all the shots at that sex orgy.
- [47:45]
Celisia Stanton
He was the one that was deciding when the orgy would commence, who would touch whom.
- [47:49]
Payne Lindsay
Dancing Clown upon the Wall is calling all to City Hall. Well, we haven't scheduled it. It's not our revolution. Black man's gonna judge this world for every blow he's received. The sale of guard dogs and guns rose dramatically overnight. She said to me, well, you know who did it, don't you? And I said, no. And she says, you're looking at her.
- [48:17]
Celisia Stanton
That's next week. A deep dive into the chaos that unfolded in the days, weeks and months that followed. I'll see you then. Before you go, I want to keep you connected with ways to stay involved with this story between now and next week. And first, I recommend you check out the LA based organization, My Friend's Place. Housing instability and a lack of community were both major factors for many of the young folks that ultimately decided to join the Manson Family. So I wanted to bring attention to a group that's doing amazing work to empower youth living under similar circumstances. Each year, My Friend's Place works with a thousand young people and their kids, lending support through a variety of programs including daytime shelter, food services, housing, case management, as well as educational and employment readiness programs. You can support their work by volunteering and purchasing Amazon Wishlist items. Check out their website@myfriendsplace.org to learn more. To keep up with TrueCrime and support our work, follow us on Instagram and xrewercrimepod. You can also follow me on Instagram and TikTok Alicia Stanton or sign up for my weekly newsletter@sincerelycelecia.substack.com as always, a full list of resources is available on the Show Notes page on our website trueorkrimepodcast.com thanks for listening. Truer Crime is created, hosted and written by me, Celisia Stanton, and is a production of Tenderfoot TV in association with Odyssey. Additional writing and research by Olivia Hussingfeld. Executive producers are myself, Donald Albright and Payne Lindsay. Additional production by Olivia Heusinkfeld and Jamie Albright. Editing by Liam Luxon with additional editing support by Sydney Evans and Jaja Muhammad. Our supervising producer is Tracey kaplan. Artwork by Station 16 Original music by Jay Ragsdale mix by Dayton Cole. Thank you to Oren Rosenbaum and the team at UTA Back Media and Marketing and the Nord Group. For more podcasts like True Crime, search Tenderfoot TV on your favorite podcast app or visit us@Tenderfoot TV. Thanks for listening. Thanks for listening to this season two episode of True Crime. If you want an ad free version of this show and other great shows from Tenderfoot TV, you can subscribe to Tenderfoot plus at tenderfootplus.com or on Apple Podcasts.
- [50:56]
Maggie Freeling
Swindled is a true crime podcast about greed. The anonymous host, who refers to himself as a concerned citizen, tells true stories of white collar criminals, con artist and corporate evil, and a dark and deadpan narrative style that will leave you trusting nothing. There are episodes about the disturbing histories and practices of food giants such as Nestle and Chiquita. There are episodes about man made environmental disasters such as the Bhopal gas tragedy and the BP oil spill. There's even a Swindled episode about Mother Teresa. Nothing and no one is off limits. Critics have called Swindled remarkable and enraging, horrifying and maddening, meticulously researched and true for the love of money is the root of all evil. 100 plus episodes are waiting for you. Listen to swindled@swindled.com or wherever you listen to Podcasts.
- [51:53]
Celisia Stanton
What if your favorite book club also dove into true crime, psychology and the wild realities of life? That's exactly what you're gonna get with Books with your Besties, a podcast where two best friends of 23 years bring their humor, heart and smarts to the mic. Dr. Reeder, a psychology professor who teaches about the darkest corners of human behavior like cults, serial killers and the psychology of crime, delivers mind blowing insights on every topic. Her best friend? She's the lively, no holds barred storyteller who keeps things fun, real and laugh out loud relatable. Whether they're breaking down a gripping thriller, exploring true crime cases or tackling thought provoking topics like justice and human nature, every single episode blends depth, humor and honestly, the kind of chemistry that only 23 years of friendship can create. If you love thrillers, true crime and smart, entertaining discussions, Books with your Besties is your next favorite podcast. Find it wherever you listen to podcasts.