“Forgotten Hollywood”- The Demise of Helter Skelter…
“`Charles Manson was a wannabe-entertainer, who directed a most horrific murder spree in American history during the raucous 1960s. His lasting infamy rivaled any career launched in show business. His brush with Hollywood painted a nightmare etched in blood; a hippie cult leader with the wide-eyed face of evil. CHARLES MANSON –>
“`Manson was born to a woman with dubious credentials, and he was in reform school by the time he was eight. He served a 10-year sentence for check forgery in the mid-1960s. He was released in San Francisco in the Haight-Ashbury district during the sexy heyday of the hippie movement. He was in his mid-30s by then, and began collecting his family — mostly women — who likened him to Jesus Christ. Many were teens, and came from good homes; but, were at odds with their parents.
“`A petty criminal, the charismatic, guru-like Manson surrounded himself with runaways and other lost souls. He then sent his disciples to butcher some of Hollywood’s rich and famous in what prosecutors said was a bid to trigger a race war; an idea he got from a twisted reading of The Beatles song, Helter Skelter.
“`His victims included actress Sharon Tate, the pregnant bride of director Roman Polanski, coffee heiress Abigail Folger, celebrity hairdresser Jay Sebring, Polish film director Voityck Frykowski, Steven Parent, the friend of the estate’s caretaker; and the next evening, a wealthy grocer and his wife, Leno and Rosemary LaBianca. Other intended victims were Hollywood power brokers that earlier dismissed Manson’s talent, such as Steve McQueen, Dennis Wilson of The Beach Boys and music producer Terry Melcher, the son of Doris Day.
“`Roman and Sharon rented the Hollywood Hills estate Terry Melcher had previously owned. The night of the multiple killing, Polanski was out the country. Manson was later convicted of slaying musician Gary Hinman and stuntman Donald Shorty Shea. This marked the symbolic ending of what was known as the Summer of Love.
“`After a trial that lasted nearly a year, Manson and three followers — Susan Atkins, Patricia Krenwinkel, and Leslie Van Houten — were found guilty of murder, and sentenced to death. Another defendant, Charles Tex Watson, was convicted later. All were spared execution, and given life sentences when the California Supreme Court struck down the death penalty in 1972. Another Manson devotee, Lynette Squeaky Fromme, was unsuccessful in her attempt when she tried to assassinate President Gerald Ford in 1975. She served 34 years in prison.
“`Vincent Bugliosi (right) was the Los Angeles prosecutor who put Manson behind bars. The state’s star witness Linda Kasabian, who was granted immunity, testified that Manson tied up the LaBianca couple, and then, he ordered his followers to kill and leave grizzly messages in blood.
“`The trial spawned movies, television programs, and documentaries. Bugliosi wrote a best-selling book about the killings, Helter Skelter. The macabre shock rocker Marilyn Manson borrowed part of his stage name from Charlie. The Manson case remains one of the most chilling in crime history.
“`Over the decades, Manson’s followers appeared sporadically at parole hearings, where their bids for freedom were repeatedly rejected. The women suggest they have been rehabilitated. Manson, however, stopped attending, saying prison had become his home. One may assume that Dante’s Inferno will be his new digs for eternity, a most appropriate curtain call.
“`The utterly monstrous Charles Manson was 83.
Until next time> “never forget”
This entry was posted on Sunday, November 19th, 2017 at 11:03 pm and is filed under Blog by Manny Pacheco. You can follow any comments to this post through the RSS 2.0 feed. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.
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