Aug. 27 – The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation’s Board of Parole Hearings (BPH) issued a grant of parole today for convicted killer and former Charles Manson associate Bruce Davis. Davis, 72, appeared at today’s hearing at California Men’s Colony, his 30th before the board.

The suitability finding is subject to a 120-day decision review period. If the grant is finalized at the conclusion of decision review, the Governor may conduct an independent review of the decision. Under California law, the Governor has 30 days to reverse, modify, uphold, or take no action on the Board’s decision.

Davis was sent to state prison on April 21, 1972, with a life sentence from Los Angeles County for two counts of first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder and robbery. He was convicted for the July 25, 1969, murder of Gary Hinman and the murder of Donald “Shorty” Shea in August 1969.

Aug. 3 – Prior to the 1977 retrial of Leslie Van Houten, Dr. Joel Fort, the so-called “hippie Doctor of Haight Ashbury,” interviewed Charlie Manson at the California Medical Facility, in an effort to get Manson’s own take on his influence over Van Houten prior to the LaBianca murders.

In June of the same year, Fort testified, that based on Van Houten’s own testimony, “she did harbor malice and did manifest an intent to kill another human being,” when Leslie helped murder Leno and Rosemary LaBianca. Testifying for the state, Fort’s assessment contradicted the testimony of five defense psychiatrists who had earlier testified that Van Houten was not mentally able to premeditate the LaBianca murders because of the influence Charles Manson had on her.

For four days of testimony, jurors listened to Fort’s version of Manson’s replies, however, Van Houten’s lawyer, Maxwell Keith, wanted them to hear Manson himself. On Monday, June 27, 1977, upon Keith’s request, jurors got the opportunity to listen to the Fort-Manson interview, recorded in Vacaville, in March of that same year.