A Rare Look Into Where Members Of The Infamous Manson Family Are Today
Her Moments Staff
Murder. Orgies. Deciet. Depravity. These four words are never associated with family. However, the infamous Charles Manson changed all that when he formed his Manson Family cult in the 1960s. Although he never personally engaged in violence, he brainwashed several of his followers into committing nine homicides. Though the family eventually ended up behind bars, not all of them lived out their days in lockup.
1. Patricia Krenwinkel
Big Patty. Yellow, Marnie Reeves. and Mary Ann Scott. Patricia — a perpetrator of the Tate–LaBianca murders — went by a handful of nicknames. For whatever reason, many members simply referred to her as "Katie." She holds an interesting world record.
Record Holder
Krenwinkel is actually still alive and living behind bars. She holds the record — although not one she's proud of — as the longest-serving inmate throughout the state of California. She applied for parole in 2017 but was denied.
2. Steve "Clem" Grogan
Because he murdered movie stuntman Donald Shea, Grogan spent 15 years behind bars. Police never found the body, which the defense attorney used as an excuse to get Grogan off. However, the jury still convicted him.
Fessing Up
Though some would probably say 15 years wasn't enough, the reason Grogan only spent a decade and a half in prison was because he eventually did tell the police where the body was. Today, he's a musician in Northern California.
3. Squeaky Fromme
Although Fromme was also not a part of the "most infamous" killings, she was sentenced to life in prison for attempting to assassinate then-president Gerald Ford on Manson's behalf. But, she actually escaped in 1987 to see Manson.
Clean Conscious
She was caught again soon after her successful flight and remained locked up until 2009, when her parole was granted. She now lives in upstate New York trying to love the rest of her life with a "squeaky" clean conscience.
4. Charles "Tex" Watson
Today, Tex is incarcerated in San Diego's Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility for his role in the homicides. He attempted — but was denied —parole 17 times. However, behind bars, he's made big changes to his life.
Abounding Love
He founded a born-again Christian website called Abounding Love, which helps those who want to repent for their wrongdoings and devote their lives to God. It contains literature about his crimes and eventual remorse.
5. Susan Atkins
Atkins was one of the most prevalent members of the Manson Family, as she participated in eight of the nine grisly murders the members committed. After police caught her, she was sentenced to death — but soon, the terms changed.
Death to Life
The state of California invalidated death sentences prior to 1972, so her sentence was changed to life imprisonment. She remained behind bars until she died of brain cancer in 2009.
6. Linda Kasabian
Although Kasabian spent a lot of time with the Manson Family, she actually parted ways with them after overhearing members talking about the murders, which she wanted no part of. Linda made another key decision.
On the Down-Low
She was one of the most important witnesses in the trial against Charles Manson, and after testifying she was allowed to go free. She now lives an elusive life in a trailer park.
7. Bobby Beausoleil
Unlike most members of the Manson Family, Beausoleil was not convicted of the murder of actress Sharon Tate, but that was only because he was already locked up for the murder of Gary Hinman. He, too, was given a death sentence.
Again, that sentence was commuted to life, and at 72 years old, Beausoleil still sits in the California Medical Facility in Solano County, California. Chances are high he'll die an incarcerated man, as he's never applied for parole.
8. Mary Brunner and Valentine Michael Manson
Because Brunner gave birth to Valentine Michael Manson, Charles' son, she was labeled the "mother" of the group. She was convicted of minor crimes — like indecent exposure — and was paroled in 1977.
Separate Ways
After her release from prison, she changed her identity and relocated to the Midwest. Meanwhile, Michael, right, changed his last name to Brunner and carved out his own path in life.
9. Paul Watkins
Like Linda Kasabian, Watkins had a similar relationship with the Manson Family. Although he knew the members and Charles well, Paul wasn't involved with any of the murders, instead giving the police information.
My Life with Charles Manson
In 1979, years after everything went down in court, Watkins co-wrote a memoir called My Life with Charles Manson discussing the time he spent with the group. In 1990, he died of leukemia.
10. Catherine Share
While Share wasn't pinned with any of the homicides the Manson Family committed, police nabbed her for lesser crimes: She was part of a group that robbed a store of 150 loaded firearms.
Speaking for the Family
After spending four years in prison, she became a born-again Christian and actually spoke well about her incarcerated friends. She said, "They're just not the same people they were when they were 20 and 18 at all."
11. Leslie Van Houten
Van Houten was only 19 years old when she was convicted of killing victims Leno and Rosemary LaBianca. Even though she was so young, the judge sentenced her to life in prison.
Parole, Parole, Parole
Now 69 years old, Van Houten still sits in prison, and it's likely she'll never get out. She fought for parole on 19 different occasions, but each application was denied. On July 23, 2020, she was recommended for parole a fourth time.
12. Charles Manson
He was head honcho of the whole Manson operation, although he never laid a finger on any of the murder victims. He was given life without parole, and in 2017 succumbed to a heart attack and died.
Born with No Name
While Charles Manson may be a name that infamously lives on, he didn't just gain his followers overnight. In fact, the California ranch where the "the family" based their operations was quite a well-known place at first. Spahn Ranch, as it was called, was a favorite setting of TV and movie Westerns for many years. But after it fell out of favor with Hollywood studios, something far more sinister than tumbleweeds rolled into town. That's when Manson and his band of crazed followers took over, and right from the start, there was trouble.
A Spahn Regular
Donald Shea didn't mind the newcomers at first. Known as "Shorty" by his friends — despite the fact that he was 6'4" — Shea was a hand at Spahn Ranch who also dabbled in acting, usually as a stuntman. Shorty was used to hanging around all sorts of oddballs and weirdos, but he began to feel that the Manson Family was something more sinister.
George And Charles
The ranch hand would have gladly kicked them out if he had the authority, but the property's owner had other ideas. George Spahn was 81-years-old and could barely see Charles Manson when they first met, but he still fell for the man's magic charisma. Manson offered up his dozens of followers to do chores around the ranch — and even sent a girl to visit George's bedroom from time to time. How, Shorty wondered, had it come to this?
Hollywood Hub
Just a few years prior, big stars and high-powered directors passed through the ranch on a daily basis. Its 500 acres of quaint wooden buildings and rugged hills made it ideal for Western productions. George Spahn bought it in 1953, and as it became more of a showbiz hotspot, he expanded it to be a tourist destination as well.
Years Of Success
Hit television shows like The Long Ranger and Bonanza filmed there regularly, and the ranch staff gave tours and horseback riding lessons to excited guests. Spahn's little kingdom made a tidy profit year after year, but when the 1960s rolled around, all that money dried up at once.
The Western Decline
Not only were Westerns falling out of favor, but the property itself was decaying. One of the last projects to film at Spahn was the horror movie The Creeping Terror, but a much scarier scene would arrive in 1968 with the Manson Family. They took over Spahn Ranch in a way that didn't sit well with Shorty.
Parasites Without A Host
Susan "Sadie" Atkins identified the largely vacant ranch as a perfect communal home. Many of them had been living with Beach Boys drummer Dennis Wilson, but they got the boot after the musician moved. Spahn's residence kept them out of the public eye, and its connections to show business were particularly alluring given that Manson aspired to become a world-famous musician.
Isolation
Chasing away the few tourists who still wanted to visit, Manson isolated his followers from the outside world. Living under communal rules, these free spirits were strong-armed into participating in orgies and indulging in mind-altering substances. Manson scholar James Buddy Day said, "There were no books, clocks or calendars. They became increasingly reliant on each other, which enabled their eventual feelings of paranoia and fear." And the hippies showed that they were no peace-loving folk.
Pretend Violence
The Family often flirted with the idea of violence. Channeling the energy of the Hollywood productions that once shot on the ranch, they'd pretend to be cowboys, or Indians, or pirates for a day at a time. That was harmless enough, but Shorty soon noticed that the hippies were also carrying out drug deals on the property. They also became increasingly hostile toward outsiders.
Shorty's Bride
The first real sign of trouble came when Shorty, still trying to keep the peace at the time, introduced the Spahn crew to his new bride, Magdalene Stokes. For Manson, that was a major problem, because Magdalene was Black. His views on race relations were less than typical.
Race War
Manson believed that the United States was headed for a massive race war called "Helter Skelter," after The Beatles' song, and he acted as if bringing Magdalene to the ranch was like inviting an enemy agent into their midst. Shorty couldn't believe it. He'd heard Charles go off on bizarre political tirades before, but to verbally harass his new spouse was unforgivable.
Putting Down Roots
The confrontation simmered down after both parties exchanged harsh words. Shorty would've complained to his boss, but the Manson Family had practically become the old man's caretakers. Lynette "Squeaky" Fromme — who later attempted to assassinate Gerald Ford — was charged with caring for George Spahn, in addition to "entertaining" him from time to time. The ranch owner wouldn't kick out the hippies without a good reason.
Property Deal
By 1969, Spahn was in a big enough financial hole that he had to sell off much of his property. A neighbor named Frank Retz offered to buy a sizable portion on one condition: none of the Manson followers or their so-called guru were allowed on his land. Retz signed the initial paperwork and hired Shorty as his night watchman, which meant he was responsible for keeping the hippies in line.
Armed To The Teeth
Shorty kept his cool. He thought Manson was all bark and no bite. But by the summer, the commune had gotten even more skittish than usual. Rumor had it that a drug deal gone wrong had resulted in the Mansons going to war with the Black Panthers — the first step in Helter Skelter. Charles had his people fortify the ramshackle buildings and start carrying weapons.
Violence Breaks Out
When the wife of one ranch hand refused to fork over her car keys, Manson and his followers beat her. Shorty blew a fuse when he found out, and he only became more convinced that the commune had to go. That August, it seemed like his problem might have solved itself when police sirens blared down the ranch's driveway.
Under Arrest
Manson hated cops, so he was curious when they questioned him about car thefts in the area. Things only got worse when the police returned shortly thereafter to bust Charlie for possession of marijuana. A short prison stint might have saved a number of lives, but a technicality put the cult leader back out on the street a couple days later.
The Conspiracy
The morning of August 26th, Manson gave his lackeys, Clem Grogan and Bruce Davis, very clear instructions. They then asked Shorty for a lift into town so they could visit a mechanic's shop. He agreed — perhaps the hippies were finally getting ready to clear out of the ranch. Shorty didn't come home that night.
Murderous Intent
If he'd known about the heinous deeds that the Manson followers had committed in the previous weeks, Shorty never would have gotten into the car with those two men. In July, the hippies broke into the home of Gary Hinman, a musical virtuoso and good friend of Charles. Believing he had a vast inheritance stashed away, they stabbed him to death, trashed his home, and framed the Black Panthers for the deed. That was only the beginning.
The Tate-LaBianca Murders
Though it's doubtful he recognized Manson as the mastermind, Shorty had certainly heard of the murders on Cielo and Waverly Drives that August. It wasn't just that movie star Sharon Tate was among the seven victims; the killings themselves were brutal. The murderers stuck silverware into the corpses and scrawled messages across the walls in blood.
Dead Ends
For weeks, investigators had no clue who carried out these grisly murders, which only made them more of a media sensation. One Manson devotee, Bobby Beausoleil, had been apprehended for the death of Gary Hinman, but police didn't believe that any of these crimes were linked at the time. And they never heard about Shorty's disappearance either.
All Quiet
Neither George Spahn nor Frank Retz realized the ranch hand was missing, and none of the Manson Family ever mentioned it. They were preparing to mobilize for the next stage of their apocalyptic race war and fled Spahn Ranch. Though through sheer chance, they were finally connected to the high-profile L.A. murders.
Legal Chaos
It wasn't just the lurid details of the Manson group's crimes. The trial itself was a spectacle. Even after Linda Kasabian flipped on the other followers in exchange for immunity, Manson stirred up trouble. He had his people give out conflicting information under oath. He claimed to be the devil and tried to attack the judge at one point. Then accusations emerged that Manson had killed even more innocents.
Missing Person
Shorty's wife Magdalene, though separated from him at the time, grew worried when her husband disappeared. A few Manson stragglers at Spahn Ranch said he'd gone to San Francisco, but that didn't add up. Magdalene contacted the police. When they'd learned of Manson's vendetta against Shorty, the ranch hand became a key figure in another trial in 1971.
Another Murder Plot
Grogan and Davis clearly never made it to the auto shop with Shorty, so they spilled the beans. Manson wanted them to get the watchman to pull over at a remote section of the ranch. There, they would bash him in the head with a pipe wrench. But that plan didn't go as expected.
Knives Out
The blow only dazed him. Manson and Tex Watson soon showed up, and the four men ganged up on the half-conscious Shorty. They repeatedly slashed at him with knives. Davis stuck him with a bayonet. Manson also wanted to cut off his head, but his followers pointed out that their victim was already dead. The defendants shared where they'd buried the remains, and the police sped off to locate them.
Story Full Of Holes
But there was no trace of Shorty's body. Was this just another one of Manson's smokescreens, a charade designed to make the police look foolish? It's true that the accused murderers' accounts didn't quite line up. Rumors persisted that Shorty had been cut into nine separate pieces and scattered across L.A. To make matters worse, plenty of evidence had been destroyed.
Death Of Spahn
In 1970, a fire swept through Spahn Ranch and took down every building. George Spahn clung to life for a few more years before passing in 1975. He never learned what happened to his loyal ranch hand. But the ultimate truth would make itself known soon enough.
Closure At Last
In 1977, Grogan provided investigators with a detailed map of where they'd killed and buried Shorty. What was left of him was finally located that December at Spahn Ranch. He had been loyal to the end. But what happened to the burnt-out remains of the ranch?
Empty Space
Today, it's nothing. Various business ventures, including a tourist center and Christian daycare, attempted to develop the land, but those efforts fell through. The state eventually took ownership of the former Spahn Ranch. You can actually visit the site.
State Park
The land has been incorporated into Santa Susana Pass State Historic Park. Hikers can enjoy the fresh air and stunning mountain views, but there is no trace of the violence and lunacy that took place there decades earlier. Perhaps Shorty has finally found peace. Only a few bits of graffiti hint that the Manson legend lives on.
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