WHERE ARE THEY NOW?
MANSON’S WOMEN Nearly 5 decades after Charles Manson lured women to his commune for love and murder, a new TV movie re-creates their killing spree. Who were the women under Manson’s spell?
CHARLES MANSON in 1969; Susan Atkins, Patricia Krenwinkel and Leslie Van Houten (from left, below ) at their 1970 murder tria l.
By ELAINE ARADILLAS
CLOCKWISE FROM TOP RIGHT: BETTMAN/CORBIS; AP; DAVID F. SMITH/AP; INSETS: CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS(3)
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or two nights in August 1969 in Los Angeles, notorious cult leader Charles Manson, 34, instructed his followers to commit a series of horrific murders that left seven people dead and the country in fear. Horror turned to shock when a group of young women— without any connection to the victims—was found to have willingly participated in the slaughter. More than 46 years later, a whole new generation will be introducedtoManson’smadness on Feb. 6 in the Lifetime movie Manson’s Lost Girls, told from the viewpoint of Linda Kasabian, 20, who drove Susan Atkins, 21, Leslie Van Houten, 19, Patricia Krenwinkel, 21, and others to the murder sprees that left pregnant Hollywood starlet Sharon Tate and six others slaughtered (see page 46). Kasabian, who has stayed out of the public eye (see box), turned state witness in the 1970 trial, helping convict the others of firstdegree murder. Says the film’s director Leslie Libman: “These were normal girls who weren’t mistreated, but who were rejecting society, embracing this guy who tookadvantageofthem—and changed everything.”
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SUSAN ATKINS Died Sept. 24, 2009 Atkins, a.k.a. “Sexy Sadie,” was sentenced to death (commuted to life in prison) for the Tate/LaBianca murders. She died at age 61 of natural causes in prison in Chowchilla, Calif., after being denied parole 13 times.
TESTIFYING AGAINST THEMANSON FAMILY
PATRICIA KRENWINKEL Calif. Institution for Women At 68, she is the longestserving female inmate in the state. In a 2004 parole hearing, she said she placed herself at the top of the list of people she harmed. She was denied but is up for parole again in 2018.
LESLIE VAN HOUTEN Calif. Institution for Women Van Houten, 66, was granted a retrial in 1976 because her lawyer disappeared during her first trial. She claimed LSD diminished her capacity for rational thought but was again found guilty of murder. Her next parole hearing is April 14.
LINDA KASABIAN Whereabouts Unknown After two failed marriages and the birth of her daughter Tanya, Kasabian joined Manson’s commune at Spahn Ranch in July 1969. At trial she told jurors Manson’s women did “anything and everything” for him. Now 66, she reportedly changed her name and lives in the Pacific Northwest. Attempts to reach her were unsuccessful.
PEOPLE February 15, 2016
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