Charles Manson Is Dead. Where Is the Rest of His Clan?

Charles Manson passed away o n November 19, 2017 at the age of 83. He spent over 45 years of his life behind bars for coordinating a series of brutal murders in the 1969 Los Angeles area. While Manson is dead, many members of his “Family,” who obeyed his every command and carried out his deeds, live on.

Let’s take a look at the members of the Manson Family and where they are today.

Updated August, 2019.

charles manson clan — Leslie Van Houten.
Photo Credit: Alchetron

The youngest member of the Manson family to be convicted of murder, Leslie Van Houten was denied parole 20 times. In April 2016, a two-person panel of the California Parole Board recommended granting Van Houten's parole request, but then-Governor Gerry Brown vetoed a release. Van Houten was again recommended for parole in September 2017. The following year, Brown again denied her parole. On January 30, 2019, Van Houten was recommended for parole for a third time. However, Governor Newsom followed in the footsteps of his predecessor and overruled the recommendation. Van Houten remains in prison to this day.

Davis is serving two life sentences for lesser-known Manson Family crimes, the murders of musician Gary Hinman and stuntman Donald “Shorty” Shea.

Watson is serving a life sentence for his role in the murders of Sharon Tate, her four friends, and Rosemary and Leno LaBianca in August 1969. Watson wrote a book, Will You Die For Me?, about the events of those two nights.

Krenwinkel has been imprisoned since she was 21 years old. She is serving a life sentence at the California Institution for Women. She is now the longest-incarcerated female inmate in the California penal system.

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charles manson clans — Robert "Bobby" Beausoleil in 1970.
Photo Credit: Alchetron

Beausoleil is serving a life sentence for his participation in the July 1969 murder of musician and one-time Manson Family associate Gary Hinman.

Atkins admitted to stabbing Sharon Tate in the frenzied killing of five people at a home in the hills above Los Angeles, and she also took part in the LaBianca murders the following night. Atkins never tasted freedom again after her arrest–she died in prison in 2009 at the age of 61.

Fromme did not participate in the high-profile 1969 Mason murders but gained infamy – and a prison sentence – for her attempted assassination of President Gerald Ford in 1975. Fromme was released from prison in 2009 after serving almost 34 years.

Kasabian drove the getaway car away from Tate’s home on the night of the murders and was the prosecution’s key witness against the Family. Kasabian, who did not participate in the murders, was able to trade her testimony in exchange for immunity. Today, she is believed to be living quietly in New Hampshire.

This story was first published on did you know?

Featured photo of Susan Atkins, Patricia Krenwinkel, and Leslie Van Houten: Murderpedia

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