PAROLE HEARING

Friday, June 28, 2019

BRUCE
DAVIS

SUBSEQUENT PAROLE CONSIDERATION HEARING
STATE OF CALIFORNIA
BOARD OF PAROLE HEARINGS

In the matter of the Life Term Parole Consideration Hearing of:
BRUCE DAVIS
CDC Number: B-41079

CALIFORNIA MEN's COLONY
SAN LUIS OBISPO, CALIFORNIA
JUNE 28, 2019
8:40 A.M.

PANEL PRESENT:
ARTHUR ANDERSON, Presiding Commissioner
JAMES WEILBACHER, Deputy Commissioner

OTHERS PRESENT:
BRUCE DAVIS, Inmate
MICHAEL BECKMAN, Attorney for Inmate
DONNA LEBOWITZ, Deputy District Attorney
SHANNON HOGG, Associate Chief Deputy Commissioner
MS. CHARMAINE AZEVEDO, Case Records Technician
MS. DEBRA TATE, Family Representative
MS. KAY HINMAN-MARTLEY, Cousin of Victim
MS. REESE STYLES, Friend of Victim's Family
MS. ELAINE ARADILLAS, Reporter
MS. MONICA AYON, Lieutenant and Public Information Officer
CORRECTIONAL OFFICER(S), Unidentified

PROCEEDINGS

DEPUTY COMMISSIONER WEILBACHER: We're on the record, sir.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: On the record. Uh, time's now 8:40, today's date is June 28, 2019. We are located at the California Men's Colony, that's a state prison in San Luis Obispo, California. We're here for a subsequent parole hearing for Bruce Davis, CDC number B41079. Davis was committed to CDCR from Los Angeles County, two counts of murder in the first degree, first one occurred on 7/31/1969 and, uh, the other one occurred on 8/16/1969, was running concurrent. Is also here for criminal conspiracy which was stayed. Life crime commenced on 4/21/1972 for seven years to life. His minimal eligible parole date is 1/20/1976. He is a elderly parole candidate, qualifies for elderly parole consideration on 10/5/2002. This hearing is being recorded and for the purpose of voice identification each of us will be required to state our first and last name, spelling your last name and when it comes to the inmate's turn, (inaudible) spell your last name and give us your CDC number. My name is Arthur Anderson, A-N-D-E-R-S-O-N, Commissioner. We're going to the right.

DEPUTY COMMISSIONER WEILBACHER: My name is James Weilbacher, W-E-I-L-B-A-C-H-E-R, I'm a deputy commissioner.

INMATE DAVIS: Thank you, sir. Uh, Bruce Davis, D-A-V-I-S, Baker -- B -- B41079.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Okay.

ATTORNEY BECKMAN: Michael Beckman, B-E-C-K-M-A-N, attorney for Mr. Davis.

DEPUTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY LEBOWITZ: Donna Lebowitz, L-E-B-O-W-I-T-Z, Deputy District Attorney Los Angeles County.

MS. CHARMAINE AZEVEDO: Charmaine Azevedo, A-Z-E-V-E-D-O, case records technician.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Okay.

MS. DEBRA TATE: Debra Tate, T-A-T-E, family representative for the Hinman family.

MS. REESE STYLES: Um, Reese (phonetic) Styles, S-T-Y-L-E-S, friend of Kay Martley.

MS. KAY HINMAN-MARTLEY: I’m Kay Hinman-Martley, M-A-R-T-L-E-Y. I am cousin of Gary Hinman.

MS. ELAINE ARADILLAS: Elaine Aradillas, A-R-A-D-I-L-L-A-S, reporter from People Magazine.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Okay.

MS. MONICA AYON: Monica Ayon, A-Y-O-N, lieutenant and public information officer for the California Men's Colony.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Okay.

ASSOCIATE CHIEF DEPUTY COMMISSIONER HOGG: Shannon Hogg, H-O-G-G, Associate Chief Deputy Commissioner observing the hearing.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Thank you. Let the record reflect we have, uh, one officer for security today. Actually have two. Uh, Mr. Davis, uh, this Panel is here to consider your suitability for parole today. We're not here to retry the case. We accept as true the findings of the court. Um, we are going to consider many factors here today. Those factors include your criminal history, those factors include your behavior while you've been in custody, which includes your programming since you came to prison, and your propo -- parole plans if released. We'll consider the testimony of all parties here today. That'll be -- uh, parties: that is the district attorney, your counsel, and you. The Panel will be asking questions, um, and then the -- the district attorney will be allowed to ask questions, your attorney will be asked -- asking questions, and at the end of that, there'll be closing statements from the district attorney, closing statements from your attorney, and your -- you can do a closing statement if you so desire. Um, and the victim's, uh, next of kin are here, and, uh, they'll be, uh, speaking, uh, at the end of all others' -- all of the testimonies. Um, Counsel, your client going to speak to the Panel?

ATTORNEY BECKMAN: Yes.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Mr. Davis, raise your right hand, we'll swear you in. Do you solemnly swear or affirm the testimony you give at this hearing will be the truth and nothing but the truth?

INMATE DAVIS: I do.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Thank you. Let's go over some ADA accommodations today.

DEPUTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY LEBOWITZ: Commissioner, I understand before we begin the hearing, I have a, uh -- I would like to lodge an objection to the presence of the reporter from People Magazine. It seems that we a spent considerable amount of time during the last hearing, uh, trying to get the inmate to understand how his conduct would be harmful to the victims and to capitalize on the crime perhaps be profitable. And we told the inmate and we were hoping that the inmate would see that any profit from this case would be harmful, not appropriate, not insightful, and shows lack of -- um, shows a callousness toward the victims. Now, we have a reporter here from People Magazine and that is a for-profit magazine, uh, sometimes sensational, sometimes not.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Okay.

DEPUTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY LEBOWITZ: If it were a regular newsfeed at AP, um, Daily Wire Service, local television station for public interest in public safety, I would not have the same objection. But because this is a for-profit magazine, um, I -- I'm lodging my objection because it -- it -- it appears that CDCR is sanctioning the same type of behavior that is instructing the inmate not to do.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Okay. Mr. Davis, did you invite the reporter from People Magazine to be here?

INMATE DAVIS: No.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Did you know the People Magazine reporter was going to be here?

INMATE DAVIS: Not till right now.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Not till right now. And, um --

ATTORNEY BECKMAN: Same answer for me.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: And same answer for -- I was going to ask the counsel, did you know a reporter for People Magazine was going to be here?

ATTORNEY BECKMAN: No, I did not.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Um, Public Information Officer, Lieutenant -- uh, what's your name?

MS. MONICA AYON: Lieutenant Ayon.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Uh, who approved the, uh, People-Magazine representative to be in this hearing here today?

MS. MONICA AYON: I was notified by the Office of Public, uh, Employees and Communication at CDCR headquarters that it was vetted through the Board of Parole Hearings and the commissioners.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Who approved it?

MS. MONICA AYON: Some of the commissioner -- whatever commissioner they contacted.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Wasn't me. Okay. So it was approved by headquarters at CDCR. Okay. So that was where the responsibility was, uh, approving that reporter to be here but, uh, I understand your objection. Uh, we did not approve that. We did not have any, um, responsibility or even be involved in a reporter from People Magazine being in this hearing. So, uh, uh, I'm going to stay your objection at this time and, um, um, go through some administrative things here and then, uh -- then I'll come back.

DEPUTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY LEBOWITZ: Thank you.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Okay. Mr. Davis, let's go -- let's do some accommodations. You have a white suit on. That, uh -- that, uh -- what's that designate, sir?

INMATE DAVIS: Uh, I'm in, uh, Administrative Segregation, sir.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Why are you there?

INMATE DAVIS: I am there because, um, uh, I was told I have enemy concerns here and, uh, so I was put in AD SEG.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: And, um, you don't know who your enemies are?

INMATE DAVIS: Well, not -- not personally. They never tell you that.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: But did, eh, somebody threaten you?

INMATE DAVIS: Well, what happened was, uh, my floor officer came to my -- uh, my cell on, uh, April 19th and said we have a credible threat against your safety --

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Okay.

INMATE DAVIS: -- and you are going to AD SEG.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Okay. So when was that, April?

INMATE DAVIS: April 19th.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: So you're in there for your own safety. That's good.

INMATE DAVIS: So I'm told.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Okay. Uh, let's go over some other accommodations (inaudible). So, um, you walked here today unassisted I noticed, you have, you have the use of your hands and arms.

INMATE DAVIS: Yes, sir.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Are you part of the mental-health system at this time?

INMATE DAVIS: No.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: And are you taking any medication that would interfere with your ability to participate in the hearing today?

INMATE DAVIS: No, sir.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: And I -- and I know you have a -- a high level of education, uh, uh, college degrees and so forth so I know you can read and comprehend, uh, all the materials here today. Um, Counsel, anything else we need to consider for your client for reasonable accommodations?

ATTORNEY BECKMAN: Well, he has emphysema and, um, he's been on the list for a hip replacement for over a year now. We were told it was going to be in the past year. That's why we waived the hearing last year.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Okay.

ATTORNEY BECKMAN: Hasn't happened yet. Um --

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Okay.

ATTORNEY BECKMAN: -- he's on some medications for -- but I don't think it's going to impact his ability to participate today.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Okay. Thank you. I would like to (inaudible) the ADA review. I'm going to take about a five-minute recess. Uh, like everybody to clear the room, please.

DEPUTY COMMISSIONER WEILBACHER: We're off the record.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Time is now 8:15.

RECESS

--oOo--

DEPUTY COMMISSIONER WEILBACHER: We're back on the record, sir.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: We're back on the record. Uh, the time is, uh, 9:05. Um, I want to address the, uh, objection raised by the dis -- district attorney regarding, um, People Magazine being present. Under 2031 of the Board's Regulations under Title 15, uh, Division 2, uh, the media representative was approved by the, um, executive officer to attend the hearing. Therefore, the objection's overruled.

DEPUTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY LEBOWITZ: Thank you.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: You're welcome. Uh, with that in mind, um, uh, failed to mention if anybody needs a break today for any reason, let us know. Uh, don't want anybody to be uncomfortable and, uh, we'll promptly take a break just like we just did. Um, Mr. Davis, um, we're going to consider a lot of information as -- as -- uh, just like I've said. Uh, we reviewed -- reviewed your central file and the Comprehensive Risk Assessment by Dr. Carman (phonetic) and, um -- and we're going to go over all that information and, uh, we also reviewed the confidential information. If we use any confidential information, we'll notify your attorney, uh, so your attorney can raise an objection --

ATTORNEY BECKMAN: Okay.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: -- uh, to that. Uh --

ATTORNEY BECKMAN: I'd like to put the objection on the record before you actually use it.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Sure.

ATTORNEY BECKMAN: Thank you.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: And, uh, we can do that too. And, um, uh, Mis -- Mr. Davis, uh, let's go over some administrative things. How -- how old are you today? How old are you?

INMATE DAVIS: Seventy-six.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Seventy-six. And, uh, your last hearing was held on 2/1/2017 and you were, um, granted parole, uh, and it was here at this person here, uh, CMC and, um, most of the players were here except for us two. And, um, then the governor, uh, reviewed the case and, uh, under the regulations and, um -- and that was Go -- Governor Brown. And I'm looking at Governor Brown's decision, it was dated June 23rd, 2017 and the governor o -- overturned it. Was that your recollection?

INMATE DAVIS: Yes, sir.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: And, um, what do you think of the governor's overturning the, uh, decision of the Board?

INMATE DAVIS: That was a big disappointment for me.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Okay. And, um, did you -- cause you, um -- anything else you want to add other than disappointed?

INMATE DAVIS: Well, I've had several of these so it never gets any easier.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Okay.

INMATE DAVIS: Uh --

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Have you done, uh -- have you addressed some of the things that the governor raised in the letter?

INMATE DAVIS: I believe so.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Okay. Well, we'll be talking about those.

INMATE DAVIS: Yes, sir.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Okay. I always like to start with a general statement. Why are you suitable for parole today? Why are you suitable for parole today? It's an open-ended question. Just tell me.

INMATE DAVIS: I'm suitable for all day. Me -- I've met all the requirements --

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Okay.

INMATE DAVIS: -- I've done everything the last five Parole Boards thought I should have done.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Okay.

INMATE DAVIS: I think the recommendation is good -- is good.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: What recommendation?

INMATE DAVIS: That I was recommended for parole.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Okay.

INMATE DAVIS: And, um, I would -- I'm -- I'm happy with that.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: So, um, what kind of programming have you done since the last hearing?

INMATE DAVIS: Uh --

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Since 2017?

INMATE DAVIS: Well, I've stayed in -- I stayed in, uh, Yoke Fellows, I stayed in, uh, Life Awareness.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: What's Life Awareness?

INMATE DAVIS: It's a, uh -- uh, it's a program for, uh -- excuse me. Eh, it's a -- it's a program for inmates that deal with, um -- it's a 16-week program. We deal with, uh, uh, anger management --

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Okay.

INMATE DAVIS: -- criminal thinking --

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Okay.

INMATE DAVIS: -- fa -- uh, family relations, uh, uh, victim impact, uh, uh, depression and, uh, uh, relapse prevention. And -- and most of those classes are two or three weeks long, make up 16 weeks.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Okay. Have you finished it or are you still in it?

INMATE DAVIS: I've -- I've, uh -- I've -- I've facilitated it for about five or six years.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Okay. Can you facilitate it from AD SEG or they don't let you out of that?

INMATE DAVIS: No, there's -- they're kind of -- kind of strict about that.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Okay. What do you do every day in AD SEG? What do you do?

INMATE DAVIS: Well, um, I read a lot.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Okay.

INMATE DAVIS: Have plenty of times for prayer and meditation.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Okay.

INMATE DAVIS: And, uh, we -- we go -- we have a -- we have a small yard, a segregated yards --

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Okay.

INMATE DAVIS: -- like, about -- it's about 12 by 20 and we -- we go out there -- probably go out there three times a week for three hours. So you get some outside so you can work out and be in the sun and fresh air.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: For two or three hours?

INMATE DAVIS: Yeah, about three times a week.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Okay. And, um, what about, um -- so because of the restricted confinement, you're not able to attend, uh, the various courses, uh, that you -- that you have attended in the past?

INMATE DAVIS: No, no, there's nothing.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Nothing. Okay.

INMATE DAVIS: No.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: So that's that. Okay. Now, um, going back to Victim Awareness, how have you expressed -- let's go with remorse. What have you done, uh, in the last several years to express remorse? How -- how have you done it?

INMATE DAVIS: What I've done is to commit myself to, uh -- to helping others not make the mistake I made to live a life that, uh -- that's an example of a law-abiding person --

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Okay.

INMATE DAVIS: -- a person on the right track.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Okay. Have you ever -- have you ever wrote any letters in the past to the family?

INMATE DAVIS: Yes, I have.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: And, uh, when was the last time you wrote a letter?

INMATE DAVIS: It's been a while back. Um, the - - the district attorney said that he would give that -- give these letters to the Hinman and the Shea family.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Did you ever know that they happened to?

INMATE DAVIS: Well, I just took the D.A.'s word for it --

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Okay.

INMATE DAVIS: -- and I s -- I -- I'm sure he did.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Okay. So you gave letters back in the past. This is when we -- going to say, we, uh, the district attorney and the parole Board would take letters in and -- and ask the victims if they want to accept letters? Is that --

INMATE DAVIS: Yes, that's my understanding.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Okay. Okay. But I pointed out, Mr. Davis, we have a Comprehensive Risk Assessment, uh, by Dr. Carman, C-A-R-M-A-N, 18 pages. We'll incorporate that into the record here today. I'm not going to be duplicating on, um, certain issues, uh, for instance, uh, your child and adolescent, um, already, um, uh -- after so many hearings at -- that absent. I noticed something has changed. Uh, you got divorced?

INMATE DAVIS: Say again?

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Are you divorced or are you still married?

INMATE DAVIS: Oh, I -- yeah, I'm divorced. Thank you.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Okay. When did you get divorced? Uh, 2000 el -- uh, well, I think it was final in 2012.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Okay. Why did you get a divorce?

INMATE DAVIS: Um, my wife and I just started recog -- recognizing or, um -- yeah, I guess recognizing or seeing that we just had a very different point of view about things and after 25 years, uh, you know, I -- I think really, uh, part of it was once I was found suitable in 2010 --

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Yeah.

INMATE DAVIS: -- then the, uh, um -- the -- the stress on her, uh, she was a pretty -- kind of a public person, a flight attendant for Delta Airlines --

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Okay.

INMATE DAVIS: -- and, uh, I think -- I think she was worried about what kind of publicity would happen when I got out, the kind of things around my case mostly. Uh, that was a big trigger I believe and, uh, eh, we just started seeing things different and, uh, we -- it came to -- it came down to we could not live with each other's limitations.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Okay.

INMATE DAVIS: And, uh -- and so --

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: You have any contact with her at all?

INMATE DAVIS: Yes.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: What kind of contact you have with her?

INMATE DAVIS: Well, we write. We've written a few letters. We have a daughter, 25 --

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Okay.

INMATE DAVIS: -- and, uh, so because of my daughter, we s -- we're -- we're -- we're -- we're f -- we have a friendly, uh, relationship, uh.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: It is -- does your daughter visit you?

INMATE DAVIS: Uh, she -- well, yes, he has. Uh, they just moved out -- they just moved -- they just moved away.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Where'd they move to?

INMATE DAVIS: They moved to Nashville.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: That's a long ways away.

INMATE DAVIS: It is a long way.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: How do they contact you then, just through letters, through phone calls?

INMATE DAVIS: I -- I call.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Okay.

INMATE DAVIS: I call my daughter.

ATTORNEY BECKMAN: Just in the last couple of weeks, right?

INMATE DAVIS: Yeah. And, um, so --

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Okay. Anybody else in your life that you have contact with?

INMATE DAVIS: Yes.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Who?

INMATE DAVIS: Uh, well, let's see. I talk on the phone to a friend of mine, Steve Jones.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Okay.

INMATE DAVIS: Uh, to, uh, uh, Ernie and Mary, uh, Thompson.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Okay.

INMATE DAVIS: Uh, uh, uh, Robin Adair (phonetic). I'm just trying to think the people on my phone call list. Uh --

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: And they -- are they -- you talk to them on an ongoing, regular basis, uh, like, uh, monthly, weekly, something like that?

INMATE DAVIS: Uh, well, it has to be weekly. Now, we all get one phone call a week --

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Oh, okay.

INMATE DAVIS: -- in AD SEG so.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Oh, cause you're in AD SEG. Okay.

INMATE DAVIS: Yes, sir.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Okay. Okay. Mr. Davis, um, in terms of your criminal history, I have -- I'm going to read and then we'll talk. Uh, arrest history prior to the light crime includes: marijuana, possession of marijuana in 1968, released due to insufficient evidence; uh, vehicle code, grand theft. Did you steal a car, did miss -- dismissed?

INMATE DAVIS: I was -- I was --

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: What was that about?

INMATE DAVIS: -- I was riding in the car that had been stolen.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Okay.

INMATE DAVIS: I guess that's the same.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Yeah.

INMATE DAVIS: Yeah, I was at -- I knew it was.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Where was this that?

INMATE DAVIS: In, uh -- in, uh, in Trona.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Corona?

INMATE DAVIS: Trona.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Trona? Where's that?

INMATE DAVIS: Uh, that's up near, uh, um, Ballarat, uh, Trona. Um, it's in, uh, Moja -- near Mojave.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Oh, okay. Out in the desert.

INMATE DAVIS: Yes, sir.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: False identification to obtain a fire arm. What was that about?

INMATE DAVIS: I bought a pistol with a phony ID.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: What kind of pistol did you buy, sir?

INMATE DAVIS: Uh, a 9-millimeter.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Was that the 9-millimeter in the crime?

INMATE DAVIS: Yes, sir.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Okay. And so what we're talking about the -- was this -- well, the car stolen going back, was that the Land Cruiser?

INMATE DAVIS: Yes, it was.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: You got arrested in October right around your birthday?

INMATE DAVIS: Yes. Yes, sir.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Now, why'd you go -- going back to the gun, why'd you buy the gun with a phony ID?

INMATE DAVIS: Um, it was a very foolish thing, sir. I -- I didn't even have to, I just -- I -- I -- I was not thinking clearly at all.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Okay. What kind of impact you think the life crime's had on society?

INMATE DAVIS: Say again?

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: What kind of impact do you think the life crime has had on society?

INMATE DAVIS: A great impact. Uh, it was -- it -- it impacted the -- of course the families --

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Okay.

INMATE DAVIS: -- the community, uh, the s -- of their friends and families, the southern California community, uh, the whole country heard all about it. Uh, it caused a lot of trauma.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Okay.

INMATE DAVIS: Um, uh, as I was leaving, uh, my cell one day I walked by a young officer.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Yeah.

INMATE DAVIS: He -- he stopped me and he said, uh, hey, uh, Davis, uh, you were with Manson and them. I said yes, sir. He said yeah, I was, uh, nine years old and, uh, my friends and I thought that you all were after us. We thought you were getting everybody. He said but then we heard that you all were only after rich people and so we were -- we were somewhat relieved because we were very poor. But when he told me that, it really, uh, it -- it let me know that -- that th -- this created a lot of stress, anxiety, trauma, all kinds of loss of safety that individuals could have, especially the young people that, you know, they didn't -- they don't know how to, you know, parse all this out. And so they -- they were -- they were in fear and not only them but a lot of other people. So I know it had a huge impact. I know all the gun stores shut -- sold out in southern California, the guard dogs tripled in price I heard, chain link fences, home security, everything just went up. And that -- that's just the tip of the iceberg, I suppose.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: How'd you meet Charles Manson?

INMATE DAVIS: Um, uh, uh, uh, I was in Topanga Canyon.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Okay.

INMATE DAVIS: A -- a -- a fellow I knew asked -- asked me, says hey, I -- I borrowed a saw from this guy that lives up on the hill, name is Charlie.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Okay.

INMATE DAVIS: He said, I'd like to take the saw back. Would you give me a ride? So we put the saw in the car, we drove -- we drove up to, um -- uh, drove up the hill into Topanga Canyon, excuse me, and, um, that's when I met Manson.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Was that house -- uh, was -- was that house abandoned, was it, uh --

INMATE DAVIS: Yes.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: -- that's the one that was on the hill and?

INMATE DAVIS: Yes. It had been the victim of a mudslide.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Okay.

INMATE DAVIS: And -- and -- and -- and they -- we were just squatting in the house.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: So when you met Mr. Manson, uh, why did the friend -- friendship take off?

INMATE DAVIS: Well, uh, Manson was there with four or five of the girls.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Yeah.

INMATE DAVIS: When we pulled up, uh, we introduced ourselves. Uh, the scene I saw, uh, Manson was under -- they had a big tree, had an old, uh, antique bathtub sitting under this tree --

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Okay.

INMATE DAVIS: -- and, uh, he was in there and th -- they were all around and he was having a bath, I suppose and they were -- they were -- they were smoking marijuana and having a good time and that -- that's the scene I saw, and when I walked down and we are reduced ourselves and we started talking and it was a very engaging situation. I mean, I thought I had saw -- I said I like this.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: So you wanted to be a part of it?

INMATE DAVIS: I wanted to be a part -- yeah. I mean, not a part of them right away, but I mean the scene I saw, yeah, I liked, I said yes, I can --

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Why'd you want to be a part of it?

INMATE DAVIS: Well, I was, uh -- I was high -- I was in favor of -- of marijuana and LSD. I'd been taking that for -- I started in '65, so this was '69, so four years.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Okay.

INMATE DAVIS: And, uh, I had a -- had an attraction for young ladies and, uh, that was, uh -- that was a big part of the -- the -- that was the attraction.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: So did, uh, you kind of join the group? Uh, how'd you -- were you -- were -- were you asked to say okay, now you can join the group or you just casually, eventually got into with the group?

INMATE DAVIS: Well --

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: What -- what was it?

INMATE DAVIS: -- uh, that -- that -- we stayed -- we stayed there -- there during the afternoon, played some -- they were playing music and just dancing and having fun. And, uh, at supper, uh, Manson asked me, he said -- and here -- and as I think back, here was the hook and I -- I -- I never thought of it then, but he -- he turned to me and says can you do me a favor and I said, yeah, I guess. He says I need some help with all these girls and the egotistical fool that I was, I felt well, I'm just the guy for that. And so that was the beginning.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: So you figured this was an opportunity to, um, help him out with the ladies and --

INMATE DAVIS: Yes, sir.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: -- use drugs and all that lifestyle?

INMATE DAVIS: Hey, you know, yes, sir, that was what -- you know, the expression was sex, drugs, and rock and roll --

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Okay.

INMATE DAVIS: -- and I was -- that was my appetite.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Okay. So now you're involved. So, um, what kind of activities did you do with Manson after you got brought in within the group? What did you do?

INMATE DAVIS: Well for -- for -- for -- for the -- while we were in Topanga?

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Yeah. In Topanga Canyon.

INMATE DAVIS: Yeah.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: In that abandoned house?

INMATE DAVIS: We -- we -- we stayed around the house, there was a -- there was a c -- a couple of friends that had motorcycles. We'd go on their motorcycles.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Okay.

INMATE DAVIS: Um --

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: How'd you get money? Where's the money coming from?

INMATE DAVIS: Well, I -- I had -- I had been working, uh, for -- from '64 to that time, I had always been employed.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: You were a carpenter?

INMATE DAVIS: I was a welder.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: A welder. Okay.

INMATE DAVIS: And, uh, I was in the union in L.A.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Okay.

INMATE DAVIS: And I had -- you know, I had money and, uh -- and -- and at that time I was drawing unemployment.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Okay.

INMATE DAVIS: So --

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Why were you not working at that time?

INMATE DAVIS: I decided that I was -- I had a -- I had a bad experience in the -- in the -- in the L.A. prison -- in the L.A. jail --

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Okay.

INMATE DAVIS: -- when I was arrested for suspicion of possession of marijuana.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Okay.

INMATE DAVIS: And I -- and, you know, I -- I made a very unfortunate, really, really foolish decision --

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Yes, sir.

INMATE DAVIS: -- that, uh -- because I had been arrested and I was not -- I was not in possession of marijuana and I knew I wa -- and I believed that and I had believed at that point the officer knew it too, so I took kind of a victim stance that I had been abused and ar -- and arrested for something I wasn't bad about. I spent ten days in the L.A. County Jail, my first time ever in jail --

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Okay.

INMATE DAVIS: -- and it was quite a trauma, uh, the things that I experienced, uh, just the attitude of people I'd never been around, um, uh, and -- and I was so -- I was just -- I was just angry at about having been arrested that I s -- I was -- I took as I was falsely accused and arrested, so -- so I made a very poor decision that I was just going to just drop out of the whole situation and, uh, I'm just going to draw unemployment and just live on the fat of the land.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: So you're going to live this, and I -- and I think it mentioned -- you mentioned it somewhere, this hippie lifestyle?

INMATE DAVIS: Yes.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: And just, um, sex, drugs, and rock and roll. And so now, then were where you -- were you around when the owner of the house in Topanga Canyon came around?

INMATE DAVIS: No.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: And that did happen.

INMATE DAVIS: I wasn't there. I don't remember it. I just remember --

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Yeah.

INMATE DAVIS: -- uh, Manson said we're going to have to move.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Yeah

INMATE DAVIS: I don't know -- I wasn't there at the time, but he did say that somebody had come --

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Yeah.

INMATE DAVIS: -- and -- and they were -- everybody was being evicted.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Okay.

INMATE DAVIS: And, uh -- and, uh --

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Where'd you go? Where'd you go to?

INMATE DAVIS: To Spahn Ranch.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Spahn Ranch. And, um, how'd it work out out there?

INMATE DAVIS: We were there for a couple of weeks. Uh, and then Manson said we can't stay here, we've got to go, and -- and everybody said where -- somebody was going to go here, somebody -- they -- going to go in different directions and I said okay.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: So how many people in this group?

INMATE DAVIS: Well, at that time --

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: That you had (inaudible)?

INMATE DAVIS: -- at that time, there might've been eight, nine, ten. Uh, probably closer to eight. I -- I -- I'm not really sure on. Real -- I mean, I really didn't -- didn't really have a real strict role.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Okay.

INMATE DAVIS: But there was -- I -- I'd say eight people.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Okay.

INMATE DAVIS: I'd say eight people. And, uh, I -- I left -- I left the ranch and I -- I actually ended up going back east, going back to Tennessee where I was from.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: And you went to Tennessee for about a year?

INMATE DAVIS: Well, I was -- I was away from Manson about a year. I went back to -- I went back to Tennessee.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: What'd you do when you're back in Tennessee?

INMATE DAVIS: Laid around, didn't do much. You know, I -- I -- I had become a drifter and a vagabond, a bum, right? I mean, that's really what it was.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Okay.

INMATE DAVIS: And, uh, but I -- I had -- I had enough money I could live on it and, uh, I stayed back there. My dad passed away in the meantime. And, uh --

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: I know your dad passed away, he -- he provides you with some money, couple thousand dollars.

INMATE DAVIS: Yeah.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Why'd you come back to California?

INMATE DAVIS: I --

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Specifically, why'd you come back to California and hook up with Manson again? What's that about?

INMATE DAVIS: I liked -- I liked Charlie. I liked Manson.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: You liked him?

INMATE DAVIS: We had a friendship relationship. I thought we were friends. Now, I know that better now.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Now, you think he's your friend, you come back to California, hook up with him and, um -- and now --

INMATE DAVIS: He --

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: -- I'm going to go to the first life crime.

INMATE DAVIS: The whole scene had changed.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: It changed?

INMATE DAVIS: You know, at first -- at -- when we first got together, it was about we were playing music --

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Yeah.

INMATE DAVIS: -- just --

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Well, you -- you played the guitar or something? What did you play?

INMATE DAVIS: I didn't then. I do now.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Okay.

INMATE DAVIS: But, uh, it was just -- we were signing and it -- it was just a party.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Okay.

INMATE DAVIS: And, uh, it was about love and peace and et cetera --

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Okay.

INMATE DAVIS: -- the -- the -- the kind of -- the mantra of the hippies at the time.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Okay.

INMATE DAVIS: When I got back about a year later, uh, Charlie was -- they were very -- it was -- he had a whole different attitude.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Did that bother you that he held a whole different attitude? Why -- what -- why'd you hook up with him if he had a whole different attitude?

INMATE DAVIS: Well, it wasn't -- it wasn't a bad attitude toward me --

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: But it was --

INMATE DAVIS: -- but -- but it -- he was -- he was saying well, there's going to be, uh, race riots --

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Yeah.

INMATE DAVIS: -- and there's going to be -- there's going to be bad things happen.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Why was he saying he wanted -- well, who -- who's going to start the race riot?

INMATE DAVIS: Well, according to Manson, the black folks were going to start a race riot I guess against the white people.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Okay.

INMATE DAVIS: Now, I don't believe that Charlie ever believed this story himself, but that was the narrative he had.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Wasn't it Charlie's intent to set crimes up so that black people would be charged with that? Was he -- was he involved in that kind of, uh, activity at that time?

INMATE DAVIS: Well, yes, sir. I believe -- I believe that it -- there was, there was indications in the -- in the Hinman case that that's the case.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: So why did Charlie want a race riot?

INMATE DAVIS: I couldn't tell you that. I don't know why.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: But you knew at that time that Charlie wanted to have a disruptive society. You went -- have --

INMATE DAVIS: You know, sir, uh, that's true. As I look back --

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Yeah.

INMATE DAVIS: -- I see that --

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Yeah.

INMATE DAVIS: -- but at the time I -- I didn't s -- I -- I didn't -- I didn't un -- I didn't see it that way.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: What'd you -- how'd you see I then?

INMATE DAVIS: I just thought that Charlie -- I said Manson is just -- he's just on a trip and -- and I don't think, I don't know what a -- what about this. And -- and I -- I was -- I had -- from my point of view, I had a strong relation with Manson.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Okay.

INMATE DAVIS: I kind of -- I kind of -- I had kind of in my own self adopted him as kind of a father figure.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Okay.

INMATE DAVIS: All right? So -- so I absorbed his, uh, other thoughts and views and stuff sort -- sort of by reference. I didn't question it very much. And, uh --

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Well, the other people, uh, did we -- were you talking with other people that were in the group that were also -- were they buying into this, um, motif, uh --

INMATE DAVIS: Yeah.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: -- to disrupt people? They said this is the focus we want to do.

INMATE DAVIS: Well, it wasn't -- y -- yes, sir. Everybody -- everybody that was there when Manson said it, that was it.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: They believed it?

INMATE DAVIS: There wasn't -- there wasn't any objection, at least not publicly. I -- I've -- I -- I used to tell Madison, I said this is crazy. This doesn't make a lick of sense. And he would just wink and say oh, you'll see and -- and fool that I was, I just accepted that as, okay.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: So what is the first thing you saw when he kicked off his vision of disrupting society? What was the first thing you saw that he did?

INMATE DAVIS: that was in the Hinman case.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: That was the Hinman case.

INMATE DAVIS: Yes, sir.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: And what happened to Mr. Gary Hinman?

INMATE DAVIS: Well, Mr. Hinman was brutally murdered for no good reason.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Or was he murdered at, sir?

INMATE DAVIS: In his home in his very home.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Was that in Malibu?

INMATE DAVIS: Uh, uh, on Old Malibu Canyon Road up in -- in -- in Topanga Canyon.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Topanga Canyon. Did you know Mr. Hinman?

INMATE DAVIS: I -- I had known him before, yes.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Okay. So --

INMATE DAVIS: I was introduced to him. Some of the girls, uh, had known Gary.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: How did he -- how did Mr. Hinman have any contact with the Manson people?

INMATE DAVIS: Well, he had known, uh, Susan Atkins, I think, or -- or one -- one of the other girls. I'm not sure who, but we had -- we had seen him one time. We just stopped by to see him.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Okay.

INMATE DAVIS: This is weeks before that happened.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: So why did Charlie turn on Mr. Hinman?

INMATE DAVIS: Well, the -- just -- Mr. Hinman, it was told, had money.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Okay.

INMATE DAVIS: He had had a big old -- an inheritance or some kind of windfall money.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Okay.

INMATE DAVIS: That was the --

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: So it was about money.

INMATE DAVIS: Yeah. And, uh, so the plan was we'll -- we'll -- we'll invite Gary to be in the family and of course he'll -- we'll have his money.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Did he want to be in the family?

INMATE DAVIS: No, he did not.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Okay.

INMATE DAVIS: And -- and that was the -- that was the -- the reason he was killed.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Because he didn't want to be in the family and he had money?

INMATE DAVIS: And give us money. Yes.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Well, how --

INMATE DAVIS: It was --

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: -- what was the plan to get Mr. Hinman's money? How was that going to happen?

INMATE DAVIS: To threaten him with -- to threaten him.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Okay.

INMATE DAVIS: It was, like, an armed robbery, a home-invasion --

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Okay.

INMATE DAVIS: -- type thing.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: So what happened on the day he was killed? What were you doing?

INMATE DAVIS: I wasn't there the day he was killed, but -- but I was in the planning.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: You planned it? You helped plan it? How was he going to be killed in the planning?

INMATE DAVIS: He wasn't going to be killed in the planning. The planning was he was going to give us money.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: He was going to give up the money. And how was he going to give up the money in the planning?

INMATE DAVIS: How do you mean?

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Well, you're go -- you're going to threaten him, you're going to have some weight as for him to say here, here's my money?

INMATE DAVIS: Well, he was going to be coerced into it somehow.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: He was going to be coerced?

INMATE DAVIS: Yes, sir.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: So that was the plan that you helped put together?

INMATE DAVIS: Well, that was -- we were just sitting around a campfire --

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Yeah.

INMATE DAVIS: -- and -- and one of the girls said -- well, Manson says we've got to have some money. And one of the girls, I don't remember exactly who, said well -- well, Gary has a lot of money. He just got an inheritance or some -- some -- something like that and, um, we'll get that. And Manson said I don't think Gary would do that.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Okay.

INMATE DAVIS: And then Mr. Beausoleil said well, I'll get it and, uh -- and Manson said can you, he said oh, yeah. And so okay. And I said I'll drive. So I drove, uh, Bobby and -- Bobby Beausoleil and -- and Mary Brunner and, uh, Susan Atkins.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: You drove 'em?

INMATE DAVIS: Yes, sir. I drove him to the house. I let him out the house. I didn't stay there. I just let him out.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: You just let 'em out at Mr. Hinman's house?

INMATE DAVIS: Yes, sir.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Okay.

INMATE DAVIS: And then I turned around, went back to the ranch.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Okay.

INMATE DAVIS: A few days later, uh, Manson came to me and said I got a phone call that Gary is not cooperating. So I -- we've got -- I drove Manson back to Gary's house. We went in the house.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: You went in there and you saw Mis -- Mr. Hinman?

INMATE DAVIS: Yes, sir. Uh, he'd been -- he'd been hit, he'd been bleeding.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Bleeding from where?

INMATE DAVIS: From his head.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Okay.

INMATE DAVIS: And, uh, there was some kind of a bandage, but he was in -- he was in -- in -- in shock and pain and --

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Was he tied up?

INMATE DAVIS: No, sir. Not at that time.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: But he was in pain?

INMATE DAVIS: Say again?

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: He was in pain.

INMATE DAVIS: He was in pain.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Okay.

INMATE DAVIS: And, um, begging for help. Asked why are you doing this, I don't have any money he was saying. He was not believed. And in the process of it, Manson cut his face.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: So Mr. Hinman was being held hostage, Beausoleil and -- and --

INMATE DAVIS: Atkins.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: -- and others, and Atkins and then being tortured to -- to reveal his money.

INMATE DAVIS: Yes, that's true.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: But you were not part of that torture.

INMATE DAVIS: Uh, uh, when I came back, eh, that had happened. I was not part of the actually laid hands on him. I didn't do that. But I was involved in the whole thing. I was --

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Now, do you know when Mr. Hinman was killed?

INMATE DAVIS: I don't know the -- no, sir, I was not there when he was killed.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Do you know who killed him?

INMATE DAVIS: Well, from all I heard, Bobby Beausoleil.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Beausoleil stabbed him with a knife? With a sword?

INMATE DAVIS: I heard a knife.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: A knife, stabbed him?

INMATE DAVIS: Yes, sir.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: When did you find out that he was stabbed?

INMATE DAVIS: Few days later when I saw Gary -- Gary's -- I was at the ranch and, uh, I was there at the house as soon as Ma -- when Manson cut his face --

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Manson took a knife or a sword and cut his face?

INMATE DAVIS: Well, it was a -- it was a knife about this long.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: That's a sword.

INMATE DAVIS: It was big. Cut his face

DEPUTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY LEBOWITZ: Indicating, um, the inmate held his hands out about two, two-and-a-half feet --

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Two and a half.

DEPUTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY LEBOWITZ: -- apart.

INMATE DAVIS: Well, it -- uh, a foot and a half, two, something like that.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Okay.

INMATE DAVIS: It was, uh, big --

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Okay.

INMATE DAVIS: -- and, uh, right then I said I'm -- I'm leaving.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: You said you're leaving?

INMATE DAVIS: Yes. And I left and I --

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: How'd you leave?

INMATE DAVIS: Well, I'm sorry to say that I took Gary's car and left.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: You took his Fiat? What kind of car'd you take? Which one was it?

INMATE DAVIS: I think it was -- he had a -- I -- I -- I think I did take a Fiat. It was a little -- it wasn't a big car -- it wasn't his van. It was his other car.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: He had more than one car, right?

INMATE DAVIS: Yes, he had a van and a car. I took the car.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: You took the Fiat?

INMATE DAVIS: Yes.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Go on.

INMATE DAVIS: And I dro -- I drove back to his ranch.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: So now he's killed, he's stabbed to death, tortured.

INMATE DAVIS: Yeah.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: My question I must ask is why were you charged with the crime?

INMATE DAVIS: Because I -- because I'm guilty of being involved with everybody in it. I was not against it. I didn't do anything to stop it. I didn't even raise my voice to say we ought not to be doing this. And even when I left, I was such a coward, I wasn't going to the -- to the authorities. And I had abandoned Gary who -- who had been friend -- who had been friendly with me and he deserved my help, but I didn't give it to him so.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: How do you feel at that time, if you can remember, that now you got a man who you know is being tortured to death, an open murder, and you helped plan it? How'd you feel?

INMATE DAVIS: At that time I'm s -- I'm sad to say that I had no empathy for Gary. I had no empathy for anybody in my whole life.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Why not?

INMATE DAVIS: Because I had become at a very young age, kind of a survivor --

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Well --

INMATE DAVIS: -- uh, and -- and I had -- I was trying to just take care of myself and empathy for other people would just something I just didn't afford because I had to take care of me. That was my attitude.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: What did they do with Mr. Hinman after he was killed?

INMATE DAVIS: I don't know.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: You don't -- you didn't ask those questions? You didn't care?

INMATE DAVIS: Nope.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: You just -- you just -- just take his possessions? Uh, the group took his possessions?

INMATE DAVIS: I'm not sure how -- what they took. I know they took his car.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: That's true.

INMATE DAVIS: Eh, uh, I took -- I took his car. They -- they -- they -- they brought the van. I don't know what else was taken.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: And it didn't bother you?

INMATE DAVIS: I -- I'm sad to say it didn't. I'm embarrassed to tell you it didn't -- it -- no, sir. At that time I was so self-involved, I -- I really didn't care what anybody did as -- as long --

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: So -- I'm sorry, sir. Continue.

INMATE DAVIS: As long as I was -- as long as I felt like Manson was my friend and that I was having affection from girls, and I could get loaded when I felt like it, nothing else really mattered.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Okay. Did you say if something -- where you should have been -- correct me if I'm wrong, but you -- this should have been a second-degree murder.

INMATE DAVIS: Well, that was part of my minimizing and, uh, I'm -- I apologize for that.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Well, why do you think -- why did you say that, that it he should have been second-degree murder?

INMATE DAVIS: Well --

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: When you helped plan it?

INMATE DAVIS: -- I didn't -- I sure didn't want to face the consequences of a first-degree murder.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Let me ask you this.

ATTORNEY BECKMAN: Commissioner, are you talking about 1969 he said that?

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: I found it somewhere.

ATTORNEY BECKMAN: Okay.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: I -- I mean, I read, uh, uh, four or 500 pages I think. So I can't remember exactly. I didn't write the numbers down, but I --

INMATE DAVIS: Well, no, that's -- uh, I've said that before. This -- that's -- you're right there.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Okay. Before I continue and get too far ahead, I would ask my colleague for any questions.

DEPUTY COMMISSIONER WEILBACHER: Thank you, Commissioner.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: And this is on Mr. Hinman.

DEPUTY COMMISSIONER WEILBACHER: Mr. Hinman. Yes. Eh, and what -- and it's really just specifically on a couple of items that you said. Uh, a minute ago you said I had to take care of me. And what do you mean by that? Did -- did you have money in your pocket? Did you have food on the table? What do you mean by taking care of you? Was it about the LSD and the affections, or was it basic needs?

INMATE DAVIS: It was mostly -- mostly -- it was mostly psychological needs really, emotional needs. You know, at that time I had -- I had the emotional development of maybe a 15 or 16 year old and, uh, it got stunted at an early age and it stayed with me and, uh, you know, a -- as I look back, I -- I've -- I was just looking out for myself, uh, and -- and -- and if other people in my life then were divided into the group that could help me maybe and could hurt me maybe, and I had those divided and that's how my life ran. That's how -- and -- and I -- and as I -- as I see it now, if somebody had brought that up to me and pointed it out, I could not have seen that. It's a huge -- it was a blind spot. It was just part of the atmosphere for me.

DEPUTY COMMISSIONER WEILBACHER: At that time you had gone back home before the murder of Gary --

INMATE DAVIS: (Inaudible.)

DEPUTY COMMISSIONER WEILBACHER: -- you had gone back home --

INMATE DAVIS: Yes.

DEPUTY COMMISSIONER WEILBACHER: -- and then you'd come back out. Is -- was your mom s -- supportive, eh, of you at that time? Was she supportive of you? Did she want you to come back to California?

INMATE DAVIS: No.

DEPUTY COMMISSIONER WEILBACHER: Okay.

INMATE DAVIS: No, no. I, uh, my aunt, uh, who lived in Mobile, my mom's sister, she has a bunch of sisters, and my aunt warned me honey, don't go out there. She knew. So she said, uh -- she just -- she could see -- she could see the future better than I could and, uh, she was kind of the prophet in the family, but I didn't have much sense and I didn't listen. And, um --

DEPUTY COMMISSIONER WEILBACHER: Was it a plan to -- for you to take the Fiat back or a vehicle back from Gary's before you got there or was that made during the cutting?

INMATE DAVIS: As soon as I said I'm leaving, I had never seen blood shed in -- in conflict, especially with a weapon. I'd seen people have a bloody nose from schoolyard fights, but I had never seen anything like that, and that was just -- it was a surreal moment and I -- I didn't -- I wanted to get away from this, uh, so I said I'm leaving and somebody said well, here's the -- here's the pink slip of Gary's car, take his car.

DEPUTY COMMISSIONER WEILBACHER: Who said that?

INMATE DAVIS: I don't know who said it.

DEPUTY COMMISSIONER WEILBACHER: Okay. So before you went there, that wasn't a plan, to take his car?

INMATE DAVIS: No. Uh --

DEPUTY COMMISSIONER WEILBACHER: And during that event, what did you do? Did you stand there, were you just -- did you have anything in your hand? Did you -- were you ha -- did you have a weapon?

INMATE DAVIS: Yeah, yeah. Yeah. Okay. When I walked into -- when we walked in, Gary was in the -- we were -- I was in the living room and in the kitchen. We walked in the living room and Gary was there pleading with Bobby and Manson and the girls, and somebody said there was a shot fired in the kitchen. Bobby and Gary were struggling for this gun and a shot was fired. I was alarmed because I said, well, let -- let's go in here and figure this out. So I went in the kitchen, I looked at -- and the shot was fired under the -- under the sink and it w -- went into a place that the round could not be recovered. I wanted to recover that round because that would link me to the gun and this whole thing and I felt --

DEPUTY COMMISSIONER WEILBACHER: It was your gun?

INMATE DAVIS: It was my gun.

DEPUTY COMMISSIONER WEILBACHER: It's your 9-millimeter.

INMATE DAVIS: Yes, sir. And -- and -- and so I was -- I was not -- I was concerned with myself and -- and my exposure here, so I -- and when I saw that I couldn't recover the round, oh, boy, I was -- that wasn't good. So I got the gun from Bobby, walked back in the -- in the living room. Gary is -- Gary is standing and -- and -- and Manson is confronting him, he wants his money and I have the gun in my hand and, uh, I had it in my hand and so I'm sure that Gary felt threatened with that. I mean, here I'm on the other side with an arm -- armed and, um, um, yeah, I had the gun out. I --

DEPUTY COMMISSIONER WEILBACHER: Pointed at Gary?

INMATE DAVIS: I had it in my hand.

DEPUTY COMMISSIONER WEILBACHER: Okay.

INMATE DAVIS: Uh, I didn't point it at him like I was getting ready to fire it, but --

DEPUTY COMMISSIONER WEILBACHER: Okay.

INMATE DAVIS: -- far -- as far as he's concerned, I'm pointing it at him.

DEPUTY COMMISSIONER WEILBACHER: Mm-hmm.

INMATE DAVIS: And, uh --

DEPUTY COMMISSIONER WEILBACHER: I -- is Gary looking at you or is he looking at someone else?

INMATE DAVIS: Mostly at Manson --

DEPUTY COMMISSIONER WEILBACHER: Okay.

INMATE DAVIS: -- cause he and Manson are having a talk.

DEPUTY COMMISSIONER WEILBACHER: Okay. And by talking, you mean Manson saying give me something or --

INMATE DAVIS: Yeah, he said you're lying, you got this and Gary says I don't, I don't.

DEPUTY COMMISSIONER WEILBACHER: Now when it comes to the weapon, is that the same weapon, though, that you'd use a fake name to buy?

INMATE DAVIS: Yes, sir.

DEPUTY COMMISSIONER WEILBACHER: So why were you worried about retrieving the bullet at that time?

INMATE DAVIS: It was going -- you know, I -- I kind of automatically knew this was going to come back to me one way or the other and, uh, so w -- when I -- I wanted to get the gun back, not -- not concerned about anybody being shot with it or anything else, I was concerned about my connection with it and how that put me in jeopardy, and that was my total reason for -- you know, for wanting to get out of there.

DEPUTY COMMISSIONER WEILBACHER: And -- and once again, any -- as you've -- as you've gone through this discussion with the commissioner and now with myself about the gun, have you come, uh -- do you have any other ideas of why you chose to use a fake name when you got that gun? Was that the plan? Did anybody suggest it to you? Uh, w -- why would --

INMATE DAVIS: No.

DEPUTY COMMISSIONER WEILBACHER: -- why would you do that at that time? Were you concerned about an arrest? Were you --

INMATE DAVIS: You know, as I think about it, I -- there was no re -- there was no good reason. I -- I -- I had no record, I -- I -- I had -- there wasn't any -- well, I th -- I think one of the reasons because there was -- there were credit cards. Uh, people would bring credit cards, they were hot, uh, people were -- and I was using them sometimes and, uh, uh, so as part of covering myself up and -- uh, and -- and staying -- and keeping myself from being, uh, implicated, I -- I -- I went to the D -- in those days it was easy to go to the DMV and get a -- and I just told them the story and I got a -- I got a, uh, uh, ID under another name. So I took the ID and -- and that's -- and -- and as I look back, I could've gone with my regular ID. I -- I -- I could have -- just could have buy a gun --

DEPUTY COMMISSIONER WEILBACHER: Okay.

INMATE DAVIS: -- but it was just -- it was just trying to cover up and -- and protect myself.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: How long was Mr. Hinman held hostage before he was eventually killed? Do you know?

INMATE DAVIS: Um, we go on one day, I leave, a day -- maybe the next -- the next day or two days later, we go back to the house and that's when Manson cut him. So that might've been three days.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: So for three days he's --

INMATE DAVIS: Up to that point --

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: -- cut, and --

INMATE DAVIS: Beat up.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: -- things happen to him, tortured?

INMATE DAVIS: Yes.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: And you knew about it?

INMATE DAVIS: Sir?

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: You knew about that?

INMATE DAVIS: Yes, sir. I sure did. Well, let me -- let me just go back. I didn't know exactly what had happened when I left, but when I got -- when I got back to Gary's the second time, I sure knew about it.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Okay. I'm sorry.

DEPUTY COMMISSIONER WEILBACHER: No, and so my -- my last question, uh, on this issue is as you look back on it now, how sophisteded -- sophisticated of a criminal do you think you were now as you look at it during this state of, uh, uh -- of this offense?

INMATE DAVIS: Sophisticated? I was very foolish and, uh, unsophisticated. Uh, uh, I did try to do the things to cover up that I bought the gun, and that's -- I guess that's a certain degree of sophisticated, but the fact that I ever got involved in this thing shows how foolish I was, so unsophisticated. Uh, I did know that when that -- when that gun was shot that I would -- I was in jeopardy. So I was that -- you know, I knew that, but I -- when -- when I think about highly sophisticated, I think something that -- that wouldn't have been all the -- the stupidity that we got into and, uh -- and even choosing Gary, I mean, what -- how useless and foolish that was, but -- but at the time -- you know, like a lot of my bad decisions, it sounded okay at the time and, uh, I wasn't thinking very far here at all.

DEPUTY COMMISSIONER WEILBACHER: Thank you, Commissioner.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: On July 31, 1969 Mr. Hinman's decomposed body was found and inside the home was the words Political Piggy and animal -- animal paw print were drawn on the walls in Mr. Hinman's blood. Do you know why that was put on the walls? What was the reason this was done? What -- what kind of message was --

INMATE DAVIS: I -- I heard -- I heard that --

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: -- were they trying to send? What was that about?

INMATE DAVIS: The story I heard was this: somebody made a print with her hand, just the way it was described --

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Yeah.

INMATE DAVIS: Put it in the blood, put their hand up on the wall that made this kind of a shape and then they put their fingers like around like that, made a paw print, like the Black Panthers.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: So they wanted to pin it on the Black Panthers?

INMATE DAVIS: Absolutely.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Make people think --

INMATE DAVIS: Well --

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: -- the Black Panthers did this?

INMATE DAVIS: Enough -- enough of a implication to point that way and, uh -- and -- and the -- the pigs and et cetera were -- that was the language associated a lot with --

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: The Black Panthers.

INMATE DAVIS: -- Black Panthers. That was my understanding.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: That was about the time in Santa Monica when, um, Geronimo Pratt (inaudible) --

INMATE DAVIS: Yeah.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Was a --

INMATE DAVIS: Elmer Pratt.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: -- Elmer Pratt killing down there. So, now, okay. Taking advantage of the headlines. August 9th, August 10th, 1969, the Manson family members participate in the murders of Sharon Tate and, um, Leno and Rosemary La --LaBianca, four of the victims. You did not participate in the crime, was not charged. Did you know that they were going to go and commit these crimes?

INMATE DAVIS: No.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: When did you find out that this happened?

INMATE DAVIS: I found out the next morning.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: So now you know that these victims have been killed and all this has occurred, it's on the news. Um, you can't escape it and you could not escape it in the United States, be honest.

INMATE DAVIS: No.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: How did you feel? Now you're part of this -- you're part of the chan -- Charles Manson group and they've done this. How did you feel?

INMATE DAVIS: I was numb.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Why didn't you walk away? Why didn't you walk away at that time? Because now this is way out of control. Why didn't you walk away?

INMATE DAVIS: Well, I'm embarrassed to say that I didn't care.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: You didn't --

INMATE DAVIS: I had deceived myself into thinking that if I didn't strike the deadly blow that I would be -- I'd be on it. And -- and in -- in Mr. Hinman's case, I didn't touch him --

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Okay.

INMATE DAVIS: -- and so I -- I had -- I had -- it was self-deception and, uh, it was -- it went along with a lot of fantasy of my whole life.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Okay.

INMATE DAVIS: And it was just a -- just another step. It was a very big step and a -- a sad and tragic one, but, eh, I -- I had convinced myself if I don't -- if I don't hit this person, if I don't do any -- shoot this person, if I don't do anything personally to him, then I'm not really as guilty as everyone else.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Donald, Shorty, Shea was a work -- he worked at the ranch?

INMATE DAVIS: Yes, sir.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Did you know Mr. Shea?

INMATE DAVIS: Yes, I did.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: And, um, what happened to Mr. Shea, Shorty Shea?

INMATE DAVIS: Uh, he was murdered.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Why was he murdered?

INMATE DAVIS: Manson one morning just after daylight, standing on --

DEPUTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY LEBOWITZ: I'm sorry, I'm having trouble hearing with all the radio noise.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: I agree. Let's try it one more time.

INMATE DAVIS: One morning about 6:00, well, after -- right after daylight, uh, I'm standing there with Watson and Steve Grogan and Bill Vance.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Okay.

INMATE DAVIS: Manson says we're going to kill Shorty because he's a snitch.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Did you have information that Mr. Shea was a police informant or a snitch?

INMATE DAVIS: I didn't have personally. Just what -- just what Manson said right there.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: So Manson said that?

INMATE DAVIS: That's all. That's right.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Then what happened?

INMATE DAVIS: Well, we said we'll ask him to -- we'll -- we'll get him to, uh, take us down to the car parts place down at uh, Chatsworth --

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Okay.

INMATE DAVIS: -- to get some parts for the car.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Okay.

INMATE DAVIS: And so few -- a little while later we asked -- we, somebody approached -- approached Mr. Shea and said hey, will you take us down to go get some car parts and he said yes.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Okay.

INMATE DAVIS: So we got in the car.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Okay.

INMATE DAVIS: Uh --

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Mr. Shea's in the car too?

INMATE DAVIS: Mr. Shea is driving.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: He's driving. Okay.

INMATE DAVIS: Uh, Mr. Watson is in the front passenger seat.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Okay. Tex Watson.

INMATE DAVIS: Mr. Gro -- Mr. Grogan is behind -- he's in the rear passenger side --

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Okay.

INMATE DAVIS: -- and I'm on the other side. Four in the car. We drive down, I don't know how far, uh, half a mile down toward uh, San Fernando Valley and, uh, I remember Watson says pull over and, uh, Mr. Shea looks and says what and then watched him stab Mr. Shea.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Manson's in the car too?

INMATE DAVIS: No.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: So it was just Sh -- Shea, you, Tex Watson, and who else?

INMATE DAVIS: Steve Grogan.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Steve Grogan.

INMATE DAVIS: Okay. So --

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Why did he stab Shorty Shea?

INMATE DAVIS: Well, that was the plan. We were going to kill Shorty Shea.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: So that was the -- the plan, this subterfuge of wa -- we're going to go get some parts, he's stabbed. And after he's stabbed -- well, he's the driver. Then what happened?

INMATE DAVIS: Uh, Mr. Grogan is in the back seat with a pipe wrench --

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Okay.

INMATE DAVIS: -- hit Mr. Shea in the head, uh --

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: With the pipe wrench?

INMATE DAVIS: With the pipe wrench.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Now, what -- you -- have you had you got to Chatsworth yet?

INMATE DAVIS: No, sir. We were on the way down the hill.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Okay. Coming down from Topanga?

INMATE DAVIS: Yeah. No, no, no. We -- we're -- we're in -- we're in what's called the Santa Susanna Pass. This -- this is a road, it's an old road, between the San Fernando Valley and the Simi Valley.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Okay.

INMATE DAVIS: And, uh -- and so the -- Spahn Ranch was an old movie ranch. It was up there in the hills.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Okay.

INMATE DAVIS: So --

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Yeah. Okay.

INMATE DAVIS: We're coming down the hill.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Okay.

INMATE DAVIS: Uh, somehow, uh, Watson gets control of the car, pulls it over to the side. Uh, Mister --

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: After he's been stabbed and hit --

INMATE DAVIS: He's -- he's --

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: -- you did that while the car's moving?

INMATE DAVIS: Yes.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Okay.

INMATE DAVIS: And, uh, uh, I don't -- anyway, Mr. Watson is up in the front -- in the front seat. He gets the car pulled over, gets the brake on, pulls over the side of the road and they -- they dragged Mr. Shea out of the car.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: What'd you do?

INMATE DAVIS: I sat there. I was sitting in the back seat.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: In the backseat, you was sitting there?

INMATE DAVIS: I was in shock.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: But did you know that he was going to be stabbed?

INMATE DAVIS: Absolutely.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: You knew this was going to happen?

INMATE DAVIS: I knew it was going to happen.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: And did you know he was going to be hit in the head with a wrench?

INMATE DAVIS: No, I wasn't for sure about that --

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: But you knew he was going to be stabbed.

INMATE DAVIS: -- but I knew he was going to be killed.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: But you knew the potential for his death was coming.

INMATE DAVIS: It was absolute.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: So now you pull him out and you're in the back seat. Then what happened, sir?

INMATE DAVIS: They pulled him -- well, okay, we're on -- we're on the, uh -- we're -- we're -- we're -- the, uh -- there's a -- a bank that -- that falls off the hill --

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Okay.

INMATE DAVIS: -- uh, right at our right, and they pull him down into the underbrush.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Okay.

INMATE DAVIS: I'm sitting in the car. I -- I was just --

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Well, why'd you sit in the car?

INMATE DAVIS: I was afraid.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: What are you afraid of at that time?

INMATE DAVIS: I was afraid to go down. I didn't want to go down there.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Why? You knew he was going to be killed.

INMATE DAVIS: Hey, listen, sir, I -- I -- I hear you. I knew it. I just didn't want to -- to do it.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Oh. You didn't want to do it. Okay.

INMATE DAVIS: But I didn't -- eh, I -- my second thoughts and my I-didn't-want-to-do-it part was so minuscule compared to what I actually did --

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Okay.

INMATE DAVIS: -- when push came to shove --

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Well, what happened when push came to shove?

INMATE DAVIS: Uh, uh, Manson drove up behind us.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Okay.

INMATE DAVIS: He walked by the car. He said come on. So I went. I went. We got down there. Uh, Mr. Shea had already been stabbed I don't know how many times.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Was he still alive?

INMATE DAVIS: Yes. Yes, he was. And, uh -- and he -- he was saying why are you doing this and, uh, the only person I saw stab him was Manson and he said Charlie, why are you doing this? And Charlie says here's why, and he stabbed him.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Where'd he stab him at, the chest?

INMATE DAVIS: In the mid-section somewhere.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Okay.

INMATE DAVIS: And, uh -- and then -- then Manson turned to me and handed me a machete and he says I want you to cut his head off. And, uh, I actually took the machete in my hand but I knew I couldn't do it. I dropped the machete then he said -- he handed me a knife, he said well, you better do something. I got that message. Uh, Watson and Grogan with bloody knives looking right at me --

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Okay.

INMATE DAVIS: -- and he said you better do something. So I did.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: What'd you do?

INMATE DAVIS: I cut Mister -- Mr. Shea.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: You cut him?

INMATE DAVIS: Yes.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: With a what?

INMATE DAVIS: With a knife.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Where'd your cut him.

INMATE DAVIS: Uh, from his collar bone down to his armpit.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Was he dead? Was he moving?

INMATE DAVIS: Uh, no. He wasn't moving. He -- he may have been dead. Uh --

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: So you cut him from -- like that?

INMATE DAVIS: Yes, it's on his right -- down his right side. I was standing on his right.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Official reports say you stabbed him. Did you -- did you stab him or did you cut him?

INMATE DAVIS: I cut him.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: You cut him.

INMATE DAVIS: I -- it wouldn't have made a difference to me if whether I stabbed him or cut him. I --

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: But what was your intent when you cut him?

INMATE DAVIS: To do something.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: So you did something cause Manson told you to do some --

INMATE DAVIS: Something. I -- I -- I heard later, now, I'm telling you this is just a rumor --

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Yeah.

INMATE DAVIS: -- but somebody -- I -- I don't know if it was Grogan cause when I saw him later, he said, you know, Charlie said make sure Bruce gets his hands wet and, uh, I didn't know that at the time, but anyway, uh, you know, as I look at it, yeah, I was afraid, yeah, I -- like I say, but when it -- when it really came down, I didn't care and -- and, uh, uh, if Mr. Shea had been alive or dead didn't make any difference to me.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: So, Mr. Davis, as we look back and you look back, you participated in the planning of the killing Mr. Shea because they said -- Charlie Manson said this is a police informant, this is a snitch, so we got to kill him?

INMATE DAVIS: Yes, sir.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: What did he -- who was he informing on allegedly? Do you know?

INMATE DAVIS: There was the talk --

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Yeah.

INMATE DAVIS: -- about a -- about a guy named Frank Ritz -- Rich --

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Okay.

INMATE DAVIS: -- who wanted to buy the property.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Okay.

INMATE DAVIS: And, uh, he wanted to buy it from Mr. Spahn.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Okay.

INMATE DAVIS: Well, course Manson didn't want Mr. Spahn to sell it so we could stay at the ranch. Uh, Frank Rich, I think that's his name, he saw through the whole -- he saw through the -- you know, these guys are a bunch of bums, and we were, a -- and, you know, he had his -- and he was trying to convince Mr. Spahn and, um, I don't know exactly how, um, Mr. Shea got involved or if he ever was involved --

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Yes, sir.

INMATE DAVIS: -- but I think there was -- I believe Manson felt some kind of a threat from -- from -- from Mr. Shea.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Okay.

INMATE DAVIS: I mean, the -- the only reason I can think of.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: You think Manson made this up, then?

INMATE DAVIS: That -- that he was a -- a -- that he was --

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Snitch?

INMATE DAVIS: Well, eh, there's a possibility. Uh, I don't know what the threat he thought Mr. Shea was to him. I'm -- I’m not sure of that, uh, did he really think -- well, you know, as -- after, uh -- after the -- after the Tate/LaBianca, you know, there was a lot of loose talk, uh, eh, around the ranch about what happened. People said well, they -- they did this and they did that.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Yeah.

INMATE DAVIS: So -- so anybody could've heard it and maybe, um, Mister -- Mr. Shea, sure, very well could have and may -- may have -- Manson may have thought that he was going forward. That -- that's just kind of a theory on my part. I -- I don't know. But, uh --

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Do you take responsibility for the death of Mr. Donald Shorty Shea?

INMATE DAVIS: Absolutely.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: What does taking responsibility mean to you?

INMATE DAVIS: It means that -- that I'm guilty of that. I had -- I could have -- ostensibly I could have stopped it.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Okay.

INMATE DAVIS: I could have done something. Obviously I -- I was too -- I -- I was a coward. I was just -- I just wanted to go along. I -- I just wanted to not make ruffles. Uh, I was so interested in -- in not -- not being seen as a person away from the group, a -- a -- a resistor or anything like that.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Didn't -- didn't any of the group members ever accuse you of not being a willing participant in the activities of the Manson people?

INMATE DAVIS: Not to my knowledge.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: So they always saw you as a team player, so to speak?

INMATE DAVIS: Yes. Oh, yes.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Commissioner, you have questions at this time on Shorty Shea?

DEPUTY COMMISSIONER WEILBACHER: No, sir.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Why did it take a year for you to get arrested, sir? What were you doing for a year after the Shorty Shea murder? What were you doing?

INMATE DAVIS: Well --

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: On December 7, 1970?

INMATE DAVIS: Yeah. I was avoiding -- I was avoiding -- well, at first, nothing happened for a while. Uh, this didn't even come to light until October 5th or 6th, something like that of -- of -- of -- of '70. Yeah.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Okay.

INMATE DAVIS: That -- that's when -- that's when the -- uh, Manson and the -- some of the people got arrested up in, uh -- in Independence, uh, Inyo county.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Okay.

INMATE DAVIS: Yeah, and, uh, so we were just -- I was building dune buggies. We were still at the ranch. I was working on the dune buggies.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Just going about life?

INMATE DAVIS: Just going about life.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Whatever you were doing at that time.

INMATE DAVIS: I -- what I was doing at that time --

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: I say you went about life doing whatever you're doing at a time, and two people are dead.

INMATE DAVIS: Oh, hey, no, no.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Yeah, by --

INMATE DAVIS: Nine people were dead.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: -- by your hand.

INMATE DAVIS: No. Two people -- two people are dead by mine.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: By your hand. I know a lot of people died, nine people died and, um -- and already pointed out that, uh -- I mean, I know you would have had to read things. The media and the papers were -- I mean, this -- this crime was, um, everywhere. L.A. Times. I can go on and on.

INMATE DAVIS: Oh, everywhere. Everywhere.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: And you -- and -- and that didn't affect you?

INMATE DAVIS: No, sir.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: No problem?

INMATE DAVIS: I was indifferent.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Okay. I thought -- you know, I had no empathy. I had none. I -- I didn't care what, as long as I got my little personal gratification.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Okay.

INMATE DAVIS: That's -- that's really -- that was what my life was about.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Where does Helter Skelter come from? What was that about? Were you part of that?

INMATE DAVIS: Well, Helter Skelter was -- was the, uh -- was the name of a Beatles song.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Okay.

INMATE DAVIS: And -- and, uh -- and what -- and Manson adopted that as kind of a theme and -- and he had some kind of a -- I don't know -- I don't know how to put it, but he had some kind of a connection with this white album. It was a -- it was a Beatle album that was in a white cover and they had Helter Skelter, and it was about it's coming down fast. Right? It's, uh -- and, uh, all in that album. Uh, going to be a revolution, uh, fly, blackbird, fly.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Yeah, I remember the song.

INMATE DAVIS: Anyway, um, that was just Manson put that into narrative and, uh, Helter Skelter was -- that was going to be the name of the black revolution. Right?

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: You know this -- that that was racist at that time? That thinking was very racist. Were you racist?

INMATE DAVIS: Absolute -- well, uh --

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: At that time, were you a racist man?

INMATE DAVIS: Yeah, I -- I -- I was. When I look at it, you know, if you'd have asked me then --

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Yeah.

INMATE DAVIS: -- I'd have said oh, no. But, hey, I was raised by mother. One time I used the N word when I was a child.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Yeah.

INMATE DAVIS: Well, I was about probably 12 or 13. We were living in Tennessee. Well, but raised in Mobile.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Yes, sir.

INMATE DAVIS: You know, I -- you know, and my mother, she got on me. Don't you ever use a word like that, and I never did.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Okay.

INMATE DAVIS: So, and just -- and I suppose in my head, just because I didn't use that word that made me not a racist but, you know, I -- and I never thought that white people are better than black people or red people are worse than brown people, none of that. Eh, that wasn't -- that wasn't in my, uh, upfront thinking --

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Okay.

INMATE DAVIS: -- that -- that I could identify.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: (Inaudible.)

INMATE DAVIS: I don’t know. You know --

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Was Manson a racist at that time?

INMATE DAVIS: Huh?

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: You think his actions were racist?

INMATE DAVIS: Well, yeah. Yes, sir. And -- and to the fact that I -- I agreed with that, yeah, I was too because his idea was, well, now let's see the -- the narrative -- I mean it sounds so inane, but the narrative was the black folks were going -- were going to -- to win the revolution, but Manson says they can't govern themselves.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: He was going to be the leader.

INMATE DAVIS: They're going finally have to find somebody with enough sense and -- and it'll be me says Manson.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Him. Yes. That was the thinking --

INMATE DAVIS: That was the thinking.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: -- in 1969 --

INMATE DAVIS: Nineteen --

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: -- Charles Manson, that resulted in a catastrophe of heinous murders throughout Los Angeles County you were party to.

INMATE DAVIS: Yes, I was.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Commissioner, any questions?

DEPUTY COMMISSIONER WEILBACHER: Eh, thank you, Commissioner. Just -- just one along that same topic. So you just a minute ago, Mr. Davis, said I agreed with that. When is the first time, as you look back on it now, that you can say that you agreed to that -- that premise that this was going to -- these actions were going to create this race riot? Was it before the killings, after, before, if you can recall?

INMATE DAVIS: My agreement, major, major agreement, was with Manson. We were friends, we were connected. I li -- he's my father figure in my mind, not in his, but in mine. So whatever he said, that's good. If he'd have said let's go plant flowers, I would've been a plower -- I would've gone. If he'd have said we need to -- we need to go over here and -- and -- and -- and do this or that, I -- I'd go fine. Whatever. I -- I -- I -- I want to say I can't believe how stupid I was, but yeah, I can believe it because it happened. But, uh, um, you know, I -- I just -- I -- I had given up on myself a long time ago before this, um, I -- I really didn't care, um, I was chasing my appetite, and I really had no vision about a future, hadn't had one. I can't remember ever having a vision of the future in my life or -- or some kind of overall plan of what I was going to do. I was trying to live from one minute to the next, and that was my life from the time probably I was 14, 15 years old. And, uh, so, man --

DEPUTY COMMISSIONER WEILBACHER: I guess -- I guess where I'm trying to go or understand to make sure I understand that what I've grasped and -- and I want to -- I'll run it down to make sure and just correct me on anything that's wrong and I'll go step so it's not a big long dissertation, but what I get from this situation is you come upon the scene, there are girls, you called them girls. I'll continue with that. There are girls, there's Manson, there's this party environment. That's what entices you at the beginning. What I'm trying to find out is when do you know things are going down this new path where Mr. Manson is now leading this idea that there's somehow he's going to be able to end up being the supreme ruler of this ra -- at the end-of-all-end race riots. So what I'm trying to find out is this progression. Was it before you left Ten -- for Tennessee? And pardon me if I'm wrong there but -- or before you came back?

INMATE DAVIS: I came back.

DEPUTY COMMISSIONER WEILBACHER: So when you came back the first time?

INMATE DAVIS: When I came back, that's when the -- the whole scene had just shifted.

DEPUTY COMMISSIONER WEILBACHER: And -- and you left right after, uh, Mr. Hinman's situation? Or was that after you returned, Mr. Hinman's situation?

INMATE DAVIS: The Hinman situation was when I came back. I'd been --

DEPUTY COMMISSIONER WEILBACHER: Okay. When you came back.

INMATE DAVIS: -- I'd been -- I'd been away.

DEPUTY COMMISSIONER WEILBACHER: Okay.

INMATE DAVIS: And so I'd been back I don't know how long, maybe a month, couple of weeks.

DEPUTY COMMISSIONER WEILBACHER: Okay. Thank you. And that's where my timeline was, eh, off in my head. So, and back to that, you'd used LSD for about four years prior to that?

INMATE DAVIS: Since '65.

DEPUTY COMMISSIONER WEILBACHER: '65. And you had mentioned earlier to the commissioner that watching Mr. Manson at a point was like he was on a bad trip. Do you mean a bad trip, like LSD trip or like a bad trip just in general, mental-health wise?

INMATE DAVIS: I'm not sure.

DEPUTY COMMISSIONER WEILBACHER: Or both -- were they the same?

INMATE DAVIS: I n -- I didn't know -- uh, uh, when I first got back, oh, excuse me, uh, the -- the atmosphere cha -- had changed and, uh, I noticed it, but I didn't feel an immediate threat from it. And so I was indifferent,

DEPUTY COMMISSIONER WEILBACHER: Before -- after you got back, but before Mr. Hinman's murder --

INMATE DAVIS: Yes. Yes.

DEPUTY COMMISSIONER WEILBACHER: -- had Mr. Manson presented this race-riot idea yet to anyone that he was going to end up being the --

INMATE DAVIS: I don't -- I don't rem -- eh, very well could have been. You know, I don't remember the timeline of these things.

DEPUTY COMMISSIONER WEILBACHER: Okay.

INMATE DAVIS: I know it happened during this period. Uh, I'm not sure on the chronology.

DEPUTY COMMISSIONER WEILBACHER: Okay. Thank you sir. And I don't have any further cone -- questions, Commissioner.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Okay. Mr. Davis, you doing okay?

INMATE DAVIS: Yes, sir.

DEPUTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY LEBOWITZ: Commissioner, would this be a good time to take a five minute break?

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Absolutely.

DEPUTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY LEBOWITZ: Thank you.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Let's do about a five, ten-minute break. Uh, time is now, um, 10:20.

DEPUTY COMMISSIONER WEILBACHER: We're off the record.

RECESS

--oOo--

DEPUTY COMMISSIONER WEILBACHER: We're back on the record, sir.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Uh, we're back on a record. Uh, all parties have returned to the room. The time is now 10:45. Commissioner, we're going to go -- go with you for your portion of this hearing, please.

DEPUTY COMMISSIONER WEILBACHER: Thank you, Commissioner. So sir, that means we're going to talk about post-conviction, which means the items that have occurred since your last hearing. Typically it's reserved, uh, to that kind of portion. However, I will, uh, let you know that sometimes, uh, I do have a habit of asking questions about maybe an old program that was popular at one point or specifically, it really becomes, uh, uh, important when it comes to disciplines at times.

INMATE DAVIS: Yes, sir.

DEPUTY COMMISSIONER WEILBACHER: It may or may not be in your case, but there are, uh -- I think it's been pointed out that last disciplines -- disciplines were in, uh, January of 1980 and, uh, January of 1975, uh, based on my records and review, but we'll have a discussion again about those in the future. Um, so they're fairly, uh, dated in that sense. Last hearing, of course, as the commissioner pointed out earlier, was February of 2017. Uh, you arrived at California men's colony around -- in the -- 1980. Uh, your custody points are as low as possible for a life inmate. Uh, the fact that you're in, uh, administrative segregation has nothing to do with your custody points or disciplines or anything of that nature, from what I understand, and that's what you understand as well. Correct?

INMATE DAVIS: Yes, it is.

DEPUTY COMMISSIONER WEILBACHER: All right. And so -- and it does affect this hearing to some degree in that sense, because as you pointed out to the commissioner, it sounds like you're limited in what programs you can do now.

INMATE DAVIS: Absolutely.

DEPUTY COMMISSIONER WEILBACHER: Okay. And by limited meaning almost none?

INMATE DAVIS: Uh, no, none.

DEPUTY COMMISSIONER WEILBACHER: Okay. So you c -- you could -- you could engage in correspondence or something of that nature?

INMATE DAVIS: Yeah. You have -- you have mail and a phone call a week.

DEPUTY COMMISSIONER WEILBACHER: Okay. All right. Um, and with that said in the past though, when it comes to, uh, work and when it comes to those type of items as pointed out by Commissioner, so I won't read -- you have done, uh, education upgrades, you've gotten a master's degree I believe, and a doctorate as well in faith studies. Is that accurate?

INMATE DAVIS: Yes, it is.

DEPUTY COMMISSIONER WEILBACHER: And what years did you get those?

INMATE DAVIS: 2000 -- uh, the first year -- eh, it all ended about 2000 -- early 2001 or '02, something like that.

DEPUTY COMMISSIONER WEILBACHER: Okay. So, uh, from the certificates in the file, that's exactly right. Uh, it looks like, uh, you -- you also did excellent job in those studies as well. Uh, there's certificates reflecting that, uh, and it's with the Bethany College, is that correct?

INMATE DAVIS: Yes.

DEPUTY COMMISSIONER WEILBACHER: All right. And, uh, it looks like June of 2002 you got, um, one, and you also got your master in arts and religion in 1998, so you've upgraded there, um, when it comes to education. When it comes to s -- type of jobs you've held in the community and those types of topics and also types of jobs you've held in prison, when I look through your records all the way back to the beginning, I see that you've basically held every type of job you could hold in a prison. You've worked in kitchen type services jobs, you've worked as a teacher's aide, you've worked in the -- as a janitor, uh, you've worked in those, uh, PIA groups and basically you get almost all the topics. I don't see a lot of porter jobs, that type of thing, but the janitorial could be deceptive in that nature. Is that accurate?

INMATE DAVIS: Yes.

DEPUTY COMMISSIONER WEILBACHER: All right. But it looks like for the last, oh, probably 20 -- well, earlier than 2010, I believe PIA has been something that you've stayed involved in.

INMATE DAVIS: 2009. That's when I started.

DEPUTY COMMISSIONER WEILBACHER: Okay. And what do you do in PIA?

INMATE DAVIS: I was an inspector in the print plant.

DEPUTY COMMISSIONER WEILBACHER: Okay. And the print plant here consists of doing the DMV tags, that type of thing?

INMATE DAVIS: Yes, sir.

DEPUTY COMMISSIONER WEILBACHER: All right. And so, uh, that is a pretty big outfit if I'm not mistaken. Right? They do about a million of those tags or plus a year?

INMATE DAVIS: Uh, probably about -- probably closer to 30 million.

DEPUTY COMMISSIONER WEILBACHER: Thirty million. Okay. And so I as -- the majority of those come across your desk for inspection or how does that work?

INMATE DAVIS: Yes, uh, they come across in sheets of 172 per sheet.

DEPUTY COMMISSIONER WEILBACHER: And you're looking for blemishes and those types of things?

INMATE DAVIS: Yes, sir.

DEPUTY COMMISSIONER WEILBACHER: So attention to detail is important?

INMATE DAVIS: Yes, it is.

DEPUTY COMMISSIONER WEILBACHER: All right. All right. Uh, of all the jobs you've done and gotten experience in in the prison, is there a job that you would want to do in the community or d -- what are your plans there? What -- uh, what do you think?

INMATE DAVIS: Well, I'm good at, uh, quality control.

DEPUTY COMMISSIONER WEILBACHER: Okay. Do you plan on working in the community?

INMATE DAVIS: Yes.

DEPUTY COMMISSIONER WEILBACHER: Okay. All righty. Um, just anything, or?

INMATE DAVIS: Well, you know, it -- this is the kind of thing about what kind of door is going to open.

DEPUTY COMMISSIONER WEILBACHER: Okay.

INMATE DAVIS: And, uh, I'm going to do something and, uh, I've -- I've -- I've -- I'd do any -- when I -- when I first get out, I'll just do what's available.

DEPUTY COMMISSIONER WEILBACHER: Okay.

INMATE DAVIS: You know, I just want to be useful at something.

DEPUTY COMMISSIONER WEILBACHER: All right. With that said, it looks like your supervisors, at least the documents I can see from the PIA plan all gave you exceptional marks. Uh, the most recent one I'm looking at here is in February of 2019, uh, and that was from the time period of November 1st, 2018 all the way to February 1st of 2019, which brings me up to a question about the administrative segregation concern. When did they actually place you in there?

INMATE DAVIS: Uh, eh, uh, April 19th.

DEPUTY COMMISSIONER WEILBACHER: Of what -- of what year?

INMATE DAVIS: Right now.

DEPUTY COMMISSIONER WEILBACHER: Oh, of this year. Okay.

INMATE DAVIS: Yes, sir.

DEPUTY COMMISSIONER WEILBACHER: Just making sure. All right. Okay. So, with that said, and I'm moving into programs you've done since your last hearing, documents of that nature, um, I confirmed when you were talking to the commissioner that you have been involved in the life awareness, uh, program. Uh, your primary sponsor was V. Scott, S-C-O-T-T. Of that -- the chronos that's dated in your file, one of them is, is May 10, 2017. It also of course reflects those same topics on that chrono --

INMATE DAVIS: Right.

DEPUTY COMMISSIONER WEILBACHER: -- about your participation, and also the fact that you were a facilitator.

INMATE DAVIS: Yes.

DEPUTY COMMISSIONER WEILBACHER: So you're -- uh, what does it mean to be a facilitator?

INMATE DAVIS: Well, uh, mainly I, uh -- as a facilitator, I keep the discussion on-track and moving around. I mean, uh, so the -- when the participants talk, uh, I help them stay on the subject and, uh -- and -- and -- and pr -- and encourage everybody to participate.

DEPUTY COMMISSIONER WEILBACHER: Okay. And do the topics -- do the persons that are doing those programs with you, do they get off-topic a lot?

INMATE DAVIS: Some do.

DEPUTY COMMISSIONER WEILBACHER: Some do? All right. And, um, so when it comes to anger management, family -- what do you say when -- what are your -- what are your deck -- discussion topics about family relationships? Are you going through the cycle of violence? Are you going through -- what does that whole conversation look like or sound like?

INMATE DAVIS: I do have a cycle of violence and, uh, when we started -- well, uh, it starts off, uh, how do you feel about, uh, this latest situation and then -- and then how do you feel? And then -- and then -- then the cycle of violence usually goes, uh, uh, the -- the person, uh, starts to think about, uh, how it was okay, and then, uh, he begins to see -- or -- well, first it's not okay. First they feel bad, and then -- and then he -- he has whatever strategies to, uh, make himself feel better. Uh, it may be self-medication, it might be a relationship, something like that. Then, uh, once he starts to feel better, uh, then he starts to really, uh, see all the good reasons why he did what he did. And then, uh, he starts to, uh -- to -- to express, uh, some of what's happening and, uh, gets in -- feedback right, and doesn't -- doesn't like to be opposed in his thinking, and then -- and then he -- he becomes open to start to look around for something new. And, uh -- and the -- the cycle just keeps coming around.

DEPUTY COMMISSIONER WEILBACHER: Is there violence in -- rela -- eh, happen in that situation?

INMATE DAVIS: Well, it's about -- if it -- if it -- it could be. Uh, it's probably violent, at least a violent talk, and sometimes violent action.

DEPUTY COMMISSIONER WEILBACHER: Okay.

INMATE DAVIS: But it's the cycle of violence.

DEPUTY COMMISSIONER WEILBACHER: Okay. And how long have you been a facilitator of programs like that?

INMATE DAVIS: Uh, well, that program, I -- I think it goes back 2012. Uh, not -- and, you know, I'm not really sure when it started --

DEPUTY COMMISSIONER WEILBACHER: Okay.

INMATE DAVIS: -- uh, but it's been -- I've been -- I've been through the cycle as a facilitator five times.

DEPUTY COMMISSIONER WEILBACHER: Okay.

INMATE DAVIS: I -- I -- I really haven't kept up --

DEPUTY COMMISSIONER WEILBACHER: Okay.

INMATE DAVIS: -- with how many times.

DEPUTY COMMISSIONER WEILBACHER: Okay. So I know that, uh, Mr. Scott, or is it, uh -- is it a male?

INMATE DAVIS: Uh, Velma Scott.

DEPUTY COMMISSIONER WEILBACHER: Velma? So Ms. Scott, uh, she says you're an effective facilitator in her documentation. Uh, now when it -- when it comes to your -- as you look back on your situation and your life crime, your family history, uh, do you think the family-relationship portion that you are providing facilitation on, do you think that helps a person get growth?

INMATE DAVIS: Like, my past?

DEPUTY COMMISSIONER WEILBACHER: Yes.

INMATE DAVIS: Well, it's -- it's -- it's, I -- I try to let -- let it serve as a warning and -- and -- but -- but by that -- by the time the men are in that group, it's a little too late for a warning, I mean, a prevention because it's already happened, but we try to -- we try to get them to come back and remember the kind of events that happened, uh, that, uh -- where their responses turned into lack of trust, lock us -- loss of empathy, uh, the isolation, uh, of -- of feel -- feeling not belonging.

DEPUTY COMMISSIONER WEILBACHER: Mm-hmm. So in other words, I guess a simpler way to say it is when you are facilitating a program like this, do you think the curriculum is helping people not repeat? Do you think --

INMATE DAVIS: Oh yes. Absolutely.

DEPUTY COMMISSIONER WEILBACHER: Okay. And what do you think was the major movement in your history inside, while you've been in prison, that made you make the biggest leap? Because these programs are fairly recent.

INMATE DAVIS: Yeah, they are.

DEPUTY COMMISSIONER WEILBACHER: And so is there something you can point to back in whenever it may have been that made the big change for you?

INMATE DAVIS: Uh --

DEPUTY COMMISSIONER WEILBACHER: And what is it?

INMATE DAVIS: -- uh, 1974.

DEPUTY COMMISSIONER WEILBACHER: Okay.

INMATE DAVIS: Uh, in Folsom, Fo -- Old Folsom. I'm standing on the tier waiting for my friends to bring some hash --

DEPUTY COMMISSIONER WEILBACHER: Okay.

INMATE DAVIS: -- and, uh --

DEPUTY COMMISSIONER WEILBACHER: Hash meaning marijuana just to make sure?

INMATE DAVIS: No, hashish.

DEPUTY COMMISSIONER WEILBACHER: Okay.

INMATE DAVIS: Uh, marijuana derivative. Uh, a voice -- crazy. I -- I -- I was astounded that it happened. A voice speaks in my head. You'll never get high again. And -- and right at that moment, I -- I was -- I didn't like that much, so I -- I felt somebody was messing with my party. And, uh, eh, I was -- that was kind of -- it was new to me, nothing had ever did that before. And when my friends showed up, out of my mouth came oh, you can mine. Well, you can bet I didn't have to repeat that. But then all of a sudden -- I say all of a sudden in the next whatever, hour, hours, minutes, I realized that the drugs, the -- the desire for drugs or alcohol and everything had just quit me. It just quit me. I couldn't have quit. I didn't even want to quit, but it did. And so, um -- so that happened. A little later on, uh, the same voice -- uh, it's God speaking, but I don't know that, I'm not looking for it, showed me the -- showed me the -- the -- the death that I was choosing by my attitude to things I was doing, uh, just my whole lifestyle in prison, and -- and that -- that -- that was the first time I'd ever been really afraid in my life. When that happened, I went cold on the inside. It -- it was -- it was -- it was -- it was serious. And I remember for the first time in my adult life, without just kidding, I -- I remember looking up over the -- the -- the guard tower and I said I need help. And I was talking to myself really. I need help.

DEPUTY COMMISSIONER WEILBACHER: So after that in 1974, what was the first, uh, program that you engaged in in prison or studies or what -- what'd you do?

INMATE DAVIS: Well, I came to Jesus. Jesus saved me. And that was a -- that was a, uh -- that was the big turning point of my whole life. Period. Then I -- I got involved in the chapel program.

DEPUTY COMMISSIONER WEILBACHER: Okay.

INMATE DAVIS: And they didn't -- I -- uh, there wasn't any programs in Folsom that -- that I could be involved in except that.

DEPUTY COMMISSIONER WEILBACHER: So during those time periods that -- I know in previous transcripts it says you -- you did participate in AA, you participated in those type of programs at one point.

INMATE DAVIS: After I got here.

DEPUTY COMMISSIONER WEILBACHER: Okay. Well, you -- you've been here since 1980. So how long do you think it was -- right after you got here and you got into those programs?

INMATE DAVIS: No, the -- not -- not in AA. There -- there were a lot of other, uh, uh, psych programs.

DEPUTY COMMISSIONER WEILBACHER: Okay.

INMATE DAVIS: There was c -- uh, the communication program, there was -- there was a relapse-prevention program, there was, uh, uh, uh, communications, uh, uh, open processes, uh, there's a list of these. I can't remember all their names.

DEPUTY COMMISSIONER WEILBACHER: Okay.

INMATE DAVIS: There -- there were probably a dozen or so.

DEPUTY COMMISSIONER WEILBACHER: Well, when I look through more recent documents, I -- I do see that you've continued to work and continue to get, um, certificates and laudatory chronos for programs such as, uh, Between the Bars, which is -- was an art exhibit. Did you actually provide art for that?

INMATE DAVIS: Yes, I did.

DEPUTY COMMISSIONER WEILBACHER: Okay. Uh, do you consider yourself an artist?

INMATE DAVIS: Well, I paint.

DEPUTY COMMISSIONER WEILBACHER: Okay. All right. And is that a pastime for you? Is it something that you use to, uh, reduce stress?

INMATE DAVIS: Yes.

DEPUTY COMMISSIONER WEILBACHER: Okay. Were -- were you about to go on?

INMATE DAVIS: No, that's good.

DEPUTY COMMISSIONER WEILBACHER: Okay. All right. So, um, there's multiple documents, uh, from the Reverend Alderson (phonetic) in your file, uh, talking about your work there, uh, with the Bible program and it looks like that is something that you stayed very dedicated to as well.

INMATE DAVIS: Yes, I -- I've started -- I got involved in that in '74 and I've been -- I've been trying to do my best.

DEPUTY COMMISSIONER WEILBACHER: Okay. You also completed and gotten -- started participating or -- or completed portions of the LTOP?

INMATE DAVIS: I -- I've -- I've -- in fact, I've completed all that now.

DEPUTY COMMISSIONER WEILBACHER: Okay. I do see in, uh, March of 2018 the substance, uh, use disorder treatment, you did the anger-management track portion in, um, September of 2018 and, uh -- and now you say you've completed all of that?

INMATE DAVIS: Yes.

DEPUTY COMMISSIONER WEILBACHER: All right. Uh, out of the LTOP programs, do you think that's a good program?

INMATE DAVIS: Absolutely.

DEPUTY COMMISSIONER WEILBACHER: Okay. Is there one of the LTOP programs that you think is more specific for you?

INMATE DAVIS: You know, the first one I -- the first one I took was -- was, uh, Victim Impact --

DEPUTY COMMISSIONER WEILBACHER: Okay.

INMATE DAVIS: -- and, uh, it opened my eyes in a way that they'd never been opened before and, uh, that was a big education.

DEPUTY COMMISSIONER WEILBACHER: Uh, why did it change -- w -- w -- what about it changed your -- you -- your depth?

INMATE DAVIS: Well, it let me see -- uh, it let me see my crime from Mr. Hinman's point of view, from Mr. Shea's point of view, from their families' point of view.

DEPUTY COMMISSIONER WEILBACHER: And how did it do that?

INMATE DAVIS: Well, you know, in -- in the program they had thee videos of -- of -- of people who had been victims and they talked about what it was and -- and -- and how they -- how they reacted and you could see -- you could -- mostly -- it was mostly, uh, ladies, uh, and you could just see how it had -- it -- it was hard to miss --

DEPUTY COMMISSIONER WEILBACHER: Okay.

INMATE DAVIS: -- you know, and -- and it's, um -- I've -- eh, we beca -- I became very sympathetic.

DEPUTY COMMISSIONER WEILBACHER: And in regards to -- you have also engaged it looks like in, um, other programs like fundraisers, financial contributions, and different -- why do you do that? Why do you do fundraisers? Why do you do -- why do you give money?

INMATE DAVIS: Well, it's a way of helping people that need help.

DEPUTY COMMISSIONER WEILBACHER: Okay. And how long have you been doing that type activity, trying to give back that way?

INMATE DAVIS: Years. I -- I -- I don't know. I -- I don't know when it started. Probably I'd say -- well, the big part happened was once -- once I got in PIA, when I was -- when I was making money.

DEPUTY COMMISSIONER WEILBACHER: Okay.

INMATE DAVIS: Uh --

DEPUTY COMMISSIONER WEILBACHER: If you had your choice between, uh, being a facilitator in programs or giving -- doing fundraisers, which one you, uh, do if you couldn't do -- you had to make a choice? Which one would you want to do?

INMATE DAVIS: Well, I'd -- I'd be a facilitator.

DEPUTY COMMISSIONER WEILBACHER: Okay. Uh, do you -- do you get -- do you feel that that, uh, you're able to give more back that way?

INMATE DAVIS: There's always more -- well, yeah, there's, there's people right there, you see, and you see the need and in the -- in the fundraising, say -- usually the ones who are involved in are usually for children --

DEPUTY COMMISSIONER WEILBACHER: Mm-hmm.

INMATE DAVIS: -- uh, for their camp or going to -- to Bible school or -- or things like that, and -- and sometimes for the ladies' shelter and things -- and that so.

DEPUTY COMMISSIONER WEILBACHER: Okay. So when you're facilitating, do you -- do you have to know the Steps? Do you have to know those things verbatim? Do you -- do you -- do you get into that? Do you do that with the --

INMATE DAVIS: You know -- you know, we -- we -- eh, by the time a lot of the men get to the -- to the, uh -- like for the, uh -- for the life awareness, many of them are -- they're -- they've been exposed to 12 Step --

DEPUTY COMMISSIONER WEILBACHER: Okay.

INMATE DAVIS: -- and -- and -- and -- and -- and NA or AA. And so we -- we talk -- we talk about those Steps and we say now this is part of Step6. When you -- when you are saying, now I've got -- I need help, right, and then so I lay it out, asking God to, uh -- to help me with my shortcomings.

DEPUTY COMMISSIONER WEILBACHER: Okay.

INMATE DAVIS: And then, you know, and the Step -- well, now this is Step 4 where you're -- you're taking an inventory, now what about that and, you know, kind of, uh, try to reinforce that program, you know, from -- from our side. So when they -- when they're in the -- when they're in the groups, then it gives them a little bit of, um, context to, uh -- to -- to actually actuate the group, uh, the rules and -- I mean, uh, the Steps.

DEPUTY COMMISSIONER WEILBACHER: Okay. And so when you look back at the life crime and you, eh -- now get just specifically about yourself since I know you know Step 6 cause you -- you -- you -- you used it the, at least the way to work it. Uh, when you think about Step 6 and the way you are acting back at the time of the life crimes, what do you think were your character defects or your shortcomings as you call them?

INMATE DAVIS: At the time of the life crime?

DEPUTY COMMISSIONER WEILBACHER: Yeah. What do you think your top three were?

INMATE DAVIS: Well, I guess the first one was I was, uh, completely self-centered. That means I was, uh, antisocial and -- and, uh, I found out that antisocial did not mean I don't like to party; it means I have my own, my own set of rules, which I had. Um, at the time, uh, I had -- because I had, uh, really given up on the person I was, I -- and I wanted it to become a person that I wasn't, um, uh, real early in life, so I -- I made myself up to be a grand fellow. Right? And, uh -- and uh, so I've -- I was entitled. I felt, uh, the world is my oyster so to speak. So I've -- I was entitled and, um -- and I see now that -- well, in the -- in the psych report where, uh -- where the lady said that I had these narcissistic tendencies or traits or however, I agree with that. I agree with that. And they -- and those -- those things were reflexes, eh, eh, defensive reflexes, trying to make myself into a person that -- that I would like rather than the person I thought I was.

DEPUTY COMMISSIONER WEILBACHER: Mm-hmm. What are you going to lean on? What kind of, uh -- are you going to -- do you have a relapse-prevention plan? Do you have, uh, um, something that you're going to think about if you start to feel those same character defects coming about now? How do you check for those character defects? Those are things that could easily come back.

INMATE DAVIS: Oh, yeah. Well, eh, eh, on my, uh -- in my relapse-prevention plan, those come under triggers.

DEPUTY COMMISSIONER WEILBACHER: Okay.

INMATE DAVIS: And, uh, okay, so the kinds of things that, uh, uh, kind of make me, uh -- but get -- I'd feel the pressure, okay, like when I get out, there's going to be media. So how do I deal with that? Right? So that -- and so I've decided I can just make an apology. I'm very sorry and I'm not defending myself about it or things like that, but I -- I -- I'll deal with that. Then just -- just the pressure of getting along out there that's -- that's come al -- uh, it's changed a lot in these 50 years. So I realized those kinds of pressures, like, uh, financial matters, health matters, relationship matters, all these kinds of things that, you know, I ta -- ta -- take personally and if -- and if they get into a, uh -- an an -- an anxious moment, uh, uh, uh, critical moment, well, I -- I -- I can -- I feel the pressure of -- of that -- uh, of that whole thing. I -- I -- I know that. And -- and fortunately, uh, I've learned how to -- to -- to be on guard for that to some degree. I'm not cri -- I'm -- I'm not claiming to be out of the woods, but at least I'm going out and, uh, so I'm looking out for that.

DEPUTY COMMISSIONER WEILBACHER: Well, if you are completely done with it and don't have to worry about it, then you're not looking for it, which is the scary part.

INMATE DAVIS: That's scary.

DEPUTY COMMISSIONER WEILBACHER: So with, uh, that, is there any program that you thought you were going to hear me mention here today that I didn't ask you about since your last hearing or any topic of that nature, your work, or your self-help?

INMATE DAVIS: Well, let's see. We had AA, Yoke Fellows. That's a -- that's, like, a peer-counseling group.

DEPUTY COMMISSIONER WEILBACHER: Yes, sir.

INMATE DAVIS: Uh --

DEPUTY COMMISSIONER WEILBACHER: I just didn't bring it up cause you talked to the commissioner about it earlier.

INMATE DAVIS: Is that right? Okay. And, uh -- and, uh -- and Life Awareness, uh, the chapel program I'm involved in, I teach -- I teach all the time, um --

DEPUTY COMMISSIONER WEILBACHER: And do you think those actions in the long ray -- in the long run make you more stable, those programs, the things that you're engaged in right now? Do you think you -- you'll be a better person in the community for those programs?

INMATE DAVIS: Absolutely. I think -- I think what they're doing, they're -- they're expanding my awareness, who I am. Uh, they're -- they're showing me my value before God. Therefore everybody else has big value too. And, uh, it's incumbent on me to give them the best I can.

DEPUTY COMMISSIONER WEILBACHER: Okay. All right. So with that said, I -- regarding the disciplines, I mean, for the record, you've had no new problems. You haven't used any marijuana, any hashish since 1974. No other drug concerns.

INMATE DAVIS: No.

DEPUTY COMMISSIONER WEILBACHER: Never joined a gang?

INMATE DAVIS: No, sir. No, sir.

DEPUTY COMMISSIONER WEILBACHER: Um, custody points 19, of course, so as low as possible as a life inmate, uh, currently unassigned for the reasons earlier stated. Um, when it comes to the two disciplines that, uh, we have, once again, they're fairly dated. It was, uh, conduct for obeying orders the most recent, which is most recent is January 25th of 1980, um, and the '75, I know it's been gone through in other transcripts, which is about this, uh -- the sharpened spoon, uh, situation, nothing gang-related there, nothing like that, right? That was over a -- a paint issue or something?

INMATE DAVIS: I was scraping paint in my cell.

DEPUTY COMMISSIONER WEILBACHER: Okay.

INMATE DAVIS: They were getting ready to paint.

DEPUTY COMMISSIONER WEILBACHER: Okay.

INMATE DAVIS: And, uh, it was mistaken for.

DEPUTY COMMISSIONER WEILBACHER: Okay. All right. So, uh, with that said, I'm going to move into, uh, parole plans and then letters of support and letters of opposition. And so with that said -- move a file around for a minute. So with that said, when it comes to parole plans, whether you have a letter of acceptance from a program or whether you don't, what I'm really trying to ask is what your real plan is, whether you have that letter or not. What is your number-one plan and why?

ATTORNEY BECKMAN: Hold on a second, Commissioner. Um, because we have a member of the press here and he's had to already, uh, torpedo several possible parole plans in the past because of the publicity possibilities, I don't know that I want him to mention it on record. You've got the -- you got a letter of acceptance from two. I -- is that -- I mean, can we do this --

DEPUTY COMMISSIONER WEILBACHER: Yeah, we -- we -- well, here's we --

ATTORNEY BECKMAN: -- in a confidential session or something?

DEPUTY COMMISSIONER WEILBACHER: Well, here's I guess what I'm asking: I'm -- I'm not for an address or a location; I'm asking for the overall plan.

ATTORNEY BECKMAN: Okay. That's fine.

DEPUTY COMMISSIONER WEILBACHER: In other words, if you plan on living in a home that's, uh, a sponsored group, if you plan on living in the community with friends, what do you think is best for you? I'm trying to get the essence --

ATTORNEY BECKMAN: Okay.

DEPUTY COMMISSIONER WEILBACHER: -- not so much the title, because it sounds like Mr. Davis has had some facilitating experience.

ATTORNEY BECKMAN: Well, I mean, if the -- if the member of the press will agree that it's off the record, he can talk about it more specifically if you want.

DEPUTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY LEBOWITZ: Well, it would be in the transcript anyway and anyone could access the information, so I don't think that that's really dispositive.

ATTORNEY BECKMAN: Yeah, that's true.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: It's a -- it's a public document.

ATTORNEY BECKMAN: Yes. Okay. So, um, just say generally.

INMATE DAVIS: Okay. In a general way, uh, when I'm paroled, I'm going -- I'm wanting to go to a transition facility --

DEPUTY COMMISSIONER WEILBACHER: Okay.

INMATE DAVIS: -- and, uh, there's -- they are set up to, uh -- to handle the kind of incidentals that people have when they come out: their driver's license; their birth certificate; uh, et cetera; how to get their social security going; whatever. And so they're -- they're professionals in that. So, and that would be the kind of place that, uh, I'd go -- I would go first. Uh, when -- and most of them have -- have, um, -- they have a relapse-prevention programs, they have other groups that you -- you know, they want to make sure that you're -- you're flattened out on this stuff. And so I plan to go there until -- I don't know, spend a year or whatever. Uh, that's -- that's sounded kind of a very general plan. I don't -- I don't know how long I'd take, but l -- I -- I'm -- I'm sure I want to be there long enough to get -- to get the, uh -- get the documentation lined out, uh, get a plan for -- for, um, uh, employment, uh, let the media thing die down and then -- and then I -- I've -- I've got an offer to move somewhere good, but, uh, I don't want to take -- I don't -- I want -- I want all this flattened out pretty good before I go.

DEPUTY COMMISSIONER WEILBACHER: Okay. Yeah. As far as homes, you do have letters in the file, you've got multiple -- and most of them have multiple locations. Uh, you've got the Francisco Homes, you've got other documents like that. Um, you know, you do have also, uh, people in the community that have written letters of support as well, and -- and let me clarify for the record too, the -- the ten-day packet is 535 pages. It consists of multiple items including of support and hundreds of pages of opposition letters, and I'll be more descriptive in just a minute. But for -- since typically I do the letters of support before I do the letters of opposition, I'm going to go through those letters of support be -- based on that. I do see, uh, letters of support from Sherry Helms (phonetic). I also see, um, uh, Sherry Sechrist, E -- S-E-C-H-R --

INMATE DAVIS: Sechrist?

DEPUTY COMMISSIONER WEILBACHER: Sechrist. Uh, S-E-C-H-R-I-S-T. Uh, you have a -- uh, an S. Clones, K -- C-L-O-N-E-S. Uh, your sister has provided a letter, um, you have at least seven other people that have been, uh -- that wrote letters that have met you via, uh, it looks like writing back and forth in the prison, um, and that you've stayed in, uh, contact with throughout the years based on that letter writing, I guess you could say. You've never met them in person, but you have, uh, met them, uh, via your dedication to writing letters back and forth. Okay. Why do you do that?

INMATE DAVIS: Well -- uh, well, one reason, and this is kind of personal, I need the company.

DEPUTY COMMISSIONER WEILBACHER: Okay.

INMATE DAVIS: So I -- I li -- I enjoy that. I enjoy -- I enjoy it. And -- and talking to people that are far away or have different ideas, uh, give a different perspective on things. Uh, it's, uh -- it's -- that -- that's personal interest and then, uh, always write 'em and say hey, what can I do for you. I sent 'em a prayer request. I ask 'em -- I ask 'em what's important for you, you know, and talk to them about where they're -- where -- where they're at and have discussions like that.

DEPUTY COMMISSIONER WEILBACHER: You also have other inmates that have provided letters, both that have gotten in -- out of custody and say that you've been -- uh, you've assisted them; you have letters from the community, uh, that say they'd never met you, in fact, uh, but that you've helped them through difficult times, uh, there was a person who was involved in the military, uh, last name is G-E-N-O-V-E-S-E, page 524 of the ten-day packet that, uh, has brought out some of the changes that you helped them go through in that sense, um, and you have several other, uh, letters of support. Any letter of support that I didn't mention that you thought I would talk more about or that you wanted to bring to light?

INMATE DAVIS: No.

DEPUTY COMMISSIONER WEILBACHER: Okay. So -- so it sounds like you stay in contact with your sister.

INMATE DAVIS: Yes.

DEPUTY COMMISSIONER WEILBACHER: And she's your older sister?

INMATE DAVIS: Yes.

DEPUTY COMMISSIONER WEILBACHER: From what I remember looking at the record, uh, uh, from previous hearings and maybe even the transcript, y -- you felt like, or the CRA I should say, uh, she was kind of, uh -- looked like she was kind of taken care of you. How many years older is she than you?

INMATE DAVIS: She's one year.

DEPUTY COMMISSIONER WEILBACHER: One year? Uh, but, uh, was she kind of your support system back then in childhood?

INMATE DAVIS: No, we -- we -- you know, the alcoholic home, you don't have too many close contacts and -- and we grew up, uh, we -- we were never really close, like, I knew how she felt. I didn't really know how she felt about things and -- and we were sort of just living in the same house and, um, going to school together, but never really -- I shouldn't even say, I don't even know what close with my sister would even look like --

DEPUTY COMMISSIONER WEILBACHER: Okay.

INMATE DAVIS: -- so I can't -- you know, I can't really say, but we are now. We -- we write, uh, she's - - she's retired and, uh, so she's -- she's a big support now.

DEPUTY COMMISSIONER WEILBACHER: Okay. All right. So there are other --couple other documents I was going to mention, uh, to make sure there is no more recent in time. I did notice in your discussions with the commissioner on page 533 of the ten-day packet, there is an apology, uh, letter written to Donald Jerome Shea, and it was dated December 19th, 2009. Is that the most recent and apology letter you've written?

INMATE DAVIS: Yes.

DEPUTY COMMISSIONER WEILBACHER: Okay. And then the next letter that I noticed as far as apology letters was dated December 19, 2010, and that was to the family of Gary Alan Hinman. Are those the two that you were --

INMATE DAVIS: Yes.

DEPUTY COMMISSIONER WEILBACHER: -- talking to the commissioner about, uh, that you had previously written?

INMATE DAVIS: Uh, no. Uh, th -- there was one way before that, uh, where the D.A. said he would get -- he would approach them about the letters.

DEPUTY COMMISSIONER WEILBACHER: Okay. All right. So that's what I wanted to make sure to clarify for the record, if these were the same as those --

INMATE DAVIS: No, no, these -- these are a little more recent.

DEPUTY COMMISSIONER WEILBACHER: Okay. No timeframes put on those. All right, so anything -- uh, you have -- you have written a relapse-prevention plan. It's a typed-out document. It's dated October 4th, 2012. Is that the most recent relapse-prevention plan you have?

INMATE DAVIS: Yes.

DEPUTY COMMISSIONER WEILBACHER: Okay. And did you type this or have someone type it and then you review it?

INMATE DAVIS: Yeah, I typed it.

DEPUTY COMMISSIONER WEILBACHER: Okay. And do you still feel that it's accurate now, here, sitting here today, uh, several -- seven years later or close to seven years?

INMATE DAVIS: Yes. I -- let's see, I had my sister, uh, my family and friends on there, my attorney, my parole officer that handled the transition home, a pastor, uh, some friends that, uh, live in L.A. area. I th -- I think I had them on as my support -- my support network I said.

DEPUTY COMMISSIONER WEILBACHER: Okay. Do you -- do you feel you have one sponsor right now or do you think there's -- do you have a sponsor for AA? Do you think you need one?

INMATE DAVIS: I probably need a -- well, I do need one for -- for -- for AA. I don't have one right now.

DEPUTY COMMISSIONER WEILBACHER: Okay. All right. Um, but you stay in contact when you can do the phone and you also write --

INMATE DAVIS: Yes, sir.

DEPUTY COMMISSIONER WEILBACHER: -- people that -- and talk to them about those issues if you have some?

INMATE DAVIS: Yes.

DEPUTY COMMISSIONER WEILBACHER: All right. All right. So with that said, I'm going to move into opposition letters and other documents. So the opposition letters, I'm going to begin -- the organizational letters such as the office of the Sheriffs of Los Angeles County, May 7, 2019. They provided a letter signed by Captain Wegner, W-E-G-N-E-R. Um, there's -- basically to kind of summarize so that the -- the magnitude can be displayed in sense, uh, there -- what I did is I counted the pages of documented people that signed names on petitions, provided addresses, provided statements in a, uh -- I guess you could say a, uh, table-type format was 423 pages. Uh, I estimated that there was about 45 to 50 people per page and that -- that comes out to about 20,000 people signed their name close to, uh, having concerns and the magnitude that was reached in addition to the fact that there was that magnitude, just the sheer number. When I looked at the addresses on those pages, I also noticed that they range from all o -- people all over the world. I mean, uh, not, uh -- in addition to California citizens, but, um, I basically saw people from, uh, the majority of the continents of the, um, earth. In that sense, I also did notice that people took the time to write letters, specifically, uh, write letters, um, and put their names on and try to, uh, give some idea of the perspective and the magnitude that it hit and impacted them, similar to the officer to some degree that you recognized you hit an impacted. Mr., uh, Allen J. P-A-T-I-E-R-N-O provided a letter; uh, Jennifer Duffy, D-U-F-F-Y; uh, there were a series of letters that were sent via email that had first names and first names only, and there was of course, uh, letters from in the confidential file that, uh, have been reviewed, uh, multiple letters in the confidential file as well. Uh, I noticed that on some of the signed petitions, uh, some of the participants here have signed notes as well. Um, and, uh, with that said, I know that there is also, of course, Ms. Lebowitz is a representative from the District Attorney's Office of Los Angeles County, so I'll let her provide anything else in addition. Um, uh, of course, eh, she is of course -- she is here to present their position. Uh, with that said, I don't see anything else that I was -- have bookmarked to be, uh, brought to light. Before I move on, anything else that you have?

INMATE DAVIS: I can't think of anything.

DEPUTY COMMISSIONER WEILBACHER: All right, uh, Commissioner, thank you.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Welcome. You know, in the last Comprehensive Risk Assessment, which I've already incorporate into the record, on page number 15, the doctor wrote that there is some concern of possible callousness, lack of empathy, especially for the victim's family, poor judgment, and lack of remorse to an extent, uh, and this was regarding going on a lecture tour due to public interest and your association, um, you know, with the Manson family. Um, (inaudible) took to clarify during the hearing. What's your position on this now?

INMATE DAVIS: I don't want -- I never really wanted to build a lecture tour. Like, it all came up in -- in -- in the evaluation that -- I don't remember if it was a gentleman or lady.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Mm-hmm.

INMATE DAVIS: Said what do you see your self doing? I said well, one of the things, uh, I think I would have something in the Christian community to say to -- and I've been invited to different churches, uh, to just give my testimony. I said so I'll be doing that. And, uh --

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: But you're not going to get paid for that? Are you going to get paid to the Christian --

INMATE DAVIS: I can't imagine it.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Okay. So you're not talking about getting a publicist and -- and having a tour in different locations?

INMATE DAVIS: No, no, no.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Getting paid for that?

INMATE DAVIS: No.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Nothing like that, right? Right?

INMATE DAVIS: No, I don't want to get paid for it.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Okay. Mr. Davis, you're elderly parole. Uh, the doctor did write about being elderly parole. Um, Mr. Davis' advanced age does not appear to have increased his level of risk at this point. Uh, you've ex -- you -- no evidence that you have experienced in your recent cognitive decline and, um, regarding physical capabilities of committing similar crimes and violence, there are no indications of debilitating physical elements despite some medical problems, and you can do your independent living. Mr. Davis, you're a low risk to recidivate on this -- on this, uh, report. Um, the doctor did, uh, write about, uh, you accepting responsibility for your actions, and help insights in some of the factors contribute to the life crime, and have this -- and your history of problematic behaviors including substance use. There's evidence of increased maturity and positive development at this time. You seem to made positive improvements over the years, and that's what I have here and we used this last time. I wasn't here, but we used it. Uh, Counsel, any comments on this report?

ATTORNEY BECKMAN: I'm sorry, I didn't hear you.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Any comments on this psych report?

INMATE DAVIS: Oh, no, I'll do that in my closing.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Okay.

INMATE DAVIS: If necessary.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: It's by Dr. Carman once again. And, um, what we're going to do now, we're going to shift focus and we're going to -- to go to clarifying questions. I'll start with the district attorney at this time.

DEPUTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY LEBOWITZ: Thank you. Could the Panel please ask the inmate where, in addition to Tennessee, the inmate went after leaving the Manson family the first time?

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Yeah. Did you go -- where'd you go?

INMATE DAVIS: I went to Europe.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: With the money that you --

INMATE DAVIS: Yes.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: -- got from your father?

INMATE DAVIS: Yes.

DEPUTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY LEBOWITZ: Could the Panel please ask the inmate what he did while he was in Europe?

ATTORNEY BECKMAN: Uh, what do you want, a day by day?

DEPUTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY LEBOWITZ: No --

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Let's do a su -- you want a summary of what he did over there?

DEPUTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY LEBOWITZ: Well, okay, I'll just make it easy. Could the Panel please ask the inmate if -- if he studied Scientology while in Europe?

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Well, did you?

INMATE DAVIS: I'll tell you the story.

ATTORNEY BECKMAN: No, it's yes or no question.

INMATE DAVIS: Okay. Yeah, I -- I was involved in Scientology.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: How long?

INMATE DAVIS: A couple of months. Uh, well, let's see. Uh, November, December, January, maybe Feb -- no, maybe three, four months.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Okay.

DEPUTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY LEBOWITZ: Could the Panel please ask the inmate what his interest in Scientology was?

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: What's your interest?

INMATE DAVIS: Uh, my interest with purely social.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Social?

INMATE DAVIS: Social. Uh, when I was invited, uh, very nice young ladies asked me to go to lecture. I was open to that. Uh, when we got to their house, uh, everybody was very nice and it was great. It was a great scene and, uh, it was kind of a party time.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: You were looking for a party?

INMATE DAVIS: Absolutely.

DEPUTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY LEBOWITZ: Could the Panel please ask the inmate who picked him up at the airport when he got back to Los Angeles?

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Well, who picked you up?

INMATE DAVIS: Oh, Manson.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Manson got you?

INMATE DAVIS: Yes.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Did you call him? Tell him you were coming?

INMATE DAVIS: Yes, I did.

DEPUTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY LEBOWITZ: Could the Panel please ask the inmate if he wanted approval from Manson at all costs?

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Wait. Uh, uh, approval?

DEPUTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY LEBOWITZ: From Manson at all costs.

ATTORNEY BECKMAN: He's already answered that, Commissioner.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: For what? Approval for what?

DEPUTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY LEBOWITZ: Approval for -- for anything that he did? Anything, meaning the inmate?

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: How about this: yes or no?

INMATE DAVIS: Yes.

DEPUTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY LEBOWITZ: Could the Panel please ask the inmate if he thought that the LaBianca murders were to further the concept of Helter Skelter?

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Uh, do you know?

INMATE DAVIS: Far as I know it all went together, so, yes.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Okay.

DEPUTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY LEBOWITZ: Could the Panel please ask the inmate why he participated in constructing and welding the dune buggies?

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Well?

INMATE DAVIS: I was asked to.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Did you drive 'em, too?

INMATE DAVIS: Yes.

ATTORNEY BECKMAN: I -- I think she wants to -- she's getting at this your underground living. Just tell 'em real quickly about that.

INMATE DAVIS: Say again?

ATTORNEY BECKMAN: The underground living you were going to do when the revolution came is what she's asking about.

INMATE DAVIS: I don't think anybody really believed in that. I didn't.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Continue, ma'am.

DEPUTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY LEBOWITZ: Could the Panel please ask the inmate if he ever expressed to Manson that he disbelieved Manson's theories about Helter Skelter?

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Yeah. You told me it was a bunch of punk, but did you ever actually tell him that?

INMATE DAVIS: Yeah, I told him. Yes, I did.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: And what did he say to you?

INMATE DAVIS: He just winked and said you'll see.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Okay.

DEPUTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY LEBOWITZ: Could the Panel please ask the inmate if he feared disapproval from Manson if he disapproved of Manson's philosophies?

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: I think he's already said he did, but, well, what's your answer?

INMATE DAVIS: I told him I disapproved. I -- I didn't believe in that story.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Yeah?

INMATE DAVIS: Right? And he just -- he just said oh, well, you'll see.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Okay. Does that answer your question?

DEPUTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY LEBOWITZ: Yes. Thank you.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Okay.

DEPUTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY LEBOWITZ: Could the Panel please ask the inmate, uh, about the notation on the 2016 CRA at page 7 where it indicates, "A progress note dated 10/1/14 indicates that when met with, Mr. Davis said he had been working on the possibility of writing his life story in fictional format, 'I might get a ghost writer to do this. I think it might be interesting.'" Could the Panel please ask the inmate if he still plans to write his story in fictional format?

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: What's your answer?

INMATE DAVIS: Uh, no, I don't.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Okay.

DEPUTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY LEBOWITZ: Could the Panel please ask the inmate if he was asked by anyone of the family and if so, who to go with them for the murders on the first night to the Tate residence?

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Yeah, I -- I -- I summarized the Tate murders, but for you -- but -- but what is your answer to this question, to the question she just asked?

INMATE DAVIS: I didn't know it was going to be what it was about. I was asked to go.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Okay.

INMATE DAVIS: I was not told what it was about or anything like that. I said no.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Why did you say no?

INMATE DAVIS: I'll tell you what, it was like a -- very uncharacteristic of me to say no, but I did. It just came out. I said no. I don't -- maybe I just had a flash of wisdom. I -- I can't tell you exactly why, but I've -- I've probably felt well, that's -- that's a little too scary for me.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Did you know that they -- did you know they were going to go up in the Los Feliz area and all that?

INMATE DAVIS: No, I didn't know anything about the plan. I didn't know what was going to happen.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: All right. Okay.

DEPUTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY LEBOWITZ: Could the Panel please ask the inmate who asked him to go to the Tate residence on the first night?

INMATE DAVIS: Uh, nobody asked me to go to the Tate residence. That never came up.

DEPUTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY LEBOWITZ: Well --

INMATE DAVIS: In the request --

ATTORNEY BECKMAN: Let the commissioner -- let -- let the commissioners --

DEPUTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY LEBOWITZ: Let -- let me -- let me cla -- let me clarify. Could the Panel please ask the inmate who requested him to go with the group on the first night, whether or not he knew where they were going?

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Do you know?

INMATE DAVIS: Susan Atkins.

DEPUTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY LEBOWITZ: Could the Panel please ask the inmate who from the family asked on the second night if the inmate wanted to go?

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Who was that?

INMATE DAVIS: Pretty sure it was the same person.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Susan Atkins?

INMATE DAVIS: Yeah, Susan Atkins.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Okay.

DEPUTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY LEBOWITZ: Could the Panel please ask if Susan Atkins was in the presence of Manson when he -- when she asked him to go with them?

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Was -- was Manson around?

INMATE DAVIS: No.

DEPUTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY LEBOWITZ: Could the Panel please ask the inmate if he intends to speak about his experiences at the Christian churches on any given Sunday, how many people in a regular congregation, not a prison congregation, would it be helpful to help redeem or save?

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Well, he said he wasn't going to make any money, but, uh, what you're asking, would there be, I guess you could say, testimony during Sunday services?

DEPUTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY LEBOWITZ: Well, okay. I -- I'll give you my offer of proof. In the last hearing he said that he thought that he would be helpful in helping to redeem people in Church, uh, to prevent them from going down the same path, and it's not a prison church. So my question is how many people would this topic actually be applicable to in a regular church?

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Well, uh --

ATTORNEY BECKMAN: I have no idea -- d -- if you can't answer, you just say I don't know.

INMATE DAVIS: I'm, uh --

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Okay, uh, let's do this. Would you do -- in a regular church, would you be willing to try to help people not go down your path and by telling part of your story? Is that what -- uh, would you do that?

INMATE DAVIS: I believe -- I believe there would be young people --

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Yeah.

INMATE DAVIS: -- that might, uh -- might take warning. They might take the warning.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: This is what happened to me and this is the path you should not take of something like that?

INMATE DAVIS: Absolutely.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Okay. And 50 years of my life, here I am. Or whatever it is, 60 years, 70 years.

DEPUTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY LEBOWITZ: Could the Panel please ask the inmate why he did not take his own car back from the Hinman residence?

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Did you have a car there?

INMATE DAVIS: The car I drove the second day.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Yeah.

INMATE DAVIS: Uh, Manson stayed. He was going -- he had had -- he wanted transportation back evidently, and so I took Gary's so I'd have, uh, transportation to go back to the ranch.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: So you didn't take your car?

INMATE DAVIS: No, I -- I took Gary's car. I drove -- I drove -- well, belonged to a guy named Bill. It was a '59 Che -- Ford, uh, to Gary's house. Then when I left, uh, Manson wanted a car to drive back in.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Okay. So you left that car.

INMATE DAVIS: So I -- so I took the other car.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Okay.

DEPUTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY LEBOWITZ: Could the Panel please ask the inmate why Manson couldn't have taken Gary Hinman's car?

ATTORNEY BECKMAN: Uh, Commissioner, I'm going to instruct him that this is -- this is ludicrous.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Um --

ATTORNEY BECKMAN: What possible difference could it make?

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Couns -- Counsel's just -- just made an objection to that question. What's the relevancy of the question?

DEPUTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY LEBOWITZ: Well, it -- it goes toward his minimization of his role in the crime.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Well, let's ask him that. What was he -- ask him specifically?

DEPUTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY LEBOWITZ: Well, I'll -- I'll withdraw the question. Um, could the Panel please ask the inmate to demonstrate how he held the gun when he took it away from Mr. Beausoleil and Mr. Manson was slashing Gary's face, almost slashing his ear off?

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: That was the part about the deputy commissioner, who he showed that he was holding the gun. Did you -- and you say you want to know how he held the gun?

DEPUTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY LEBOWITZ: Demonstrate. He said I had it in my hand.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Yeah. Did you, uh, point it -- where was the gun pointed when you had it?

INMATE DAVIS: It wasn't pointed at anyone. I had it -- I had it closely. You know, let me just say something. I had never had a pistol in my life before. I'd shot a pistol, but I'd never had one. I didn't ever own one.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Okay.

INMATE DAVIS: I didn't have an idea about having a holster, I didn't have any idea about putting it in my waistband or in my pocket, I -- that never crossed my mind as a place for a gun. I just had it in my hand cause I got it back from Bobby.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: So you did not hold the gun on the victim?

INMATE DAVIS: Well --

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: You did not hold a gun at gunpoint?

INMATE DAVIS: No.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Hold the victim at gunpoint?

INMATE DAVIS: No, I didn't -- I didn't -- I didn't hold it like that on him.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Uh, (inaudible) do that? Okay.

DEPUTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY LEBOWITZ: In the 2017 hearing when the inmate came out of his chair after Commissioner Fritz --

ATTORNEY BECKMAN: Objection.

DEPUTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY LEBOWITZ: -- asked him --

ATTORNEY BECKMAN: Objection.

DEPUTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY LEBOWITZ: -- a question about --

ATTORNEY BECKMAN: (Inaudible) out of his chair.

DEPUTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY LEBOWITZ: -- decapitating --

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Hold on a minute.

DEPUTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY LEBOWITZ: -- Mr. Hinman -- um, decapitating, Mr. Shea, the inmate indicated that one of his triggers was defensiveness. In the relapse-prevention plan written on 10/4/2012, where is the inmate's relapse-prevention plan for his defensiveness?

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Did you ever come out of your chair?

INMATE DAVIS: Uh, what's the question again?

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: They say you came out of your chair. Did you ever come out of your chair? Your -- your attorney say you never did?

INMATE DAVIS: Well, I think he was close. Could tell.

ATTORNEY BECKMAN: No, he did not.

INMATE DAVIS: I didn't come out of my chair. Uh, here's what happened: I was sitting like this and -- and -- and it did -- I was kind of upset. I was upset that this idea that I had decapitated Mr. Shea.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Okay.

INMATE DAVIS: After -- after the governor, everybody here had read the autopsy report back in '76 that said, Mr. Shea was not decapitated.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Okay.

INMATE DAVIS: And err -- and it seemed to me that everybody knew that and when it came up, I went wait a minute. And I kind of sat like this. I said, wait, did -- didn't anybody read the autopsy? Okay. Maybe I shouldn't be asking questions here, but that's what I said. And the -- and Ms. Fritz took exception, very strong exception to that.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Okay. What's the question on? Now that we got that part down, what's the question on that?

DEPUTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY LEBOWITZ: Where is the inmate's relapse-prevention plan for defensiveness that he described as a trigger to Commissioner Fritz in the last hearing?

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: You said he had a relapse-prevention plan?

INMATE DAVIS: Yes.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: A relapse-prevention plan for?

DEPUTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY LEBOWITZ: Everything other than defensiveness.

INMATE DAVIS: Well, I, um --

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: What's your answer?

INMATE DAVIS: Where is it?

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Yes, sir.

INMATE DAVIS: It's in, uh -- probably in, uh -- around, uh, media things that, uh, I'd be aware of, it's around other people who might take exception to my being out.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Okay.

INMATE DAVIS: Uh, uh, the getting along in just a regular, uh, society out there, I -- I -- I -- I tried to make that somewhat clear. Uh, I didn't really think about it in those literal terms.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Okay. Go ahead, ma'am.

DEPUTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY LEBOWITZ: If the inmate were faced with physical aggression once he gets released because he was part of the Manson family, what would the inmate's plan be?

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: What's your tools for coping with that?

INMATE DAVIS: I would retreat.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Okay. Okay.

DEPUTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY LEBOWITZ: May I have a moment, please?

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Yes, ma'am.

DEPUTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY LEBOWITZ: Can the Panel please ask the inmate why he bought the 9-millimeter pistol under a fake name?

ATTORNEY BECKMAN: Objection. Asked and answered. Mr. Davis answered.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Yeah, he did. He did answer that. Um.

DEPUTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY LEBOWITZ: Hmm, may I just have one more moment?

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Sure.

DEPUTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY LEBOWITZ: I have no further questions. Thank you.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Thank you. Counsel, would go to you for your questions of your client.

ATTORNEY BECKMAN: Just a few, Commissioner.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Sure.

ATTORNEY BECKMAN: The 2017 hearing you were asked whether if the families of Mr. Hinman and Mr. Shea objected to you discussing yourself even during, uh, uh, s -- a church service, that you would not do it. Is that still the case?

INMATE DAVIS: Uh, if I remember right, they said if you would harm --

ATTORNEY BECKMAN: Okay, that's correct.

INMATE DAVIS: -- someone, I said if I was going -- if I were to harm someone, I certainly would not do it.

ATTORNEY BECKMAN: Okay. Were you a reluctant participant in the murder of Gary Hinman?

INMATE DAVIS: Reluctant? I was a participant, absolutely, but, yeah, I -- I was reluctant to get my hands wet. I was reluctant to do the things that I had convinced myself if I didn't do, I'd be okay. So I was reluctant to that. I -- eh, I wasn't reluctant enough not to do anything because o -- obviously did in the -- in -- for Mr. Shea and with Gary, I had a gun.

ATTORNEY BECKMAN: The same question about, uh, Mr. Shea.

INMATE DAVIS: Well Mr. Shay, yes, I was reluctant but I wasn't reluctant enough to stop me so. Sad to say.

ATTORNEY BECKMAN: Okay. I have nothing further.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: I'm going to go back to the close -- closing statement from, uh, the district attorney and inmate counsel. Each -- each counsel have 15 minutes.

DEPUTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY LEBOWITZ: Thank you. The District Attorney's Office requests that you find the inmate unsuitable for parole and the main issues I'd like to -- to address within our new, structured decision-making format framework are the, uh, specific case factors, and I'd like to address three areas: number one, the inmate's implausible denial of his involvement in the actual murders of both Mr. Hinman and Mr. Shea and his minimization of the facts; the second would be lack of insight; and the third would be, uh, the Lawrence factors regarding in re Lawrence. First, I'd like to address the implausible denial pursuant to in re Busch, B-U-S-C-H, at 246 Cal App 3rd, page 953. The Busch case states that where the inmate's version of the events is contrary to the facts established at trial and is inherently improbable, this reflects on the inmate's credibility and indicates a refusal to admit the truth to himself and others. This establishes nexus -- strike that. This establishes a nexus to current dangerousness because it indicates the inmate is hiding the truth and has not being -- been rehabilitated sufficiently to be safe in society. In this case, the enemy -- the inmate has shown implausible denials and minimization of the facts in several areas. The inmate gave his 9-millimeter pistol to Bobby Beausoleil for the purpose of robbing and killing Mr. Hinman. As he told the Panel, it was a plan to get the money from Mr. Hinman and that he knew that they were going to do anything they could to get the money. And I've -- in the 2017 hearing, he also told us that something bad may very well have happened. Now, this is contrary to the inmate's version that he just sort of gave a ride to the people and when he came into the house, when Manson -- when he -- when he received the call that Gary wasn't cooperating and Manson needed to come back, he continually told the Panel I simply held the gun. In the last hearing in 2017, it's described on the record, and I don't have a page number, but that he held it at chest high with his thumb cocked toward the ceiling and -- and his finger indicating across his chest. That is an act of acting like an enforcer, acting as an intimidator, acting as Manson's right-hand man, hitman, gunman, and the way he described it today was well, I simply walked in the house, I wanted to get the gun back, I wanted to protect my own hide, and so I took the gun and I simply held it. When specifically asked to demonstrate how he held it, he really kind of skirted the issue and he didn't demonstrate, and he just kind of made an excuse about why he had the gun. Now, if he bought the gun under a fake name, it would not be traced back to him and the inmate told the Panel that his biggest fear was that he was going to be somehow involved because the gun was going to be traced back to him and that the bullet was going to be traced back to him, but there would not be a way to have that happen because the gun was registered in a different name. He also told the Panel that he left the Hinman residence because he couldn't stand this -- the shock factor of this violence and the bloodshed. Now, he also told the Panel that he would have done anything at all costs to obtain Manson's approval, and if he is going to show cowardice at the sign of blood, knowing that the philosophy of Helter Skelter was that there was going to be a race war, there was going to be slaughters, there was going to be death, there was going to be destruction, then the fact that he was going to show cowardice at the sign of this blood is implausible because he told you he was going to do anything he could to get Manson's approval. He said he drove back to the ranch because Manson needed a car and they -- he took Gary's car. Well, he also told you he was selfish and he also told you he didn't care about Mr. Hinman and he didn't care about anybody else. So this act of selflessness that he could provide Mr. Manson and the rest of the people a ride back with his car seems implausible. The reason that he took Mr. Hinman's car was to further the conspiracy to get the money to fund Helter Skelter, to bring upon the revolution, to murder and slaughter innocent people. Now the Donald Shea murder, he told the Panel that he didn't stab Mr. Shea and that he cut him, and that it happened in the morning after they were going to go to the auto-parts store and it was my understanding that there was actually a pile of auto parts on the ranch. This was a huge ranch of several acres and it was my understanding this wasn't like an auto-parts store like the Pep Boys. They were going to go to some other portion of the ranch, but in any event, this is contrary to the testimony established a trial by Ruby Pearl who testified that the murder happened at night and not during the day and that she observed Manson, the inmate, Steve Grogan, and Tex Watson surround Mr. Shea and take him away, and it wasn't, like, hey, Shorty, you want to go get some auto parts. Now, Mr. Shea's nickname was shorty, but that was a really sarcastic nickname for him because he was a -- a ranch hand, he was a stunt man, he was over six feet and there would be no way that somebody could really overtake him one-On-One. Tex Watson, though he was tall, he was a thin man and there'd be no way for simply the one of them or the two of them to overtake Mr. Shea. They would have needed four of them. Barbara Hoyt testified under oath that later that night she heard screaming as Mr. Shea was being attacked and scabbed (SIC), heard blood curdling screams and recognize Mr. Shea's voice. The murder simply did not happen as the inmate has described to the Panel and his complete implausible denial minimizes his role to make himself look good. Now, we ask at these hearings how is the inmate different today than he was then? Now, the inmate may be more educated today, the inmate not have -- may not have committed any, uh, violations in prison, but the inmate is still just as narcissistic today and still cares only about himself to save himself, and that is evident by his minimization of the facts that occurred during these two murders. Another example of this is that he told the Panel that he was asked to go on both the first night and the second night. Regardless of whether or not he knew where he was going, he said he was asked, and this is another example of his narcissism and his interest in becoming or -- or appearing to be a better man than he is because if he were truly interested in obtaining Manson's approval, if that's all he was doing, then what better way to show him that he was down for the cause and down for the philosophy of the revolution? He told the Panel -- the inmate told the Panel I told Manson that his philosophies were silly, they were preposterous, but yet he stayed. He stayed with the family. He stayed after all of the bloodshed. He also told you that he said I was never afraid in my life until he heard the word of God to tell him that he wasn't going to take more drugs, and he wasn't afraid after Mr. Hinman was tortured, after Mr. Hinman was murdered? He knew what the family was capable of. He wasn't afraid after the massacre at the Tate residence? He wasn't afraid after the slaughter at the LaBianca residence? He wasn't afraid after they surrounded Mr. Shea and stabbed him to death? The inmate stayed with the family for months after, continuing to build the dune buggies, continuing to provide a vehicle to get away to perpetuate the revolution. In addition, the evidence tells us that he carved a swastika in his forehead to show his allegiance to the family because that's what they did to show their unity and to show that -- that they were part of a group and continued with their philosophy. The second reason to deny the inmate parole is that he continues to lack insight. He submitted some remorse letters that were written in 2009 I think it was, and that he has -- uh, 2010 and that he hasn't -- one, um, I -- I strike that. One, uh, the -- the letter to Mr., uh, Shea's family was written in 2009 and the letter to Mr. Hinman's family was written in 2010. These letters appear to be shallow. They sh -- they show that he is still exhibiting a callous disregard for the impact that it had. Now, he's -- tells us here in this room that he is very remorseful, but what does this letter say? Uh, the letter to the Hinman family: I had nothing personally against Harry (SIC), but I chose to join a criminal gang, which robbed and killed him. He doesn't admit to participating in the torture, he doesn't admit to participating in the enforcement of the torture. It's -- it's very shallow and it shows -- continues to show a callousness of his participation in that murder. Same argument with the letter to the fe -- to the Shea family. Again, I chose to join a criminal gang which senselessly murdered and robbed him. Well, Mr. Davis was part of the group that surrounded Mr. Shea and stabbed him to death. But again, this remorse letter is part of his minimization. The inmate told you he didn't value anybody else; he only valued himself, but I'd say the opposite was true. He valued himself so much at the expense of others, and as a result, many people were slaughtered and murdered. Again, an example of the inmate's lack of insight and remorse: during the s -- interview for the Comprehensive Risk Assessment, the 2017 by Dr. Carman, when asked the inmate what he could have done to avoid committing the offense, the inmate simply talked about the pre-offense factors. He did not talk about what happened after Mr. Hinman's murder, after the residence -- uh, the Tate residence murder, after the LaBianca murder, none of that to prevent further killing and destruction from occurring. Thirdly, the case of in re Lawrence as applicable: the holding of that case was cited in the governor's letter. I won't use my time to review the case law. However, despite the fact that the inmate was charged and convicted of only two of the nine charged murders, his involvement with the Manson family puts him in the Lawrence category. He stayed with the family despite all of the death and destruction that they caused, he continued in the conspiracy, and then he murdered Mr. Shea to cover it all up. His involvement was just as heinous, just as cruel, and just as -- as -- just as despicable as any other Manson family member. As a result, his involvement falls within the letter of the law of in re Lawrence. If I do say one positive thing or two positive things about the inmate, the inmate did not blame the crimes on his drug usage and I know that's an easy out to do that, but he didn't do that. He has blen dis -- he has been disciplinary-free in prison for quite some time. However, those two things are not outweighed by the factors supporting a finding of unsuitability as I've described to this Panel. Please find the inmate unsuitable for parole at this time. Thank you.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Thank you. Counsel, we'll go to you for your closing statement, please.

ATTORNEY BECKMAN: Thank you, Commissioner. Mistaken testimony as to the time of Shorty Shea's murder, ten-year-old remorse letters, lay personal opinions regarding insight, responsibility, remorse in the face of -- of expert after expert saying otherwise, and a complete misunderstanding of Lawrence; that's what the district attorney has here today, and that's what they've offered you as a reason to deny my client parole. On January 28th, 2010, October 4th, 2012, March 12th, 2014, August 27, 2015 and February 1st, 2017, the Board saw otherwise. My client's had five grants in a row. Mistaken testimony: this is from the transcript of Steve Grogan's parole hearing in May of two thou -- excuse me, um, October 20th, 1981, well, that morning I was awakened by Charles Manson and still half-asleep, told me to get the car and handed me a pipe wrench. Told me to hit Shorty in the back of the head as soon as Tex gave me the go ahead or gave me the signal. Morning. That's it. Two people say different, but the truth is what difference does it make if it's morning or it's night? The facts have been described accurately. Okay. Ten-year old remorse letters as evidence of current lack of remorse or insight? I -- I'm not even going to waste my time on that. Lay personal opinion regarding insight, responsibility, and remorse. I'm going to take you to Dr. Pritchards (phonetic) as -- as one example because every -- pretty much every evaluation going back years says the same thing, and this one is in 2013 I believe. Let me just double check that. Yup, October 20th, 2013. Page 6: Mr. Davis speaks directly and thoughtfully. He appears to have set -- spent a good deal of time exploring the dynamics of his thoughts, feelings and motives and how they impelled his behavior in the past and how he would like them to direct him in the future -- in the present and future. He does not try to rationalize, justify, or excuse his previous behavior, but simply states he was thoughtless, immature, and dependent. In general, Mr. Davis appears to be taking opportunity in prison to develop relatively comprehensive insight and self-awareness. Page 10, he speaks openly and accepts responsibility for his behavior. He does not minimize, deflect from, or deny his participation. He has spoken about the offense at great length over the years and has expressed increasing understanding and acceptance of his responsibility and participation. He speaks thoughtfully and with emotion. He is attempting to further elaborate the thoughts, feelings, and motives he presented in the self-assessment of (inaudible). He does not -- he does not try to rationalize or excuse his behavior. He expresses his remorse openly and without qualification. Page 18, this is the last sentence of the -- of the psych evaluation. At this time, there seems a little more he can do to further reduce his risk beyond just continuing to age. So here we are, six years later, and the Board has ignored political considerations and obeyed the law by finding him suitable for parole in the -- a -- and you -- you must at one -- some point have to say why bother? Because the governor's going to take it again, right? I mean, but that's not the law. You guys have to do your job the way you see it, and if the governor chooses to play politics with my client's life again, then he's going to do that because my client is a political prisoner at this point, plain and simple. Doctor after doctor, FAD doctors say he has good insight into this crime, he accepts full responsibility for it, and he has genuine, heartfelt remorse. Okay. In 2009 did he have genuine, heartfelt remorse? Probably not. He got -- he's gotten better and better over the years with it. Uh, I'm -- Dr. Carman's negative comments are based on one thing and one thing only: her belief that Mr. Davis told the prior doctor, Dr. Goldstein, that he was going to go out on a public lecture tour for profit based on his experiences as a member of the Manson family. It's not true. I've been contacted over the last five, six years by multiple news outlets including Anderson Cooper, Dr. Phil, and lots of people. They want to interview Mr. Davis. They're willing to pay him for the interviews. I always present them cause that's my job. He won't do it. He will not do it. He's not interested in making a penny off of his experiences in the Manson family. What he does want to do is if it won't cause unnecessary pain, he wants to help other people in a church, and I'm Jewish so I don't go to a lot church ceremonies, but what I understand it is you go in and you talk about yourself and your life and you use that as an example to other people. To show them how not to go this way or not to go that way. That's what he wants to do. It -- it got twisted and I'm not going to say any more about it. The statements I read for you from Dr. Pritchards' report pretty much say why there's no nexus between Bruce Davis' nearly -- nearly 50-year-old life crime and his current dangerousness. Despite having his freedom snatched from him five times, he's continued programming well. Every single time. He's worked hard to improve his insight, responsibility, and remorse for the crime, he's obtained transitional housing to ease the t -- uh, transition back to society, he's continued his excellent work in the PIA specialty print plant, his volunteer work, teaching classes, mentoring in the Protestant Chapel, and as a life-awareness facilitator. Elderly parole considerations weigh in his favor. He's got emphysema, he a hip replacement. Lawrence. Lawrence says there are some life crimes committed by the inmate that are so horrific that you can use them as a basis for denying parole, but it also acknowledges that it's personal culpability for those crimes. So for the district attorney to sit there and say that Bruce Davis has done the same horrific acts as Charles Manson, it -- it -- it's absurd, but Bruce Davis on multiple occasions has taken responsibility for all of it. He wasn't asked that question today, but he's taken responsibility for Tate/LaBianca, for everything that happened, and the reason is because he says he was one of the older members of the family and he was looked up to by some of them and he didn't have the moral courage to walk away. He freely admits it. Steve Grogan, the actual killer of Shorty Shea, was paroled almost 40 years ago. The reason he was paroled and Bruce Davis hasn't been, he knew where the body was. Of course he knew where the body was because he killed the guy and he buried him. My client didn't do that. Steve Grogan, by all accounts, has been a model citizen since being out on parole. The district attorneys, they're entitled to their opinion but you have to take it for -- for -- for what it's worth because they have on multiple occasions and they -- they always will. They oppose every single Manson family member regardless of whether they've rehabilitated themselves, a -- a -- and that's okay, they're entitled to do that, but don't be misled that th -- they're picking on Bruce Davis in particular every single one, every single time, except for Steve Grogan because he cut a deal with them. That's it. You want to know the man Bruce Davis has become, a -- and this says it better than anything. This is a -- a letter. It's actually -- actually ten years old and he's only -- he's only done more than that, but this is cause -- this is a declaration of a Richard Kelly, and you have it, I -- I submitted it. Okay? This guy came to Bruce Davis one evening and said I'm planning on killing another inmate. For a period of hours, Bruce sat with him, prayed with him, and basically talked him down. Bruce Davis has gone from someone who lacks moral courage to help to stop horrible things to someone who actually had the moral courage to step in and help people prevent murders. I don't know what else says it better. He's never not taken responsibility in the last ten years for this crime. What he has said is I didn't want to get my hands wet. I didn't want to get my hands dirty. He's -- he's not denying his role, Gary Hinman or with Shorty Shea; he's saying, I didn't want to get my hands bloodied because that way I could justify in my mind that I didn't do it, and that was his thinking at that time. He doesn't think that way now. Read dec -- read Richard Kelly's declaration a -- a -- and tell me that Bruce Davis is not suitable for parole. He's done everything he has to do. Do the right thing again. Thank you.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Okay. Mr. Davis, you have a -- a statement you'd like to make today?

INMATE DAVIS: Yes. Thank you.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: You're welcome.

INMATE DAVIS: Well, it starts with a question. Uh, how am I different now than I was 50 years ago? Um, I said before, in 1974, I had a great internal change, a spiritual rebirth. Think what came with that was a new way of thinking, a new way of seeing myself and the rest of the world, and a set of realistic boundaries, moral boundaries, Biblical boundaries. I've found out through that experience that -- that God valued me. And as I began to absorb that, I began to see that he values everyone like he does me. So I began to just feel that everyone was as valuable as I am, nobody more, nobody less. And with that in mind, what came next was I owe everybody. I owe everybody to offer them to give to them as best as I can the things they need the most as I can -- a -- as far as I can tell. And so from -- from that day till this, I've, um -- I've -- haven't done a splendidly great job, but I've done the best I could to, uh -- to help people. I -- I want to give them a promise with a warning: if they will turn from this criminal lifestyle, they can have a better life on earth; if they'll turn to Jesus, they'll have a better life in eternity; the warning is if you don't, it's going to be all bad and most everybody who's had enough bad experience to get to prison, they understand how things could get worse. And -- and so that's the -- kind of the outlier's approach that I take. I want to, uh -- I want to help them to -- to -- to -- to be -- to just become better people. Uh, uh, uh, everybody has talents and -- and gifts and things that I want them to hone those talents. I want them to, uh, refine that gift. I want them to -- to work with that in order. And my -- my approach to them is that you're not just going to do this for yourself, you're going to do this so you can learn to help other people. Uh, God didn't give you this stuff just to eat it all yourself. You're -- you'll be responsible to -- to -- to do your side. And so that's -- that's basically the big -- the big brushstrokes of -- of what I -- what I'm interested in doing. And I've, uh -- I've done it as well as -- well, I -- I -- I -- I -- I -- I -- It tend to -- tend to say oh, the best I could. I -- I -- no. I could -- I -- I suppose I could have always done it better, but I did it as good as I could u -- under the circumstances I was in. So I want to help. I want to help them. Uh, I see -- I see, uh, people, uh, increasingly younger guys that could be my grandkids and -- and they have -- they -- they have the same kinds of attitude that I had back in the day and I'm trying to warn them. Uh, this thing you're looking at, uh, there's a -- there's a hook with that bait and, uh, it's a -- it's not nearly as -- the -- the hook is not nearly as good as the bait, but the bait is in tempt -- it's tempting. If it -- if it -- if it weren't -- if it didn't look like fun and pleasuring gain, it wouldn't be tempting, but it's got another side to it. And, uh, they, uh -- sometimes they listen and I'm glad when they do and, uh, when they -- when they do listen, I'm glad, and I've had people tell me that I helped them and I appreciate the, uh -- I appreciate them telling me that. And when -- when it doesn't, I try -- I try not to take it personal because I know that everybody has to make their own decisions, but I want to give it to them in a rational way where -- where a thinking person could give it a -- could give it a, uh -- give it a whirl in their mind to see if it's -- if it -- if there's any validity to this and, uh -- and let 'em -- and let them see the -- the results. Here's a -- here's a guy that, uh, came to prison and got to be an old guy in prison. Thankfully I've lived long enough and I've stayed out of trouble enough and I'm still alive today, but there had been, I guess, hairy moments. What I'm saying is that my -- my life now is -- is to help others. I've served God by helping his people, by helping human beings, and I want to see them do well. And I -- and I want to take advantage of any door that's open. I want to, uh -- I want to, uh, let the gospel of Christ be known and, uh, that's -- that's what I've been up to. That's what I hope to continue to doing. So when I -- when I parole, uh, when it comes to the public, the media, except -- eh, et cetera, I plan to do this: I'm going to give a big apology. I'm going to give an apology and that'll be -- that's how I'll begin. And I -- and I'm not looking to go out and, and be on the lecture tour, and that was such an unfortunate statement that was made as if I'm going to sit with Dr. Phil and, uh, I'm just not interested in that. Uh, I would -- I would be happy to be promoted into obscurity. So, but I do have a support system out there and I'm going to go out there and I -- I'm going to work at whatever is available. I've learned how to take advice, I learned how to take counsel, and I have -- I have people who will support me. I have Mr. Beckman, I have a -- I have a pastor friend in north L.A. County, I have good friends in L.A., I'll have my parole officer who's a great resource, I'll have the head of the -- of the -- the house I go to, the -- the c -- the, uh -- the -- the transitional home. So I'll have -- I'll have people that -- that are committed to my doing well, and I'm committed to listen because I know that when I go out there, it's going to be like somebody stepping off on another planet cause I -- I can't imagine the changes that have gone on and just what I see on TV is pretty -- it's just hardly believable. But I know it's real and I -- and I'm going to have to deal with it and I can learn. I can learn cause I have help. So for my friends and my family and with God's help, I'll do well. Thank you for your time.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Thank you. Uh, before we go into the victim statements, uh, we need to take a break. Uh, there's some pictures to be --

MS. ELAINE ARADILLAS: I want to do a request to take a photo just for my note taking and my records.

ATTORNEY BECKMAN: Of who?

MS. ELAINE ARADILLAS: Um, preferably the inmate.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Uh, he has to give you permission.

MS. ELAINE ARADILLAS: Okay. So do I have?

ATTORNEY BECKMAN: No.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Yeah, they said no.

MS. ELAINE ARADILLAS: Okay.

INMATE DAVIS: I thought we already had.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: So that's -- uh, thank you. Time is 12, uh, 16. We're going to take a recess at this time. We'll bring everybody back after about ten minutes.

DEPUTY COMMISSIONER WEILBACHER: We're off the record.

RECESS

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DEPUTY COMMISSIONER WEILBACHER: We're back on the record, sir.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: We're back on record. Uh, the time is now 12:40. All parties have returned to the room and at this time I go to the victim's impact statement. As part of the -- your statement, if you like, uh, tell us how these crimes affected you and your -- your impression of the inmate. Ms., uh -- Ms. Tate, uh, you're the first speaker.

MS. DEBRA TATE: Yes. My name is Debra Tate. I'm sister -- sister to Sharon Tate and besides being a, uh, family-appointed representative, I personally know exactly how the Hinman family and the Shea family feels and I have been appointed a spokesperson in the past for either or, never both at the same time. Um, regardless of what, uh, the defense counsel says, I take very detailed notes and there are many conflicts which counsel, um, has minimized or rationalized after the fact and my testimony right now is to speak to those facts because it makes a very insecure and a scared feeling not only in myself, but in the Hinman and Shea family when I report back, which as a family-appointed person I always do. In last year's notes, right here, big as life, it says Davis came out of his chair at the commissioner with a pointed finger to the point that she rolled her chair back because his finger was extended to about the mid-section point. But this time counsel is going to minimize that. Let me tell you the terror that was on the commissioner's face and that I still feel to this day because his uncontrolled temper was displayed not once, but twice during a year -- a hearing one year ago. So all of these magnificent programs that take place in this facility in particular -- this facility is better than most facilities in the state of California, he's got magnificent opportunities and has indeed taken care of them, but it still has not tempered his explosive anger in the most controlled environment possible. So this, for the first time in my history, which is the most extensive history in being able to speak out at -- at hear -- at parole hearings actually invoked real fear and terror in me, Debra Tate, not just the -- the families who typically are more afraid because I've had time to work through and conquer my fears. I think that this is huge. I think it's important that the people know. I think it's, uh, even more important that the inmate and his counsel knows so that he might better himself and therefore take care of us as a society, uh, by getting a good handle on his temper because with the narcissistic or sociopathic or at -- at various tim -- times, depending on how many years you want to go back, psychopathic behavior, we need to feel secure and quite frankly, as of last year, I feel less secure than I ever had. And as does not just the Hinman family that I'm here to represent, but the Sebring family, uh, the, um, uh, Voytek Frykowski's only relative is dead, but he's got peripheral cousins as does the Folger family and as does the world, which is reflected in the oppositions to paroles, the amount of public response that is received by these things. And, um, that's my main concern. I -- I do not trust and I -- I did trust at point, at one point. In the last few years, the trust is actually deteriorating because of the actions and because of the -- the switchbacks in -- in the stories and then that physical display. It's horrible. I -- I beg the Board to find him unsuitable based on his own physical and verbal actions, and it's just as simple as that. Thank you.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Thank you, ma'am. Ms. Kay Martley?

MS. KAY HINMAN-MARTLEY: I'm here to speak on behalf of a member of my family who cannot speak for himself, my cousin Gary Hinman. This is my fourth appearance to prevent parole from Mr. Davis and one in absentia in 2012. Then I wrote a letter, uh, asked by the district attorney to send, uh, to the hearing. I believed at that time there was no way the state of California would give a parole to Bruce Davis. And you did. So I'm back here, fourth time. Gary Hinman was a musician who left his home state of Colorado to live and work in the Los Angeles area. Gary was kind and outgoing. He was a goodhearted person who often gave others in need a place to stay for a few days or a few dollars, uh, to get by. Gary's charity is what led him to be -- befriend the wrong people, the kind of people who tortured Gary under horrific circumstances. Bruce Davis was there and participated in Gary's murder. Mr. Davis has changed his story several times over the last 50 years concerning his participation in the murder, but he was a member and a follower of the Manson family. It is well known that the Manson family is responsible for the murders of Sharon Tate, her friends, the LaBiancas, Shorty Shea and others who had the misfortune to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. I'm here today to speak on behalf of our family and remind this Panel of the devastating impact Gary's death had and continues to have on our family. Gary was only 34 years old. Bruce was 26, eight years younger. Gary's mother died only a year after Gary's murder at the age of 61. We watched the stress and the grief eat away at her until it killed her with a massive stroke. There are only three of us left in Gary's generation. I have traveled 1500 miles to be here today. I grew up with Gary, I'm here to tell you that Gary's murder has had a lasting impact on our family. The very word Manson brings notoriety every time Mr. Davis as well as the other four come up for parole. Gary w -- we -- we're -- we've no -- uh, constantly bombarded by questions from the media. Gary was held captive in his home, stabbed multiple times, cut off his ear over a period of three days. When they found him, the carpet was soaked with Gary's blood as well as spread on the walls. This wasn't a crime of passion or impulse. This was slow, calculated, and coldblooded. Bruce Davis was part of that crime, which was nothing short of heinous. I described this lest you not forget the circumstances. I understand that Mr. Davis is a model prisoner and volunteers in a variety of activities which helps his fellow prisoners. Mr. Davis knows the system and it's to his advantage to be -- not to cause trouble and to be cooperative. It's good that he contributes to the prison society and remaining in prison should be his penance for his crimes. Let him continue to contribute by remaining in prison for public safety as well as our -- already -- uh, as well as a death sentence he was given. The Davis -- Bruce Davis already has got his second chance when his sentence was commuted to life. At Bruce Davis' last evaluation by clinician, the report stated that Bruce Davis still exhibits grandiosity, lack of empathy, need for acceptance, sense of entitlement, and narcissistic need for admiration. Twice at the hearing I will vouch I also saw Mr. Davis come halfway out of his chair when he became angry at one of your commissioner's questions. I believe Mr. Davis has a cult mentality, joining Scientology, joining the Manson family and has become deeply committed to religion. If -- it is as if he's been filling a need to have something or someone to follow. Mr. Davis has said he has a need for acceptance. Will he join a zealot group if given his freedom? Manson also called himself Jesus, and Bruce followed him. I and 30-plus of my cousins ask you not to give Bruce, uh, parole. Fifty years and our family feels like it's a merry-go-round with the remaining Manson family, and we wished to keep them imprisoned for the public safety. The personality traits that made Bruce Davis a member of Charlie fam -- Charlie Manson's family remain. Thank you.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Thank you ma'am. With that in mind, uh, this Panel now will take a recess for deliberation. The time is now, uh, 12:50.

DEPUTY COMMISSIONER WEILBACHER: We're off the record.

RECESS

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CALIFORNIA BOARD OF PAROLE HEARINGS DECISION

DEPUTY COMMISSIONER WEILBACHER: We're on the record, sir.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Uh, we're on the record. Have a time of 1:33. All parties have returned to the room. Um, this is going to be a decision in the matter of, uh, Bruce Davis, CDC number B41079. Davis was committed to CDCR from Los Angeles County for two counts of, um, murder in the first degree and criminal conspiracy. The criminal conspiracy was stayed. One verdict in the first degree is running concurrent. These crimes, first murder occurred on 7/31/1969, second murder occurred on 8/16/1969. Life term commenced on 4/21/1972 for seven years of life. Minimum eligible parole date is 1/20/1976. He qualifies for elderly parole consideration on 10/5/2002, and we have two victims was to Gary Hinman and Donald Shea. And according to the California Supreme Court, in making a parole-eligibility decision, this Panel must not act -- act arbitrary or capricious and must consider all relevant, reliable of information available. In this case, the Panel has read and considered the written record before us including; the central file; the Comprehensive Risk Assessment by Dr. Carman; um, and all the additional documents. And additional documents are the d -- uh, documents received, uh, from the public as well as the inmate. We read the confidential portion of the C-File. No confidential information was relevant to our decision here today. The Panel alco -- also considered the testimony by all parties: the inmate; inmate counsel; district attorney; and the victims' representatives; and victims' next of kin. The fundamental consideration in making a parole-eligibility decision is what is the potential threat to public safety, and accordingly a denial of parole must be based on evidence in the record of the inmate's current dangerousness, as in re Lawrence and, um, having these legal standards in mind, after weighing all the evidence here today and giving consideration to the elderly parole provisions of the three judge Panel, this Panel had found that, uh, Mr. Davis does not pose an unreasonable risk of danger or a threat to public safety, is therefore eligible for parole. While the record does reflect some circumstances tending to show unsuitability, which this Board did consider during deliberations, these are far outweighed by other circumstances tending to show stability. And following the law, that is the most important thing we must do here today is follow the law. The law in the Title 15 is very specific for what we do as a parole Panel and, um, Mr. Davis does not possess a significant history of violent crimes, Mr. Davis had a stable social history prior to his divorce, (inaudible), he's shown signs of remorse, accepts full responsibility for his action, although there was discrepancies that were pointed out, but that's been explored. At 76, he's at an age that reduces the probability of recidivism. He's engaged in a multitude of activities that indicate enhanced ability to follow the law upon release. He has realistic plans for release. That is the law. Mr. Davis' decision does not diminish the fact that this life crime committed by you was atrocious and cruel. Your actions resulted in the death of two individuals, Gary Hinman, and Donald Shorty Shea. You were part of the Manson family, the Charles Manson Gang, if you will, and, um, the -- Charles Manson and his followers inflicted, uh, unmeasurable harm upon the people of Los Angeles and the nine victims that lay in the path of immeasurable harm upon the people in the state of California as well as this nation. There's no question about that. This crime was one that, uh, where the random selection of innocent victims were killed in supposedly pretext of setting up a fictitional (SIC) race war and, um, for this, you participated at -- with the Manson followers when Mr. Hinman and Mr. Shea lost their lives. Um, we must ask ourselves whether the nexus, the current dangerousness. I reviewed along with my colleague the last, uh, parole-suitability transcript. I read them all going back, uh, several years, and so Mr. Davis has remained consistent, uh, in his statements that he was responsible, although there is some issues that were brought up where the gun was held, and did he participate and, uh, uh, how much harm did he do to just Mr. Shea and so forth. He does take responsibility for the death of both victims. How it happened, we've explored that in great detail here today and so it does submit, this decision does not diminish the fact that we have a horrific crime that's impacted a lot of people. We must also look at the Supreme Court. After -- the Supreme Court says after a long period of time, immutable factors such as this commitment offense, prior criminality, unstable social history may no longer indicate a current risk of danger in light of a lengthy period of positive rehabilitation. Well, he did have it unstable social history; he was a Manson follower, part of the Manson family; willingly followed the tenets of Charles Manson; said he looked up to Charles Manson as a father figure. So that's all been considered. So, uh, we have -- almost 50 years have passed and many of circumstances tending show suitability under Title 15, Section 2402, Subsection D are present. We have a Comprehensive Risk Assessment by Dr. Carman, rates Mr. Davis as a low risk to recidivate. There are some salient and points about Mr. Davis in this report that we considered: his work history; the crime; his prior criminality; talks about the governor's reversal on the -- be -- uh, actual of reversal of 8/27/2015 because this report is, um, a little bit older; talks about his drug use; he expressed that while he's been incarcerated; goes on to talk about his institutional adjustment. He's been a model inmate by the textbooks. He's programmed, he doesn't have any violence, uh, in recent years, okay, 25 years and no violence, no -- make a rule violation for 20 years -- 25 years. Um, I think you, um -- rule violation 115 for possession of a sharpened spoon in 1975. Um, he's developed reasonable parole plans. So, um, we go on and we talk about the -- some other issues in this report that are relevant, like callousness, lack of empathy because of, uh, the statement in 2015 evaluation about one on lecture. That's been addressed and it's not, uh, relevant. He has insight into aspects of violent re-offending such as substance-abuse problems and gravitation towards the Manson family that was irresponsible obviously and, um, his age on elder parole is a factor that must be considered by this Panel or any Panel. That's the law. And the elderly parole provisions are mitigating. So overall, the doctor did rate him evaluate a low risk to recidivate, which supports the Board's decision. It goes on to say that, um, there does seem -- talked about the callous towards possible victims' families to what the lecture to it, has been addressed, and um, Mr. Davis said he's not going to be doing that. His actions, he's developed insight into some of the factors that contributed to the life crime. He has that. He's made positive improvements over the years. So on this end, as a parole Panel, he's done what we've asked him to do. He's followed the recommendations of the parole Panel. That's why there's a parole Panel to make that decision. The thing about a parole Panel, there's always somebody that's not going to like the decision and we know that no matter what we do. Well, we must do the right thing and follow the law because if we don't follow the law, why have a law? Regardless of how I feel personally, regardless of how my colleague feels personally, we must follow the law. Speaking of my colleague, I ask for his comments at this time.

DEPUTY COMMISSIONER WEILBACHER: Thank you, Commissioner Anderson. At this point, uh, for the reasons that Commissioner Anderson has placed on the record, I too, uh, uh, am 100-percent in agreement in those factors and also the horrific nature of this, um, crime and the impact that it has on, uh, people and -- and sitting on this Panel, I want to know -- I want to at least illustrate that this is as he pointed out, um, a difficult case. And with that I thank you, Commissioner, and I don't have anything else.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Thank you. Mr. Davis, this decision is not final. The decision will become final after 120 days and only after review by the BPH Decision Review Unit. The decision will then become final and in effect after about 30 additional days during which time the governor may review this decision. You'll be notified in writing if there are any changes to this decision. And in terms of, um, other issues, um, when you're released from prison, you'll be subject to the general conditions of parole required by Penal Code Section 2512, as well as any special conditions of parole required or imposed by the Department of Parole Operations under 2513. At this time. I would ask that, um, you're not, have any contact with any of the victims' next of kin, and any of -- any of the members of the Manson family if they're still around to your knowledge? I don't think they are, but, um, still it's there. I want to thank Ms. Martley and Ms. Tate for their appearance here today. I want to thank, uh, Ms. Lebowitz for her appearance here today and, um, Mr. Beckman, thank you. Mr. Davis, thank you, uh, for your participation cause you don't have to talk to us. Appreciate you doing that.

INMATE DAVIS: Thank you, sir.

PRESIDING COMMISSIONER ANDERSON: Give us the opportunity to make a decision here and, um, thank everybody for being here. The time is now 1:50. This hearing's now concluded. All right. (Inaudible.)

DEPUTY COMMISSIONER WEILBACHER: Oh, yeah. We're off the record.

ADJOURNMENT
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