Moments as insurgents were on the attack. Good evening. Thank you for joining us. Tonight a manson family survivor breaking almost five decades of silence about the brainwashing and abuse she endured under the control of Charles Manson and his followers. Diane lake was a member of the manson cult for two years. She said at 14 she was so young and lost, she had no idea that something sinister was in the works until it was too late. Heres abcs amy robach. Did you love him . Yes. I did. Did he love you . I always thought did he. Now im not so sure. As a form he member of the manson cult, she said she knew a different side of the murderous leader. He made you feel like you were his one and only love. There were other girls but we all shared him. I felt like i belonged. Throughout the world manson is the very definition of evil. A long time ago, being crazy meant something. Nowadays, serve crazy. This is Charles Manson now. 82 years old, denied parole 12 times. In 1969, he sent several of his young follow orders a grisly killing spree that left seven people dead including eight months pregnant actress sharon tate. Diane said she was shocked by the slayings. I really brought a lot of doubt to myself. How can i love these people . Now for the first time in almost 50 years, diane is breaking her silence about being part of manson family, in her memoir, member of the family. For decades shes lived her life as wife, mother of three and special education teacher. It has taken me this long to get to the point where i can admit or have been able to realize that i was a victim. Her path to following manson started during the 1967 summer of love when managers youth was swept up in free love. She was just 14 years old. I wasnt old enough to be legally having sex and i wasnt young enough to not have sex. She said her parents became hippies, joining the Counter Culture in Southern California bringing diane and her younger siblings along. She said drugs became part of their new life. Your father was the one who gave you your first tab of acid at what age . 13. Diane said she began living on her own. Her insecurities, a perfect target for Charles Manson. Tell me about the moment you first met him. It been invited to go to this party. I walked up the stairs. And suddenly, these two girls just burst out. Charlie diane is here and i am just in awe. She said within hours of the meeting, she had intersection manson. A man almost 20 years her senior. It seemed very natural and loving. Were you attracted to him . He was cute, impish, fun. I need that had love and attention and affection. And he gave it to me. Of course, diane wasnt the only lost girl attracted on manson. He spent a lot of time taking middle class girls and remolding they will. Before the world met the manson murderers, diane said she knew them as friends. Leslie was your quint essential prom queen. She was fun and she was lively. Patty was just the sweetest, humble loving woman. Diane said she spent her first year with the manson loving family with denial it is wilson. An old tv and movie set outside l. A. But she said her wrim manson began to change. He had anal sex with me which i had never experienced before. It was rape. I didnt think of it that way until many years later. But the result of that was that i wanted to commit suicide. Manson was becoming increasingly violent. Convinced the beatles song helter skelter was warning of a looming race war. How concerned were you when you saw that evolution . It didnt feel right. But yet, the evidence seemed to be overwhelming that this is the way the world was going. That these were true prophecies. He used to emphasize his name, man son, that he was the son of man. Did you think he was the Second Coming of christ . Yes. I did. It is bizarre to think that we could have ever believed it. But we did. The group would move deep see about the california desert where diane said manson gave them stabbing lessons. He had you practice killing someone with those knives. Yes. He did. How did that happen . This race war was going to happen and charlie was playing mind games. In my mind, this was a game. This was, i had to be willing to do this in order to avoid having to do it, or avoid being killed myself. Did you have any idea that something evil was brewing . Not really within the family. Any idea when or how this was conjured up by charlie to entice and to compel other members of the family, to commit these unthinkable crimes . No. I really dont. I have no idea. Then over two nights in august of 1969, and others, actress sharon tate, all brutally murdered. Diane said she was out in the desert. But days later she said some of the manson family members confessed to her. I remember they gave me the gory details with a certain amount of glee or almost like bragging. Which just made me feel even worse. I mean, it was like what . How could you do that . Why do you think you werent asked to participate in those murders . I dont think i could have done it. And i think he knew that. If charlie had asked you to, would you have killed for him . No. I couldnt have. I never thought about it as being real. That we would ever have to really kill somebody. Police eventually linked manson to the murders, arresting him and several of his followers, including then 16yearold diane. At mansons trial, mansons explosive testimony helped put him behind bars. My biggest fear was that i would succumb to that feeling of loyalty that i had for him. A local newspaper documented a pivotal courtroom moment. I was asked, did i love him . And i said yes, our guess so. And he pipes up, you know, dont put it all on mr. Manson. She loved everybody. So that really, it was all about him. The spell was broken. The spell was broken. Manson would deny his part for his part in the murders, telling diane sawyer in 1993 i never told anybody to do anything other than what they wanted to do. I know that i was not responsible. Diane said it has been healing to finally tell her story. I . I feel undeathed from being associated with this person who hack become the line of evil. Next, what happened on that secret mission in niger that saw four u. S. Soldiers killed . And the valiant actions of la David Johnson. Travel at the speed of light. And command the currents. They dont need another way to get around. Or do they . [ engine revving ] hes a nascar champion whos shes a worldclass swimmer whos stared down the best in her sport. But for both of them, the most challenging opponent was. Pe blood clots in my lung. It was really scary. A dvt in my leg. I had to learn all i could to help protect myself. My doctor and i choose xarelto® xarelto®. To help keep me protected. Xarelto® is a latestgeneration blood thinner. 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Tell your doctor before all planned medical or dental procedures and before starting xarelto® about any conditions, such as kidney, liver, or bleeding problems. Youve got to learn all you can. To help protect yourself from dvt and pe blood clots. Talk to your doctor about xarelto®. Theres more to know. You get a companion ticketes visaevery year. Card so why not take. Me . I mean i always spell your name right. Seriously, take me, i cant listen to this playlist any longer. Im thinking mexico, and im a quick packer. That one. This. That one. Amid the war of words between the president and the congresswoman over a condolence call to the wife of a soldier killed in niger, questions are mounting about why u. S. Forces were there in that region in the first place and what went wrong in that mission. Tonight were getting a view behind enemy lines. I dont know how he got killed, where he got killed, or anything. Tonight the mystery surrounding the loss of those four brave soldiers coming into focus. A survivor of the niger ambush saying that Sergeant La David Johnson fought valiantly. The u. S. Authorities examining this new video of the militant group acting in the area of the ambush, looking to see if any of the two men were directly involved in the deadly firefight. The images reportedly sent around the time of the attack recorded by nearby villagers, this man, a local leader who pledged allegiance to isis. Rudolph, a former penn official, providing the video. Showing them greeting each in arabic and what they describe as a local dialect. He said if we capture they will, what do we do with them . And the other guy says well decapitate them. And few knew about it. Under intense scrutiny arrest it ended in tragedy. Now shrouded in controversy. The Mission Begins on the area of october 3. Routine reconnaissance. A convoy of six to eight vehicles. On board, eight American Green berets. Four special operations soldiers and 30 nigerian soldiers. The team is now ordered to kill or capture one of the top targets in niger. Code name naylor road. Another team is supposed to join they will. They are given orders to go ahead. To me one of the single biggest questions is why did they go ahead with that second, much more Dangerous Mission . Normally you would want to be briefed. Would you want to know Everything Possible about who you were going after. They dont get the target. Theyve been away nearly 24 hours. They begin back to niamey, nigers capital. But they meet with an elder in to tongo tongo. But something was off. He was definitely stalling. It has an inherently high level of risk moving through the hostile areas. The troops leave the village but only make it a short way before they encounter an attack of overwhelming force. At least 50 fighters thought to be part of isis in the greater sahara soeopening fire. The survivor remembers the fight Sergeant La David Johnson put up. He grabbed a sniper rival and he was shooting toward the line. It was more than an hour before they called for air support. About two hours after the initial contact was made they arrived overhead. They could have been in contact where it was not possible to stop and make a call. They may have felt they had the situation under control and didnt need backup. As night falls, they activate two of the soldiers bust la David Johnson is still missing. Why did it take time to recover la David Johnson . Also killed in that ambush, Dustin Wright who was planning a future with his girlfriend in philadelphia. 35yearold Staff Sergeant bryan black who spoke arabic and french but also learned a local dialect to communicate with natives. And also, Staff Sergeant jeremiah johnson. There are 800 american trumans in niger. Of them, less than 100 are the advisers to local military. You can be with them on the front lines which was clearly the case. You can stay back behind the front lines and thats what happened for a while in iraq. It is one of those euphemisms, advise and assist. Last tuesday johnsons body made the long journey home. I want everyone youve known him since you were 6. Yes. It was during her car ride to Dover Air Force base to meet her husss casket when she received the now infamous condolence call from president trump. I asked Sergeant Neil put his phone on the speaker so my aunt and uncle could hear as well. What he said was the president. Yes. The president. That he knew what he signed up for but it hurts anyway. Sergeant johnsons widow confirming what congressman wilson said. She was in the car at the time. And i heard him say, well, i guess you know, he knew what he was signing up for. But it still hurts. I didnt say what she said. I didnt say it at all. General kelly. It stunls me that a member of congress would have listen in the on that conversation. Himself, a gold star father, having lost his son in afghanistan. When i was a kid growing up, a lot of things were sacred in our country. I just thought that might be sacred. The four families who lost something so sacred still racked with questions about what happened to their loved ones in their final hours in the desert. Well be right back. Another day of work. Why do you do it . Its not just a pay check, you actually like what you do. Even love it. And today, you can do things you never could before. Youre developing ai applications on the cloud. Finding insights hidden in decades of medical documents. And securing millions of iot sensors. So get back to it. And do the best work of your life. And do the best work of your life. With incredible flavors, like new Nashville Hot shrimp crispy, spicy, and drizzled with sweet amber honey. Plus the delicious classics you love, like garlic shrimp scampi. 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But i still want to do whatever i can until we find out what happened. In 2003, abc news was given unprecedented access inside the nypd and followed every move inside a manhattan south homicide investigation. Over a decade later, the lead detective desperate to finally break this case, called for our help. The triggerman, hes out there somewhere. Police are still looking for clues in the Fatal Shooting of a banker today. The 25yearold was shot in the chest. The lead detective. Who is the one person who can describe to me what happened . Thats burk. And burk is dead. The one reporter on the case from day one. The family crushed. I hope that killer sleeps with his eyes open. They continue their battle for justice. Now step inside a real life killer. Is this guy a totally innocent witness or are we dealing with something bigger . A murder on orchard street. Every cop has that one case that will make you go back in. This is mine. Its worth the watchful you can stream a murder on orchard street on abc news. Com orchard street or download the chart topping podcast now. Thanks for watching abc news. Good night, america