For decades, the prevailing story of the Manson murders held that Charles Manson masterminded a murderous plot to ignite a race war inspired by the Beatles. But Joe Berlinger argues the infamous story never added up.
The true crime filmmaker directed a three-part Netflix docuseries titled “Conversations with a Killer: The Charles Manson Tapes.” It features previously unreleased prison audio from the cult leader and some of his “Manson Family” members.
In 1969, the career criminal who surrounded himself with runaways and other lost souls directed his followers to commit a series of murders in and around Los Angeles. Prosecutors argued the killings were part of Manson’s “Helter Skelter” plan to ignite a race war.
But after studying the previously unreleased recordings, Berlinger argues the murders were instead a desperate attempt to cover up “a series of blunders.”
“This whole idea of starting a race war was a false idea,” Berlinger told Fox News Digital. “He certainly believed a race war was coming, or at least that’s what he told his followers to control them. But the murders, in particular the Tate and LaBianca murders, were an attempt to get associate Bobby Beausoleil out of prison. He told his followers, ‘He’s my friend. You guys owe me a favor. Let’s get him out of prison.'”
“The truth is I believe, and others believe, that if they had succeeded in this crazy idea of getting Bobby Beausoleil out of prison, I think Manson wouldve killed him because he was a liability,” said Berlinger. “But listening to those tapes made the story come alive, not these crazy conspiracy theories and myths that turned Charles Manson into the most mythologized figure in .”
Berlinger traces the chain of events that led to the murders to a botched drug deal.
According to , Manson invited members of the Straight Satans motorcycle club to Spahn Ranch to protect him from the Black Panthers, whom he feared, offering them access to his female followers in exchange.
“[Follower] Tex Watson tried to steal money from a drug dealer named Bernard Lotsapoppa Crowe, who wants his money back,” Berlinger explained. “Manson goes out there and doesn’t intend to kill him, but thinks he killed him, a Black Panther.”
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According to the documentary, Watson stole Crowe’s money, prompting Crowe to threaten retaliation. Manson later shot Crowe and mistakenly believed he had killed him. Crowe was not a Black Panther.
“He goes back to Spahn Ranch and becomes paranoid that the Black Panthers are going to come after him. He becomes friends with Bobby, tells him to join the family and also to help protect the ranch. Bobby becomes tight with some bikers who were also invited to protect the ranch from the Black Panthers.”
But the motorcycle gang wanted more than just women. The documentary says Beausoleil brought them drugs he obtained from music teacher Gary Hinman. The bikers were unhappy with the quality of the supply, and Beausoleil was pressured to recover their money.
“Bobby tries to get his money back from Gary and cant get it,” said Berlinger.
According to court records, during the confrontation, Manson arrived at Hinman’s home and slashed Hinman’s face with a sword, cutting him from his left ear toward his chin. Over the course of about three days, Manson’s followers tortured Hinman. Beausoleil later stabbed Hinman to death and wrote the words “Political Piggy” on a wall in Hinman’s blood, along with an animal paw print intended to implicate the Black Panthers.
“Gary Hinman is killed because Manson comes in, wields a sword and then tells Bobby ‘finish the job’ to cover the tracks,” Berlinger said.
Beausoleil was arrested about a week after Hinm
