LOS ANGELES, Apr. 14 – Robert K. Beausoleil, on trial on charges of slaying musician Gary Hinman, told a jury Monday that cult leader Charles Manson committed the murder.

Beausoleil, 22, testified that Manson stabbed Hinman twice in the chest after the musician refused an offer to join Manson’s hippie ‘family.”

“Charlie said ‘That’s about what I figured’ and he pulled the knife he had and stabbed Gary in the chest,” Beausoleil told the seven-woman, five-man Superior Court jury.

“Gary stood up a second. He had one hand against a bookcase. The other hand was on his chest. He said ‘Oh. Charlie, you didn’t have to stab me.’

“Charlie stabbed him again and Gary fell dead,” Beausoleil said,

Beausoleil is standing trial a second time for the Hinman murder. His first trial last November ended in a hung jury. He did not testify in that trial.

Earlier in the trial, a prosecution witness testified he had heard Beausoleil bragging about murdering Hinman.

Beausoleil, testifying after the prosecution rested its case, said that he, Mary Brunner and Susan Atkins had gone to Hinman’s Topanga Canyon home last July 25 on Manson’s order “to get some money.”

He said Manson, who is accused of plotting the seven Tate-LaBianca murders, told them Hinman had recently inherited some money, “about $20,000.”

“He said if Gary would be willing to give up some of that bread then everyone could leave and go to the desert,” said the blue-eyed, baby-faced Beausoleil.

Here is Beausoleil’s version of what happened:

He and the two girls arrived at Hinman’s house sometime after dark on Friday, July 25, intending to talk Hinman, 34, a West Los Angeles music teacher, into giving them a large portion of his “inheritance.”

After talking with Hinman at length, they decided he didn’t have any money, and called Manson, who was then living at Spahn Movie Ranch in Chatsworth, for a ride home.

Manson and another member of the family, Bruce Davis, arrived a short time later. Manson was carrying a sword.

Manson told Hinman he wanted “to talk about that money” and looked “very fierce.”

Hinman told everyone to leave and Manson drew the sword and stabbed the musician in the chest, but didn’t wound him seriously.

There was a struggle for the sword and Manson slashed the left side of Hinman’s face, severing his ear and making a deep gash on his cheek, Beausoleil said.

A short time later, Manson and Davis left in one of Hinman’s two cars.

Hinman’s wounds were cleaned up by the two girls and everyone slept, except Mary Brunner who held Davis’ 9mm automatic pistol and kept watch over Hinman.

Many hours later, on Sunday evening, Manson and Davis returned after continued efforts to get money from Hinman failed.

Manson, now worried that Hinman would go to the police, promised the musician that if he joined the family there would be “lots of girls to take care of him” and that “he would live like a king.”

Then Hinman told Manson that he didn’t want to join the family and Manson stabbed him twice, Beausoleil testified.

Throughout his testimony, Beausoleil was composed, answering the carefully worded questions of his attorney, Leon Salter, a public defender, with a deep, clear voice.

Miss Brunner, the prosecution’s chief witness, told much the same story as Beausoleil — up to the point of Hinman’s death.

She testified she and Susan Atkins were in the kitchen when they heard a “commotion.” She said when she went into the living room she saw Hinman bleeding profusely from the chest and Beausoleil, alone in the room, holding a knife.

In another action, Superior Judge Malcolm Lucas denied a motion by Susan Atkins to dismiss murder and conspiracy charges against her arising from the Tate-LaBianca murders.

Miss Atkins’ attorney, Daye Shinn, said there is not enough evidence to sustain the County Grand Jury indictment against his client and that Miss Atkins did not voluntarily give up her right to remain silent when she testified before the grand jury.

By DOUG SHUIT