NEW ORLEANS, Aug. 1 – The U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals Friday threw another two week delay into California’s attempts to extradite Charles Watson from Texas.

Watson, charged in California’s Tate – LaBianca murders, began his ninth month in a McKinney, Tex., jail cell.

Three judges from the court ruled the extradition order signed by Gov. Preston Smith should be delayed until Aug. 15, and that Watson’s attorney, William Boyd, should be given until Aug. 8 to file further appeals.

If Boyd takes his case to the U. S. Supreme Court Watson would certain stay in the Collin County jail through September, The Supreme Court does not reconvene until the first week in October

Boyd has argued from the outset that Watson cannot receive a fair trial anywhere in California because of the massive publicity given the murder of Sharon Tate.

Watson, 24, a high school sports hero from tiny Farmersville, Tex., is charged not only with the murder of actress Miss Tate and her houseguests, but with the slayings of Mr. and Mrs. Leno LaBianca.

Testimony in the trial of Charles Manson and members of his “family” this week in Los Angeles by Linda Kasabian has implicated Watson in both incidents.

Boyd fought Smith’s extradition order all the way to the Texas Court o f Criminal Appeals, the court of last resort for criminal cases in the state.

That court upheld the extradition order, but a U.S. district court agreed to delay it until Aug. 1 so Boyd could appeal the case further.

Boyd has not yet filed any appeals, and Texas Attorney General Crawford Martin asked the 5th circuit court to validate the extradition order.

The court, instead, granted a further delay in Friday’s action.

Despite efforts by Texas officials to have Watson sent to California, state officials in California once threatened to sue Texas because of the delay in extraditing Watson.

California officials said it would cost a quarter of a million dollars to try Watson separately from Manson and his “family” members.

Boyd has indicated he wanted to make sure Watson was not extradited in time to stand trial along with Manson.

Watson was arrrested Nov. 30,1969 in McKinney, and thus began his ninth month in jail Friday.