Posted on 09/06/2017 3:56:05 PM PDT by BenLurkin
The youngest of Manson's followers, Van Houten has been considered the least blameworthy member of the group and has been portrayed by supporters as a misguided teen under the influence of LSD on the night of the slayings.
A former homecoming queen from Monrovia, she did not join in the Aug. 9, 1969, murders of Sharon Tate, the pregnant wife of film director Roman Polanski, and four others at the Benedict Canyon home that Tate was renting.
But the following day, Van Houten was part of a group that stormed into the LaBiancas' home in Los Feliz. As Charles "Tex" Watson stabbed Leno LaBianca, Van Houten and another woman held down Rosemary LaBianca.
After Watson stabbed Rosemary LaBianca with a bayonet, he handed a knife to Van Houten. She testified to stabbing Rosemary in the back at least 14 more times. The blood of the victims was used to scrawl messages on the walls, as had been done at the Benedict Canyon home.
(Excerpt) Read more at latimes.com ...
LAPD was on the right track early on when they arrested some drug dealers tied to Manson who had threatened the Tate victims, but they didn’t discover their connection to Manson at that time, so that lead went cold, although it produced some major narcotics busts that were linked to Manson’s drug suppliers. Months later, according to former deputy sheriff Preston Guillory, the authorities were briefed a few weeks before the actually raided the Spahn Ranch, but they waited hoping that Manson would attack the Black Panthers first. A number of the deputies got annoyed at the delay, he said.
huh?....LAPD refused to connect the 2 crimes even though any moron could see that they were....1 day after, 2 LA County Sheriffs homicide detectives that were investigating the Hinman murder went to LAPD robbery/homicide and told them of the similarities of their case, even mentioned the Manson clan might be involved, and the LA cops told them to get lost...the local ABC news crew reinacted leaving the Tate crime scene and found the bloody clothes they wore that night...LAPD was searching high and low for the gun that was used, not knowing that it had been found 3 weeks after the crime, and Van Nuys division had it all along...the Spahn ranch raid was right on the front page of the LA Times, next to the lead story on the murders,..it was almost comical...Adkins was actually bragging about how stupid the cops were.
many many articles in the Calif press and also radio stations like KFI640
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FIRST HOMICIDE INVESTIGATION PROGRESS REPORT
In mid March of this year, the Polanskis had a large catered party which included over 100 invited guests. The persons invited included actors, actresses, film directors and producers, business agents for the above-described people, and the Polanskis' attorneys. Most of the people invited came to the party along with several people who were uninvited. The list of uninvited guests included William Doyle, Thomas Harrigan and Harrison Pickens Dawson. They came to the party accompanied by an invited guest, Ben Carruthers and an unidentified male.
During the party, a verbal altercation ensued involving William Tennant, Roman Polanski's business agent, and William Doyle. Doyle apparently stepped on Tennant's foot during this altercation. Dawson and Harrigan joined in the verbal altercation, siding with Doyle. Roman Polanski became very irritated and ordered Doyle, Harrigan and Dawson ejected from the party. Ben Carruthers and the unidentified male that had accompanied him to the party escorted the three men from the property.
The above-described party was held as a bon voyage party for the Polanskis who were leaving for a film festival in Rio de Janeiro and then to Europe where Roman Polanski was to direct a film. The Polanskis left Los Angeles at the end of March. Prior to leaving, they invited Wojiciech Frykowski and Abigail Folger to live in their house. In addition to Frykowski and Folger, the Polanski maid, Winifred Chapman, stayed on at the Polanski residence. She did not live on the premises, but commuted five days a week; her regular days off being Saturday and Sunday. . .
William Doyle, Tom Harrigan, Pic Dawson, John Deturo, Charles Tacot, Ben Carruthers, Cass Elliot, Witold Kaczanowski, along with several other narcotics users, were frequent visitors and party qoers at the Polanski residence.
William Doyle and Tom Harrigan came to Los Angeles in January of 1969, from Toronto, Canada. Doyle arrived first via commercial airline, arriving with an estimated two pounds of cocaine. After his arrival, he took up residence at Cass Elliot's, 7708 Woodrow Wilson Drive, Los Angeles. Doyle and Elliot, had met while Elliot was making a film in Toronto, Canada, Doyle's and Harrigan's hometown. When Doyle arrived, it was obvious to Elliot that he was high on drugs and when he produced the two pounds of cocaine, Elliot told him he would have to leave. It was at this time that Harrigan arrived and the two of them took up residence at 1459 North Rings Road, Los Angeles. From this location, Doyle and Harrigan began to solicit and make friends among various persons in the movie industry. They did this in order to make contacts for the sale of the smuggled cocaine.
Harrigan and Doyle, after moving to Kings Road, sold a t least $6,000 worth of cocaine during their first month.
Terrance Cooksley, an 18-year-old houseboy at the Kings Road address remained high for at least the month of February on cocaine supplied by Harrigan and Doyle. Sometime in March, he stole the $6,000 that Doyle and Harrigan had made. He frequented miscellaneous discotheques in the Los Angeles area and spent the money freely or gave it away in the form of large tips to various waiters. Doyle and Harrigan followed him to Stockton, California where they knocked him around and threatened him. They told him to keep his mouth shut and left Cooksley returned to Los Angeles, and in mid March, Doyle and Harrigan took Cooksley, bodily, from the Whiskey-A-Go Go. They rode around in the Hollywood hills, with Harrigan driving. Doyle was in the back seat beating Cooksley with a hammer handle. Harrigan stated it appeared that Cooksley liked the beating and, therefore, they stopped. A crime report was taken; however, Cooksley gave misleading statements and information and there was no prosecution. He did describe Harrigan and Doyle to his father as vicious persons and probably hired killers.
Doyle and Harrigan became quite friendly with Frykowski and Folger. This was mainly due to the fact that Frykowski was interested in the known drugs on the market, in addition to future synthetic drugs that were being made in eastern Canada. Doyle and Harrigan told Frykowski that they would obtain the new synthetic drug, MDA, from Canada and allow him to be one of the first to try it. This conversation or agreement apparently took place sometime in the early part of July, 1969, at the Polanski home.
In mid July, Doyle left for Jamaica with Charles Tacot to make an underground film about the effects of marijuana. Harrigan made a trip to Toronto, Canada and brought back a supply of MDA and possibly other drugs via commercial airlines. It is known that he supplied at least a portion of this MDA to Frykowski. It is possible that Frykowski was given this drug by some other emissary two or.three.days prior to the murder.
Kaczanowski was present at the Polanski home in the early part of July and overheard Doyle and Harrigan tell Frykowski they were going to get him the drug known as MDA. Kaczanowski did not see Doyle and Harrigan after this meeting. . .
As Sebring, Frykowski and Folger were confirmed narcotics users on a daily basis, the following mentioned suspects were checked and interviewed by members of the Los Angeles Police Department as they are either confirmed narcotics users and peddlers, or have the reputation as suppliers of narcotics to the particular group of entertainers and the like who have habitually associated with Frykowski and Folger and to a lesser extent the Polanskis.
The following persons were suspect in this case; however, they have been eliminated at the time of this report:
1. Thomas Michael Harrigan, Toronto, Canada, Police No. FPS 2958 82-A, male Caucasian, 27 years, 5-10, 163, brown hair and brown eyes. This suspect has one arrest in Canada for Illegal Possession of Narcotics. The disposition indicates that he was discharged with no apparent filing. The suspect is a native of Toronto, Canada and a user and smuggler of drugs to the United States.
2. William J. Doyle, Toronto, Canada, No. FPS 230 203-A, male Caucasian, 27, 5-8, 180, brown hair and brown eyes. This suspect has one arrest for Uttering Prescription for Narcotic Drug, two charges. Disposition indicates that he was sentenced to 12 months, case suspended, case appealed. The appeal was allowed, the conviction was squashed and the verdict of acquittal entered. Doyle is a native of Toronto, Canada and a user and smuggler of drugs to the United States.
3. Charles Tacot, male Caucasian, 38 years, 6-2, 160, blond hair, balding, blue eyes. This suspect has no known police record, no permanent address in Los Angeles. Returned from Jamaica in order to talk with investigating officers. He is a producer, director of underground films and is apparently not too successful at this. He is an admitted narcotics user, using such drugs as cocaine and marijuana.
4. Harrison Pickens Dawson, male Caucasian, 27 years, 5-9, 150 brown hair, brown eyes. No permanent Los Angeles address, travels between Los Angeles, New York, Massachusetts and Virginia. He is known user of various narcotics including heroin, cocaine, methardine, mescaline, hashish, marijuana, LSD, and MDA.
The above four persons traveled in the same circles and knew Wojiciech Frykowski and Abigail Folger. Harrigan and Doyle supplied Frykowski and Folger with some cocaine and mescaline and probably most all of the MDA they used. MDA is a synthetic drug manufactured in Toronto, Canada.
Tacot and Harrigan have been interviewed at great length by investigating, officers and voluntarily took a polygraph examination administered by Lieutenant Earl Deemer, Rampart Detective Division. Investigating officers and Deemer were satisfied that Tacot and Harrigan had nothing to do with the homicides.
At the time of this report, Deemer is in the process of interviewing Dawson in Virginia and Doyle in Toronto, Canada. Preliminary indications are that neither Dawson or Doyle are involved in the homicides. Polygraph examinations are being administered.
A complete report and polygraph examination results will be a part of future progress reports.
William “Billy” Doyle interviewed by LAPD Lt. Earl Deemer 8/30/69 – Part One
William “Billy” Doyle interviewed by LAPD Lt. Earl Deemer 8/30/69 – Part Two
She is what about 70 years old? So she gets to live 20-30 more years while Sharron Tate died in her 20’s and never got to see her child.
that was the problem...they kept insisting that the murders were some kind of drug deal gone bad...and they were not. The Tate team wouldn’t even talk to the La Bianca team...right across the same room. The point is...the entire Los Angeles area was scared witless for months...it was not Robbery/Homicides finest hour..
Manson’s name is not mentioned in that report...not once.
Which is also what some Manson Family associates have alleged figured into the motive.
Agree it wasn't LAPD's finest hour.
As I said, they didn't make the connection between the suspects they arrested and Manson at that time. The connection wasn't discovered until years later. The suspects, Frykowski, Sebring, and Manson were all dealing for the same criminal organization, which was later broken up and investigated by the Senate Judiciary Committee.
I don’t remember the record of the other two justices, but Rose Bird (Chief Justice of California’s Supreme Court) had been involved in a number of capital cases. She developed opinions that shot down the execution follow through in every case. The public got really upset about it.
She came up for re-election and the public tossed her out on her posterior. Two other justices on the California Supreme Court met the same fate in that election.
It was a high point in California’s history.
Rose Byrd was one of the worst judges ever.
ive studied this crime for over 35 years..thats the craziest story ive ever heard about the Tate, La Bianca murders....geez.
Just kids having fun...
I lived in LA at the time, was invited to the party at Sharon Tate’s house that night. My bf was a client of celebrity hair stylist/barber Jay Sebring and Jay invited us. When bf told me we’d been invited to a Hollywood party with real STARS, all the air left my body, as if I’d been kicked in the stomach. NO, I shouted. Purely instinctive, or maybe grace.
Jay was among the dead.
Monsters come in all colors, sizes, shapes and sexes. This monstrous murderer should NEVER leave prison.
Brown refused to release her the last time the parole board voted to grant her parole. I doubt he'll release her this time.
Thanks,I did not know that-—I just despise Brown.
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Ben, While in college Bugliosi was a guest lecturer. I specifically recall his saying that Charlie was the only person he ever dealt with that truly frightened him.
I heard Bugliosi speak at Cleveland Marshall Law School during the mid 70s. During the question and answer session, one long-haired undergraduate student asked him if he had ever taken LSD. The panicked expression on Bulgiosi’s face was priceless.
Manson’s own assessment of Bugliosi is remarkably pithy, coming as it did from such a deranged individual:
“Mr. Bugliosi is a hard-driving prosecutor, polished education, a master of words, semantics. He is a genius. He has got everything that every lawyer would want to have except one thing: a case.”
IIRC, the Tate/Polanski house on Cielo Dr. was a rental and a previous occupant was one of the Beach Boys, or someone associated with them (Terry Melcher?).
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