>> he looks beautiful, he looks happy, and draws a lot of people. >> and left a city living in fear. >> a sellout. guard dogs are now selling for $5,000. >> you may think you know the manchin story, but not like this. >> he's a very evil, sophisticated con man and knows exactly what he is doing. >> i will, and welcome to dateline. he was a charismatic ex-con who dreamed of becoming a rock star. then, he found a ragtag group of hippies in search of direction and purpose to follow him. in the, and they're toxic union would result in a frenzy of brutality. how is charles manson able to exert his influence to engineer a murderous rampage that would make him one of the most notorious figures in criminal history? here is keith morrison with manson. >> april 14th, 2016. a clear, blustery day outside of los angeles. inside the walls of the california institution for women, a greyhaired's excuse six year old woman appeared before a parole board as she has done it many times before. but this time something remarkable. >> a probe or panel is recommending the release of former charles manson follower leslie van houten. >> leslie van houten, a name on the list are forever linked on one of the most famous crimes and criminals of the 20th century. charles manson. >> you don't understand me. that is your trouble. it's not my fault because you don't understand me. i don't understand either. >> the story of charles manson, and all the horror they, roth is buried in archives. memorialized in media, long obsolete. yet, somehow, it feels present. that hot summer night that caught the world unprepared when los angeles became, suddenly, a very scary place. . it was august 9th, 1969, around 8 am. officer jerry derosa was a young cop with the lapd working the day shift. >> the first call i got was to go to -- it turned out a drunk in a car. >> august for sir rosa cruised up the canyon and found the dead and street called c on a drive. a neighbor flagged him down, and suddenly the drunk in a car called became something else. >> he told me that the maid came running back out, yelling blood and bodies. >> derosa, all alone, nosed's squad car up the gated driveway. he could see right away that things weren't right. >> the telephone wires that had been cut or hanging over the gate. i go through the date and there is a car parked in the driveway. >> in the car he found, not a drunk, but a body. he had been shot and i walked around the front of the location and there are two more bodies on the lawn. >> then backup arrived and they went into the house, and found the scene horrible in a way that would go down in history. there was a young woman. >> there are multiple stab rooms on her. and then, there was a synthetic rope that was wrapped around her neck. >> and something else. the young woman was pregnant, eight months pregnant! she'd been stabbed repeatedly. next to her, a man with a bloody towel over his head. he had been shot at close range, also stabbed. it was a bloodbath. >> had you ever seen such a thing before? >> no. it was horrendous. >> derosa could see at the hall out the back door, inside gets house near the swimming pool. he and a second officer went to check it out. and inside, they found a young man. alive. >> i thought, this guy knows something. >> 19 year old williams garrison says he was the caretaker. he told derosa he knows nothing, had seen nothing, and heard nothing. >> with all the screaming, and the gunshots, and the fighting. >> how could he not hear it? >> you would think so. i handcuffed him, and walked into the property. >> they walk us the batteries on the front lawn. >> did he seem shocked? >> not at all. >> garrison was the first, and most likely suspect. derosa took him to the station house to book him. >> then the detectives arrived, then the corroners, -- and of course the press. >> are you rolling? >> rolling! >> at 8:30 this morning, -- an employee came to work at 1005 owes ceelo, and we found several bodies in the house. >> the lapd did not share the awful details. or that the phone wires had been cut so no i could call for help. or that an american flag had been draped over the couch, or that someone had written in blood on the front door one word, pig. >> do you have any kind of atvs out? any suspects at all? >> no. the only person we have as mr. garrison. we are questioning. >> the lapd was not saying much, did not know much. >> was the body mutilated? >> this i'd rather not discuss. >> who would know? that fear that would spread so fast. choke what was left of innocence. infect us to. but that night, the main thing no one knew was, what was started on -- drive was not over. >> coming up! there was still another big shock to come. the identities of the victims. >> my boyfriend called my mother and he had heard five people were dead. and it was rumored to be the house of sharon tate. >> when dateline continues a mystery! jessie loves playing detective. but the real mystery was her irritated skin. so, we switched to tide pods free & gentle. it cleans better, and doesn't leave behind irritating residues. and it's gentle on her skin tide free & gentle is epa safer choice certified. it's got to be tide [ sighs ] can't sleep? just a lot on my mind. i can't sleep either. it only gets tougher with age. mom, what? well, knowing progressive can protect your home, auto, and business should help you relax. good, because i could use a good night's sleep! me too. d'yknow how early the chimney sweep gets up every day? wait, is this all a dream? why would jamie be in my dream? i am america's biggest spokesperson! -debatable. -i said biggest! well, he's got you there. here's why you should switch fro -i said biggest! to duckduckgo on all your device duckduckgo comes with a built in engine like google, but it's pri and doesn't spy on your searches and duckduckgo lets you browse like chrome, but it blocks cooki and creepy ads that follow you a from google and other companies. and there's no catch. it's free. we make money from ads, but they don't follow you around showing the millions of people taking back their privacy by downloading duckduckgo on all your devices today. when i first learned about my dupuytren's contracture, my physician referred me to a hand specialist. and i'm glad he did, because when i took the tabletop test, i couldn't lay my hand flat anymore. the first hand specialist i saw only offered surgery. so, i went to a second hand specialist who also offered nonsurgical options - which felt more right for me. so, what i'd say to other people with dupuytren's contracture is this: don't wait —find a hand specialist trained in nonsurgical options, today. >> it was a media frenzy 1969 i found mine at findahandspecialist.com. style, recorded on 16 millimeter film. >> we have a weird homicide with two bodies inside and two bodies outside. >> but word of mouth had skewed the awful truth. by the time 16-year-old deborah tate heard it. >> my boyfriend called my mother, and he had heard that there was a fire in benedict canyon and five people were dead, and it was rumored to be the house of sharon tate. >> sharon tate, deborah's big sister. sharon tate's biggest film valley of the dolls was two years behind her already, now 26 she was known less for her acting and then for her beauty, or style, and her husband. director roman polanski had recently shot to fame with rosemary's baby, in which a woman discovered she may be carrying the child of the devil. in real life, sharon tate and roman polanski were expecting too. she was so terribly excited, like a new mom to be creating the nice little home nest for the family to welcome the new life. >> and now debra, frantic to learn what happened to her sister pressed her panic stricken mother. >> why, why, tell me why? >> she was out of her mind, crazy, grief like you couldn't imagine. >> but it was no mistake. the murders already gruesome. now -- >> this was at the home of roman polanski and his wife sharon tate who one of the victims. >> with sharon tate, 25 year old coffee harris abigail folger, she had been working -- it was her body they saw on the front yard. beside her was her boyfriend -- 32, a sometime actor and old friend of roman's. inside the house, next to sharon the man with a towel over his head was a 35-year-old jay sebring. >> famous harry jester to the stars, who had been sharing tapes boyfriend. >> jeff wrote the book mansion. they remained friends. shanty had invited to bring over that evening. >> jay-z brings nephew, one of these that irony is this that jay was not supposed to be there that night. he was supposed to be in las vegas. for whatever reason, he decided to stay. >> the body in the car took longer to identify, turned out to be a 19 year old steve who was visiting the properties caretaker. i his car just at the wrong, moment never got out of the driveway. >> l. a. struggled to understand, why would anyone kill all these people, and why in such a statistic manner? the lapd searched for clues in the surrounding russia among the neighbors, as of course do the ever growing army of reporters. >> the lights weren't on. usually the gate light as on, at least -- >> why would you take note of? that >> it's always there. >> strange, despite all the carnage, no real crew clues. though, there was this one thing -- >> it was revealed that a small amount of narcotics was found in the sebring. some pot and hash were found in the house too. so now police begin to wonder could the murders have something to do with the lifestyles of sharon and her fabulous friends lived? in mourning, and shock, director roman polanski found himself in front of a camera, defending his dead wife. >> sharon not only didn't use drugs, she didn't touch alcohol, she didn't smoke cigarettes. >> also in was thinking about was her baby, and their baby who died with her. >> a lot of blood all over the place, close -- >> but then another room hit the press, that the killings were somehow connected to polanski is a horror movie rosemary's baby. this time, a representative spoke for polanski. >> sharon and all other three friends were rational people with no interest in mysticism or anything occult. >> the news liked to try to pin on sharon and her friends that drugs, sex, rock and roll, devil worship-ing. >> horrific, yes. all those ugly theories. >> there was this kind of got up subtext that these people brought this on themselves. these people were engaging in drugs, or some sort of orgies. tragically, for the victims, they were played off as a form of morality. >> drugs, orgies, there is no stopping the gossip. but if anyone believed it, and what happened next made no sense at all. >> coming up, >> everybody in los angeles this petrefied. where they're going to strike next? >> and then, someone does. >> i felt that there was then an immediate connection. >> when dateline continues. n feel darkest before dawn. with caplyta, there's a chance to let in the lyte™. caplyta is proven to deliver significant relief across bipolar depression. unlike some medicines that only treat bipolar i, caplyta treats both bipolar i and ii depression. and in clinical trials, movement disorders and weight gain were not common. call your doctor about sudden mood changes, behaviors, or suicidal thoughts. antidepressants may increase these risks in young adults. elderly dementia patients have increased risk of death or stroke. report fever, confusion, stiff or uncontrollable muscle movements which may be life threatening or permanent. these aren't all the serious side effects. caplyta can help you let in the lyte™. ask your doctor about caplyta find savings and support at caplyta.com. i'm adding downy unstopables to my wash. now i'll be smelling fresh all day long. (sniff) still fresh. still fresh! mmm, still fresh! get 6x longer-lasting freshness, plus odor protection with downy unstopables. welcome back! the unsolved murders of the pregnant actress sharon tate, and her friend, sent the rumor mill turning. because roman pulaski has directed the film, rosemary's baby. was that the site and a connection? or was -- it. now a second attack was about to send the media into overdrive. with shockwaves traveling through the hollywood hills and beyond. once again, here's keith morrison with manchin! >> nearly 24 hours after this truly horrific crime. with a leg in deep shock, the police were baffled. >> anything at this point would be merely speculation. >> and then, it happened again! >> the bodies of a man and his wife were found in their home, both been stabbed to death. repeat stab wounds. >> did you know the people in this home? >> god, i've known these people for 30 years! >> what's their name? >> -- >> rosemary and--. rosemary's children found them. the scene every bit as awful as the 1:10 miles away on cielo drive. his hands tied with a leather code. in his face covered with a pillow case rosemary had a lab coat around her neck. venal had been stabbed 26 times. rosemary, 41. overkill would be an understatement. and again, just as it was that sharon tate's house. the murder scene seemed, almost, art directed. to illicit fear! >> a fork was jammed into lena 's abdomen and left sticking there. >> painted in blood on one wall, was the word rise. on another, death to pigs. and on the refrigerator, helter-skelter. like the song from the beatles white album. >> on her body, the word roar had been called in the chest. >> these were brutal killings. >> elena has written about the case for people magazine. >> in the middle of the night, showing up with knives. stabbing people multiple times. even when they were dead, things that the police had never seen before. >> the killer seem to have no conscience. >> they killed a husband and wife, took a shower in their home, calmly ate some food and left. >> over two successive nights, seven people and an unborn baby had been ruthlessly slaughtered. l. a. brace itself for the next wave, especially after that initial suspect, william was cleared and released. >> there is some crazed killers roaming los angeles. and there is an immediate citywide panic. >> even though it was a hot august, everyone close their windows, and lock their doors. >> gun store sell out. >> car dogs who are going for over $200 apiece, are now selling for $5,000. everybody in los angeles is petrefied. where are they gonna strike next? >> hollywood was even scared. and from my understanding roman polanski started getting paranoid. thinking it was someone among his peers. >> it was like a small nuclear device had gone off in hollywood. and people were really scared. and they need to make sense, and make sure that they were not involved in this. >> people all over the town knew it in their gut. the murders had to be related. >> i felt that there was an immediate connection. so did everyone in my family. >> why did you think it was a connection? >> because of the writing on the wall. that was the main thing. >> officer gerry derosa who was working the crime scene thought so too. >> i heard about some of the conditions that were at the location at the -- house. i thought to myself, i wonder if this is connected in some way? writing the blood on the wall, the stabbings. >> in your mind, went there pretty well right away? >> yeah. >> but it did not seem that way to the brass of the lapd. the department assigned a team of detectives to assign the tail workers. they signed another team -- to. the two teams worked at the same squad room. the problem was, they did not work together. >> they didn't like each other, they did not get along very well. and they did not exchange information for months. so each of those murders was pursued separately. >> they acknowledge the crime scenes looked similar, but the -- where middle class folks who owned grocery stores. they didn't hang out with movie stars. unlikely, they said, that the same person committed both crimes. >> -- the same technique as the bell air killer to throw police off the track. >> the media was quick to sort of say, hey, these two crimes look similar. and the police were quick to say, no, it is a copycat. because what would one have to do with the other? it did not make sense on the surface. >> oh, the labianca cops looked into it as usual. was it a workplace disputes? a crime turned violent? even as they looked for murderous drug dealers, both teams struck out. both cases stayed open. and the terror lingered, that late summer of 69 for weeks. like the smog over downtown l. a.. >> that was their time you thought this would never be resolved? early on? >> yes. it seemed to have gone on forever. >> we'll never find out who did this? >> never find out. and that's its own kind of hell. >> and all the while, the cops failed to realize that the killers were hiding in plain sight. all it would take was a chance encounter between two unlikely characters in an l. a. jail. to crack the case wide open! >> coming up! a jailhouse chat with a killer. >> she proceeded on to tell me how sharon tate begged her, please don't kill me! please don't kill me! >> and a dark obsession with the beatles. >> they really did listen to the white album over, and over. >> when dateline continues. e in every pod. who needs that much more tide? 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(announcer) you can quit. for free help, call 1-800-quit-now. some luxury creams just sit on top of skin. but olay goes 10 surface layers deep. our clinically proven hydration beats the $500 cream. to strengthen my skin for smoother, brighter results. your best skin yet. olay. refusing to our top story. dumping record level of rain on california. several counties under severe weather warnings as the national weather service board sunday evening of life-threatening flooding. the former arkansas governor, asa hutchinson, became the ninth gop candidate to qualify for the presidential debate. this comes as former president trump confirmed sunday that you will be skipping the debate despite his significant lead in the polls. now back to dateline. lineback to date welcome back to dateline, i'm andrea canning. two years after hippies rocked the sum revolve in san francisco, los angeles was a city paralyzed with fear. seven victims, plus actress sharon dates unborn baby had been massacred during a merciless today killing spree that had been over a month since the rampage and detectives were stymied. or the murders even connected? whoever was responsible for that bloody carnage remained a mystery, but soon a most unlikely source would liver a game changing jailhouse confession. here again is keith morrison with manson. autumn of 69, it was still hot in l. a.. with a police investigation for the grisly case of the labianca murders ice-cold, not a league, clue, or suspect. then, in october, a woman widely known on the hollywood party circle found herself in the l. a. county woman's jail. her name was virginia graham. she knew people, once even dated frank sinatra, this wasn't her first flame with the law. >> i was there for violation of probation. >> so, that is where virginia was when she met another woman unlike the other inmates -- >> happy, singing, doing cartwheels up and down the aisle. >> the woman's name was susan atkins. virginia was intrigued. >> i casually asked her one day, what she was there for, this is when she said murder. >> susan told virginia she had been accused of killing a guy out of the suburbs months earlier, but then she went on, bragging that the cops didn't know a fraction of what she had really done. >> she says you know those murders up benedict canyon? >> of course, everyone in l. a. knew about that. >> she said you know who did it, don't you? >> i looked at her, and i said no i don't. her words to me, were you are looking at her. >> just that casually, susan atkins confessed to the crime the whole nation was talking about. enthusiastically described the killings and all their detail. >> sharon tate begged her, please don't kill me, please don't kill me. she said she looked at her, either i, and said bitch, i don't care if you are going to have a baby or not, i'm going to kill you. >> and then atkins told her she was part of a group, and they kill lots more people, celebrities like frank sinatra. >> the very fact that there were going to be other murders committed of other people, i would never ever be able to live with that. >> virginia got through to the police, and told the whole story. so now lapd detectives zeroed in on susan atkins, and learned she belonged to a commune called the family, which had recently moved to a rundown old ranch in death valley. the leader was a short scruffy guy habitual small time criminal named manson. charles manson. the cops to their surprise discovered that -- >> manson was a lifelong criminal who could never go more than a day or two of his free life without breaking some law. >> and the people with, him young and mostly women were barely more than half his age. >> they are easily influenced. you know, they came from broken homes, or they were bullied at school, they didn't fit in, and he was able to tap into all of that. >> police begin to interview these woman. one was 18 year old barbara hoyt, who spoke about life inside the family and what attracted her to charles manson. >> he was very loving. he was very much a father figure. >> how did it make you feel when he was nice to you like that? >> it made me feel special. it felt like we were all fingers on one hand, like we were the digits and charlie was the hand. >> police spoke with other manson women, too, and learned that in the fall of'67, manson moved to los angeles where he sent his girls out to find someone, anyone who could make him a rock star. they encountered dennis wilson from the beach boys who took manson to the beach boys studio where he recorded this. ♪ ♪ ♪ it never went anywhere, manson didn't measure up as a singer songwriter. he and his family, about 20 of them, settled in the rugged foothills outside a layout a place called spawn ranch, an old movie location for hollywood westerns. >> one of the best things about the ranche is that they were able to stay there because they could do chores. when they weren't working, the family went dumpster diving for food, panhandle for money, sometimes stole cars. there were a lot of drugs, and plenty of sex, all directed by manson. >> he told people who just sleep, with what to eat, what's their bodily functions. >> charlie preached to his flock constantly. >> he would quote from the book of revelation. >> which he knew pretty well? >> not pretty well,, we are talking word for word. >> then detectives found out about charlie's other source of inspiration. >> they really did listen to the white album, over, and over. >> the beatles, sprawling double album, released a few months before the murders. one song in particular captivated charlie. helter-skelter, with lyrics the beatles said were inspired by an amusement park ride, harmless fun. but the people who were charlie preach told the cops that for him, helter-skelter meant something apocalyptic. what in the world did a beatles song have to do with the brutal murders of the tate and labiance homes in los angeles. it all made perfect sense to charlie manson. >> coming up. >> manson's unshakable hold on his family. >> he dances, he sings, he looks, beautiful he looks happy. describes a lot of people. >> the possible motive behind the murders. >> charlie would be king of the world. >> that is crazy. top >> it wasn't to us. >> when dateline continues. pantene's pro-vitamin formula repairs hair. as well as the leading luxury bonding treatment. for softness and resilience, without the price tag. if you know... you know it's pantene. october, 1969. after two months of false leads in the tate and labianca murders. suddenly there was news. >> police got their break in the tate case when this girl, susan atkins, a member of manson's family was arrested in another los angeles murder. and talk to her cellmate about the murders. >> that -- to a hippie called, the family! and there merry leader, charles manson. >> he dances, he sings, he looks beautiful, he looks happy. and this draws a lot of people in. just like people are drawn to little babies. >> they looked like all the other hippies hanging out around l. a.. >> hippies at this point we're associated with peace, love, sharing. >> but detectives -- and as he told us in 2008, these hippies were different. especially their leader, manson. an ex con and want to be a rock star obsessed with the book of revelations and the beatles. >> he thought there were prophets, speaking to him and other people. subliminally, beneath the lyrics of their songs. >> in particular, that cut called helter-skelter. manson's followers were well aware of the -- including rights in l. a.. now, manson told them the song helter-skelter was the beatles prophesy. of a race war between blacks and whites. the division of armageddon manson preached to his followers, both bizarre and deeply racist. >> there will be an all out war. during this war, he will lead his family into death valley. where there is a bottomless pit and a city underneath the surface. they will go down there and be safe. when the war is over, the blacks will have won. but they won't have the intellectual capacity to govern themselves. >> then, charlie told them, the family would take over. >> in other words, charlie would be king of the world. >> but then again, manson was feeding them a steady diet of lsd. >> he was serious about this king of the world thing? >> yeah. >> that was crazy talk? >> it was not to us. the world was crazy to us! >> investigators learned from manson's followers, that he was not content to wait for helter-skelter. he wanted to start it, by murdering wealthy white people. who he called, in homage to another beatles song, piggies. but manson did not want to kill the piggies himself, he wanted his so-called family to do that. >> by that point, they were willing to do anything for him. >> because? they loved him? because they feared him? because they were under his spell? what? >> they say that at that time, they were brainwashed. >> it hardly seem possible. and yet, as prosecutor was able to put together, manson had susan atkins, ted, patricia, to the home of sharon tate's and their friends. a group of people manson did not even have know. he did now, the former residents. a music producer for a movie that tried to get a record contract. he was well aware the producer had moved out. but he also knew this. >> whoever is living there now has to be rich and famous. no one else could afford a house like that. the house is picked because of its location. >> then, manson sent the same group, plus leslie van houten, to the labianca home the following night. seven savage murders. all in the service of one man's twisted fantasy. >> he knew exactly what he was doing. he's not crazy at all. he is evil. he's a very evil, sophisticated con man. but he is not insane at all. >> -- convened a grand jury. susan atkins was a star witness. revealed all the gruesome details. about how she and other family members shot and slashed everybody in the tate and labianca home. and then scrawled in blood what's charles's mason had taught him. >> and when helter-skelter had been found at the murder scene, it was the equivalent of manson's fingerprints of the murder scene. >> then, in december of 69, about four months after the killings. >> in california, four members of the religious cult, including charles manson have been indicted in the murder of sharon tate and six others. >> they brought charles mansion into los angeles. to the police station. and they are expecting, my god, this must be some kind of monster. and instead of some big beast, there is this little guy with long hair. >> are you sane? >> sane? that's relative. >> now, the turbulent 60s came to a close, and with the whole world mom watching, charles manson was to go on trial. >> he was a mastermind. these murders would have never taken place had it not been for charles manson. >> but if, looking back to chase against him seems obvious, it was not then. not for bully ocd. that's because he did not physically do the murders. there was no evidence that he manipulated his group. turn them into what they called bloodthirsty robots. >> i had to bring him in on circumstantial evidence. >> so the prosecutor decided to use helter-skelter. the song from the white album. but how would it play with the jury? >> the riveting court case that captivated the country. >> coming up. , before o. j., this was the trial of the century. >> charlie always wanted to be famous, and if this was how it was going to happen, he was going to do it right! >> and does one of the killers have a chance at freedom? when dateline continues! it's real. 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[ cheers ] running up and down that field looks tough. it's a pitch. get way more into what you're into when you stream on the xfinity 10g network. when i first learned about my dupuytren's contracture, my physician referred me to a hand specialist. and i'm glad he did, because when i took the tabletop test, i couldn't lay my hand flat anymore. the first hand specialist i saw only offered surgery. so, i went to a second hand specialist who also offered nonsurgical options - which felt more right for me. so, what i'd say to other people with dupuytren's contracture is this: don't wait —find a hand specialist trained in nonsurgical options, today. i found mine at findahandspecialist.com. welcome back. it had been nearly a year since welcome back. the tate-labianca murders had shaken it had been nearly a year since the taped and labianca had shaken los angeles to its core. susan atkins told investigators in laura detail out charles manson and other members of her cult like group to the unthinkable. massacre innocent people. back in testimony would peak to the prosecution's case. but there is no physical evidence linking manson to the killing. what would it take to convince a jury that he was the evil puppet master behind the bloodshed? here is with keith morrison with the conclusion of manson. >> the 60s gave us the summer of love. in 1970, the summer of manson. >> all the elements are president for one of the most sensational murder trials in american history. >> that summer, charles manson, life magazine cover boy and three of his followers went on trial for the labianca murders. >> i think that mr. manson feels that she is a product of our society. >> prosecutor -- task was extremely daunting. a case like no other. a defendant like no prosecutor had ever encountered. >> he had to prove that charles manson, this we are little guy, could have some control over these other followers to make them commit murder, but not to be instead the followers were mentally incompetent to be tried either. that is a tricky business. it's very tricky. >> the trickiest part would be making a charge of first degree murder stick against manson himself. >> it's a little more difficult, because he did not participate in these murders. >> he had two part strategy. prove manson domination over his family, and explain his motive to the jury. but what a motive? >> that motive was helter-skelter,. to ignite a war between blacks and whites. it was he who introduced helter-skelter into the family, he talked about it all the time. he had a star witness lined up, susan atkins, the woman who convinced the whole lured story in jail and repeated everything for a grand jury. >> how do you feel? >> but then, atkins recanted. said that she had made up of the whole thing. -- turned out to other family members, like barbara white who left the families when manson's behavior frightened her. >> i decide, do i want to live with myself when i get old, and that was the deciding factor. >> barber became a wary witness of the prosecution, she knew that she would take the stand in full view of her former family manson followers. >> what was it like to testify? seeing him out there? >> they were really kissing up to me when i was in the back of the courtroom. blowing me kisses and smiling at me and all that. of course that changed when i opening my mouth on the witness stand. >> day after day, members of the manson family demonstrated at the courthouse, performance art with a sinister gloss. >> your system wants destruction and that is what's going to get. >> inside, charlize codefendants -- patricia krenwinkel and susan atkins played to the cameras. it was a circus of weird. manson in the centering. >> are you guilty of plotting in the murders? >> i killed a chicken once. no. >> you're absolutely innocent of any conspiracy to commit murder or telling anyone to commit murder or planning it? >> i will plead guilty to the indians. >> one day, manson appeared in court with an x scratched into his forehead. the rest of the family quickly followed suit. >> charlie was want to be famous, and by god, if this is how i was going to happen who's going to do it right. >> sorry this? morning >> sharon tate's little sister, deborah, -- >> it is all a play, isn't it? >> they were mocking america. they were mocking our very foundation. >> everyone seems to be watching. everyone seemed to have an opinion. even the president of the united states. >> here is a man who is guilty, directly or indirectly. eight murders without reason. >> next the headline, times. manson guilty, nixon clears. >> all the while, manson basked in the glare of media saying anything about any -- >> the judgment of old himself again. i questioned him. >> at the end of the 22-week trial, he told the jurors that charles manson's family preached love, but practice cold blooded murder. >> they literally slaughtered the victims in order of murder. >> the -- after nine days of deliberations. the jury found all four defendants guilty of first degree murder. >> in my verdict i wanted to protect society. after all, this is the united states of america and we have a heritage and this is something that we must protect. >> they were all sentenced to death. >> be prepared to die, as you talk to you about death already? he is already dead. he has no thoughts, he has no opinions. he is just an empty hole. he is infitnite. >> tex watson who did most of the actual killing was convicted and sentenced to die in a scented -- second to trial. in 1972 the california supreme court ruled the death penalty unconstitutional. the sentences were reduced to life in prison. there would be no gassed chamber for any of the manson family. which meant that all of them, even charles manson himself, would have a chance at freedom after serving their sentences. manson, tex watson, patricia and susan atkins all had parole hearings and each time they were denied. in 2009, atkins died in prison. leslie van houten, she did have a chance at freedom. >> it doesn't matter whether i -- i feel responsible for both of their deaths. >> in april 2016, the parole board recommended that than houston, on multiple occasions, but each time the governor's office overruled the decision. sharon tates younger sister, deborah, was relieved. >> i do not think that she deserves it. these people or brutally brought butchered. there has to be some kind of accountability in this world. overall the governor and granted leslie van houten's parole. >> when you want to call me a murder for? i never killed anyone? i don't need to kill anyone. >> manson will spend the rest of his life behind bars. in november of 2017, shortly after his 83rd birthday, nearly 50 years since he orchestrated those brutal crimes, he died in prison. throughout his long life he never admitted regret or remorse. >> remorse for what? you people and everything in the world to me. does that not give me equal right? i can do anything i want to, anytime i want to. because that is what you've done to me. >> charles manson will remain forever seared into the public conscious. evil personified. the man some say helped bring down the curtain on the 60s as an age of innocence. who ultimately, in his own twisted way, achieved the fame that he had been seeking all along. >> that's all for this edition of dateline, i'm andrea canning. thank you for watching. ♪♪ this sunday, defending trump. the republican presidential hopefuls are getting ready to take the debate stage for the first time as donald trump prepares to be arrested for the fourth time. >> it's a witch hunt. it's just a continuation of a witch hunt. republicans can't let them get away with it. republicans have to be tough. >> trump plans to skip the debate, but why are most of his republican rivals still planning to defend him. i'll ask doug burgum whether he's ready to confront the front-runner and his growing list of legal liability. plus, silent strategy.