Helter Skelter

A penalty trail followed the verdict, the purpose of which was to determine whether those found guilty would receive life imprisonment or the death penalty. Bugliosi called police officer Thomas Drynan and Bernard “Lotsapoppa” Crowe to the stand. Both testified that they believed the Family members were predisposed toward murder. He ended his argument on February 1. The defense called up Krenwinkel’s parents, who testified that she was “gentle with animals” (543). Jane Van Houten, Leslie’s mother, argued for her daughter’s sense of humor and her history as a homecoming princess. Atkins’ father was uninterested in appearing, and for Manson, his most credible character witness was his parole officer, Samuel Barrett, who spoke mostly in defense of his own leniency with Manson. Several Family members, such as Squeaky Fromme and Catherine Share, spoke on Manson’s behalf. Bugliosi refers to them as a “parade of perjurers” (547). Atkins, speaking on her own behalf, attempted to take credit herself for the crimes committed by Charlie, admitting that she told Tate, “Look, bitch, I have no mercy for you” (560).

On February 16, Older, acknowledging the length of the trial, ended the 8-month-long sequestration of the jury, who returned the next day reinvigorated and in morale. Krenwinkel and Van Houten both took the stand. Neither expressed remorse for their actions. Ruth Ann Moorehouse and Steve Grogan both gave bizarre testimony. The defense called Bugliosi to the stand as an investigator, followed by several psychiatrists willing to testify that LSD had altered the minds of the accused. However, as when the first investigators botched the follow-up of the murders by overemphasizing the alien nature of drug use and distribution, so too did the defense botch their case by calling up psychiatric professionals, most of whom found something wrong with the defendants that could not be explained through overuse of LSD.

Final arguments were read over the course of several days starting on March 18. Reports that Manson had issued vague death threats made the press, and so the jury was sequestered again. Bugliosi recounted his case and Kanarek once again stalled, reading passage after passage from the New Testament. Keith offered the defense’s only cogent rebuttal by arguing against the death penalty. On March 29, the jury called for the death penalty for Manson and his three accomplices. In the end, the trial was the longest murder trial in American history up to that point, and among the most publicized. After Judge Older’s April 19 upholding of the death penalties for the accused, it was expected that the appeals process could take as long as five years.

Among the defense team, many of the lawyers immediately lost private practice clients and money as a result of their involvement in the case. Worse still, Hughes’ body was identified by the Ventura County sheriff's office soon after the trial concluded. His cause of death was unknown.

For the harassment of Barbara Hoyt, Lynnette “Squeaky” Fromme, Steve “Clem” Grogan, Catherine “Gypsy” Share and Dennis Rice were sentenced to 90 days in County Jail on April 16, 1971. Charles “Tex” Watson went on trial in August of 1971. Bugliosi led the prosecution in that case. In contrast to his alleged accomplices, Watson dressed conservatively for his appearance in court. Bugliosi noted that one of the defense attorneys, Sam Bubrick, was good friends with the presiding judge, Adolph Alexander. The judge repeatedly cross-examined testimonials for the prosecution. Nevertheless, on October 12, Watson was found guilty of seven accounts of first-degree murder and one account of conspiracy to commit murder. On October 21, his verdict was death.

Separate trials sought justice for other Manson Family victims. Atkins was found guilty in the murder of Gary Hinman. Manson, Grogan, and Bruce Davis were found guilty in the murder of Donald “Shorty” Shea, whose body had never been found. On August 21, 1971, Family members Mary Brunner, Catherine Share, Dennis Rice, Lawrence Bailey, Kenneth Como, and Charles Lovett attempted to rob a weapon surplus store in the Los Angeles suburb of Hawthorne. After a 10-minute gun battle in which no one was killed, the gang was apprehended. On February 18, 1972, the California Supreme Court abolished the death penalty. Manson and his gang were transferred to the general inmate population of their respective penal institutions, their sentences having been commuted to life in prison.