Three months later, a Manson follower was jailed on an unrelated charge and told a cellmate about the bloodbath, leading to the cult leader’s arrest. By the summer 1969, Manson had failed to sell his songs, and the rejection was later seen as a trigger for the violence. Manson was also later convicted of the slayings of musician Gary Hinman and stuntman Donald “Shorty” Shea. Over the decades, Manson and his followers appeared sporadically at parole hearings, where their bids for freedom were repeatedly rejected. The women suggested they had been rehabilitated, but Manson himself stopped attending, saying prison had become his home.

Source: National Post November 20, 2017 06:01 UTC