Hi everyone! It's Monday, time for Terri Horman's cold case, when I pick a cold case from recent, or semi-recent history, and describe, for our favorite de facto kidnapping suspect, how it was solved. Today, I have chosen the arrest of Charles Manson. Now, I know a lot of this predates your existance, Terri, so I will give you some background. Charles Manson was a wannabe musician, sort of like you are a wannabe teacher. He also really liked the Beatles album that had "Helter Skelter" on it, kind of like you like body building. His followers, or "family", as he called them, wrote it in blood at the scenes of the murders he conspired and committed with them. Dennis Wilson, of the Beach Boys, hooked him up with someone who recorded and marketed music, but that person decided to give Manson a miss. Because of that, Manson developed a serious resentment, and took it out on some folks who rented a property owned by this man. Have you heard of the Tate-La Bianca murders? Sharon Tate and several of her friends were murdered, while Sharon was eight months pregnant, by Charles Mansons "family". Oh.....I forgot to mention, they all lived together at an old movie set called Spahn Ranch, and apparently supported themselves by selling drugs, stealing cars, and stealing other stuff, too. At any given time, at least a couple of them were in jail for something or other.
These Tate-La Bianca murders took place in August of 1969. They went unsolved for a few months......Susan Atkins, the "family" member who actually wielded the knife, got arrested for a petty charge, bad checks, I think, and blabbed about the whole thing to her cellmate. Until then, the police were stumped. Then, more members of Charles Manson's "family" were investigated, and more crimes and other incidents that involved them were looked at, and police even started interviewing friends and others associated with them. Still, Charles Manson had an extensive criminal history, consisting of things both known and not known to police, so investigating, and putting all the pieces of evidence together was difficult. Finally, at a place called Barker Ranch, they looked for Manson, to arrest and charge him, and almost left without him, because he hid out in the bathroom!
This is the place Charles Manson was arrested. And would you believe, Terri, that the reason he was found, hiding in a cupboard in the bathroom, was because his long hair was sticking out of the cupboard door?! Pretty damn stupid, dontcha think? But these things happen........"someone" up there decided his crime career was over. It was December of 1969. He was later given the death sentence, but was saved by the bell, because of the mortorium this country had on capital punishment for awhile. That's the only reason he is still alive. But don't feel too sorry for him, he did, after all, have a cell phone in prison for awhile! Just think, Terri; you can have a cell phone anywhere, until you get caught!
Here he is, Terri. From the days when mugshots were black and white! Still locked up, even though he thought his whole helter skelter plan was brilliant.
These Tate-La Bianca murders took place in August of 1969. They went unsolved for a few months......Susan Atkins, the "family" member who actually wielded the knife, got arrested for a petty charge, bad checks, I think, and blabbed about the whole thing to her cellmate. Until then, the police were stumped. Then, more members of Charles Manson's "family" were investigated, and more crimes and other incidents that involved them were looked at, and police even started interviewing friends and others associated with them. Still, Charles Manson had an extensive criminal history, consisting of things both known and not known to police, so investigating, and putting all the pieces of evidence together was difficult. Finally, at a place called Barker Ranch, they looked for Manson, to arrest and charge him, and almost left without him, because he hid out in the bathroom!
This is the place Charles Manson was arrested. And would you believe, Terri, that the reason he was found, hiding in a cupboard in the bathroom, was because his long hair was sticking out of the cupboard door?! Pretty damn stupid, dontcha think? But these things happen........"someone" up there decided his crime career was over. It was December of 1969. He was later given the death sentence, but was saved by the bell, because of the mortorium this country had on capital punishment for awhile. That's the only reason he is still alive. But don't feel too sorry for him, he did, after all, have a cell phone in prison for awhile! Just think, Terri; you can have a cell phone anywhere, until you get caught!
Here he is, Terri. From the days when mugshots were black and white! Still locked up, even though he thought his whole helter skelter plan was brilliant.
