Culture Re-View: The Tragic Murder of Sharon Tate by the Manson Family

On this day in 1969, the world was shocked by the brutal murder of Hollywood star Sharon Tate and four others at her home in Los Angeles.

In the early hours of August 9th, Tate, who was eight months pregnant, was spending time at her rented house with her friends Jay Sebring, Wojciech Frykowski, and Abigail Folger.

The Manson Family, a cult led by Charles Manson, carried out the horrifying killings that would forever change the course of history.

Sharon Tate, known for her role in “Valley of the Dolls,” was married to filmmaker Roman Polanski at the time.

Polanski was away on business when the murders took place, leaving Tate under the care of her friends.

The house on Cielo Drive, where the murders occurred, had a connection to Manson, as it was once occupied by music producer Terry Melcher, who had rejected Manson's request for a recording contract.

Charles Manson had formed his cult, the Manson Family, in the 1960s.

The group consisted of around 100 followers, mostly young women from privileged backgrounds, who were attracted to the hippie lifestyle and communal living offered at the infamous Sphan Ranch in California.

Manson's charismatic personality and apocalyptic beliefs radicalized his followers, leading to a series of crimes, including murders and acts of violence.

On the night of the murders, Manson ordered one of his followers, Charles “Tex” Watson, to go to Tate's house with several other cult members and kill everyone present.

Watson, Susan Atkins, Patricia Krenwinkel, and Linda Kasabian arrived at the house, where they encountered 18-year-old Steven Parent, who was visiting the caretaker.

Parent was shot and killed before the cult members entered the property.

Once inside, they forced their victims to gather in the living room, where they tied ropes around Tate and Sebring's necks and hung them from the ceiling beams.

Sebring was then shot and stabbed to death.

Frykowski and Folger managed to escape briefly but were chased down and killed by Krenwinkel and Watson.

Inside the house, Tate pleaded with the cult members to spare her life for the sake of her unborn child, but her pleas went unanswered.

Atkins and Watson brutally stabbed her 16 times, ending her life.

As the murderers left the house, Atkins used Tate's blood to write the word “pig” on the front door, following Manson's instructions to leave a sign.

The next night, Manson and his followers committed another murder, targeting Leno and Rosemary LaBianca.

These gruesome crimes sent shockwaves throughout Los Angeles and marked the end of the carefree era of the Swinging Sixties.

The investigation into the murders eventually led to the arrest and trial of Manson and his followers.

Linda Kasabian, who had been granted immunity, testified against them.

Manson, Atkins, Krenwinkel, and Van Houten were found guilty and initially sentenced to death, but their sentences were later commuted to life in prison.

For decades, the cult members' parole requests were denied, until Leslie Van Houten was released on July 11, 2023, after spending 53 years behind bars.

Sharon Tate was laid to rest on August 13th alongside her unborn child, Paul Richard Polanski, in the Holy Cross Cemetery in Culver City, California.

The tragic events surrounding her murder and the Manson Family continue to captivate the public's fascination, leaving a lasting legacy in Hollywood and beyond.