• Musician Is Tate Penalty Witness

Musician Is Tate Penalty Witness

LOS ANGELES, Jan. 22 – A Negro trumpeter still carrying a bullet in his back allegedly put there by hippie cultist Charles Manson, appeared in Los Angeles Superior Court briefly today as the prosecution in the Tate-LaBianca murder trial began lining up witnesses they hope will send the self-styled guru to the gas chamber.

Twenty-eight-year-old Bernard Crowe of Los Angeles appeared in Dept. 104 on a subpoena as the jury, one floor above, deliberated for the seventh day on whether Manson and his three girl “followers” were guilty of the seven brutal slayings.

Crowe is one of 40 witnesses subpoenaed by the prosecution for the penalty phase of the trial. The penalty phase will only be conducted if Manson or the girls are convicted of first degree murder; jurors will then decide on life sentences or death.

Also subpoenaed for today was Thomas J. Walleman, who failed to appear. A bench warrant was issued for his arrest.

Walleman testified for the prosecution during the marathon Tate-LaBianca trial apparently when he was “disenchanted” with Manson’s family. Prosecutors said today that he had rejoined the clan.

Crowe, according to testimony taken during the trial, was shot on Aug. 1, 1969, a week before the Tate killings. The shooting apparently was over a business transaction between Manson and Crowe. Meanwhile, two other Manson “family” members were arraigned today in different courtrooms on separate charges.

Brenda McCann, 19, will receive a jury trial on March 17 on two charges of possessing dangerous drugs and attempting to smuggle narcotics to Manson in jail. The girl was released on $2,500 bail.

Dennis Rice, 31, who turned himself in last week on charges of conspiracy to commit murder, pleaded not guilty to the charge and a date of Feb. 4 was set by Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Raymond Choate on a motion for dismissal of the charges.

Charges against the bearded Rice center around claims that “family” members lured a prosecution witness in the Tate-LaBianca case to Honolulu and then laced her hamburger with LSD.

By MARY NEISWENDER

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3 Responses to Musician Is Tate Penalty Witness

  1. LH says:

    “Negro trumpeter”? Don’t recall reading that one before!

  2. Fred Bloggs says:

    It’s in William Zamora’s book from 1973 ~ he was a juror.

  3. Paul Hart says:

    During the Bernard Crowe testimony, Bugliosi repeatedly states that the events which led up to Manson’s shooting of Crowe and the shooting itself happened on the evening of July 31 – August 1st. Crowe himself repeats the August 1 date on video when interviewed by a reporter.
    In his testimony, Crowe says one of his friends called 911 after Manson left, and police and an ambulance showed up. In the hospital (Los Angeles General), Crowe says homicide detectives came to question him.
    Has anyone sought police reports or hospital records to verify what date this happened on? Police have response records to all emergency calls (date & location). Hospitals have log records that show who was admitted each day. Thanks.

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