Witness in Beausoleil Case Changes Her Story Again
Sunday, June 14th, 1970
LOS ANGELES, Jun. 14 – Mary Brunner changed her story again Friday and testified in court that Robert Beausoleil did, indeed, kill musician Gary Hinman.
The 26-year-old woman, member of Charles Manson’s nomadic cult, had testified at Beausoleil’s trial last April that he killed Hinman. She recanted her testimony after Beausoleil was convicted and sentenced to die in the gas chamber.
Friday afternoon, she recanted again and said Hinman’s killer was the 22-year-old Beausoleil, who is seeking a new trial.
But her decision was made only after extensive counseling by Superior Court Judge William B. Keene and Ernest Graves, a last-minute attorney brought in to advise Miss Brunner.
The blonde-haired young woman was told repeatedly in the courtroom that she would not be prosecuted if she told “the truth” about Hinman’s murder.
Miss Brunner finally said she understood and claimed it was Beausoleil who stabbed Hinman, although she admitted she didn’t see the act.
Beausoleil, Miss Brunner and another “family” member were at Hinman’s home in Topanga Canyon when the musician was killed. She said she “assumed” it was Beausoleil because she and the other person held a pillow over Hinman’s head as he lay dying.
Before the witness testified, Judge Keene told her, “We are all done playing fun and games — if you testify you will tell the truth so help you God.”
He then asked her if she would testify and she answered, “No.”
The jurist advised her that if she did not testify the earlier grant of immunity would be “null and void.”
Atty. Graves then told the judge that Miss Brunner wanted to take a lie detector test concerning the affidavit she signed last May 21, in which she recanted her testimony that Beausoleil killed Hinman.
The judge refused the request. Just prior to Miss Brunner’s decision to change her story once again, both Beausoleil and another member of the “family” Sandy Good, who was sitting in the audience, apparently made hand signals to the witness.
Beausoleil raised his right forefinger, then tapped his chest with his fist and then repeated the process.
(The gesture could have meant, “I am you and you are me,” a frequent saying among members of the Manson clan.)
Miss Brunner hesitated a moment and began to tell what she claimed really happened at Hinman’s Topanga Canyon home when he was murdered.
She said she, Beausoleil and Susan Denise Atkins 21, went to Hinman’s house last July 25.
Miss Atkins, Manson and Bruce Davis 27, also a member of the cult, face prosecution for the Hinman slaying.
Miss Brunner said “on Sunday, July 27, Bobby killed Gary.”
During this testimony Beausoleil hung his head and turned away from the witness.
Judge Keene asked the woman why she had signed the affidavit.
She replied, “Bobby got the gas chamber. You’re doing the same to him as he did to Gary and you’re making me part of the second one too.”
She said she signed the affidavit in hopes Beausoleil would get a new trial and not be sentenced to death.
Judge Keene asked, “Did Bobby stab Gary?”
The witness answered, “Yes.”
The jurist inquired, “who cut Hinman’s ear?”
“Charlie Manson,” Miss Brunner said.
In her initial testimony at Beausoleil’s trial, she said prior to the murder, Manson slashed Hinman across the side of the face, cutting his ear in half.
Dept. Dist. Atty. Burton S. Katz then took over questioning of the witness.
He asked Miss Brunner if she and Miss Atkins had put pillows over Hinman’s face before he died to stop the death rattle.
Miss Brunner answered, “Yes.”
Beausoleil asked Miss Brunner if she in fact, saw him standing over Hinman’s body?
The woman answered, “I can’t recall right now.”
She admitted that she would lie to “save” her child, but Beausoleil did not ask her if she was lying on the witness stand.
When Miss Brunner was excused from the stand, she sat next to Miss Good in the courtroom.
She was overheard saying to Miss Good that she could now get custody of her 2-year-old son, Michael Manson, who is currently with Miss Brunner’s mother in Wisconsin.
“They lied to you again,” Miss Good was overheard to reply, apparently referring to prosecutors.
Miss Brunner rose to leave and was followed by more than two dozen news reporters.
At the time, another family member. Miss Lynette Fromme 21, was on the stand. When she saw reporters race after Miss Brunner she yelled, “What are you doing to her?”
Miss Fromme sobbed, “why don’t you cut the baby in half?”
Miss Brunner and Miss Good meanwhile ran down a court corridor to an elevator, but took a wrong turn and ended up in another courtroom.
“Get out of here,” Miss Brunner screamed at the newsmen as she fled into the empty courtroom.
A plainclothes deputy sheriff, fearing for Miss Brunner’s safety, urged the news reporters to stop crowding around the woman.
Miss Brunner emerged from the courtroom accompanied by Atty. Graves and three other family members.
She only spoke once as she reached the elevator:
“I hope you know what you are doing,” she told newsmen.
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