HILTON HEAD, S.C., Sept. 2 – Vincent Bugliosi, the Los Angeles lawyer who prosecuted Charles Manson and members of his “Family” for murder, told a press conference on Hilton Head last week that there is enough evidence to justify looking for another gun in the room where Sen. Robert F. Kennedy was shot to death.

Bugliosi, who was here to address a meeting of the S.C. Trial Lawyers Association, said his “gut feeling” is that Sirhan Sirhan, who was convicted of the murder, acted alone and there was only one gun. But he has obtained sworn statements from police officers and others claiming to have seen bullets and bullet holes at the scene in addition to the eight fired from Sirhan’s gun.

Sirhan’s gun contained eight rounds and all eight were fired and accounted for, Bugliosi said, but there is evidence that there were at least two and maybe four extra bullets. The walls and ceiling panels where those bullets lodged were taken by police and subsequently destroyed, he said, so the sworn statements are the only evidence now available.

Bugliosi added that there is additional “very suspicious” evidence of a conspiracy to be detailed in a forthcoming book about the assassination. A defamation suit has already been filed about the passage in the book, and Bugliosi would not discuss the details except to say it is a “sort of Manchurian Candidate theory,” hinting that someone “programed Sirhan and sent him in there.”

The Los Angeles Police Dept. has refused to re-open the case, and Bugliosi is seeking Congressional action.

Much of the press conference centered on Bugliosi’s most famous trial, the prosecution in 1971 of Charles Manson and four other people for the 1969 murders of seven people, including actress Sharon Tate.

Although both the book and movie, “Helter Skelter,” the lawyer’s version of the case, point out that the Manson killers will be eligible for parole in 1978, Bugliosi said they will probably not get out of prison at that time.

The three girls and “Tex” Watson might get out after about 15 years in prison, and Manson himself could get out in 20 to 25 years, he said.

“For the incredibly savage murders they committed, I think they should spend the rest of their lives behind bars,” he added.

If released they should be watched closely, he said, but added that they probably won’t be. He pointed out that the acting head of the Manson family, Lynnette Fromme, was able to get within a few feet of President Ford with a loaded pistol and threaten his life last year.

Although he admitted that he does get death threats and he and Manson “are not the best of friends,” Bugliosi said he does not “go through life looking over my shoulder or sleeping with one eye open.”

The Manson family threat is practically eliminated now that most of the hard core members are in prison, he said. Although Time magazine claimed there are over 200 members of the Manson family in California, Bugliosi said many of those people spent only a few days or a week with the group and never came under Manson’s “spell.”

He also said it is fashionable in “hippie” circles to claim former membership in the Manson group. He said it was doubtful that Manson ordered Lynette Fromme to kill President Ford because Manson was appealing his own conviction at the time, thought he had a chance and would not have taken the risk of getting involved in the attempt.

Manson and Fromme had communicated by mail, but all their letters were censored. Fromme may have tried to kill Ford in order to please Manson, Bugliosi said, but there was no order from Manson to do it.

Bugliosi called Manson a “sophisticated con man” who probably did not believe “all this nonsense” about igniting a black-white war via the murders, but his followers probably did. Manson used the Helter Skelter theory to work his followers up and do his bidding for him, but Manson’s own true motive for ordering the killings is not clear, Bugliosi said.

Asked if the fame generated by the book and movie “Helter Skelter” was a violation of lawyers’ ethics, Bugliosi replied that he had not intended to write the book until so many books with inaccurate information about the case were published.

He said he also did not expect the book to sell like it did, figuring it would be read by attorneys and criminal investigators rather than the general public. He had hoped Truman Capote, author of “In Cold Blood,” would write a book about Manson.

As for his own reputation being enhanced by the book, Bugliosi replied, “It’s the same thing as an athlete writing about his experiences.”

Bugliosi has been highly critical of the performance of the Los Angeles Police Dept. in investigating both the Manson and Sirhan cases, but he said he gets along well with most rank and file members of the department.

He said the bungling in both cases, including losing and destroying evidence, is found in many police departments, but could be avoided by higher pay for police, higher educational standards, and the use of younger, more ambitious officers in important investigations.

By GEORGE CATHCART