Manson Murders: The Drug Burn Theory
Benedict Canyon lay unusually quiet on the night of August 8, 1969. The sounds of Sunset Boulevard traffic barely emanated through the hills. Despite the haze, the lights of downtown Los Angeles seemed brighter than ever. A waning moon barely emanated over the artificial illumination. The Dodger game had ended at 10:30, and cars continued to snake their way up the 405. A hot day had given way to a balmy 72-degree night. By 11:30, the smokey scent of chaparral and sweet aroma of lupines still hovered over the neighborhood. With no breeze at all, the sycamore trees stood still, obscuring a bit of the glare, adding to the inky blackness of the hillside.
At 10050 Cielo Drive, actress Sharon Tate, and her friends, Abigail Folger, Voytek Frykowski and Jay Sebring, had settled down after a late dinner. The 26-year-old Sharon, wife of famed director Roman Polanski, was 8 ½ months pregnant. She was anxious for Roman to return from Europe and was not feeling well. To try and forget about her discomfort, she sat up in bed talking with Jay. Voytek was asleep on the couch and Abigail was in her room reading.
Roman had asked Voytek and Abigail to stay with Sharon until his return. The Polish-born Voytek was an old friend of Roman, with dreams of being a screenwriter. Sebring, who was Sharon’s ex-boyfriend, lived on the other side of the canyon and visited frequently. He was a hairdresser by trade, but had become the stylist to some of the biggest actors in Hollywood, counting Steve McQueen, Warren Beatty, and Paul Newman among his best friends. His connections had even catapulted him onto an episode of Batman in 1966.
There was also a caretaker on the property, William Garretson, who stayed in the guest house. The house was located behind the pool, slightly forward of the main house, with its windows facing south. He had an acquaintance over that night, 18-year-old Steven Parent, someone he had met hitchhiking that summer. Parent left the guest house around 12:15, making his way to the car.
The killers, hiding in the bushes near the main gate, would begin their slaughter within minutes. The ragtag group consisted of Tex Watson, Linda Kasabian, Susan Atkins and Patricia Krenwinkel. Armed with one Colt buntline revolver, three folding buck knives and around 40 feet of three-strand nylon rope, they nervously waited for their mission to start. Watson also had bolt cutters, which he used to cut the phone lines.
Mayhem and Death
Parent was the first to die. As he slowed his car down to press the gate button, Tex leapt out in front of the car, walked up to the window, and aimed the gun at him. Ignoring Steven’s pleas that he would not say anything, Tex shot him four times. Watson, high on speed, then began slashing at him, cutting off his watch. It was found later in the back of the car. The group then proceeded to the main house while Krenwinkel went back to the car to grab her knife. Kasabian had been told explicitly by Tex to stay by the main gate.
After failing to find an unlocked door, Tex cut the screen of the dining room window, and crawled inside to make his way to the front door. He let Atkins in, Krenwinkel soon followed. Tex, gun in hand and rope over his shoulder, led Susan to the flag-draped couch. They found Voytek asleep on the couch and Tex kicked him in the head. The startled Frykowski asked him what he was doing here, to which Tex answered, “I’m the devil and I’m here to do the devil’s business.”
Watson attempted to tie one end of the rope around Voytek’s wrists, while ordering Atkins to search the bedrooms. “Where’s your money,” Tex demanded; Voytek nodded to a desk. Atkins first brought back Abigail Folger and then finally, Jay and Sharon. Tex ordered Susan to secure Frykowski’s hands with a towel.
Jay was forced into a chair as Tex looped the rope around his neck, then swung the other end of the rope over the rafters. Then he tried to the same to Sharon. Jay struggled to get loose, yelling at Tex that Sharon was pregnant. “I told you to be quiet!” Tex shouted. Then he shot Jay, who slumped forward. Sharon screamed. Abigail interjected that she had money and took Atkins back to her bedroom for $70.
It wasn’t enough for Watson, who yelled, “This is all you got!” He then realized Sebring was still breathing, so he bent down and stabbed him to death. There was one final indignity: a kick to the face, breaking his nose.
Both Folger and Tate simultaneously asked Watson what was going to happen. “You’re all going to die!” Panic now ensued.
Frykowski got loose and made a run for it. As he ran for the front door, Folger escaped her binds, dashing down the hall. She ran right through Sharon’s bedroom and burst out onto the patio. Watson caught up to Voytek, stabbing and beating him with the handle of the revolver, managing to shoot him twice during the melee. Folger was caught by Krenwinkel on the lawn, where she was stabbed nearly 30 times, with Tex issuing the coup de grace. Watson robotically walked back into the house. Tate, who was being held down by Atkins, pleaded to live, but to avail. Watson stabbed her over a dozen times.
They then fled. None of the group ever searched the cars or looked for drugs in the house. Before leaving, Susan Atkins took a blood-soaked towel and wrote “Pig” on the front door.
In the guest house, Garretson was oblivious, allegedly. He sat listening to music and writing letters to friends in Ohio, later claiming to not have heard a thing. Krenwinkel supposedly checked the door, but never entered. Garrettson did admit to police that he noticed the door handle had been turned up.
Just the Facts
The bodies were found the next morning by the housekeeper, who ran screaming to the neighbors. After searching the main house, LAPD officers carefully approached the guest house. Hearing someone inside, they burst in and arrested a confused Garretson. A team from Robbery Homicide soon arrived. The carnage shocked the jaded LAPD detectives. An unprecedented number of forensic personnel, including the lead coroner, flooded the property. Garretson was eventually cleared after being held for two days.
The following night two more people were slaughtered, Leno and Rosemary LaBianca. They lived in a very different area of Los Angeles; 3301 Waverly Drive was located in Los Feliz. However, Charlie was very familiar with both the house and neighborhood. Once again, Tex Watson led two of the girls in murder. Mr. LaBianca was stabbed 12 times and Mrs. LaBianca was stabbed 41 times, even her spinal cord was severed. More ominous messages were left in blood: “Death to Pigs,” and “Rise,” among others.
The killers were members of the soon to be infamous Manson family, led by ex-con Charles Manson. It would take two months to link the crimes and arrest the murderers. Susan Atkins, in custody on another charge, started talking to her cellmates. Kasabian eventually agreed to turn state’s witness after her arrest. That sealed the Family’s fate.
Prosecution
Manson and four others would be convicted on a theory propagated by controversial prosecutor Vincent Bugliosi. The theory: that Manson’s belief in what he called, Helter Skelter, a racial war leading to Armageddon, combined with Charlie’s hatred of the establishment, lead to the slaughter. It won Bugliosi convictions on all charges. There was evidence at the crime scene: Krenwinkel wrote Helter Skelter on the LaBiancas’ refrigerator, although she misspelled it. A door seized at Spahn Ranch, where the Family had encamped off and on since late ’68, had Helter Skelter related verbiage that also helped support the theory.
Charlie had first heard the term in December ’68 after the Beatles’ White Album was released. The song, written by Paul McCartney, was actually about an amusement park ride, but to Manson it was a call to war. Also, “Pig” or “Piggy” was found written in blood at Cielo, Waverly Drive and Gary Hinman’s house. It was another reference to the White Album’s Piggies, written by George Harrison.
Why?
For 50 years, Helter Skelter has remained the prevailing theory. But many researchers have come to believe it was a smokescreen to hide the real intentions of the killers. The theories have ranged from mob hits, botched robbery and copycat killings. But one of the most prevalent ideas today is the drug burn theory.
Did Watson set all this up to eliminate his rivals? Was he acting on orders? Much of the theory hinges on the actions of Tex and his victims just prior to the murders.
Ironically, LAPD’s initial hunches were drug related. Small amounts of drugs were found in the house and in the cars. MDA was found in the bodies of Abigail and Voytek. As they began questioning witnesses, the stories of drugs, parties and other wild doings began to take on a life of their own. Two of the victims, Jay Sebring and Voytek Frykowski, were dealing drugs. Not large quantities, though proponents of the drug burn claim it was enough to get on the wrong side of the mob and Charlie’s handpicked killer, Tex Watson.
The theory of a drug burn gone wrong has a lot of holes; many inconsistencies that cannot be explained away. Simple conclusions are ignored. If you examine Manson’s life and his actions prior the murders, it is impossible not to see his obsessions and hatred. The real reasons for these crimes were laid out by Manson himself in the preceding months.
A Star Is Not Born
Despite the wealth of its residents, Beverly Hills had been infiltrated by the counterculture and its accompanying drug use. Every Hollywood party would have hangers on and street dealers mixed in with movie stars. It was a strange mix, one that led to violence and death more often than the public knew. Cielo Drive was no different. It had seen its share of wild parties.
Charlie Manson had wormed his way into the lives of some of these elites and expected their help in becoming a star. Having learned guitar during his years in prison, Charlie thought of himself as a virtuoso and a pied piper to the lost children of the late 60s. Mega stars like the Mamas and the Papas, the Beach Boys, Dennis Hopper and super producer Terry Melcher, son of Doris Day, came to know Manson very well. Manson convinced himself that Melcher made promises to make him a star. Melcher did not help himself by auditioning Charlie twice and getting studio time with the Beach Boys. Success was just within the ex-con’s reach; he could taste it. But Melcher did not come through with a recording contract. Resentment turned to rage.
The House on a Hill
Melcher had lived at Cielo with his girlfriend, actress Candice Bergen, for over two years, but moved in January ’69. Fear of Manson drove him out, as Charlie had become impatient at not becoming a star. Manson had been to Cielo many times and so had Tex. In March ’69, Manson dropped by unannounced supposedly looking for Melcher. Instead, he got thrown out by the landlord, but not before locking eyes with Sharon and Voytek.
In December, Charlie had sent Tex to see Melcher at Cielo, asking for money. It was early on a Saturday morning, close to Christmas. Tex just snuck onto the property and reached the kitchen, where he was confronted by the maid. Bergen happened to walk in and was very upset at seeing him, demanding to know why he was there. Before he could answer, she told Tex to get out. Melcher came running in and ushered Tex out of the house. He told Tex he did not have any cash on him, and his bank was closed. It forced Tex to leave empty handed. He later described the experience as humiliating, especially when Bergen told him to get out. One has to wonder if that was on his mind eight months later during the killing spree.
Stranger In a Strangeland
Charlie met Melcher through a surprising friendship with Dennis Wilson and for a time, lived with the Beach Boys drummer. Two of the girls had met Wilson hitchhiking in 1968 and he brought them back to his mansion. After telling Charlie all about it, the scheming Manson then invited himself over, along with his bus full of girls.
While writing songs and playing guitar at the Wilson house, the former pimp used the girls to entice Dennis and Terry, along with other famous friends. Wilson’s ex-wife found out about the drug-fueled orgies, threatening to take him to court over visitation rights. In August 1968, Charlie, Tex and the girls were thrown out for good. The Beach Boys later used one of Manson’s songs on an album without crediting him, adding to his rage. Charlie had tasted fame and fortune, but it slipped away.
Dennis Wilson was also the link between Charlie and Tex. Wilson’s car broke down one night and he was thumbing it when Tex offered him a ride. Watson had no idea who he was until they got to Wilson’s house. Inside were a horde of crazed women and the disheveled Manson. Drugs, particularly LSD, were plentiful.
Powder Keg
After the split with Wilson, the family alternated between the L.A. area and Death Valley, where Charlie said they would hide from Armageddon when it came. Tex Watson and others came and went, never really staying too long with the group until the following year. After the Beatles’ White Album was released in December 1968, Charlie began using their lyrics to explain his theory of a race war coming down. Songs like Helter Skelter, Piggies and even Blackbird stirred in Manson’s mind. He became so obsessed with it, that he believed the Beatles were speaking to him through their music. One day he tried to call the band, actually reaching a switchboard in London. This was not a well man.
The impatient Manson would have a final confrontation with Melcher in June at Spahn Ranch. Charlie’s world began to breakdown, his destiny denied, control slipping away. He realized he would never be a star. Now, it was time to make the piggies pay.
Charlie started taking his resentment out on the girls. Violence became a daily occurrence at the ranch, punching and slapping the girls. He destroyed many of their instruments. Drug use increased. Some family members began planning to leave. The vibe had turned evil.
Tex’s Drug Burn
Tex knew how to conduct a drug burn. Just a month before, he had burned mega dealer Bernard Crowe on a marijuana deal that his girlfriend had set up. This crime seemed to set in motion a series of events that ultimately led to Cielo.
By June ’69, Charlie was desperate for money and started badgering Tex. First, he told him to ask his drug dealer girlfriend for money. But they soon hatched a plan to go much further. “Luella,” the girlfriend, had been looking to get her hands on some supply because pot was scarce at this time. Tex had told her that his vending machine connection would only sell 25 kilos at $2,500. The Family only wanted a kilo, so they needed to sell the rest, but who needed all that pot? Luella knew just the person: Crowe. They set it up for July 1.
Crowe was suspicious of Tex from the start. He refused to let them out of his sight until they got to the building where the sale was supposed to take place. After a lot of fast talking and a final bluff, Crowe finally let Tex go inside to make the deal without him. But he would hold Luella hostage until he got his product. Tex could care less. He took the money from Crowe, walked in one side of the building and out the other, where T.J. Walleman, another family member, was waiting with a car. They sped away.
Crowe was enraged. He took Luella back to a friend’s apartment where she was now his hostage. Then he called the ranch and threatened to kill everyone there. Charlie got T.J. and headed down to the apartment with the buntline revolver. After confronting Crowe, he shot him in the stomach. Thinking he was dead, Manson and T.J. fled back to Spahn. The 23-year-old dealer was very much alive but did not rat them out. He ended up at the hospital, where police questioned him after surgery. Manson would not find out about Crowe’s survival until months later. Events now began to spiral out of control.
Prelude to War
Still in dire need of cash at the end of July, Charlie found a new target, their friend Gary Hinman. Hinman was a music teacher and part time drug dealer. Family members Bobby Beausoleil, Susan Atkins and Mary Brunner were sent to shake Hinman down. Based on his dealing, Charlie thought he must have lots of cash sitting around. He didn’t and refused to help anymore. After three days of torture, Bobby stabbed Hinman to death. Following Charlie’s orders to make it look like Black Panthers had done it, Atkins wrote “political piggy” on the wall before leaving.
Many claim the Tate murders were supposed to be a copycat of the Hinman killing in order to get Beausoleil out of jail. Beausoleil had been arrested for the murder on August 6. Then on August 8, two of the girls were picked up using stolen credit cards. No one had bail money. The pressure on Charlie reached a boiling point.
The Theory
The drug burn enthusiasts would have you believe that Jay and Voytek were scheming drug lords and Benedict Canyon was equivalent to the Columbian jungle. Then they clashed with the drug empire of Charlie and Tex. Nothing could be further from the truth. Both Jay and Voytek were rather inept dealers. There were no drug factories processing cocaine. Just two guys selling small amounts out of their cars.
There is a small element within the conspiracy community that tries to absolve Manson of any fault in these murders, saying it was “Tex’s thing.” Tex was somewhat mob connected and Manson defenders like to deflect on that point, saying Watson was at Cielo of his own accord, trying to push Jay and Voytek out of the drug business. However, Manson admitted sending them there, although claimed that killing was not part of their mission.
Two significant rumors have been circulating since the murders; both are used to prop up this theory. Voytek had allegedly been given the exclusive rights to deal methylenedioxyamphetamine (MDA), from a local dealer named Pic Dawson. The other, even more salacious rumor, was that local drug dealer Billy Doyle had burned Voytek and Jay on a drug deal. Then, as punishment, Voytek and friends raped him at a party on August 5, 1969. Hence, the Doyle revenge plot.
No one knows the exact origins of these allegations. However, several people claim to have witnessed the event. One source for the Doyle rape and other sexcapades was the late actor Dennis Hopper, who attended several parties at Cielo and other places in the Canyon. Videotapes or 8mm film supposedly existed of that party and many others. We know that Bugliosi had the LAPD give back some 8mm film to Polanski.
Where do Tex and Charlie fit into this theory? They don’t. The only person worse than Voytek and Jay at running a drug operation was Charlie Manson.
Holes in the Theory
A number of factors work against the idea that Cielo was a hotbed of drug kingpins and that the murders were some kind of failed burn that descended into mayhem:
1, Crime Scene — Drug burns do not usually involve mass slaughter. They are robberies in which the perpetrator flees quickly. Exhibit A would be Tex’s behavior during the Crowe drug burn just a month before.
2. Watson and the mob — Many point to Tex Watson’s involvement with a mobster named Eugene Massaro and his associate Joel Rostau as proof of his drug empire. Tex briefly mentioned it in his book, though he does not name the mobster. Massaro had a vending machine business that was a front for drug dealing. Watson was just one of many “street-level” people employed to deal. He may have even shaken down buyers. But the idea that Massaro or any other well connected mob associate would hire a heavy drug user as a professional hitman is nuts. Nor would Massaro be worried about guys like Voytek and Sebring. The mob was moving thousands of pounds of heroin and coke each week. Two dudes with a briefcase are hardly rivals.
Watson and a friend robbed Rostau in April ’69. When in need of funds, Watson did not care who got in the way. Tex was a good thief, but a bumbling drug dealer. He was never arrested or charged for that robbery. In fact, Rostau was arrested during the investigation because LAPD found drugs in his house. There was another indirect connection between Sebring and Tex: Rostau was dating Jay Sebring’s secretary. She was present at the robbery and tied up with him. In 1970, Rostau was found murdered, stuffed into the trunk of a car at Kennedy Airport.
3. Gang of Losers — If Tex was the mastermind of the drug burn, why did he pick such a strange crew to come along: the mother of a 1-year-old (Kasabian), a girl suffering from venereal disease so badly, she was unable to wear shoes because of sores on her feet (Atkins); and another of Charlie’s girls who he hated (Krenwinkel). Only the bizarre mind of Manson could have put that group together. This “elite” group left one of the knives behind and did not wear gloves. Atkins, who had stepped in blood repeatedly, left a bloody footprint.
4. Choice of Weapons — They brought an old revolver, 3 cheap buck knives and 40 feet of rope. The rope was a tad too thick to tie up robbery victims. It was more for hanging. Are there a lot of hangings at drug burns? How many big-time dealers are walking around with large amounts of rope?
5. The LaBiancas — The drug burn crowd can never explain the LaBianca murders. No evidence that Leno or Rosemary sold drugs has ever surfaced, yet they still claim a very circuitous connection between all seven victims that involves Rosemary’s dress shop. Listening to these folks trying to connect the dots on the LaBiancas is a lesson in illogic.
6. The murder of Steven Parent — Drug burns are supposed to be all about stealth: getting the money and getting away. But Tex shoots the first person he sees at Cielo. Does that make any sense? Tex and the girls are hidden in the bushes above the property. Steven could not see them. Shooting Parent is not exactly the smartest move. The noise would possibly alert everyone there of his presence, including the neighbors; proof positive that it was all about killing, not a drug deal.
Did Tex mistakenly stop Parent thinking it might be Jay or Voytek? No way. This gives lie to the idea that Tex knew the victims. If Tex was so well acquainted with Jay Sebring as many claim, he would have known what kind of car Jay drove. Steven Parent was driving a ’66 AMC Ambassador, a very middle-class vehicle. Sebring, the hairdresser to the stars, would be driving his Porsche. Tex was very knowledgeable about all types of vehicles and would have known it was not Jay approaching the gate, or Voytek (who was using Sharon’s rental or Abigail’s car). Bottom line: Tex did not know anyone in that house. The entire group walked right past the cars on the way inside and never thought to search them.
7. Inept Dealer — Voytek was using his own product more often than making actual sales. He did spend that Friday afternoon at Horn Avenue with another woman. Horn Avenue was notorious for being the home of a heavy drug scene and where many of the big dealers lived. This included Bernard Crowe. But he was not picking up supplies because no substantial amount of drugs were found inside the house. Same with the cars.
8. Sebring, a major drug dealer? — Jay used cocaine to lure in his clients: it took the edge off. There was no large-scale distribution network. His net worth as complied during the investigation was unimpressive for such a well-connected Hollywood guy, a classic case of asset rich, but cash poor. He was heavily leveraged with his home, cars, boat, and two shops. The business was about to go national. That was his goal, not being a dealer. In his Porsche, LAPD found a small amount of marijuana, some speed in pill form and something resembling LSD that was never conclusively confirmed. Sebring supposedly told his secretary that he got burned in a deal the first week of August ’69. Hardly the motif of a drug kingpin. A suspect was never found.
9. Manson and Watson Mega Deals? — According to Family member Vern Plumlee, Manson and Watson were doing deals worth upwards of $20 or $30k allegedly, but where did that money go? By August, they were desperate for cash. They could not even come up with $600 to bail two of the girls out of L.A. County. Big dealers are never broke.
10. Creepy Crawls — Throughout 1969, Charlie would lead the family on what were later called, “creepy crawls.” These were trips to suburban homes where they would sneak in and move the furniture or even a picture of two. One time they turned on the stereo just to freak the owners out. But they took nothing. Sometimes the owners were home and would hear them. Frozen by fear, they would do nothing. During the trial, Linda Kasabian testified to these actions and Susan Atkins had explained the crawls in front of the Grand Jury. Both described the experience as “scary.” Tex Watson said it was all for Helter Skelter.
11. Build Up — Charlie and the Family had killed before August 9. So, it’s not a stretch to believe they would kill again. Years after the murders, family members talked about Charlie’s obsession with killing. One of the ranch hands who testified at trial, talked about how many times Charlie had asked him to help kill in the spring of ’69. None of those Manson requested to be killed were known to him or involved in the drug trade. He was picking people at random. Later in August, Manson, Tex and two others, murdered ranch hand Shorty Shea, believing him to be a snitch. Killing had become a way of life.
Lying With His Eyes
The Tate and LaBianca murders were meticulously planned by Manson. Slaughter on this scale was meant to send a message. He cased both Cielo and Waverly Drive. The Family creepy crawls were dry runs for the murder spree. In the late 1980s, one of the girls told a reporter that Charlie had been at Waverly Drive a week before the murders. Drugs were not the reason. The victims were not threats to anyone. Drug dealing for this crowd was just a hobby.
Charlie was an embittered and desperate man by August of ’69. Rage and resentment ruled his final days as a free man. Family members had fled, others were getting arrested, and any chance of a music career was gone. He wanted to bring it all down by striking at the establishment. Fear was his weapon. His hatred towards African Americans made him believe in a racial Armageddon. Helter Skelter was real to him. The time was now.
It was an era of incredulity, but sometimes the obvious answer is the right answer. Manson revealed who he was long before August ’69: a sick, vengeful killer, who manipulated a group of desperate people into murdering for him. In doing so, he achieved the fame he craved.
May the victims rest in peace.
Sources:
Books
- Bugliosi, Vincent, and Gentry, Kurt. Helter Skelter: The True Story of the Manson Murders. New York: Bantam Reissue 1995 (Original work published by W.W. Norton, 1974).
- O’Neill, Tom and Piepenbring, Dan. Chaos: Charles Manson, the CIA, and the Secret History of the Sixties. New York: Back Bay Books 2019.
- Sanders, Ed. The Family. Da Capo Press (Revised Edition), 2002.
- Watson, Tex and Chaplain Ray. Will You Die For Me? The Man Who Killed For Charles Manson Tells His Own Story. Fleming H. Revell Company, 1978.
LAPD Investigative Reports
Cielo Drive Property Report, August 9, 1969. M.J. Granado, Los Angeles Police Department (#7692)
· First Tate Homicide Investigation Report, August 9, 1969. Lt. R.J. Helder, Supervisor of Investigations, Robbery Homicide Division, Los Angeles Police Department.
· Second Tate Homicide Investigation Report, September 1, 1969 — October 22, 1969. Lt. R.J. Helder, Supervisor of Investigations, Robbery Homicide Division, Los Angeles Police Department.
Websites
· Cielodrive.com (great archival photos and updates on the case)
· Mansonblog.com (best Manson-related site on the web)
· Murdersofaugust69.com
