• Manson Hid Lust For Death Under Peace-Loving Mask

Manson Hid Lust For Death Under Peace-Loving Mask

LOS ANGELES, Dec. 23 – Charles Manson had a lust for death, blood and murder which he hid under a mask of a peace-loving individual just as he has concealed his true character in court, the prosecutor charged today at the Tate-LaBianca murder trial.

Deputy District Attorney Vincent Bugliosi resumed his summation of the case with Manson and the codefendants all three women absent from the courtroom, listening to the proceedings by loudspeaker in nearby holding cells.

Bugliosi, winding up a three day review of the six month trial, turned Wednesday to the slayings of wealthy grocer Leno LaBianca and his wife Rosemary.

The prosecutor described Manson and his hippie followers driving around Los Angeles for hours that evening “looking for a victim totally at random.”

“In the entire population of the city of 7 million people, no one — not in their homes, their automobiles, any place — was safe from his insatiable lust for death, blood and murder,” Bugliosi said.

The prosecutor pictured for the jury Manson going alone into the LaBianca home, tying up the man and wife and telling them not to be afraid because he was not going to hurt them

Manson went back to the automobile outside, Bugliosi said, and instructed Charles “Tex” Watson, Patricia Krenwinkel and Leslie Van Houten to go inside but “Don’t let them know you’re going to kill them.

“How thoughtful and considerate, Charles Manson should have a memorial built in the United Nations in New York for his considerateness. He didn’t even want his zombies to let them know they were going to be killed because he didn’t want them to panic.”

Bugliosi said the LaBiancas believed Charlie for they maybe could have run out of the house to get help or screamed or called the police or done something.

“At the LaBiancas he wore the same mask he has worn here in court — just a peace-loving individual. And then he sneaked out to get his blood-thirsty robots and send them in to kill.”

The defendants were barred from further sessions of the trial after wild scenes before the jury in which one even struggled with the prosecutor.

Superior Court Judge Charles H. Older ruled that Leslie Van Houten, Susan Atkins and Patricia Krenwinkel be kept in an antechamber and listen to the proceedings by loudspeaker until the case goes to the jury — probably the first week in January.

Deputy District Attorney Vincent Bugliosi was summing up the state’s case against Charles Manson and the three female codefendants Tuesday when Miss Van Houten, 20, interrupted.

The defense lawyers had rested their case in the six month trial but the dark-haired former homecoming high school beauty turned and addressed the jurors.

“Ladies and gentlemen, I would like to put on a defense…” she began.

Bugliosi grabbed her by the arm and said, “Wait a minute, wait a minute,” Older ordered the girl taken from the room by bailiffs but she had no sooner been escorted out than Susan Atkins began haranguing the jury about a state witness taking LSD.

The judge ordered her removed, also, but as she went past Bugliosi at a lectern she reached over and crumpled up his notes on yellow legal pads. Bugliosi grabbed her hand with his left hand and swung in her direction with his right.

“You bitch,” he said.

The young woman tried to kick him and fell against a table. Moments after, she had been taken out, Patricia Krenwinkel rose and turned to the newsmen in the back of the room, calling out: “You people in your greed are trying to make this trial into your profits.” She was led out screaming and dragging her feet.

The three women had been removed from the courtroom at the morning session but they were permitted to return to the afternoon when they promised Judge Older that they would behave. The outburst followed.

Manson had also been taken from the room and was in a holding tank looking through a wire screen at the melee.

Bugliosi went over the testimony and evidence in the trial in great detail and recalled testimony that Miss Atkins and Miss Krenwinkel watched a TV news account of the Tate murders the night after the slayings.

“At one point they were laughing,” he said. “Stop and think about that for a moment, ladies and gentlemen. Five people slaughtered and butchered like animals. A rather amusing event?”

Bugliosi was expected to conclude his summation Wednesday afternoon. The trial will be in recess Thursday until Monday when the defense will make final statements.

On Tuesday for the first time since the trial began seven months ago, reporters were searched before entering the courtroom. The procedure was used during the trial of Sirhan B. Sirhan for the slaying of Sen. Robert F. Kennedy.

Bugliosi went into minute detail in his review of the case accusing the four defendants of the seven Tate-LaBianca murders. He went over the medical testimony of Coroner Thomas Noguchi and pointed out that a total of 102 stab wounds had been found in four bodies at the residence of actress Sharon Tate.

“It was almost like they were playing games with their knives,” Bugliosi said.

The prosecutor said that actually six persons were killed at the actress’ home because she was nearly nine months pregnant

Bugliosi said that fingerprints at the scene conclusively proved that Charles “Tex” Watson was there and that he was a member of the conspiracy named in the indictment by the Grand Jury.

After almost a month’s delay occasioned by the mysterious disappearance of one of the defense lawyers, the Tate trial got under way again Monday and was immediately, marked a wild courtroom scene in which one of the three female codefendants fought with bailiffs and all three young women had to be removed.

The jury — absent since Nov. 10 — finally was called into the chambers to hear the final stages of the trial.

Bugliosi told them that Manson knew where Sharon Tate lived and sent his “robots” out to kill her and her guests because the actress’ home was an elegant symbol of the “Establishment.”

Testimony had shown that Manson and Miss Tate saw each other at her home in March 1969, Bugliosi said.

“This beautiful honey-blonde Sharon Tate looked into the eyes of the man who four and one-half months later would order her violent death,” he said.

“He sent his robots out on a mission of savage murder. All the victim’s had to be white and members of the Establishment. But it might just as well be a residence he was familiar with and the elegant Tate residence was symbolic of the Establishment and its rejection of him.”

Bugliosi said Manson dispatched Charles “Tex” Watson, Susan Atkins, Patricia Krenwinkel and Leslie Van Houten to commit the Tate murders.

Referring to the testimony of key state witness Linda Kasabian, Bugliosi said that Watson returned and said, in effect, “mission accomplished, sir.”

“The blood was probably still trickling from the bodies of the victims but that was not enough for Charley,” Bugliosi said. “He wanted to make sure they had no remorse and he asked them one by one.”

The wild scene in court got under way before the jury was brought into the chambers. Miss Van Houten argued that she wanted a new attorney, her fifth in the trial as the result of the mysterious disappearance of her last lawyer, Ronald Hughes.

When Judge Charles H. Older ordered her to be seated, Miss Van Houten began fighting with bailiffs and the other two young women joined in until they were removed from the room.

Bugliosi referred to Mrs. Kasabian’s testimony that, after the Tate murders, Miss Krenwinkel complained that she had hurt her hand plunging a knife into a body because it hit bone.

“This little sweetheart,” said Bugliosi. “Can you imagine that? Her hand hurt”

Hacksaw blades and marijuana found in Manson’s Cell

Authorities have refused to comment on reports that a packet of marijuana and hacksaw blades were smuggled last week into the cell of Charles Manson, on trial for the Tate-LaBianca killings.

A spokesman for the Sheriff’s Department cited a ruling by Tate trial Judge Charles H. Older prohibiting, among other thing’s, any statements about security operations concerning the defendants.

The reports said that last Tuesday night a string was lowered from a cell window in the 10th floor of the Hall of Justice, where Manson is being held, to the ground outside.

Someone was said to have attached eight hacksaw blades and the marijuana to the string, which was then hauled back up. The items were reportedly discovered in Manson’s cell during a routine search.

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