The TateLaBianca murders were a series of murders perpetrated by members of the

Manson Family The Manson Family (known among its members as the Family) was a Intentional community, commune, gang, and cult led by criminal Charles Manson that was active in California in the late 1960s and early 1970s. The group at its peak consisted of a ...

during August 910, 1969, in

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

, United States, under the direction of

Tex Watson Charles Denton "Tex" Watson (born December 2, 1945) is an American mass murderer who was a central member of the "Manson Family" led by Charles Manson. Watson is often described as the tactical ringleader of the Tate-LaBianca murders on August ...

and

Charles Manson Charles Milles Manson (; November 12, 1934 – November 19, 2017) was an American criminal, cult leader, and musician who led the Manson Family, a cult based in California in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Some cult members committed a Manson ...

. The perpetrators killed five people on the night of August 8–9: pregnant actress

Sharon Tate Sharon Marie Tate Polanski (January 24, 1943 – August 9, 1969) was an American actress and model. During the 1960s, she appeared in advertisements and small television roles before appearing in films as well as working as a model. After receiv ...

and her companions

Jay Sebring Thomas John Kummer (October 10, 1933 – August 9, 1969), known professionally as Jay Sebring, was an American celebrity Haircut, hair stylist, and the founder of the hairstyling corporation Sebring International. Sebring was Tate–LaBianca mur ...

, Abigail Folger and Wojciech Frykowski, along with Steven Parent. The following evening, the Family murdered supermarket executive Leno LaBianca and his wife, Rosemary, at their home in the

Los Feliz LOS, or Los, or LoS may refer to: Science and technology * Length of stay, the duration of a single episode of hospitalisation * Level of service, a measure used by traffic engineers * Level of significance, a measure of statistical significanc ...

section of Los Angeles. On the night of August 8–9, four members of the Family – Watson,

Susan Atkins Susan Denise Atkins (May 7, 1948 – September 24, 2009) was an American convicted murderer who was a member of Charles Manson's "Family". Manson's followers committed a series of nine murders at four locations in California over a period ...

Patricia Krenwinkel Patricia Dianne Krenwinkel (born December 3, 1947) is an American convicted murderer and former member of the Manson Family. On August 9, 1969, Patricia Krenwinkel, Tex Watson, and Susan Atkins murdered pregnant actress Sharon Tate, Jay Sebring ...

and

Linda Kasabian Linda Darlene Kasabian (; June 21, 1949 – January 21, 2023) was an American woman known for being a member of the Manson Family, a cult led by Charles Manson in late-1960searly-1970s California. She was present at both the Tate–LaBianca mu ...

– drove from

Spahn Ranch Spahn Ranch, also known as the Spahn Movie Ranch, was a 55-acre (22.3 ha) movie ranch in Los Angeles, California. For a period it was used as a ranch, dairy farm and later movie set during the era of westerns. After a decline in use for filming b ...

10050 Cielo Drive 10050 Cielo Drive was the street address of a former luxury home in Benedict Canyon, Los Angeles, Benedict Canyon, in the west-central part of the Beverly Crest, Los Angeles, Beverly Crest neighborhood of Los Angeles, bordering Beverly Hills, Cal ...

Benedict Canyon Benedict Canyon is an area in the Westside of the city of Los Angeles, California. To the north of the Benedict Canyon neighborhood is the neighborhood of Sherman Oaks, to the west is the neighborhood of Beverly Glen, to the east are Beverl ...

, the home Tate shared with her husband, film director

Roman Polanski Raymond Roman Thierry Polański (; born 18 August 1933) is a Polish and French filmmaker and actor. He is the recipient of List of awards and nominations received by Roman Polanski, numerous accolades, including an Academy Award, three Britis ...

. The group murdered Tate (who was 8½ months pregnant), and guests Sebring, a celebrity hairdresser; Folger, heiress to the

Folgers Folgers is an American brand of coffee produced and sold in the United States, with additional distribution in Asia, Canada and Mexico. It forms part of the food and beverage division of The J.M. Smucker Company. Folgers roasts its coffee in ...

coffee fortune; her boyfriend Frykowski, an aspiring screenwriter; and Parent, an 18-year-old visiting the guest house caretaker. Polanski was not home as he was working on a film in Europe. Manson was a

cult Cults are social groups which have unusual, and often extreme, religious, spiritual, or philosophical beliefs and rituals. Extreme devotion to a particular person, object, or goal is another characteristic often ascribed to cults. The term ...

leader and wannabe musician who had tried to get a contract with record producer

Terry Melcher Terrence Paul Melcher (; February 8, 1942 – November 19, 2004) was an American record producer, singer, and songwriter who was instrumental in shaping the mid-to-late 1960s California Sound and folk rock movements. His best-known contribution ...

, who had previously rented the house. The following night, the four participants in the Cielo Drive killings, in addition to Manson,

Leslie Van Houten Leslie Louise Van Houten (born August 23, 1949) is an American convicted murderer and former member of the Manson Family. During her time with Manson's group, she was known by aliases such as Louella Alexandria, Leslie Marie Sankston, Linda Sue O ...

and

Steve "Clem" Grogan Steven Dennis "Clem" Grogan (born July 13, 1951) is an American convicted murderer and former member of the Manson Family. He was released from prison in 1985. Biography Grogan, a musician and artist, dropped out of high school and was involved ...

, committed two more murders. Manson had allegedly said he would show them how to do it. Linda Kasabian drove the group to 3301 Waverly Drive. Manson left with Atkins, Grogan and Kasabian in the car and told the others to

hitchhike Hitchhiking (also known as thumbing, autostop or hitching) is a means of transportation that is gained by asking individuals, usually strangers, for a ride in their car or other vehicle. The ride is usually, but not always, free. Signaling ...

back to the ranch. Watson, Krenwinkel and Van Houten killed the couple in the early morning hours of August 10.

Tate murders

--> On the night of August 8, 1969,

took

and

. Watson claims

had instructed him go to the house and "totally destroy" everyone inside, and to do it "as gruesome as you can".Bugliosi, Vincent with Gentry, Curt. ''Helter Skelter: The True Story of the Manson Murders 25th Anniversary Edition'', W. W. Norton & Company, 1994. . . Manson told the women to do as Watson instructed them. The occupants of the house at Cielo Drive that evening were movie actress

, the wife of film director

, who was 8 months pregnant; her friend and former lover

, a noted celebrity hairstylist; Polanski's friend and aspiring screenwriter Wojciech Frykowski; and Frykowski's girlfriend Abigail Folger, heiress to the

coffee fortune and daughter of

Peter Folger Peter Folger (December 26, 1905 – August 27, 1980) was an American coffee heir, socialite, and member of the prominent United States Folger family. He was also the longtime chairman of the board and president of the Folgers Coffee Company. He ...

. Also present on the property were William Garretson, the caretaker, and his friend Steven Parent. Polanski was in Europe working on a film. Watson and the three women arrived at Cielo Drive just past midnight on August 9. Watson climbed a telephone pole near the main gate and cut the phone line to the house. The group backed their car to the bottom of the hill that led to the estate and walked back up to the house. Thinking the gate might be electrified or equipped with an alarm, they climbed a brushy embankment to the right of the gate and entered the grounds. Headlights approached the intruders from within the property, and Watson ordered the women to hide in the bushes. He stepped out and ordered the approaching driver, who turned out to be Parent, to halt. Watson leveled a .22 caliber

revolver A revolver is a repeating handgun with at least one barrel and a revolving cylinder containing multiple chambers (each holding a single cartridge) for firing. Because most revolver models hold six cartridges before needing to be reloaded, ...

at Parent, who begged him not to hurt him, claiming that he would not say anything. Watson instead lunged at Parent with a knife, giving him a defensive slash wound on the palm of his hand that severed

tendon A tendon or sinew is a tough band of fibrous connective tissue, dense fibrous connective tissue that connects skeletal muscle, muscle to bone. It sends the mechanical forces of muscle contraction to the skeletal system, while withstanding tensi ...

s and tore his watch off his wrist, then shot him four times in the chest and abdomen, killing him in the front seat of his white 1965

AMC Rambler Rambler is an automobile brand name that was first used by the Thomas B. Jeffery Company between 1900 and 1914. Charles W. Nash bought Jeffery in 1916, and Nash Motors reintroduced the name to the automobile marketplace from 1950 through 1954 ...

. Watson turned off the ignition and pushed the car away from the gate. Watson next cut the screen of a window, then told Kasabian to keep watch down by the gate; she walked over to Parent's car and waited. He removed the screen, entered through the window and let Atkins and Krenwinkel in through the front door. He whispered to Atkins and awoke Frykowski, who was sleeping on the living room couch. Watson kicked Frykowski in the head, and Frykowski asked him who he was and what he was doing there. Watson replied, "I'm the devil, and I'm here to do the devil's business." On Watson's direction, Atkins and Krenwinkel found the house's three other occupants and forced them to the living room. He began to tie Tate and Sebring together by their necks with a long nylon rope which he had brought, then slung it over one of the living room's ceiling beams. Sebring protested the murderers' rough treatment of the pregnant Tate, so Watson shot him. Folger was taken momentarily back to her bedroom for her purse, and she gave the murderers $70. Watson then stabbed Sebring seven times. Frykowski's hands had been bound with a towel, but he freed himself and began struggling with Atkins, who stabbed at his legs with a knife. He fought his way out the front door and onto the porch, but Watson caught up with him, struck him over the head with the gun multiple times, stabbed him repeatedly, and shot him twice. Kasabian had heard "horrifying sounds" and moved toward the house from her position in the driveway. She told Atkins that someone was coming in an attempt to stop the murders. Inside the house, Folger escaped from Krenwinkel and fled out a bedroom door to the pool area. Krenwinkel pursued her and caught her on the front lawn where she stabbed her and tackled her to the ground. Watson then helped kill her; her assailants stabbed her a total of 28 times. Frykowski struggled across the lawn, but Watson continued to stab him, killing him. Frykowski suffered 51 stab wounds, and had also been struck 13 times in the head with the butt of Watson's gun, which bent the barrel and broke off one side of the gun grip, which was recovered at the scene. In the house, Tate pleaded to be allowed to live long enough to give birth, and offered herself as a hostage in an attempt to save the life of her unborn child, but both Atkins and Watson stabbed Tate 16 times, killing her. The coroner's inquest found that Tate was still alive when she was hanged with the nylon rope, although the cause of her death was determined as a " massive hemorrhage", while in Sebring's murder it was found that he was hanged lifeless. According to Watson, Manson had told the women to "leave a sign—something witchy". Atkins wrote "pig" on the front door in Tate's blood. Atkins claims she did this to copycat the murder scene of Gary Hinman in order to get Manson Family member

Bobby Beausoleil Robert Kenneth Beausoleil (born November 6, 1947) is an American murderer and associate of Charles Manson and members of his communal Manson Family. He was convicted and sentenced to death for the July 27, 1969, fatal stabbing of Gary Hinman ...

out of jail, who was in custody for the murder; Beausoleil had written "political piggy" in Hinman's blood on his wall after stabbing him to death.

LaBianca murders

The four murderers plus Charles Manson,

and Clem Grogan went for a drive the following night. Manson was allegedly displeased with the panic and flight of the victims in the previous night's murders. He told Kasabian to drive to a house at 3301 Waverly Drive in the

section of Los Angeles, located next door to a home where Manson and Family members had attended a party the previous year. According to Atkins and Kasabian, Manson disappeared up the driveway and returned to say that he had tied up the house's occupants. Then Watson, Krenwinkel, and Van Houten went in. Watson claims in his autobiography that Manson went up alone, then returned to take him up to the house with him. Manson pointed out a sleeping man through a window, and the two entered through the unlocked back door. Watson claims Manson roused the sleeping Leno LaBianca from the couch at gunpoint and had Watson bind his hands with a leather thong. Rosemary was brought into the living room from the bedroom, and Watson covered the couple's heads with pillowcases which he bound in place with lamp cords. Manson left, and Krenwinkel and Van Houten entered the house. Watson had complained to Manson earlier of the inadequacy of the previous night's weapons. Watson sent the women from the kitchen to the bedroom, where Rosemary LaBianca had been returned, while he went to the living room and began stabbing Leno LaBianca with a chrome-plated bayonet. The first thrust went into his throat. Watson heard a scuffle in the bedroom and went in there to discover Rosemary LaBianca keeping the women at bay by swinging the lamp tied to her neck. He stabbed her several times with the bayonet, then returned to the living room and resumed attacking Leno, whom he stabbed a total of 12 times. He then carved the word "WAR" into his abdomen. Watson returned to the bedroom and found Krenwinkel stabbing Rosemary with a knife from the kitchen. Van Houten stabbed her approximately 16 times in the back and the exposed buttocks. Van Houten claimed at trial that Rosemary LaBianca was already dead during the stabbing. Evidence showed that many of the 41 stab wounds had, in fact, been inflicted post-mortem. Watson then cleaned off the bayonet and showered, while Krenwinkel wrote "Rise" and "Death to pigs" on the walls and " Skelter" on the refrigerator door, all in LaBianca's blood. She gave Leno LaBianca 14 puncture wounds with an ivory-handled, two-tined carving fork, which she left jutting out of his stomach. She also planted a steak knife in his throat. Meanwhile, Manson drove the other three Family members who had departed Spahn with him that evening to the

Venice Venice ( ; ; , formerly ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 islands that are separated by expanses of open water and by canals; portions of the city are li ...

home of the Lebanese actor Saladin Nader. Manson left them there and drove back to Spahn Ranch, leaving them and the LaBianca killers to hitchhike home. According to Kasabian, Manson wanted his followers to murder Nader in his apartment, but Kasabian claims she thwarted this murder by deliberately knocking on the wrong apartment door and waking a stranger. The group abandoned the murder plan and left, but Atkins defecated in the stairwell on the way out.

Investigation, trial, and sentencing

In initial confessions to cellmates at

Sybil Brand Institute The Sybil Brand Institute is a disused women's jail in Monterey Park, California, Monterey Park, Los Angeles County, California. It is named for 20th century jail conditions activist Sybil Brand. The jail was completed in 1963 and at one time had ...

, Atkins said she killed Tate. In later statements to her attorney, to prosecutor

Vincent Bugliosi Vincent T. Bugliosi Jr. (; August 18, 1934 – June 6, 2015) was an American prosecutor and author who served as Deputy District Attorney for the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office between 1964 and 1972. He became best known for suc ...

, and before a

grand jury A grand jury is a jury empowered by law to conduct legal proceedings, investigate potential criminal conduct, and determine whether criminal charges should be brought. A grand jury may subpoena physical evidence or a person to testify. A grand ju ...

, Atkins indicated Tate had been stabbed by Tex Watson. In his 1978 autobiography, Watson said that he had stabbed Tate and that Atkins had never touched her. Since he was aware that the prosecutor, Bugliosi, and the jury, that had tried the other Tate–LaBianca defendants, were convinced Atkins had stabbed Tate, he falsely testified that he did not stab her. The five perpetrators Atkins, Krenwinkel, Manson, Van Houten, and Watson were each tried and convicted for their roles in the TateLaBianca murders. Originally, each defendant received a death sentence. However, in 1972, the

Supreme Court of California The Supreme Court of California is the Supreme court, highest and final court of appeals in the judiciary of California, courts of the U.S. state of California. It is headquartered in San Francisco at the Earl Warren Building, but it regularly ...

ruled in ''

People v. Anderson ''The People of the State of California v. Robert Page Anderson'', 493 P.2d 880, 6 Cal. 3d 628 ( Cal. 1972), was a landmark case in the state of California that outlawed capital punishment for nine months until the enactment of a constitutiona ...

'' that the state's then-current death penalty laws were unconstitutional. As a result, the ''Anderson'' decision spared the lives of 107

death row Death row, also known as condemned row, is a place in a prison that houses inmates awaiting execution after being convicted of a capital crime and sentenced to death. The term is also used figuratively to describe the state of awaiting executio ...

inmates in California, including

and his four "

family members Family (from ) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictability, structure, and safety as m ...

". Subsequently, the death sentences for each of the five perpetrators convicted in the TateLaBianca murders were commuted to

life in prison Life imprisonment is any sentence of imprisonment under which the convicted individual is to remain incarcerated for the rest of their natural life (or until pardoned or commuted to a fixed term). Crimes that result in life imprisonment are co ...

, which by law included the possibility of

parole Parole, also known as provisional release, supervised release, or being on paper, is a form of early release of a prisoner, prison inmate where the prisoner agrees to abide by behavioral conditions, including checking-in with their designated ...

. *

(19482009): Atkins remained in prison until her death from

brain cancer A brain tumor (sometimes referred to as brain cancer) occurs when a group of cells within the brain turn cancerous and grow out of control, creating a mass. There are two main types of tumors: malignant (cancerous) tumors and benign (non-cance ...

at age 61 in 2009. At the time of her death, she was California's longest-serving female inmate. Atkins had been denied parole 14 times, and her request for

compassionate release Compassionate release is a process by which inmates in criminal justice systems may be eligible for immediate early release on grounds of "particularly extraordinary or compelling circumstances which could not reasonably have been foreseen by t ...

had also been denied. *

(born 1947): Imprisoned in 1971, Krenwinkel remains incarcerated. Following the 2009 death of fellow Manson gang member

, Krenwinkel is now the longest-incarcerated female inmate in the California penal system. She has been denied parole 14 times, most recently in 2017. Following revisions to California parole laws and policy changes by the sitting Los Angeles DA, a parole panel recommended her release for the first time in May 2022; however, this parole recommendation was overturned by California governor

Gavin Newsom Gavin Christopher Newsom ( ; born October 10, 1967) is an American politician and businessman serving since 2019 as the 40th governor of California. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he served from 2011 to 201 ...

(who had similarly previously overturned the parole recommendation for Manson family member Leslie Van Houten). *

(19342017): Manson remained imprisoned until his death from cardiac arrest resulting from respiratory failure and colon cancerWhere Are Charles Manson's 'Family Members' Now? While Most Are Still in Prison, Some Live Normal Lives
/ref> on November 19, 2017. He was just a few days past his 83rd birthday, and had spent all but 13 years of his life in some sort of supervised setting (either prison, reformatory, or boys' home). While in prison, Manson had been denied parole 12 times. After 1997, he refused to attend any of his parole hearings. *

(born 1949): Upon her conviction and death sentence in 1971, at the age of 21, Van Houten became the youngest woman ever put on California's death row, as well as the youngest member of the

convicted of murder. (Her original conviction and death sentence was overturned on appeal. She was later retried and sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole.) She was released on parole on July 11, 2023, after being denied parole 22 times. * Charles "Tex" Watson (born 1945): Watson remains incarcerated. He has been denied parole 17 times, most recently in 2021. While imprisoned, Watson claims that he became a

born-again To be born again, or to experience the new birth, is a phrase, particularly in evangelical Christianity, that refers to a "spiritual rebirth", or a regeneration of the human spirit. In contrast to one's physical birth, being "born again" is d ...

Christian.

Sociocultural impact

The Tate–LaBianca murders "profoundly shook America's perception of itself" and "effectively sounded the death knell of '60s counterculture". In her 1979 essay collection '' The White Album'',

Joan Didion Joan Didion (; December 5, 1934 – December 23, 2021) was an American writer and journalist. She is considered one of the pioneers of New Journalism, along with Gay Talese, Truman Capote, Norman Mailer, Hunter S. Thompson, and Tom Wolfe. Didio ...

, who knew Tate and lived close to the site of the murders, wrote: "Many people I know believe that the Sixties ended abruptly on August 9, 1969, ended at the exact moment when word of the murders on Cielo Drive traveled like brushfire through the community, and in a sense this is true. The tension broke that day. The paranoia was fulfilled." Additionally, the ritualistic nature of the murders laid a foundation for the rise of the

Satanic panic The Satanic panic is a moral panic consisting of over 12,000 unsubstantiated cases of Satanic ritual abuse (SRA, sometimes known as ritual abuse, ritualistic abuse, organized abuse, or sadistic ritual abuse) starting in North America in the 19 ...

. Some critics have claimed that it led to the proliferation of "darkly psychosexual, conspiracy-laced cultural exploration of America's seedy underbelly" by the movie industry, including films such as ''

Dirty Harry ''Dirty Harry'' is a 1971 American action-thriller film produced and directed by Don Siegel, the first in the Dirty Harry (film series), ''Dirty Harry'' series. Clint Eastwood plays the title role, in his first appearance as San Francisco Polic ...

'' (1971). Film critic Erik Morse writes that the rapid recognition of Tate's murder and, soon after, the idolization of her murder, brought about a dark period of film in Hollywood, filled with "ultraviolence, gore, satanism and freakouts". Morse cites Ian Cooper's 2018 book ''The Manson Family on Film and Television'', where Cooper coins the term "Mansonsploitation", which he defines as the violent, disturbing genre that Hollywood grew fascinated in shortly following the Tate–LaBianca murders. Conversely some productions, such as

George Lucas George Walton Lucas Jr. (born May 14, 1944) is an American filmmaker and philanthropist. He created the ''Star Wars'' and ''Indiana Jones'' franchises and founded Lucasfilm, LucasArts, Industrial Light & Magic and THX. He served as chairman ...

space opera Space opera is a subgenre of science fiction that emphasizes Space warfare in science fiction, space warfare, with use of melodramatic, risk-taking space adventures, relationships, and chivalric romance. Set mainly or entirely in outer space, i ...

Star Wars ''Star Wars'' is an American epic film, epic space opera media franchise created by George Lucas, which began with the Star Wars (film), eponymous 1977 film and Cultural impact of Star Wars, quickly became a worldwide popular culture, pop cu ...

'' (1977), avoided invoking the Tate–LaBianca murders and the Manson Family; Lucas changed the surname of

Luke Skywalker Luke Skywalker is a fictional character in the ''Star Wars'' franchise. He was introduced in the original film trilogy as the main protagonist and also appears in the sequel trilogy. Raised as a poor moisture farmer on the desert planet Tat ...

and

Anakin Skywalker Darth Vader () is a fictional character in the ''Star Wars'' franchise. He was first introduced in the Star Wars original trilogy, original film trilogy as the primary Antagonist, antagonist and one of the leaders of the Galactic Empire (Star W ...

as their original surname ("Starkiller" in all screenplays) could be misconstrued as "

celebrity Celebrity is a condition of fame and broad public recognition of a person or group due to the attention given to them by mass media. The word is also used to refer to famous individuals. A person may attain celebrity status by having great w ...

killer". Film scholar Reid Anderson believes that Tate's image has been substituted with "

hyperreal Hyperreal may refer to: * Hyperreal numbers, an extension of the real numbers in mathematics that are used in non-standard analysis * Hyperreal.org, a rave culture website based in San Francisco, US * Hyperreality, a term used in semiotics and po ...

" depictions of her at her death in films that have attempted to recreate the Manson family murders. Aligning with Morse's description of the sudden emergence of gory film following the Manson family murders, Anderson claims that it was the "circulation of disingenuous information following the events of August 9th" that inspired Mansonsploitation. Both critics agree it was the spread of misinformation directly following Tate's murder, Hollywood's near-immediate obsession with the details of her murder, and reimagined versions of Tate in Mansonsploitation films that resulted in the alteration of Tate's likeness among her audience, as they tried to process the reality of her murder by searching for the most authentic version of her last moments.

In popular culture

''Helter Skelter: The True Story of The Manson Murders''

In 1974, after leaving the DA's office, prosecutor

, jointly with

Curt Gentry Curtis Marsena "Curt" Gentry (June 13, 1931 – July 10, 2014) was an American writer, born in Lamar, Colorado. He is best known for co-authoring, with Vincent Bugliosi, the 1974 book '' Helter Skelter'', which detailed the Charles Manson m ...

, wrote a book about the Manson trial called '' Helter Skelter: The True Story of The Manson Murders''. The book won an

Edgar Award The Edgar Allan Poe Awards, popularly called the Edgars, are presented every year by the Mystery Writers of America which is based in New York City. Named after American writer Edgar Allan Poe (1809–1849), a pioneer in the genre, the awards hon ...

from the

Mystery Writers of America Mystery Writers of America (MWA) is a professional organization of mystery and crime writers, based in New York City. The organization was founded in 1945 by Clayton Rawson, Anthony Boucher, Lawrence Treat, and Brett Halliday. It presents the E ...

for the best true-crime book of the year. The book was twice adapted as a television film, first in 1976, then later in 2004. , ''Helter Skelter'' was the bestselling

true crime True crime is a genre of non-fiction work in which an author examines a crime, including detailing the actions of people associated with and affected by the crime, and investigating the perpetrator's Motive (law), motives. True crime works often ...

book in publishing history, with more than seven million copies sold.Rebecca Trounson and Elaine Woo
"Famed Manson family prosecutor Vincent Bugliosi dies at 80"
''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' is an American Newspaper#Daily, daily newspaper that began publishing in Los Angeles, California, in 1881. Based in the Greater Los Angeles city of El Segundo, California, El Segundo since 2018, it is the List of new ...

'', June 9, 2015.

Film and television

Several films recounted the Tate–LaBianca murders and the subsequent criminal trials: * '' Manson'', a 1973 documentary about Manson and his followers * '' Helter Skelter'', a 1976 television film based on the 1974

book A book is a structured presentation of recorded information, primarily verbal and graphical, through a medium. Originally physical, electronic books and audiobooks are now existent. Physical books are objects that contain printed material, ...

by prosecutor

and

* ''

The Manson Family The Manson Family (known among its members as the Family) was a commune, gang, and cult led by criminal Charles Manson that was active in California in the late 1960s and early 1970s. The group at its peak consisted of approximately 100 follo ...

'', a 1997 film by

Jim Van Bebber James Nathan “Jim” VanBebber (born November 24, 1964) is an American film director. Born in Greenville, Ohio, VanBebber attended Wright State University Wright State University is a public research university in Fairborn, Ohio, United ...

* '' Helter Skelter'', a 2004 television film remake of the 1976 TV film of the same name * ''Aquarius'' (2015 TV series) * ''

Wolves at the Door ''Wolves at the Door'' is a 2016 American horror film directed by John R. Leonetti and written by Gary Dauberman. The film is loosely based on the murder of Sharon Tate, the pregnant wife of Roman Polanski, and her friends in 1969 by members of ...

'', a 2016 film * ''Mindhunter'', a 2017

Netflix Netflix is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. The service primarily distributes original and acquired films and television shows from various genres, and it is available internationally in multiple lang ...

series * ''

Dateline NBC ''Dateline NBC'' (also known simply as ''Dateline'') is a weekly American television news magazine reality legal show that is broadcast on NBC. It was previously the network's flagship general interest news magazine, but now focuses mainly on ...

'' (1992– / TV series), "The Summer of Manson", Season 25, Episode 42 * ''

American Horror Story ''American Horror Story'' (''AHS'') is an American horror film, horror anthology series, anthology television series created by Ryan Murphy (producer), Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk for the Cable television, cable network FX (TV channel), FX. Th ...

'' (2011– / TV series) Season 7, Episode 10 * '' Charlie Says'', a 2018 drama film starring

Matt Smith Matthew Robert Smith (born 28 October 1982) is an English actor. He is known for playing the Eleventh Doctor in the BBC science fiction television series ''Doctor Who'' (2010–2013), Prince Philip in Netflix's historical series ''The Crown ( ...

as Manson * '' The Haunting of Sharon Tate'', a 2019 supernatural horror film starring

Hilary Duff Hilary Erhard Duff (born September 28, 1987) is an American actress, singer, author and businesswoman. She is the recipient of List of awards and nominations received by Hilary Duff, various accolades, including a World Music Awards, World Mus ...

as Tate * ''

Once Upon a Time in Hollywood ''Once Upon a Time...in Hollywood'' is a 2019 comedy-drama film written and directed by Quentin Tarantino. Produced by Columbia Pictures in association with Bona Film Group, Heyday Films, and Visiona Romantica, and distributed by Sony Pict ...

'', a 2019 comedy-drama film featuring a fictionalized account of the evening of the murders * ''Helter Skelter: An American Myth'', a comprehensive 2020 six-part documentary film about Manson, the Family, the murders and the trial on

EPIX MGM+ (formerly known as Epix; pronounced ''epics'' and stylized as eᴘix), is an American premium cable and satellite television network owned by the MGMPlus Entertainment subsidiary of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM), which is itself a subsidiary ...

network *'' CHAOS: The Manson Murders'', a 2025 documentary film based on Tom O'Neill's book, distributed on Netflix

Books

In addition to Bugliosi's ''Helter Skelter: The True Story of The Manson Murders'' (1974), these are the other books about the murders: * '' The Girls'', a 2016 novel by

Emma Cline Emma Cline is an American writer and novelist from California. She published her first novel, ''The Girls (2016 novel), The Girls'', in 2016, to positive reviews. The book was shortlisted for the John Leonard Prize from the National Book Critics ...

loosely inspired by the Manson family * '' CHAOS: Charles Manson, the CIA, and the Secret History of the Sixties'', a 2019 non-fiction book by Tom O'Neill with Dan Piepenbring * ''The Family: The Life and Crimes of Charles Manson and His Followers'' by

Ed Sanders Edward Sanders (born August 17, 1939) is an American poet, singer, activist, author, publisher and longtime member of the rock band the Fugs. He has been called a bridge between the Beat and hippie generations. Sanders is considered to have bee ...

(1971, new edition 2023) * ''Assassins... Serial Killers... Corrupt Cops...: Chasing the News in a Skirt and High Heels'', a 2012 non-fiction book by Mary Neiswender featuring first hand accounts of the author's interviews with Manson

Music

* ''The Manson Family: An Opera'', a 1990

opera Opera is a form of History of theatre#European theatre, Western theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by Singing, singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically ...

by John Moran

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tate-LaBianca murders 1969 in Los Angeles 1969 murders in the United States 1969 in American cinema Attacks in the United States in 1969 August 1969 in the United States 1960s crimes in California Deaths by firearm in California Deaths by stabbing in California Incidents of violence against men Incidents of violence against women Manson Family Mass murder in 1969 Mass murder in California Mass murder in the United States in the 1960s Murder in Los Angeles Child murder in California Roman Polanski Mass stabbings in the United States