Manson Murders: Five Killed in Hollywood Horror
Charles Manson never personally killed anyone during the Tate-LaBianca murders of August 8-9, 1969. He sent his followers. Tex Watson, Susan Atkins, and Patricia Krenwinkel entered the home at 10050 Cielo Drive in Benedict Canyon and murdered five people, including actress Sharon Tate, who was eight months pregnant. The following night, Manson accompanied his followers to the LaBianca home but left the actual killing to Watson and the women. The murders were intended to ignite a race war Manson called "Helter Skelter," named after a Beatles song. The investigation took months; the killers were identified only after Susan Atkins bragged about the murders to a cellmate in an unrelated arrest.
August 8, 1969
57 years ago
Key Figures & Places
What Else Happened on August 8
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