The Manson Family had a shifting membership, but the names that matter fall into a handful of groups: the followers convicted of the 1969 murders, the getaway driver who testified against them, the early recruits who stayed devoted long after Manson’s arrest, and the members who left and helped the prosecution. Below is a full accounting of the names of Manson followers, what each person did, and where they are now.
Followers Convicted of Murder
Charles “Tex” Watson
Watson led both murder raids on the ground. He was tried separately from the others and convicted in October 1971 of seven counts of first-degree murder, receiving a death sentence that was later commuted to life.1NBC Los Angeles. Manson Follower Tex Watson Denied Parole As of his October 2021 hearing, Watson had been denied parole 18 times and was held at the Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility in San Diego, with his next hearing set for 2026.2Times of San Diego. Manson Family Killer Charles Tex Watson Denied Parole for 18th Time
Susan Atkins
Atkins took part in the Tate murders and accompanied the group to the LaBianca residence the following night. She was convicted on seven counts of murder and one count of conspiracy and sentenced to death, later commuted to life.3Justia Law. People v. Manson, 61 Cal. App. 3d 102 Denied parole 12 times, she was diagnosed with brain cancer in 2008 and died in prison on September 24, 2009, at age 61. At the time of her death she was the longest-serving female inmate in California.4ABC News. Susan Atkins Dies in Prison
Patricia Krenwinkel
Krenwinkel took part in both nights of killings, stabbing Abigail Folger and helping kill Leno and Rosemary LaBianca. She was convicted in 1971 on seven counts of first-degree murder.5NBC News. What Ever Happened to Other Manson Family Cult Members She is now California’s longest-serving female prisoner. In October 2025, Governor Gavin Newsom reversed a parole board recommendation for her release for the second time, saying she “currently poses an unreasonable danger to society.”6The Guardian. Charles Manson Follower Parole Patricia Krenwinkel Her attorney, Keith Wattley, called the decision “100% political” and argued the governor had ignored her documented history as a survivor of domestic violence.7ABC7 NY. Governor Newsom Denies Parole to Krenwinkel
Leslie Van Houten
Van Houten was 19 when she took part in the LaBianca murders. She was convicted of two counts of first-degree murder and sentenced to death, later commuted to life.8ABC News. Leslie Van Houten Released From Prison After more than 20 parole denials, including five gubernatorial reversals, a state appeals court in May 2023 granted her petition for habeas corpus, finding that the governor’s refusal to credit her rehabilitation amounted to “unsupported intuition.”9FindLaw. In re Van Houten, B320098 Governor Newsom declined to appeal, and Van Houten was released on July 11, 2023, after 53 years in prison. She is the only convicted Tate-LaBianca killer to be freed.10NPR. Leslie Van Houten Freed on Parole
Bobby Beausoleil
Beausoleil was convicted of the July 1969 murder of musician Gary Hinman. He admitted stabbing Hinman and ordering that “political piggy” and a Black Panther symbol be written in blood at the scene to mislead investigators.11CieloDrive.com. Bobby Beausoleil Parole Hearing 1978 His death sentence was commuted to life with the possibility of parole. In January 2025, a state parole board panel recommended him for release, though the decision remained subject to review by the full Board of Parole Hearings and the governor. Previous recommendations had been rejected in 2019, 2020, and 2022.12Spectrum News. Panel Recommends Parole for Former Manson Follower
Steve “Clem” Grogan
Grogan murdered ranch hand Donald “Shorty” Shea at Spahn Ranch on Manson’s orders. He was sentenced to death, but the presiding judge reduced the sentence to life, reportedly concluding Grogan was too intellectually impaired and intoxicated at the time to have planned the killing himself.13Biography. Manson Family Members Today He became the only convicted Manson Family killer to be paroled through the ordinary process, winning release in November 1985 after leading authorities to Shea’s remains.14Los Angeles Times. Manson Family Member Paroled He lives in the San Francisco Bay Area and plays music with several bands.
Bruce Davis
Davis, described as Manson’s “right-hand man,” was convicted for his part in the Hinman and Shea murders. He admitted cutting Shea with a knife and holding a gun while Manson slashed Hinman’s face with a sword.15Los Angeles Times. Parole Denied Again for Manson Follower Bruce Davis Davis has been recommended for parole seven times, and three consecutive California governors have rejected his release. He was denied again in July 2022. A scheduled 2024 hearing was postponed after he appeared on a true crime podcast.16Fox News. Bruce Davis Parole Hearing Postponed
The Star Witness: Linda Kasabian
Linda Kasabian served as the getaway driver and lookout on both murder nights. Prosecutors granted her immunity in exchange for her testimony, and she became the central witness at the 1970-71 trial, providing the detailed account of events that helped convict Manson, Atkins, Krenwinkel, and Van Houten.17Famous Trials. Charles Manson Trial Chronology After the trial she spent decades living under assumed names, going by Linda Chiochios at the time of her death.18The New York Times. Linda Kasabian Dead She died on January 21, 2023, in Tacoma, Washington, at age 73.19Reuters. Manson Family Follower Linda Kasabian Dies at 73
Early and Devoted Followers
Mary Brunner
Brunner was the first person recruited into Manson’s orbit. She met him while he was on parole, let him move into her apartment, and traveled with him as he gathered other followers. She gave birth to his son, Valentine Michael Manson, in April 1968. Brunner was present at the Hinman murder but received immunity in exchange for testifying against her co-defendants. She was later convicted for her role in an August 1971 armed robbery of a surplus store in Hawthorne, California, where Family members tried to steal weapons as part of a plan to hijack an airliner and demand Manson’s release. She received 20 years to life, was paroled in 1977, and vanished from public life.20CharlesManson.com. Mary Brunner
Lynette “Squeaky” Fromme
Fromme was one of Manson’s earliest followers and was never charged in connection with the 1969 murders. On September 5, 1975, she pointed a loaded .45-caliber pistol at President Gerald Ford in Sacramento, and a Secret Service agent grabbed the weapon before it could fire.21History.com. Squeaky Fromme Sentenced to Life Convicted of attempted assassination of a president, she was sentenced to life. In 1987, she escaped from the Alderson Federal Correctional Institution in West Virginia after hearing rumors about Manson’s health; she was recaptured after 40 hours and received an additional five years. Fromme was paroled in August 2009 after nearly 34 years.22Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library. Squeaky
Sandra Good
Good joined the Family in April 1968 and helped establish the group’s base at Spahn’s Movie Ranch. After Manson’s arrest she remained devoted and, along with Fromme, formed the “International People’s Court of Retribution,” sending threatening letters to corporate executives. In 1975 she was convicted on five counts of conspiracy to send threatening letters through the mail and served 10 years.23CieloDrive.com. Sandra Good After her 1985 parole she settled in Vermont and in the mid-1990s co-founded the “Access Manson” website, continuing to maintain Manson’s innocence.
Other Family Members and Associates
Catherine Share (“Gypsy”)
Share was a prominent recruiter who testified for the defense during the Tate-LaBianca trial, trying to shift blame onto Linda Kasabian. She took part in the August 1971 Hawthorne gun store robbery, where she fired the first shot and was wounded three times, and served roughly three and a half years for it. She later served additional prison time on federal credit card fraud charges.24CieloDrive.com. Catherine Share After her release she became a born-again Christian, pursued retail work, and wrote a book about her experiences.25San Diego Union-Tribune. Free Manson Family Members Haunted by Horror
Ruth Ann Moorehouse (“Ouisch”)
Moorehouse was recruited as a minor. After the murders she tried to silence prosecution witness Barbara Hoyt by lacing a hamburger with a massive dose of LSD during a trip to Hawaii. Hoyt survived. In December 1970, Moorehouse was arrested at the Los Angeles County Hall of Justice along with Catherine Share and Lynette Fromme for attempting to murder Hoyt.26Los Angeles Public Library. Manson Followers Arrested
Nancy Pitman (“Brenda McCann”)
Pitman continued criminal activity after Manson’s arrest. During the Tate-LaBianca trial she was accused of attempting to smuggle LSD to Manson and sentenced to 60 days in jail. In November 1972, she was arrested in Stockton, California, in connection with the murder of Laureen Willett, whose body was found in the basement of a residence where Pitman and other Family associates were staying.27CieloDrive.com. Three Manson Girls Arrested
Barbara Hoyt
Hoyt joined the Family at Spahn Ranch at 17 and became a key prosecution witness, testifying in the trials of Manson, Bruce Davis, and Steve Grogan. The Family’s attempt to kill her with the LSD-laced hamburger failed, and she testified anyway. In later years she attended parole hearings and at times supported Leslie Van Houten’s rehabilitation. She died of kidney failure on December 3, 2017, at age 63.28CharlesManson.com. Barbara Hoyt
Members Who Left and Testified for the Prosecution
Dianne Lake (“Snake”)
Lake joined the Family in late 1967 at age 14 and lived with the group at Spahn Ranch and Barker Ranch for over two years, suffering physical and sexual abuse by Manson. After the Barker Ranch raid in October 1969, the 16-year-old revealed her identity to authorities, telling interrogators, “I want my mommy!”29Los Angeles Times. Dianne Lake Feature She was made a ward of the court, spent eight months in a psychiatric hospital being treated for LSD-induced psychosis, and eventually testified against Manson and Van Houten.30Oxygen. Dianne Lake on Leaving Manson Taken in as a foster child by an Inyo County detective and his wife, she finished high school, attended college, lived in Europe, and later earned a master’s degree in education. She worked as a special education teacher and in banking, and in 2017 published a memoir, Member of the Family.31VC Reporter. Interview With Manson Family Survivor Dianne Lake
Brooks Poston and Paul Watkins
Poston and Watkins defected before the murders after a desert miner named Paul Crockett convinced them that Manson’s teachings were calculated manipulation. Stationed at Barker Ranch in 1969, the two grew increasingly frightened of Manson and, with Crockett, approached the California Highway Patrol with extensive information about the group. Poston testified at the Tate-LaBianca trial, explaining the “Helter Skelter” philosophy and daily life in the Family.32CieloDrive.com. Brooks Poston After the trials, Poston and Watkins formed a musical group called “Desert Sun” that performed in Inyo County. Poston reportedly still lives quietly and plays music.
Juan Flynn
Flynn, a Panamanian immigrant, worked as a ranch hand at Spahn Ranch, shoveling manure in exchange for room and board. He became a crucial prosecution witness after testifying that Manson had confessed the killings to him directly. According to Flynn, a couple of days after the Tate murders, Manson cornered him in the ranch kitchen, grabbed him by the hair, held a knife to his throat, and said, “Don’t you know I’m the one who’s doing all these killings?”33The New York Times. Witness Testifies Manson Told of Killings Prosecutor Vincent Bugliosi regarded Flynn as a “star witness.” Flynn died in 2014 at 70.34CieloDrive.com. Tate Trial Witness Says Manson Admitted Killings
Where They Are Now
Manson himself died in prison on November 19, 2017.17Famous Trials. Charles Manson Trial Chronology Among his followers, Susan Atkins, Linda Kasabian, Juan Flynn, and Barbara Hoyt are also dead. Leslie Van Houten was released in 2023, and Steve Grogan has been free since 1985. Lynette Fromme and Sandra Good finished sentences for later crimes and were released in 2009 and 1985. Mary Brunner was paroled in 1977 and disappeared from public view. Dianne Lake rebuilt her life as a teacher and author, Catherine Share turned to religion, and Brooks Poston continued playing music in relative obscurity.
Patricia Krenwinkel, Charles “Tex” Watson, Bobby Beausoleil, and Bruce Davis remain in prison. Krenwinkel has twice had parole recommendations reversed by Governor Newsom, most recently in October 2025. Watson’s next hearing is set for 2026. Beausoleil received a January 2025 panel recommendation awaiting further review. Davis had a hearing postponed in 2024 after appearing on a true crime podcast.