Charles Manson, the convicted mass murderer and cult leader who died on Sunday at the age of 83, orchestrated the gruesome murders of seven people in August 1969 in California by his followers, a group of runaways and outcasts known as the “Manson Family.”
Here is what has become of several of the members of Manson’s cult:
Charles (Tex) Watson, 71, described himself as Manson’s “right hand man.” On Aug. 9, 1969, he and three female accomplices murdered actress Sharon Tate and four visitors at her Beverly Hills home. The following night, they killed a couple, Leno and Rosemary LaBianca, at their Los Angeles home. Watson remains in prison in California after repeatedly being denied parole. He became a minister in 1981, taking a path similar to some other ex-Manson Family members who also turned to Christianity.
Watson is seen reading a prepared statement at a parole hearing in 2011. (Rich Pedroncelli/Associated Press)
Susan Atkins, who took part in several of the slayings including those at the Tate residence and who wrote “Pig” in blood on a house wall, died of brain cancer in a California prison in 2009 at age 61. Atkins had been denied a request to be freed on parole as the fatal illness took hold.
Atkins attended her 2009 parole hearing in a bed. (Ben Margot/Associated Press)
Patricia Krenwinkel, 69, who took part in the murders of the LaBiancas and at the Tate residence, has become California’s longest-serving woman prisoner. In June, commissioners again denied parole for Krenwinkel, after a six-month inquiry to look into allegations that she had been abused by Manson or someone else, according to the Los Angeles Times.
Krenwinkel listens to the ruling denying her parole in 2011. (Reed Saxon/Associated Press)
Leslie Van Houten, 68, is serving a life sentence for taking part in the murders of the LaBiancas. Last year, California Governor Jerry Brown overturned a parole board recommendation that she should be released, saying that Van Houten still posed an “unreasonable danger to society.” In September, the parole board again granted her parole, which started a 150-day review process that will likely culminate in a final decision by Brown.
Van Houten confers with her attorney Rich Pfeiffer, not shown, during a break from her hearing before the California Board of Parole Hearings last year. (Nick Ut/The Associated Press)
Bruce Davis, 75, was sentenced to life in prison for the 1969 murders of music teacher Gary Hinman and stunt man Donald (Shorty) Shea. Brown has repeatedly overturned recommendations by the California parole board that Davis should be freed.
Davis, shown in 2012, has been recommended for parole five times. (Joe Johnston/The Tribune of San Luis Obispo via AP)
Robert (Bobby) Beausoleil, 70, is serving a life sentence for the 1969 murder of Hinman. A California parole board last denied his bid on Oct. 14, 2016. He will be eligible for a hearing again in 2019.
Lynette (Squeaky) Fromme, 69, was a member of the Manson Family and attended Manson’s trial. In 1975, she was tackled by a Secret Service agent after she aimed a pistol at U.S. President Gerald Ford. Convicted of attempted assassination, she was sentenced to life in prison. She was paroled in 2009 and moved to Marcy in New York state, according to the New York Post.
