In addition to the lengthy record that Charles Manson had accumulated during his childhood and early adulthood, there are also a few key crimes that were committed by Manson Family members under Manson's direction. The first major crime is the killing of Mason's friend, Gary Hinman, by Manson Followers Bobby Beausoleil, Mary Brunner and Susan Atkins under the orders of Manson himself. The next two crimes, collectively referred to as the Tate-LaBianca killings, were back to back ruthless massacres and became the defining feature of Manson's crimes. On the night of August 9th, 1969 Manson Family members Tex Watson, Susan Atkins, Patricia Krenwinkel and Linda Kasabian murdered five people in the Benedict Canyon region of Los Angeles, California. The victims were Sharon Tate, a famous actress wife to Roman Polonski whose residence the murders were committed at. At the time, she was eight and a half months pregnant. Also among the victims were screen writer Wojciech Frykowski, hair stylist to the stars Jay Sebring, heiress Abigail Folger, and Steven Parent, a friend of the estates gardner. The following night, August 10th, Manson accompanied Family Members Tex Watson, Susan Atkins, Patricia Krenwinkel, Linda Kasabian, Leslie Van Houten, and Steve Grogan to search for suitable victims. After Manson selected the victims, Leno LaBianca and his wife Rosemary LaBianca, Tex Watson, Susan Atkins, Patricia Krenwinkel, and Leslie Van Houten carried out the murders. The Family Members, including Manson, were arrested in October of 1969 and their trials for murder began in June of 1970. In 1971, Manson, Watson, Krensinkel, Atkins, and Van Houten were all found guilty and sentenced to death however in the following year (1972) the death penalty was abolished in California and their sentences were automatically converted to life in prison (CNN).
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