Laurence Merrick (April 22, 1926 – January 26, 1977) was an American

film director A film director controls a film's artistic and dramatic aspects and visualizes the screenplay (or script) while guiding the film crew and actors in the fulfilment of that vision. The director has a key role in choosing the cast members, p ...

and

author An author is the writer of a book, article, play, mostly written work. A broader definition of the word "author" states: "''An author is "the person who originated or gave existence to anything" and whose authorship determines responsibility f ...

. He is best known for co-directing the Oscar nominated documentary film '' Manson'' in 1973 with Robert Hendrickson.

Sharon Tate Sharon Marie Tate Polanski (January 24, 1943 – August 9, 1969) was an American actress and model. During the 1960s, she played small television roles before appearing in films and was regularly featured in fashion magazines as a model and cover ...

, one of the victims in the Manson murders, was a former student at Merrick's Academy of Dramatic Arts. His later business was Merrick Studios, 870 N. Vine St. in Hollywood. It was a low-cost acting school, with several students attending via the GI Bill. Merrick was killed by a gunman on January 26, 1977. He was shot in the back in the carpark of his acting school. Merrick's murder went unsolved for over four years, until October 1981 when 35-year-old Dennis Mignano of San Jose, California, confessed to police. At his subsequent trial, Mignano was found ''not guilty'' by reason of insanity and committed to a mental hospital. An unemployed would-be actor and singer with a long history of psychiatric problems, Mignano contended that he had auditioned at Merrick's school, and that during the audition, black magic spells were cast upon him that later contributed to his psychiatric problems.

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* 1926 births 1977 deaths 1977 murders in the United States American film directors Burials at Mount Sinai Memorial Park Cemetery Deaths by firearm in California People murdered in Los Angeles {{US-film-director-1920s-stub