• Manson Indicted in Slaying

Manson Indicted in Slaying

LOS ANGELES, Apr. 15 – In closing arguments today, prosecutors called for the conviction of Robert Beausoleil for the murder of musician Gary Hinman — a crime for which the grand jury Tuesday indicted cult leader Charles Manson and two of his “hippie family.”

Dep. Dist. Atty. Burton Katz began his closing arguments in which he charged the baby-faced defendant with the cold-blooded killing of Hinman at the musician’s Topanga Canyon home July 27, 1969 and defended his own witnesses, also members of Manson’s family.

“When a crime is committed in hell, you don’t have angels for witnesses,” Katz almost screamed to the seven-man, five-woman jury in Los Angeles Superior Court.

Danny DeCarlo a motorcycle club member who was admonished while on the witness stand to clean up his language, was described by Katz as “the little gremlin that lived in the dirt at the Spahn ranch.”

“He came out of the recesses of hell to tell you some things. He didn’t want to testify because it made him a fink, and in his world that’s not healthy.”

DeCarlo told the same story as an eyewitness, Mary Brunner, who was granted immunity to testify.

With a life-like manikin of the murder victim staring down at Beausoleil, Katz pointed a finger at the defendant and shouted, “Mr. Bobby Beausoleil with his blue eyes sitting there at the counsel table is young and good looking. But you can’t judge a book by its cover. You can’t know a man’s soul by his looks.”

“Because he sat up there,” the prosecutor said pointing to the witness chair, “with his big blue eyes and made a half-turn toward the jury and told you a story you don’t have to believe him.

“Mr. DeCarlo is rough, insolent, hostile, has no-social graces and you may not like him. But the only issue is — who is telling the truth?”

The jury sat motionless as Katz periodically pounded the lectern, waved his arms and turned red-faced making his points. The young defendant stared at him, blinking. His parents in a front row seat of the courtroom, appeared distraught.

Manson, who allegedly masterminded the seven Tate – LaBianca killings was charged in a secret indictment Tuesday with the stabbing death of bag-pipe musician Hinman.

Two of Manson’s followers also were indicted Tuesday; Susan Atkins, whose grand jury testimony led to the Tate-LaBianca indictments; and a male member of the cult who still is at large.

The indictments were issued one day after Beausoleil testified that Manson stabbed the musician to death.

It was believed, however, the secret indictments stemmed from testimony of Miss Brunner, 26, by whom Manson fathered a baby more than a year ago.

By MARY NEISWENDER

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