2005 Updates and News

The following were updates and news items during 2005.

DECEMBER NEWS:  A very nice contributor has sent recent photos of the door from Sharon Tate's house.  These were taken in November and show that the door survived Hurricane Katrina.

I'm sad to announce that Manson-researcher Bill Nelson has passed away.  Rumors have been circulating for a little while, but I've now received a copy of his obituary.  Bill was certainly responsible for many revelations related to the case and was probably the most high-profile of the  researchers.  Our condolences go out to his family and friends.

DECEMBER UPDATES:  I've added several photos that I just took of Darwin Scott's apartment in Ashland, Kentucky.  Scott was the brother of Manson's biological father (Colonel Scott) and has often been named as a possible Manson victim.  Another interesting site will soon be added!!

Thanks to author E.J. Fleming for some great photos of Jay Sebring's house.

NOVEMBER UPDATES:  I added many photos related to the "In Cold Blood" murder case (not Manson-related).

A major addition!  Be sure to check the extensive timeline.  This is the result of a ton of work but is still in the works.  It probably always will be, but most of the important stuff (and a lot that isn't) is included.  It is probably most in need of work for the post-trial period.  If you have suggestions, please e-mail me.  If possible, please be sure to include the source of your information.

I've added a new message forum.  I've had message boards in the past and they've often been abused.  I'll try again, though.  At this point, I don't have much intention of monitoring it myself, but will probably appoint multiple moderators to keep an eye on things.  This forum will be for Manson topics along with non-Manson crime discussion.

Added Archery Headquarters to the Los Angeles map.  The Tate murder gun was stolen from there.  Notice it's about halfway between Steven Parent's home and high school (where Parent stole electronic equipment).

Added a page about Sharok Hatami (Sharon's photographer).

OCTOBER UPDATE:  Added a page and photos about the Roger Coleman case (not Manson-related).

SEPTEMBER NEWS:  Bruce Davis was given a one-year denial at his parole hearing.

I haven't been able to find out the fate of the "pig" door.  Due to the hurricane, my contact had to leave New Orleans before she was able to make a drive-by.  If the door remained, it just might have been destroyed by now.

SEPTEMBER UPDATES:  I've expanded the page about the Fountain of the World to include information about additional murders connected to the property.

Added another listing to the Television list.  Manson's first ever TV interview.

AUGUST UPDATES:  I've added a new map that gives the location of people that heard sounds on the night of the Cielo Drive murders.  I also made a couple of additions to the LA map (Rostau apartment and Dawson/Harrigan house).

AUGUST NEWS:  The Trent Reznor story has taken a twist.  He has sold his house on Coliseum Street in New Orleans to actor John Goodman.  But, this is not the same building that housed his studio and the Sharon Tate door.  That is at a different location.  For stories about the Coliseum house, click here and here.  (Thanks to Mr. Tibbs and Priscilla Dugas).

A new movie, "House at the End of the Drive," is somewhat based on the Sharon Tate murders and is partially filmed on the same street.  The producers say the film was inspired by the claim the area is haunted.  (Thanks to Hazy Daise).

JULY RELEASES:  A new book, "Charles Manson (Heroes and Villians)," has been released.  Click here to order from Amazon.  It mentions this website for suggested reading!

JULY UPDATES:  I've spent a great amount of time on some interactive maps.  Please remember that these can be slow to load, so have patience.  Even if your browser says it's done, it probably isn't.  When fully loaded, each map with have markers for various Manson-related sites.  There will also be a listing at the right side of the screen.  Until you see that, just sit back and wait.  Due to a bug, sometimes you have to click the markers twice before the descriptions pop up.

While exploring the maps, you'll find some interesting groupings.  Perhaps the most important seems to have never been mentioned by any author.  After leaving the LaBianca house, the second hit squad went to Saladin Nader's apartment to kill him (unsuccessful, luckily).  What was practically right next door?  Mark Ross' house, site of Zero's "suicide."

Other spots of interest:  Kasabian stole money from Melton at a campsite right at the Spiral Staircase.  Rosemary LaBianca's wallet was disposed of at a service station pretty close to the Sears where Brunner and Good had just been arrested.  See what all you can find.  Just click here.  There are additional places that may be added as I discover their addresses.  If you know additional addresses, please pass them along.

JULY NEWS:  Charles Manson is, once again, back in "the hole."  (Thanks to supernaught.com and Louis365 for the info).

Roman Polanski won his libel case against Vanity Fair magazine.  He was awarded 50,000 pounds (about $87,000).  The magazine had claimed that Polanski had hit on a model while traveling to his wife's funeral.  He supposedly used the pick-up line "I will make another Sharon Tate out of you."  Actress Mia Farrow testified that she was present and the incident did not take place.  The boyfriend of the model testified that, after leaving, she told him it did happen.  At trial, Vanity Fair did admit that the supposed incident did not happen when they claimed, but within weeks afterwards instead.  After the trial, the model at the center of the Polanski case finally spoke.  She says the incident did NOT happen.  Click here.

JUNE NEWS:  The FBI has some Manson-related Freedom of Information Act files online.  You will need the free Adobe Acrobat Reader program to view them.  Click here for the FBI files.

Lynette "Squeaky" Fromme will have a parole hearing in July but the decision will not be announced until September.  Squeaky has always rejected hearings but this one is mandatory.  Read it here.

Dennis Rice's story will be featured on the radio show "Unshackled!" during the week of July 10 to 16.  You can find your nearest radio station through the show's website.

Susan Atkins was denied parole on June 1 and will not be allowed to apply again for four years.  This hearing was the first since Stephen Kay retired, making it the first hearing for his successor, Patrick Sequeira.  Jay Sebring's sister and nephew, along with Debra Tate, appeared to argue against Atkins' release.  Read it here or here.

JUNE UPDATES:  Added photos of Highvale Trail and Summit Trail in Topanga (thanks to Ronnie B.)  Added photos of the site of the Topanga Corral (thanks to Ronnie B).  Added a page about the site of the Bernard Crowe shooting (thanks to Bo Emerson).  Added a page about 3-Star Enterprises.  Added link for Susan Atkins' new website at www.SusanAtkins.org.

MAY NEWS:  I have now found confirmation Sharon Tate's father, Col. Paul Tate, passed away on May 18 in Washington of congestive heart failure.  You can read about it here (or here). A shorter version is here.

Paul Tate was an army intelligence officer at the time of his daughter's murder.  He retired soon afterwards and started his own investigation of the crime.  Although not widely publicized, Col. Tate co-wrote an unpublished book about his investigation titled "Five Down on Cielo."  Besides Sharon, Paul was preceded in death by his wife, Doris, and his daughter, Patti.  He is survived by daughter Debra and several grandchildren.  We extend our deepest sympathies to his family.

Dennis Wilson's son, Scott, is building a monument to the Beach Boys.

APRIL NEWS:  If anyone is interested in owning a set of knives that once belonged to Lynette Fromme and Sandy Good, click here.  These were reportedly taken from their residence after the assassination attempt on Gerald Ford.

The new Manson CD, "One Mind," has been released.  See the announcement above or buy it at FamilyJams.Com.

Cami Sebring (Jay's former wife) will be signing autographs at the Hollywood Collectors & Celebrities Show on April 23rd and 24th.

I'd like to suggest that everyone check the painting "Sharon Tate and Friends the Moment Before" by Luigino Valentin.

APRIL BOOK ALERT:  Eddi Fiegel's biography of Mama Cass ("Dream a Little Dream of Me:  The Life of Cass Elliot") is about to be released.  Click here to pre-order from Amazon.  The webmaster of CharlieManson.com is mentioned in the "Thanks" section!!

APRIL UPDATES:  I've added two rare, nice photos by Steve Groppe of the Barker Ranch junkyard.  This area is very near Barker and unknown to most visitors.  Thanks greatly, Steve!

Also, I've added three nice photos of the former Gary Hinman house and the Spiral Staircase site which were taken by Bert van Beekum.  I have many more photos by Bert to add, so keep an eye out!

AllOne has contributed a nice photo of the former site of the Straight Theater.

Ronnie B. has sent us a couple of nice photos of the Rudy Weber residence on Portola Drive.  This is where the Cielo killers cleaned up afterwards.  Note, this page had great additions made on April 24, so be sure to check it again!

APRIL DVD RELEASE:  "The Manson Family" is finally being released after years of work.  The rough cut of Jim VanBebber's movie has circulated in bootleg form as "Charlie's Family" in the past.  In late April, it will finally be available in two forms.  One is a single disc DVD and the other is a double-disc set.

APRIL CD RELEASE:  A new CD by Charles Manson was released on April 7, 2005.  The title is "One Mind" and is available exclusively at FamilyJams.Com.  The disc contains all new material.  There are sixteen tracks totaling nearly 76 minutes.

The Fromme / Good Knife Collection

Click for information.

MARCH NEWS:  Charles Manson has been moved to PHU, having spent eighteen months in "the hole."  In a phone call to a source who wishes to remain anonymous, Manson sounded happy and in good spirits.  He stated he can't believe he's 70 years old and time passes so quickly.  When wished a "happy Easter," he replied "Wow, it's Easter?  I didn't even know.  I thought it was summer."  He has been assigned to Unit 45.

There will soon be a new Manson CD entitled "One Mind."  No further details are known at this time.

In other Manson-music news, the owner of People's Temple Records passed away this past August.  Shane Ballard was responsible for the "All the Way Alive" album, which consisted of the long-lost 1967 Manson recording sessions.  Shane was also the subject of the independent film "Citizen Shane."

Susan Atkins' parole hearing has been delayed until June 1.  If you missed writing a letter to the parole board, you now have another chance.   Thanks to Vonda for the update.

A rare public appearance!  Cami Sebring (Jay's former wife) will be signing autographs at the Hollywood Collectors & Celebrities Show on April 23rd and 24th.  Cami married Jay in 1960 and enjoyed a career in modeling and movies.  Perhaps best known for her role in the Disney movie "The Gnome-Mobile," she also appeared in episodes of "Quincy" and "The Magician."  You can read about her upcoming appearance by clicking here.

Bobby Beausoleil has an art show at Clair Obscur Gallery.  You can view several of his paintings here.  Be warned some are sexually explicit.

MARCH UPDATES:  New additions include photos of the Hall of Justice and the Fountain of the World by Ronnie B.  Also new photos of the Cielo Twin House," thanks to Oliver from Germany.

The "Places" page had grown a bit out of control lately so I've reorganized it.  Now, it should be much easier to find photos of the various sites since they've been grouped together on sub-pages.

FEBRUARY NEWS:  Former Judge Raymond Choate passed away on Friday, January 28 at age 85.  Choate presided over the trial that convicted Charles Manson and Bruce Davis for the murders of Gary Hinman and Donald "Shorty" Shea.  Read it here or here.

FEBRUARY UPDATES:  Updates include some brand new photos of Spahn Movie Ranch taken by Ronnie B. in January 2005.  Lori Baker has contributed photos of the Manson display at Moundsville Prison, including a letter Manson wrote to the warden asking to be transferred there.  Caleb Emerson has submitted some great new photos of the Spahn Ranch and Cielo Drive areas.  James Savage has contributed great photos of several sites.  Gene Cobb has shared a couple of great photos of the roadway leading to the Cielo Twin House.  Kevin Reese has also contributed some great shots of the Cielo Drive area.  Thanks Kevin, Gene, James, Caleb, Lori and Ronnie!

RECENT RELEASES:  I've been meaning to post this but kept forgetting.  A soundtrack to the new "Helter Skelter" movie has been released.  It is limited to 1000 copies.  If you order from the manufacturer's website, your copy with be autographed by composer Mark Snow (perhaps best known for the theme song to "X-Files.")  In case you have concerns about ordering online, I'll confirm that I did order and did receive my copy.  The signature was done with a silver marker on a separate cover of the CD.  The CD itself was still sealed, while the signature was on an entirely extra copy of the cover art.  Check it here.

JANUARY TV:  A&E will re-broadcast the Charles Manson "Biography" on Wednesday, January 19.  (Thanks to Keith T for the tip).  "Valley of the Dolls" will be shown on FMC on January 24.

JANUARY NEWS:  The Western Surplus store in Hawthorne is closing.  This site is infamous for the Manson Family robbery and shoot-out.  Read about it here or here.

2004 UPDATES:  Updates and news for the year 2004 can be viewed here.

2003 UPDATES:  Updates and news for the year 2003 can be viewed here.

2002 UPDATES:  Updates and news for the year 2002 can be viewed here.

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