Hollywood is meant to be a place where dreams come true and is filled with the rich and famous but in 1969 one of Hollywood's most promising stars would have her life viciously cut short.
Sharon Marie Tate was born on January 24 1943 in Dallas, Texas. She was the eldest of three daughters to Colonel Paul James Tate, a US army officer and Doris Gwendolyn (nee Willett). At the age of six, Sharon won the Miss Tiny Tot of Dallas Pageant but her parents didn't want their daughter to go into show business. Due to her father being in the Army, the family moved a lot and by the age of 16 Sharon had lived in six cities and apparently had found it hard to maintain friendships as a result. Her family described her as shy and lacking in self-confidence and as an adult Sharon commented that people would mistake her shyness as aloofness until they knew her better.
As she grew older, Sharon was often complimented on her beauty and was encouraged to take part in beauty pageants, she would go onto win the title of Miss Richmond in Washington in 1959. She expressed her desire to learn about psychiatry and her intention to compete in the Miss Washington Pageant in 1960 but her father received orders to be stationed in Italy and the family then moved to Verona where Sharon discovered she had become a local celebrity due to her swimsuit photo being on the cover of the military magazine Stars and Stripes. At school there, Sharon finally found some friends who could sympathise with the army family life and soon formed long lasting friendships.
Sharon then moved to Hollywood and Sharon and some friends managed to get parts as extras on Hemingway's Adventures of a Young Man, which was being made nearby and was noticed by one of the films stars Richard Beymer. Sharon and Richard went on to date during the production of the film and encouraged her to pursue acting. After a few extra roles and a few screen tests, Sharon expressed once again her desire to pursue her studies while also try out for any acting jobs but after a few months her mother, who had feared for her daughters safety, suffered a nervous breakdown and Sharon was persuaded to return to Italy.
The Tate family finally moved back to the US in 1962 and Sharon moved to Los Angeles, where she got in touch with Richard's agent who agreed to represent her and soon got her jobs on television. During this time she met French actor, Philippe Forquet, and began a relationship in 1964. They became engaged but their relationship was volatile and they broke up in 1964.
Soon, Sharon made her film debut in 1965's Eye of the Devil, the role meant going to London for filming. Although the crew were hesitant about Sharon's casting they soon were impressed with her and saw the potential for a star. After filming had finished Sharon decided to stay in London for a while where she became immersed in the fashion and nightclub worlds. Sharon's likeness was even used as the inspiration behind Malibu Barbie. It was around this time she met director Roman Polanski.
Sharon and Roman admitted they weren't impressed with each other when they first met. Roman was planning a film at the time, The Fearless Vampire Hunters, and his co-producer insisted that he hire Sharon and after that first meeting agreed to cast her on the condition she wear a red wig to cover her blonde hair. A perfectionist, Roman often got annoyed at Sharon, once complaining it took 70 shots before he got the scene he wanted, Roman also had a part in the film, his character eventually fell in love with Sharon's character. Soon, the two began a relationship and Sharon moved into Roman's London apartment after filming ended. Hair Stylist Jay Sebring, who had once proposed to Sharon but she declined, insisted on meeting Roman and although was said to be devastated soon made friends with Roman and remained Sharon's closest friend. Roman later said Jay was a lonely and isolated person who viewed the couple as his family.
Sharon Tate in The Fearless Vampire Hunters
Sharon's star only continued to rise and she admitted she was madly in love with Roman stating "Yes, there's no doubt that Roman is the man in my life" and was thought to be untraditional and modern by people at the time by stating she thought couples should live together before marriage. The two were married in Chelsea, London on January 20, 1968, Roman was dressed in Edwardian finery while Sharon opted for a white minidress.
The wedding of Roman Polanski and Sharon Tate
While the two were seen as an "imperfect couple" due to Roman's constant infidelity which he described as "Sharon's big hang up" and her wanting a traditional marriage to which he would remind her that he never agreed to monogamy to which she confided in friends her hope that Roman would change his ways. Sharon had always intended to give up acting when she was married but was pressured into continuing by Roman who told her he wanted to be married to a "hippie not a housewife". The couple moved to Los Angeles and settled in Cielo Drive in Benedict Canyon, LA on February 15 1969 after Sharon became pregnant near the end of 1968. Roman was off filming a new project in London but was due to return to Sharon on August 12 in time for the birth of their child and asked their friends to stay with Sharon until his return, these friends were screenwriter Wojciech "Voytek" Frykowski and heiress to Folger Coffee Abigail Folger.
10050 Cielo Drive
On August 8 1969, the now eight and a half months pregnant Sharon had lunch at her home with actresses Joanna Pettet and Barbara Lewis where she expressed her disappointment in Roman's delay in returning home. Later that evening, Sharon along with Jay Sebring, Wojciech Frykowski and Abigail Folger went to dinner at El Coyote Cafe returning at around 10.30pm. Musician Quincy Jones, a friend of Jay's, had planned to join the group but changed his mind.
Abigail Folger, Steven Parent, Wojciech Frykowski, Jay Sebring and Sharon Tate
In an interview just a week before Sharon was brutally slaughtered, she was asked if she believed in fate. "Certainly, my whole life has been decided by fate. I think something more powerful than we are decides our fates for us. I know one thing — I've never planned anything that ever happened to me."
Sharon Tate's Pregnancy Photoshoot
Little did the group know, they had been targeted by the Manson Family led by cult leader Charles Manson who had singled out the house as he had been there previously and was familiar with the layout. It has been found out since that Manson carried out what are dubbed the Cielo Drive Murders for vengeance. Manson apparently had aspirations in becoming a musician (he was reportedly a terrible one) and had attempted to get a record deal off of producer Terry Melcher (son of Doris Day), who had apparently rented the Cielo Drive house before. Apparently, Melcher's rejection left Manson feeling agitated and disgruntled and inspired him to take revenge on Hollywood. Manson told his Family Members to go to "that house where Melcher used to live" and to "destroy everyone in it, gruesome as you can".
The murderous team arrived a little past midnight on August 9 1969, they included Susan Atkins, Patricia Krenwinkel, Linda Kasabian and Tex Watson. Watson climbed a telephone pole near the house and cut the phone lines to the house ensuring no one inside could call for help, the group then snuck onto the premises but were soon startled by headlights, Watson stepped out of the bushes where the group were hiding and demanded the driver stop. Steven Parent had been visiting the property's caretaker, William Garretson, who lived in the guest house, he had been trying to sell William a Sony AM-FM Digimatic clock radio but he declined so after having a can of beer with him said goodbye. Watson held up a gun to the terrified Steven who begged him not to hurt him and that he wouldn't say anything but then Watson lunged at him with a knife with enough force to sever the watch from Steven's wrist and then shot him four times in the chest and abdomen, killing him leaving his body slumped in his car, he was only 18 years old. Watson then ordered the women help push the car further up the driveway. Two of the gunshot wounds Steven suffered were classed as fatal at the autopsy.
Charles "Tex" Watson, Linda Kasabian, Susan Atkins and Linda Krenwinkel
Steven's father, Wilfred, was highly critical of the handling of his sons murder, he was informed of his death over the phone and he blasted the media for only reporting on the more famous victims, leaving his son barely mentioned and forgotten. Steven's death is one of the more tragic as he was simply a teenager in the wrong place at the wrong time. The Parent family have bravely confronted the murderous Family members at their parole hearings over the years.
There is some debate as to whether Steven actually saw the murders take place as a spilt fence rail with paint chips from his car suggest that perhaps Steven tried to flee before Watson killed him. The Family members say that Steven's last words were "Please don't hurt me. I won't say anything." which many take as odd as if Steven was the first victim then why would he say he didn't see anything but that could be as he thought it was a robbery and that he wouldn't say he saw the culprits and the paint chips may have been from the Family members moving the car.
Watson cut the screen on a window and instructed Kasabian to keep watch while he snuck into the house and let Atkins and Krenwinkel in through the front door. While whispering to Atkins they awoke Wojciech Frykowski, who was asleep on the sofa in the living room with a swift kick to the head. Wojciech asked him who he was and what he was doing there to which Watson coldly replied "I'm the devil, and I'm here to do the devil's business".
On Watson's orders, Atkins and Krenwinkel found the other three occupants and forced them into the living room. Watson tied Sharon and Jay together by their necks with rope and slung it over one of the rooms ceiling beams. Jay objected to the rough treatment of the heavily pregnant Sharon so an angered Watson shot him. Abigail was briefly taken back to her bedroom for her purse and gave the killers $70, Watson annoyed by the groans of the injured Jay then stabbed him seven times killing him, he was 35 years old. Three of Jay's stab wounds were fatal as well as the gun shot.
Cielo Drive Victims - Wojciech Frykowski, Sharon Tate, Steven Parent, Jay Sebring and Abigail Folger
Wojciech hands had been bound with a towel but he had managed to free himself and began struggling with Atkins who stabbed at his legs with a knife. He managed to get out the front door but Watson caught up with him, struck him over the head with the gun multiple times, stabbed him repeatedly and finally shot him twice.
Kasabian heard "horrifying sounds" and moved toward the house and later stated that the murder of Steven had disturbed her and she wanted the others to stop the murderous rampage and before seeing any of her Family members said she even started to apologise to the gravely injured Wojciech, she told Atkins that someone was coming to stop the murders in an attempt to stop them. Kasabian then fled to their car and planned to drive far away but feared for her young daughter back at the Manson ranch so she abandoned her plan to flee and returned to the scene.
Last known photos of Sharon Tate taken by Jay Sebring days before the murder
Abigail took this opportunity to escape and made it to the pool area but Krenwinkel chased her, tackled her to the ground and stabbed her with Watson joining in, Abigail died from 28 stab wounds, she was only 25 years old, her birthday was only two days away. Her nightgown was that saturated with blood that officers originally listed her clothes as a red nightgown. Wojciech was still miraculously alive and struggling across the lawn but was then killed in a final flurry of stabbing, he was 32 years old. Wojciech had suffered 51 stab wounds and had also been struck with the butt of the gun 13 times, he had been hit that hard it had bent the barrel and broke off one side of the gun grip.
The body of Sharon Tate is removed from Cielo Drive
Now the only one left was a desperate Sharon who pleaded with the group while cradling her bump to allow her to live long enough to give birth and offered herself as a hostage in an attempt to save her unborn child saying "'Please let me live two more weeks so I can have my baby. Then you can kill me" but her pleas fell on deaf ears as Atkins coldly told her "Look, bitch, I don't care about you. I don't care if you're going to have a baby, you better be ready. You're going to die." and while Atkins held her down Watson stabbed Sharon 16 times in the chest killing her and her baby, she was 26 years old. Kasabian later stated that Sharon's last words had been calling out for her mother. Atkin's later said she had tasted Sharon's blood and that she had found it to be "warm and sticky", she also later bragged to a cell mate that the first stab wound to Sharon had "felt so good".
Autopsy Reports of the Cielo Drive Victims
Manson had instructed the group to leave something behind, a sign, something "witchy" so Atkins wrote "Pig" on the front door in Sharon's blood. But the group weren't done, they then went onto kill two more people on August 10, Leno and Rosemary LaBianca who were also stabbed viscously and the words "Helter Skelter" were written in blood.
The messages written in victims blood at the crime scenes
The coroners report stated that five of the wounds Sharon had endured were fatal. Polanski was informed of his wife's murder and quickly returned to LA where police questioned him about his wife and her friends. On Wednesday August 13, Sharon was buried at the Holy Cross Cemetery, Culver City, California with her unborn son, Paul Richard Polanski, in her arms. Paul was named posthumously after his grandfathers. Jay Sebring's funeral was on the same day but hours apart so people could attend both. Sharon's agent was the one to identify her to save her family from having to see her like that and apparently was never the same after being horrified at the injuries caused to Sharon. The Tate family weren't sure of what had happened at first as media reports had said about a fire at the house.
The Tate family grave
Life magazine did an article on the murders and featured photographs of the crime scene. Roman was interviewed and allowed himself to be photographed next to the front door still bearing the message in his wife's blood. He was widely criticised for the photoshoot but he hit back saying he wanted to find who had done this and wanted the photo to shock the readers in the hope that someone would come forward with information. Roman has since said that he was villainized in the wake of his wife's murder with the press coming up with lies about drug and orgie parties as the motive. Roman has always maintained that Sharon was the love of his life and that he always misses her and feels guilt at being able to enjoy something as simple as a sunset when she can't.
The controversial photo of Roman Polanski outside the front door of Cielo Drive with "Pig" written in Sharon's blood
Roman suspected everyone and became paranoid in the wake of Sharon's murder, his paranoia only went away after the arrest of the Manson Family. The murders caused shock waves through Hollywood with stars now being careful and installing security with many saying the free and loving 60's ended the night of the murders.
The Polanski's housekeeper, Winifred Chapman, arrived for work on the morning of August 10 and came across the horrific scene shouting "Murder! Death! Bodies! Blood!" and called police. Police initially suspected the caretaker, 19 year old William Garretson, he had stated he had heard and saw nothing on the night and had passed a polygraph test so was released. When he was interviewed decades later William admitted he had in fact witnessed a portion of the murders, it is unclear as to why he didn't disclose this to police at the time or called them during the murders, he died in August 2016.
The LaBianca scene was discovered at 10.30pm that night, about 19 hours after the murders were committed. On August 12, police declared their belief there was no connection between the two murders. On August 16, the sheriffs office raided the Manson Family Ranch (Spahn Ranch) and arrested Charles Manson and 25 others as suspects in a major auto theft ring. Weapons were also seized but due to the warrant being misdated the group were released a few days later. In a report about Sharon's murder a few days later revealed that all clues had dried up and gone nowhere but the officers at the LaBianca murders had noted a connection at the scene to The Beatles White Album as the phrase Helter Skelter had been written in blood there.
Leno and Rosemary LaBianca
Still working separate, the teams realised there was another earlier murder similar to theirs, the victim was Gary Hinman, a man who had befriended the Manson Family and who had also been violently killed with the bloody writing saying "Political piggy" and a panther paw, the symbol of political group Black Panther, Hinman's girlfriend had also been arrested days before the murder in the company of Manson Family members.
Connections to the Manson family were piling up and police realised they may be close to finding out who had committed these atrocities. A dormitory mate of Atkins informed LAPD of the Family's involvement in the murders and Atkins was arrested for the murder of Gary Hinman after she admitted her involvement. After her transfer to a detention centre she soon talked to her cellmates about all the murders. On December 1 1969, LAPD announced the warrants for Watkins, Krenwinkel and Kasabian in Sharon's murder.
The Manson Family ranch, Spahn Ranch
The trial started on June 15 1970, the prosecution's main witness was Kasabian who along with Watson, Manson, Atkins, Van Houten (LaBianca murders) and Krenwinkel had been charged with seven counts of murder and one of conspiracy, Kasabian had been given immunity in exchange for testimony as she hadn't participated in the murders, this decision caused outrage. Originally, a similar deal had been given to Atkins but she refused. Manson was granted to act as his own attorney but due to his ravings and odd behaviour was stripped of this before the trial began. On Friday 24 July, Manson appeared in court with an X carved into his forehead, this led the female members on trial to also mark their foreheads and then the rest of the Family. In later years Manson changed this to a swastika.
Charles Manson at his trial, Charles Manson near the end of his life
The prosecution shared how the start of "Helter Skelter" was Manson's main aim with the murders. Prosecutor Vicent Buliosi stated that Manson had an obsession with The Beatles' White Album and thought its message was that he should start a race war by framing innocent black people for crimes against rich upper class white people. He named this "war" after the song Helter Skelter and that the word "Pig" was written at the scene was in reference to the song "Piggies".
Kasabian's testimony further proved this by Manson's statement of "Now is the time for Helter Skelter" and he had an idea on the night of the LaBianca murders to discard Rosemary's purse in a black neighbourhood so someone would pick it up and use the credit cards and "the Establishment" would think it was a group of organised black people who had done these crimes. Kasabian had hidden the purse in a women's restroom of a service station near a black neighbourhood, it is unclear if the purse was found by police or a passerby.
Susan Atkins, Linda Krenwinkel and Leslie Van Houten on their way into court
During the trial, Family members loitered near the courthouse in a vigil with hunting knives on display. Some other Family members tried to threaten witnesses into not testifying with some turning violent, one being Kasabian herself, Manson even made a throat cutting motion to her in court. Despite efforts by the prosecution Manson flashed the jury the front page of a newspaper where then US President Richard Nixon had declared Manson guilty and had condemned the medias glamorisation of Manson, the jury declared they had not been impacted by the newspaper and the following day the three female members had declared that there was no point in the trial continuing in light of Nixon's remarks. On October 5, Manson leapt over the defence table and attempted to attack the judge but he was stopped by bailiffs and was removed from court while the female members stood chanting latin.
On November 16, the prosecution rested it's case and then so did the defence which outraged Atkins, Krenwinkel and Van Houten as they demanded their right to testify. They apparently wanted to admit their guilt in planning and committing the crimes and to say Manson had nothing to do with it, their lawyers refused to do this as they believed it was Manson who was influencing them this way so he could get away with it. In a 1987 documentary, Krenwinkel admitted that the women were being told to do this by Manson.
Susan Atkins, Linda Krenwinkel and Leslie Van Houten on their way into court
On January 25 1971, the jury returned with guilty verdicts against the four defendants on each of the 27 charges against them. At the sentencing after being condemned to death Atkins taunted the courtroom, saying, “You’d best lock your doors,” and “watch your own kids.” In Watsons trial he tried to plead insanity but everyone saw through his gamble, he had fought his extradition to California so hard that he was not included in the Manson and the three women's trial. Like the others, Watsons was also sentenced to death. All five death sentences were later changed to life in prison after the California Supreme Court abolished the death penalty in the state. Kasabian went into the Witness Protection Programme after her testimony but her current location and details on her life have been found out by the press.
Here is what happened to the murderers:
Susan Atkins (1948 - 2009) - Atkins remained in prison until her death from brain cancer at the age of 61. At the time of her death she was California's longest serving female inmate, she had been denied parole 14 times and her request for compassionate release was denied. She later admitting to not being sure why she killed Sharon and expressed remorse.
Patricia Krenwinkel (1947) - Krenwinkel remains in prison and following the death of Atkins she is now the longest serving female inmate in California. She has been denied parole 14 times most recently in 2017. At a 2004 parole hearing she placed herself at the top of a list of people she had harmed.
Charles Manson (1934 - 2017) - Manson remained in prison until his death from cardiac arrest resulting from respiratory failure and colon cancer on November 19, he was just a few days past his 83rd birthday and spent 13 years in some sort of supervised setting. He was denied parole 12 times and after 1997 he refused to attend any of his parole hearings. Manson continued to deny ever being the "mastermind" behind anything and never showed any remorse.
Leslie Van Houten (1949) - After her sentencing at 21, Van Houten became the youngest woman ever put on California Death Row and was the youngest member of the Manson Family to be convicted of murder. She has been denied parole 22 times, mostly in 2019. At her three most recent parole hearings she was approved by the board but these were overturned by California's Governor who stated she was still a threat to the public. Part of the reasons why her parole has been denied is she continually blames Manson for her actions.
Charles "Tex" Watson (1945) - Watson remains in prison. He has been denied parole 17 times, most recently in 2016. He claims he has become a born again Christian and has become a Minister. In August 1982, Southern California based group, Citizens for Truth, submitted a petition with 80,000 signatures and several thousand letters opposing Watson's parole. In later years the group along with Sharon's mother and her sisters submitted petitions with more than two millions signatures. When she was informed of Watson's later attempt at parole Debra Tate scoffed and said "we can do better than that".
Debra Tate has confronted Manson in prison, she described her older sisters killer as dead in the eyes like a shark. She has devoted her life to helping others and is still horrified at how Manson still has supporters now and that his evil cult is still as dangerous as ever and that she received increasingly violent death threats from members who were angered at her work to keep the Family members who are currently behind bars there. She says of her fight to keep the dangerous family as her life mission; "I will keep fighting until my dying breath because, unless you talk about it, history will repeat itself. It always does. We live in dangerous times." Debra also wishes for people to remember Sharon as the beautiful person she was, inside and out, and for people to not define her by her murder, she also condemns the glamorisation of killers "Society glorifies the killers rather than the victims. That's fundamentally wrong".
These murders are extremely shocking and brutal, with the murders of Sharon and Steven the most evil. All victims were killed for no reason apart from the twisted fantasies and warped reasoning of Charles Manson and the Family Members who took part in the killings especially those of Atkins and Watson are truly evil, thankfully police managed to stop the Manson Family before they could carry out anymore butchery. Sharon seemed like a nice, forward thinking woman who had everything going for her, her career was really taking off and she had found love with Roman and with her son Paul being born soon she surely would have lived a charmed life full of wonder but that was cruelly snatched away by Manson. We only only imagine the terror Sharon felt after being left until last and how helpless she must have felt to protect her child.
Full list of victims of the Manson Family