The Manson Family is one of the most infamous cults in modern history, thanks in no small
part to the notoriety of its leader, Charles Manson. But who were the other members of
Manson's so-called family, and what happened to them after the cult finally fell apart?
Sometimes referred to as Manson's right-hand man,
Charles “Tex” Watson is believed to have been the only one with a gun on the night of the
Tate-LaBianca murders, thus making him the actual killer of at least two of the victims.
In 1969, Watson was arrested and extradited to California.
Although originally sentenced to death, his sentenced was commuted to life in prison
after California temporarily outlawed the death penalty in 1972. After his incarceration,
Watson converted to Christianity and became a prison minister. As of 2021, he remains in prison.
Susan Atkins was another major participant in the Manson cult murders,
and the only member to participate in both the Hinman killing and Tate-LaBianca killings. Despite
being warned not to, Atkins testified against Manson and the other members of the family
without a promise of immunity, and in the end her own testimony helped put her away.
In prison, she became a born-again Christian and apologized for the crimes she had committed.
She died in prison in 2009 of brain cancer.
"There's no undoing, there's no wiping it out, there's no whitewashing it.
It's there, it's a fact, it happened, and I was a part of it."
It was through Bobby Beausoleil that Manson became aware of Gary Hinman, who was tortured
and killed by the Family over three days in July 1969. Beausoleil, who had been the one
to finally kill Hinman, was caught just over a week later and convicted of murder. As of 2021,
he is still incarcerated, and is today well-known for the art and music he has produced in prison.
While Mary Brunner was present at the killing of Gary Hinman, she didn't actively participate
in the crime and was granted immunity for testifying against Bobby Beausoleil.
Then, in August 1971, Brunner and some other Family members were arrested after attempting to
rob guns from a Western Surplus store. The group's plan was to hijack a plane with the
guns and threaten to shoot one passenger for every minute that Manson Family members weren't freed.
Brunner was sentenced to 20 years in prison, though she was paroled in 1977
and subsequently retreated into a quiet private life.
Bruce M. Davis played an active role in the torture of Gary Hinman,
and a week later became a participant in the killing of Donald "Shorty" Shea. In the end,
Davis was convicted for his role in both killings. Unlike the other members of the family, however,
Davis has actually come very close to getting out. Thanks to a spotless disciplinary record,
his parole board has recommended him for release, although each time the recommendation
has been overturned by the incumbent Governor of California. He remains in prison to this day.
Lynette "Squeaky" Fromme was actually never convicted of any crimes related to
the Manson family, and ended up acting as a kind of unofficial PR rep for the cult.
In 1975, Fromme confronted President Gerald Ford in a public park in Sacramento,
where she pulled a gun on him and even pulled the trigger,
but no round fired. Fromme was arrested and sentenced to life in prison.
In 2009, despite several instances of bad behavior — including escaping from prison
on one occasion — Fromme was paroled. She hasn't been in any legal trouble since,
although has often spoken publicly about her loud and ongoing support for Manson's cause.
Sandra Good is one of the Manson Family's few high profile members who managed to avoid going to jail
for any of the cult's major crimes. Nonetheless, she openly supported the Family members who were
jailed, and even stood up for Squeaky Fromme after her assassination attempt against Gerald Ford.
In 1975, Good and other Family members were convicted of sending death threats
through the mail to businesses she felt were harming the environment.
She received a 15 year sentence, but only served a little less than 10.
"And then I refused to leave. I said I don't want out until my
people get a fair trial. They had to basically kicked me out."
Good continued to praise Manson after her release, but has generally kept her head down otherwise.
While Steven Grogan wasn't involved in the Hinman or Tate-LaBianca murders, he directly participated
in the killing of Donald Shea. Later, Grogan cooperated with the authorities, even drawing them
a map to Shea's body, and was released from prison in 1988. He has kept out of trouble ever since.
Through some combination of luck or wisdom,
Barbara Hoyt managed to not be involved in any of the Manson Family's various crimes.
In fact, she actually had the courage to testify against them — leading to the other
members of the Family to make an attempt on her life by dosing a hamburger with LSD.
Unsurprisingly, this didn't kill Hoyt. She survived the attempt on her life,
testified, and lived quietly as a nurse until she died in 2017.
Linda Kasabian was only part of the Family for about a month, but her experiences during
that time would prove crucial to the cases against Manson and his followers.
Kasabian was used during the Tate killings as a reluctant getaway driver and lookout, and was
asked to perform the same role for the LaBianca killings. Manson actually hoped to commit another
murder that night, but Kasabian intentionally knocked on the wrong door to stymie his plans.
After that, Kasabian fled from the Family with her daughter, reunited with her husband,
and testified against Manson himself. Today, she lives away from the public eye.
Like Barbara Hoyt and Linda Kasabian, Paul Watkins managed to get away from the Manson
Family without participating in any violence — and eventually testified against them too.
Horrified by Manson's so-called "Helter Skelter" vision of an apocalyptic race war, Watkins decided
to get out of the Family, and went to the police after hearing about the Tate-LaBianca killings.
After suffering a mysterious attempt on his life, Watkins decided to testify in court.
He later became a lecturer on cult psychology and substance abuse, and died in 1990.
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