Charles Manson was charged with nine counts of first-degree murder and one count of conspiracy to commit murder. The seven murders at the heart of the case were the Tate-LaBianca killings of August 1969, charged alongside a single conspiracy count. Two additional first-degree murder charges, prosecuted separately, covered the deaths of Gary Hinman and Donald “Shorty” Shea. A Los Angeles County grand jury returned the initial Tate-LaBianca indictment on December 8, 1969. Manson never personally killed any of the seven Tate-LaBianca victims; prosecutors argued he ordered and orchestrated the murders, which under California law made him as guilty as the people who carried them out.
The Seven Tate-LaBianca Murder Counts
Five of the seven first-degree murder counts covered the killings at a residence on Cielo Drive on the night of August 8–9, 1969: Sharon Tate, Jay Sebring, Abigail Folger, Wojciech Frykowski, and Steven Parent. The remaining two counts addressed Leno and Rosemary LaBianca, killed at their home the following night.
Each count was filed under California Penal Code Section 187, which defines murder as the unlawful killing of a human being with malice aforethought.1California Legislative Information. California Code Penal Code 187 – Murder Manson was indicted alongside Susan Atkins and Patricia Krenwinkel on all seven counts. Leslie Van Houten was indicted on the two LaBianca counts. Charles “Tex” Watson, who physically carried out the killings at both locations, was tried separately after fighting extradition from Texas.2Justia. People v. Manson
The Conspiracy Count
The eighth charge was one count of conspiracy to commit murder under California Penal Code Section 182.3California Legislative Information. California Code PEN 182 – Conspiracy The count alleged that Manson and his co-defendants agreed on and planned the killings. Conspiracy to commit murder carries the same punishment as first-degree murder under California law, so the charge was not a lesser add-on. It carried the same weight as each individual murder count.
Charges for Gary Hinman and Donald Shea
Beyond the Tate-LaBianca case, Manson faced two more counts of first-degree murder in separate proceedings.
Gary Hinman, a Topanga Canyon musician, was killed on July 27, 1969, several weeks before the better-known August killings. Bobby Beausoleil was the primary killer, but evidence showed Manson arrived at Hinman’s home during the ordeal and slashed Hinman’s face with a sword. Manson was convicted of Hinman’s murder based on his direct participation and his role in directing the attack.
Donald “Shorty” Shea was a ranch hand at the Spahn Movie Ranch, where Manson’s group lived. He was killed in late August 1969, reportedly because Manson believed he was cooperating with police. Multiple former followers testified that Manson ordered the killing and personally participated in the attack. The Hinman and Shea convictions brought Manson’s total to nine first-degree murder convictions plus the conspiracy count.
How Prosecutors Held Manson Liable Without a Weapon
The central legal challenge was proving Manson guilty of the Cielo Drive murders, where he was not present. Prosecutors used two overlapping theories: conspiracy and aiding and abetting.
Under California’s conspiracy statute, when two or more people agree to commit a crime and one carries it out, all conspirators share legal responsibility for the result.3California Legislative Information. California Code PEN 182 – Conspiracy Prosecutors also relied on California Penal Code Section 31, which defines anyone who commands, advises, encourages, or aids in the commission of a crime as a principal, legally identical to the person who physically does it.4California Legislative Information. California Code PEN Section 31 Under that statute, a person who uses threats, commands, or coercion to compel another to commit a crime is treated as though they committed it themselves.
The conspiracy charge established that Manson and his followers had an agreement and a shared plan. The aiding and abetting theory established that his specific instructions and control over his followers made him a principal to each killing. Prosecutors did not have to prove Manson held a knife. They had to prove he directed, encouraged, and commanded the people who did.
Direct Involvement at the LaBianca Home
For the LaBianca counts, prosecutors had more than orchestration. Trial testimony placed Manson inside the home, where he subdued the couple and tied them up before telling his followers, “Don’t let them know you are going to kill them,” and leaving Watson, Krenwinkel, and Van Houten to carry out the killings.2Justia. People v. Manson On those two counts, the prosecution had both conspiracy liability and evidence of hands-on participation.
The “Hand of One Is the Hand of All” Principle
The broader principle at work is sometimes called “the hand of one is the hand of all.” When people enter a conspiracy, each member becomes responsible for the foreseeable crimes committed by any other member in carrying out the plan. California’s approach through Sections 31 and 182 produces that result: once prosecutors established that Manson directed a conspiracy to commit murder and that his followers acted on his commands, every killing that followed became his legal responsibility. The focus shifted from who held the weapon to who set the plan in motion.
Verdict, Death Sentence, and Commutation
The jury returned guilty verdicts on all counts on January 25, 1971, and fixed the penalty as death on March 29, 1971. Manson was sentenced to death on each count.
The sentence did not stand. In 1972, the California Supreme Court ruled in People v. Anderson that the death penalty violated the state constitution’s prohibition on cruel or unusual punishment, and the decision applied retroactively to every existing death sentence in California.5Justia. People v. Anderson Manson’s death sentence was commuted to life with the possibility of parole.
Parole Denials and Death in Prison
Life with the possibility of parole meant Manson could periodically appear before a parole board. He was denied parole twelve times. The board consistently pointed to the severity of the crimes, his lack of remorse, and his continued behavioral issues in prison. His final parole hearing took place in 2012, and the board scheduled no further hearing until 2027.
Manson never reached it. He died of natural causes on November 19, 2017, at California State Prison-Corcoran, where he had been housed since 1989.6California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. Inmate Charles Manson Dies of Natural Causes He was 83 and had spent nearly half a century behind bars. The charges that put him there, nine counts of first-degree murder and one count of conspiracy, were never overturned on appeal.