I followed it closely - or thought I did.

Unlike the Zodiac, Manson and his family were captured - which made his case all that much more interesting, garnering the attention of almost everyone for months on end. In Northern California we were still living in fear over another monster, the Zodiac Killer - another vicious apparently 'random' killer who was never identified.

I was two years out of law school in 1969, working in the governor's office in Sacramento. Now, all Bugliosi needs is evidence….Everything I remembered about the case was wrong. County grand jury on December 5th, jurors are stunned by Atkins nonchalant testimony, while recounting the horrific murders she openly admitted to being involved in.Īt the end of part three, we see indictments against: Leslie Van Houten, Charles Manson, Charles ‘Tex’ Watson, Patricia Krenwinkel, Susan Atkins and Linda Kasabian. Indeed, when he finally takes the cases before the L.A. The police are under immense pressure to wrap the case up as quickly as possible and Bugliosi resists giving deals to Susan Atkins and Linda Kasabian, which might see them literally getting away with murder. We follow him to the Spahn ranch, interviewing suspects and coming into contact with Charles Manson for the first time. Painstakingly, Bugliosi sets about trying to build a case against the suspects. Despite Susan Atkins confession to a fellow inmate, while being held in prison for another matter, her implication of herself, Charles Manson and members of The Family in the murders is not enough for her to face prosecution. As Bugliosi points out, finding the killer is only the first step – you have to prove guilt before judge or jury and, as yet, the killer had not yet been found. He learns that he will handle the Tate and LaBianca cases. Bugliosi was thirty five in 1969, a married man with two young children, and Deputy District Attorney in L.A. The first part was simply called, “The Murders,” and the second, “The Killers.” With this third part, the subtitle reads, “The Investigation – Phase Two,” and takes the reader from November 18th 1969 to December 31st 1969. This is the third in an eight part serialisation of the classic crime book, “Helter Skelter” about Charles Manson and the infamous Manson murders.

Helter Skelter by Vincent Bugliosi