Berlinger Says 1969 Manson Murders Covered Up Drug Deal, Not Race-War Plot
Updated
Updated · Fox News · Sep 5
Berlinger Says 1969 Manson Murders Covered Up Drug Deal, Not Race-War Plot
2 articles · Updated · Fox News · Sep 5
Summary
Previously unreleased prison tapes in Joe Berlinger’s new Netflix docuseries led him to argue the Tate-LaBianca murders were a cover-up for Gary Hinman’s killing, not Charles Manson’s alleged “Helter Skelter” race-war plan.
Berlinger traces the chain to a botched drug dispute: Tex Watson robbed Bernard Crowe, Manson shot Crowe believing he was a Black Panther, then grew paranoid and leaned on Bobby Beausoleil and biker allies at Spahn Ranch.
Gary Hinman was tortured and killed after Beausoleil failed to recover drug money, Berlinger said, and the crime scene was staged with blood writing to resemble a Black Panther attack and shield Beausoleil.
Five people were slain at Sharon Tate’s home on Aug. 9, 1969, and Leno and Rosemary LaBianca were killed the next night after the first murders failed to publicly link back to Hinman, Berlinger said.
Prosecutors won convictions with the race-war theory because Manson was absent from the Tate-LaBianca scenes, Berlinger argued, calling that narrative a powerful legal strategy that hardened into true-crime myth.