Photo of actress Sharon Tate from the 1967 film Valley of the Dolls. Author; 20th Century-Fox.

10 Gruesome Facts About The Tate–LaBianca Murders


 

The Tate-LaBianca murders were a series of murders that took place in the course of 8th to 10th August 1969 in Los Angeles, California. These murders were perpetrated by the Manson Family cult members who were sent by Charles Manson. During this killing spree, six people were killed.

Among the six people who were killed during the Tate-LaBianca murders (August 8-9) was Sharon Tate who was pregnant at the time. Her companions Jay Sebring, Abigail Folger, Wojciech Frykowski, and Steven Parent were also murdered. On the 10th of August, the Manson Family members killed supermarket executive Leno LaBianca and his wife Rosemary.

Under the instructions of Charles Manson, the Tate-LaBianca murders were committed in a very gruesome manner. The victims were bludgeoned, stabbed, and shot dead with the scenes being messy by the spattered blood. Luckily, the perpetrators of the Tate-LaBianca murders were arrested, arraigned, and convicted alongside their leader, Charles Manson.

Here are the 10 Gruesome Facts About The Tate–LaBianca Murders:

1. The Manson Family Carried out the Tate-LaBianca Murders

Charles Milles Manson booking photo for San Quentin State Prison, California (CII 966 856) 1971. Author; State of California.

The Tate-LaBianca murders were the gruesome murders of 6 people by some people who invaded their homes. These murders were carried out by members of the Manson Family cult.

On the night of August 8-9 and 10th, the Tate-LaBianca murders were carried out by four members of the Manson Family cult group. The perpetrators were Watson, Susan Atkins, Patricia Krenwinkel, and Linda Kasabian who were guided by Charles Manson.

2. The Murders were Carried Out on Three Consecutive Nights

These murders took place on three consecutive nights which left many people shocked. On 8th August 1969, the Tate-LaBianca murders began with the four Manson Family members heading out to the home of Sharon Tate.

They committed the murders at Tate’s home on the 8th and 9th. After accomplishing their mission at Tate’s home, the four Manson Family cult members headed to their next targeted homestead. On the 10th of August night, the murderers were joined by Charles Manson and went to the LaBianca Family and killed two more people.

Read The Difference Between 1st And 2nd Degree Murder.

3. Charles Manson Instructed His Followers to Destroy Everyone on the First Night of Murders

Tate killers Susan Atkins, Charles Watson & Patricia Krenwinkel in 1971 mugshot. Author; Rosa Mauro.

The Manson family members were receiving direct instructions from Charles Manson who was the planner of the heinous acts. On the night of 8th August, Tex Watson took three ladies, members of the family, to 10050 Cielo Drive in Benedict Canyon, Los Angeles.

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Tex Watson who was the leader of this team of murderers revealed that Charles had given him strict instructions on what they were to do. Charles Manson had instructed them to go to the house and destroy everyone present.

He had also told them to make the murders “as gruesome as they could make them”. The ladies accompanying Tex Watson were ordered to follow what they were being told.

4. Actress Sharon Tate was 8 and a Half Months Pregnant but was Stabbed 16 Times

Sharon Tate in the Eye of the Devil trailer. Unknown author on

Tate’s house on Cielo Drive, that evening was occupied by movie actress Sharon Tate, who was 8 and a half months pregnant and the wife of film director Roman Polanski. Her friend and former lover Jay Sebring, a noted celebrity hairstylist; Polanski’s friend Wojciech Frykowski; and Frykowski’s girlfriend Abigail Folger, heiress to the Folgers coffee fortune and daughter of Peter Folger were also present at the house.

Polanski was working on a project in Europe. Tate begged to be allowed to survive long enough to give birth and offered herself as a hostage in an attempt to save her unborn child’s life, but both Atkins and Watson stabbed her 16 times, killing her.

5. Four Friends of Sharon were Brutally Killed by Stabbing and Shooting

A friend of the caretaker of the property, Steve Parent was the first victim of the Tate murders. Steve was driving his white 1965 AMC Ambassador coupe when Watson ordered him to halt the vehicle. Watson brandished a .22 caliber revolver at Steve and shot him four times in the chest and abdomen killing him on the spot.

The gang gained access to the homestead where they found Frykowski sleeping on the living room couch. The other occupants in the room were brought to the living room and got tied together. Sebring protested how Sharon was treated and got shot by Watson who also stabbed him seven times.

Frykowski’s hands were bound with a towel, but he broke free and started fighting Atkins, who stabbed at his legs with a knife. He fought his way out the front door and onto the veranda, but Watson caught up with him and repeatedly struck him over the head with the gun, stabbed him, and shot him twice.

Frykowski struggled across the grass, but Watson stabbed him repeatedly, killing him. Frykowski was stabbed 51 times and hit 13 times in the head with the butt of Watson’s gun, which bent the barrel and broke off one side of the gun grip, which was recovered at the site. Folger escaped from the pool area but was pursued and stabbed 28 times to death.

Read 10 Chilling Things To Know About The Black Dahlia Murders.

6. LaBiancas were Brutally Murdered in the Presence of Charles Manson

The three Charles Manson “family” women convicted of the Sharon Tate-Leno La Bianca murders. Author; Fitzgerald Whitney.

On the night of the 10th, Charles Manson joined Watson and Krenwinkel along with two different followers, Leslie Van Houten and Steve Grogan. They drove off to a house at 3301 Waverly Drive, the homestead of supermarket executive Leno LaBianca and his wife Rosemary LaBianca. The perpetrators bind the LaBiancas and covered their faces using a pillow.

Watson began the killing by stabbing Leno using a chrome-plated bayonet in the throat. In the kitchen, Rosemary had put the women at bay, but Watson stabbed her several times before returning to Leno and stabbing him 12 times. Krenwinkel also stabbed Rosemary, and Van Houten stabbed her 16 times before exposing her buttocks.

7. The Perpetrators Carved the Word “WAR” into Leno’s Stomach

Killing the LaBiancas was not the only task that the Manson Family members were given by Charles Manson. They were told to make the scene gruesome as well as carve some words on the victims.

After Watson ensured that Leno LaBianca was dead, he carved the word “WAR” on his abdomen. He cleaned his bayonet and then showered as Krenwinkel wrote “Rise” and “Death to pigs” on the walls, and “Helter Skelter” on the refrigerator door using their victims’ blood.

8. On Targeted Person Survived as a Member of the Cult Knocked at the Wrong Door

Tate and LaBianca were not the only targeted victims by the Manson Family cult members during their killing spree. After murdering the six, they were supposed to kill Nader but he survived the ordeal.

During the confession, Kasabian, a member of the cult revealed that they were supposed to kill Nader who was in his apartment. However, she thwarted the plan by knowingly knocking on a different person’s door and a stranger answered making them abandon their initial plan.

Also, read 10 Things you Need to Know about the Manson Murders.

9. The Ritualistic Nature of the Murders led to the Rise of Satanic Panic

The Tate-LaBianca murders “shook America’s perception of itself profoundly” and “effectively sounded the death knell of ‘60s counterculture.” Furthermore, the ritualistic character of the murders set the groundwork for the rise of Satanic Panic. Satanic panic is the moral panic that consists of more than 12,000 unsubstantiated cases of Satanic ritual abuse.

10. Charles Manson had Intended to Spark a Race War He Called “Helter Skelter”

Charles Manson, April 1968 mugshot. Author; California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.

The main reasons behind the Tate-LaBianca murders were never clear as the perpetrators never stated it. However, it is believed that Manson was guided by the Beatles’ lyrics which he adopted the term “Helter Skelter”.

“Helter Skelter” was used to describe an impending apocalyptic race war that he disputed during the trial. Manson believed that they could survive the war by hiding in the desert.

 

Perpetrators of the Tate-LaBianca murders guided by Charles Manson were arrested put on trial and sentenced. Some of them were handed life sentences that they served. Some of the assailants, Charles Manson, and Susan Atkins died in prison while the others are still incarcerated.

Read 10 Infamous Things To Know About Charles Manson.

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