Single Trial Sought For Clan Members In Mass Slayings
December 11, 1969
LOS ANGELES - Prosecutors say they will seek a single trial for the bearded
leader and five members of a nomadic clan charged with the murder and conspiracy
in the killings of actress Sharon Tate and six others.
They add that they expect defendants to seek separate trials, and to try to
sever the case of the slayings of Miss Tate and four others from those of a
wealthy market owner, who were killed the next day.
Deputy Dist. Attys. Aaron Stovitz and Vincent Bugliosi made their comments in
an interview Wednesday after three young women defendants waived arrangement
(sic? "arraignment"?) from the charges and a judge issued an order sharply
limiting pretrial statements to the press by principals in the case.
The central figure in the investigation, Charles M. Manson, 35, "God" and
"Satan" to the hippie-style clan, was to be arraigned today.
"We will attempt to try them together," Bugliosi said of the six defendants,
"and we will try to have them tried at the same (sic? "time"?) for the Tate and
LaBianca killings. We fell (sic? "feel"?) a common thread runs through both
cases.
"The defense will probably move to sever each defendant from the others and
sever the Tate case from the LaBianca case. We are going to resist that."
Susan Atkins, 21, Linda Kasabian, and Leslie Louise Van Houten, 19, were
impassive during the court proceedings. Dec. 16 was set for a plea of guilty or
innocent for Miss Atkins and Dec. 22 for Miss Van Houten and Mrs. Kasabian. Miss
Van Houten gave the alias Leslie Sankston when arrested and was indicted under
that name.
Others charged, besides Manson, are Patricia Krenwinkel, 22, held in Mobile,
Ala., and Charles Watson, 24, held in McKinney, Tex.
Bugliosi said Miss Van Houten might have to be tried alone because she is
charged with murder only in the LaBianca killings.
Miss Tate and four visitors to her estate were shot and stabbed to death Aug.
9 and the LaBiancas were stabbed the following night.
Police have said Manson had a grudge against the wealthy and had a near
hypnotic influence over members of his "family."
