William Garretson Testimony
Manson-Atkins-Krenwinkel-Van Houten Trial Testimony
William Garretson questioned by Vincent Bugliosi (July 24, 1970):
Q: Do you recall what you did that evening, August 8, 1969, a Friday?
A: Yes.
Q: What did you do that evening?
A: I went down to Sunset Boulevard.
Q: How did you get there?
A: Hitchhiked.
Q: All right, what happened when you got down to Sunset Boulevard?
A: I purchased a T.V. dinner and some cigarettes and some Pepsi-Cola.
Q: And what time did you return?
A: Around 10:00 o’clock.
Q: When you returned at approximately 10:00 P.M. did you see anyone else on
the premises?
A: No, sir. I did not.
Q: How did you enter the premises, through the gate here as depicted on the
diagram?
A: Yes.
Q: How did you open the gate?
A: You had to push a button right before you get to the gate, it would be on
the left side.
Q: Is the button near the telephone where I am pointing now?
A: Yes.
Q: And this would activate the gate and open it, is that correct?
A: Yes.
Q: How long would the gate stay open? Would you have to close it or would it
automatically close?
A: No. I would say about fifteen to twenty seconds, something like that.
Q: When you arrived back at the premises did you notice any telephone wires
on top of the gate or on the ground or anything like that?
A: No.
Q: Did everything seem to be in order?
A: Yes.
(Missing testimony about Garretson taking path to the guest house and not
seeing or hearing anything at the main house)
Q: Did you have any visitors that night in your guest house?
A: Yes, I did.
Q: Who was that?
A: Steven Parent.
Q: At about what time did Mr. Parent arrive?
A: Around 11:45 P.M.
Q: Just before midnight?
A: Yes.
Q: Did he arrive by himself?
A: Yes, he did.
Q: What was the nature of Mr. Parent’s visit to you?
A: He brought a radio with him, a clock radio, and he wanted to know if I
would like to buy the one that he had, buy it or one that he could get, you
know. He worked in an appliance place or something that dealt with radios and
stereos.
Q: Did you buy the radio from him?
A: No.
Q: I take it that he eventually left your guest house?
A: Yes. He made a phone call though, before he left.
Q: About what time did he make a phone call?
A: About 12:00 o’clock.
Q: What did you do after Mr. Parent left?
A: I wrote a few letters and listened to the stereo.
Q: Okay. Did you eventually fall asleep that night?
A: No.
Q: Did you fall asleep at all?
A: No. I was going to make a phone call before dawn.
Q: Did you make the phone call?
A: No.
Q: Why not?
A: The line was dead. I mean, not the line, the phone was dead.
Q: Did this frighten you at all?
A: Yes.
Q: Did you do anything about it?
A: No.
Q: Did you fall asleep around dawn at all?
A: Yes.
Q: But throughout the night you were awake?
A: Yes.
Q: Listening to your stereo?
A: Yes. And writing letters.
Q: Did you hear any gunshots during the night?
A: No.
Q: Did you hear any loud screams during the night?
A: No.
(Missing testimony about dogs usually barking when people approached the
guesthouse but not the main house)
Cross-examination for William Garretson by Paul Fitzgerald:
Q: What time was it that you actually went to bed, went to sleep that is?
A: I couldn’t really say but it was just before daybreak. I mean, daybreak.
Q: And did Christopher wake you up? (Note that Christopher was one of the
dogs)
A: Yes.
Q: All three dogs were inside the guest cottage that night; is that right?
A: Yes.
Q: Did you say anything to Christopher when he started to bark and woke you
up?
A: I told him to be quiet. Well, he started barking, you know, I told him to
shut up, and then I looked up and there was a policeman outside in the patio
pointing a rifle at me by the picnic table.
Q: What did you do then?
A: I didn’t know what to do.
Q: What happened next?
A: Another one came and pointed another rifle, and then another one, and he
was pointing a pistol, and he kicked in the door, and Christopher bit him on the
leg.
Q: What happened to Christopher?
A: I told him to stop it.
Q: What happened next?
A: Well, then they drug me onto the patio and threw me down on my stomach.
And I asked them what was wrong. And they told me to shut up, they would show
me.
Q: Were you shown?
A: Yes.
Q: What were you shown?
A: Two bodies on the front lawn and one in the car.
