Charles Manson was convicted of nine murders, but the question of whether he personally killed anyone has a split answer. In the Tate-LaBianca killings that made him infamous, he did not wield the weapon; his followers did, on his orders. In two other convicted murders he was physically present and, in one, prosecutors said he stabbed the victim himself. He also shot a man weeks before the Tate murders, and the man survived. Later in life he claimed on recorded prison calls to have killed people in Mexico years earlier, though no such killings were ever verified.
The Tate-LaBianca Murders: He Ordered, Others Killed
On the night of August 8–9, 1969, Charles “Tex” Watson, Susan Atkins, and Patricia Krenwinkel killed Sharon Tate, Jay Sebring, Abigail Folger, Wojciech Frykowski, and Steven Parent at the house on Cielo Drive while Linda Kasabian stood lookout. Manson was not there. He had given the order and stayed at Spahn Ranch.1Britannica. Tate Murders
The next night he went along to Leno and Rosemary LaBianca’s home. He entered the house, tied the couple up, and robbed them, then left with several followers. Watson, Leslie Van Houten, and Krenwinkel stayed and stabbed both victims to death on Manson’s orders, writing “Rise” and “Death to Pigs” in blood on the walls.1Britannica. Tate Murders As CNN summarized in its 2024 coverage, “Although Manson ordered the killings, he didn’t participate.”2CNN. Charles Manson Docuseries Murders Prison
Tying up the LaBiancas put Manson’s hands on a victim. Killing one, in these seven cases, did not.
Gary Hinman and Donald Shea: Where Manson Got Physical
The other two murder convictions look different. In late July 1969, Bobby Beausoleil went to musician Gary Hinman’s home over a drug-money dispute with Atkins and Mary Brunner. When Hinman couldn’t pay, Manson arrived carrying a samurai sword and slashed Hinman across the face, cutting from his ear down his cheek. Manson then left. Beausoleil held Hinman for three days and stabbed him to death.3Oxygen. The Story Behind Bobby Beausoleil and the Gary Hinman Murder On appeal, the court noted that Manson admitted striking Hinman with the sword and held that even though Beausoleil delivered the fatal blow, Manson was “clearly an aider and abettor, if not the primary instigator, of the robbery” and legally responsible for the murder.4FindLaw. People v. Manson
The Shea killing, around late August 1969, was closer still. Donald “Shorty” Shea was a stuntman at Spahn Ranch whom Manson suspected of informing to police. According to accounts at trial, Manson and several followers grabbed Shea, forced him into a car, drove him to a hillside behind the ranch, and stabbed him to death. Prosecutors said Manson himself stabbed Shea.5CieloDrive.com. Charles Manson Convicted of Shea, Hinman Slayings Manson was convicted of first-degree murder for Shea’s death on December 13, 1971.6California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. Inmate Charles Manson Dies of Natural Causes Shea’s remains were found in December 1977 after co-defendant Steve Grogan gave authorities a map of the burial location.7KCRA. Manson Family Key Players and Victims
The One Time He Pulled a Trigger: Bernard Crowe
There is a single confirmed instance of Manson personally shooting another person. Shortly after July 1, 1969, weeks before the Tate-LaBianca murders, Manson shot drug dealer Bernard “Lotsapoppa” Crowe with a .22-caliber revolver. Watson had stolen $2,500 from Crowe in a failed marijuana deal, and Crowe had threatened to attack Spahn Ranch. Crowe survived, though Manson believed he had killed him.8CharlesManson.com. Bernard Crowe
Manson was never formally charged with attempted murder or assault for the shooting. Prosecutor Vincent Bugliosi called Crowe as a witness during the penalty phase of the Tate-LaBianca trial on January 28, 1971, to show that Manson personally had the “ability and intent to kill.” The trial was the first time Manson learned Crowe had lived.8CharlesManson.com. Bernard Crowe9Digital Public Library of America. Bernard Crowe Court Appearance
How He Was Convicted of Murder Without Doing the Killing
The legal answer to how a man who wasn’t at the Cielo Drive house was convicted of those murders lies in conspiracy law. Under California Penal Code § 182, when two or more people conspire to commit a crime, each conspirator is legally responsible for the acts committed in furtherance of the conspiracy, regardless of who physically performed them.10Justia. People v. Manson, 61 Cal. App. 3d 102
Bugliosi’s theory of that conspiracy was “Helter Skelter,” Manson’s apocalyptic vision of a coming race war. The prosecution argued Manson believed that by ordering the murders of affluent white victims and leaving messages such as “PIG” written in blood, he could frame Black Americans for the crimes and ignite that war. The Family would hide in the desert until it ended and emerge to rule.11LitHub. The Helter Skelter History of the Manson Murders
The prosecution’s star witness was Linda Kasabian, granted immunity in exchange for her testimony. She described Manson as the Family’s absolute authority and testified that on August 8, 1969, he told the group, “Now is the time for Helter Skelter,” instructed them to take knives and a change of clothing, and leaned into the car as they left to tell them to “leave a sign” at the scene, “something witchy.”12Famous Trials. Summation
The California Court of Appeal affirmed the convictions in 1976. It found the evidence “strongly supported a theory that the homicides were the product of conspiratorial relationships and activities,” and did not require proof that Manson personally killed anyone. The court reasoned that if Manson could induce his followers to engage in extreme sexual acts at his command, the jury could reasonably infer he could induce homicidal conduct as well.13FindLaw. People v. Manson
His Own Claims of Other Killings
Manson spent decades alternately denying any role in the murders and boasting about them, and some of the boasts pointed at victims no one has identified.
At a 2012 parole hearing, a prison psychologist’s report was read aloud in which Manson had said: “I am special. I am not like the average inmate. I have put five people in the grave. I am a very dangerous man.” The deputy district attorney at the hearing said he did not know which five people Manson meant. The parole board commissioner called the remark a change from Manson’s past denials but the statement was never tied to any specific victims.14CNN. Charles Manson Parole Hearing
The 2024 Peacock docuseries Making Manson, directed by Billie Mintz and drawing on 20 years of jailhouse phone calls, aired more specific claims. In the tapes, Manson described a period before he formed the Family: “I lived in Mexico for a while. I went to Acapulco, stole some cars. I just got involved in stuff over my head, man. Got involved in a couple of killings. I left my .357 Magnum in Mexico City, and I left some dead people on the beach.”15The Guardian. Charles Manson Murders Prison Phone Call In other recordings, he made broader declarations: “I’d murder everybody I could” and “I’d kill you all if I had the chance.”2CNN. Charles Manson Docuseries Murders Prison
Britannica notes that Manson gave prison interviews over the years in which he claimed to have killed people before 1969 but never named them, and authorities never verified the claims.16Britannica. How Many People Did Charles Manson Kill His documented criminal history before forming the Family consisted mostly of auto theft, armed robbery, check forgery, and institutional offenses, with long stretches in reformatories and prisons from adolescence on.17Britannica. Charles Manson No reporting has confirmed whether Mexican authorities were ever contacted about the Acapulco claims.
Unsolved Cases Investigators Have Considered
Beyond the nine murders, the Los Angeles Police Department has kept an active investigation into 12 unsolved homicides potentially linked to the Manson Family. The department has declined to identify the specific cases publicly.18Los Angeles Times. Charles Manson Unsolved Murders Among the known unsolved cases investigators have explored:
- Reet Jurvetson, a 19-year-old from Montreal found stabbed 150 times on Mulholland Drive, identified through DNA in 2016.
- James Sharp and Doreen Gaul, found stabbed and beaten in a downtown Los Angeles alley in 1969, each with 50 to 60 stab wounds. Gaul was rumored to have been a former girlfriend of Family member Bruce Davis.
- Joel Pugh, found dead with his wrists and throat cut in a London hotel in 1969. Ruled a suicide, though Family associates have long disputed that finding.
- Ronald Hughes, the defense attorney for Leslie Van Houten, who disappeared during the trial in 1970. His body was found months later in a Ventura County creek. Bugliosi theorized it was a retaliation killing; others believe he drowned.
Prosecutor Stephen Kay said Manson once told a cellmate he was responsible for 35 murders, which Kay characterized as likely “jail bragging.” Former LAPD detective Cliff Shepard was more cautious: “We may never know or identify all their victims.”18Los Angeles Times. Charles Manson Unsolved Murders
So the honest answer runs on two tracks. On the record, Manson personally shot one person, who lived, and personally cut one victim who was later killed by someone else; prosecutors said he also stabbed Shea. In the seven Tate-LaBianca murders, the ones his name is attached to, he did not kill anyone with his own hands. Everything beyond that comes from his own mouth, and none of it has ever been confirmed.