• Jurors Told ‘Tex’ Watson Conducted Murder School

Jurors Told ‘Tex’ Watson Conducted Murder School

LOS ANGELES, Aug. 26 — One of Charles Manson’s lieutenants conducted a school for murder in Death Valley after actress Sharon Tate and six others were killed, a former member of the nomadic tribe testified yesterday.

Barbara Hoyt 19, told the jury trying Charles “Tex” Watson 25 that the defendant taught her and three other young women how to stab victims.

This all occurred at a ranch in Death Valley where Manson and the bulk of his hippie-style “family” moved in the latter part of August 1969, she said.

Miss Hoyt also testified at the trial of Manson and three women followers, who earlier this year were convicted and condemned to die for the two-year-old murders.

Watson is the final defendant to go to trial. He did not go on trial with the others in June 1970 because he was fighting extradition from his native Texas.

Miss Hoyt, an attractive brunette, allegedly was fed an LSD-spiked hamburger a year ago in Honolulu in a futile attempt to keep her from testifying for the state at the first trial.

Although she discussed activities of the “family” at length during her first round of testimony last year, she never mentioned the school for murder.

Miss Hoyt said Watson told her and the others “not to stab straight — to turn the knife up and move it around to cut up more stuff.”

Watson, she added as she illustrated how he allegedly taught them to use a knife, “told us how we would have to kill when we came down to it.”

The pregnant blonde actress and five of the six other victims were stabbed.

Miss Hoyt said she frequently became angry with Watson after they went to Death Valley because “he kept buying newspapers.”

She explained she had never seen him buy newspapers before and felt this was unusual because “family” members “were trying to get away from everything.”

Miss Hoyt added there was no money to buy food because Watson kept spending it on newspapers.

Watson went on trial late Tuesday in the courtroom of Superior Court Judge Adolph Alexander.

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