• Manson, Girl Arraigned in Hinman Slaying

Manson, Girl Arraigned in Hinman Slaying

LOS ANGELES, Apr. 17 – Hippie leader Charles Manson and Susan Denise Atkins were arraigned Thursday in the slaying of musician Gary Hinman.

In an adjoining courtroom, a jury began deliberations in the trial of Robert K Beausoleil, who also is charged with killing Hinman.

Manson and Miss Atkins, previously accused of the Tate-LaBianca murders, were secretly indicted Tuesday on charges of murder and conspiracy to commit murder and robbery in Hinman’s death July 27, 1969.

A third member of the Manson “family,” Bruce Davis, 27, also was named in the latest indictment, but he has not yet been arrested.

Testimony during Beausoleil’s trial indicated that Beausoleil, Miss Atkins, Manson, Davis and another Manson family member, Mary Brunner, were involved in the death of Hinman. Miss Brunner testified for the prosecution after being given immunity.

Miss Atkins earlier was charged with Hinman’s death and is awaiting trial in Santa Monica. It is likely that that charge will be dismissed because of the new indictment.

In his appearance Thursday before Superior Judge George M. Dell, Manson again asked that he be allowed to represent himself, but was refused.

Judge Dell told Manson that he is not capable of defending himself and that to allow him to do so would result in a “gross miscarriage of justice.”

The court postponed the matter until Wednesday for further proceedings, including the appointment of an attorney to represent Manson. Miss Atkins will be defended by Daye Shinn, who also is her lawyer in the Tate-LaBianca case.

Manson’s attorney in the Tate-LaBianca trial, now scheduled to begin Monday, but expected to be continued, is Ronald Hughes. Hughes said he will not be Manson’s lawyer in the Hinman case.

Manson again cited the Constitution in his attempt to be his own attorney. He failed to impress Judge Dell. He said the only lawyer he would accept would be William O. Douglas, associate justice of the U.S. Supreme Court.

Dell informed Manson politely that Justice Douglas has another job and is not available.

As he had done previously, Manson said he did not believe “a mouse could represent a lion.”

“I appreciate your lionization of yourself,” Dell told him, “but I equate you more with the other animal.”

After court, Dep. Dist. Atty. Aaron H. Stovitz said his office plans to carry through with the prosecution of Manson and Miss Atkins on the Hinman charges, even if they are convicted of the Tate-LaBianca murders.

Manson’s request that Justice Douglas be appointed to defend him, according to Stovitz, was “another example of his contempt for our courts.”

The jury in the Hinman case began deliberations Thursday morning after getting instructions from Superior Judge William B. Keene.

In his closing statement, Dep. Dist. Atty. Burton Katz told the seven-woman, five-man jury that Beausoleil stabbed Hinman twice in the chest July 27 after torturing him for more than 48 hours.

Katz charged that Beausoleil, 22, went to Hinman’s Topanga Canyon home with Miss Atkins and Miss Brunner at Manson’s orders in an attempt to extort $20,000 from the musician.

The prosecutor said Beausoleil killed Hinman on Manson’s order.

Miss Brunner and another prosecution witness, Danny DeCarlo, confirmed Katz’s allegations in testimony.

Beausoleil’s attorney, deputy public defender Leon M. Salter, gave the jury another version of the killing, however.

Using the testimony of Beausoleil to support his argument, Salter told the jury that it was Manson, and not his client, who stabbed Hinman.

Salter said Beausoleil was an unwilling witness to the slaying and that he did not try to intervene because he feared Manson.

Beausoleil was forced to stay at Hinman’s house by Mary Brunner, who was armed with a pistol, Salter said.

The defense attorney also said testimony by Miss Brunner and DeCarlo was highly questionable.

Both witnesses were “coerced” into testifying against Beausoleil with the promise that felony charges be dropped, Salter said.

The jury deliberated all day and was locked up for the night after failing to reach a verdict.

By DOUG SHUIT and RON EINSTOSS

This entry was posted in Archived News. Bookmark the permalink.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *