Judge gives tapes to LAPD in 'Manson family' investigation of unsolved murders

(CNN) -- A federal bankruptcy judge in Texas has approved a request from the Los Angeles Police Department to turn over audiotapes that may develop new clues about unsolved killings involving followers of notorious murderer Charles Manson.

The tapes are about eight hours of recordings between convicted murderer Charles Denton "Tex" Watson and his attorney from 1969, Bill Boyd of McKinney, Texas, whose law firm is the debtor in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in the same state, court papers said.

Watson was convicted along with three other members of the so-called Manson family in the grisly 1969 murders of five people, including eight-months pregnant movie actress Sharon Tate.

According to court documents, Watson waived his attorney-client privilege to the tapes in 1976, and his attorney received partial payment for his legal fees when he gave a copy of the tapes to Chaplain Raymond G. Hoekstra, who subsequently wrote a book, "Will You Die for Me: The Man Who Killed for Charles Manson Tells His Own Story."

In March, Los Angeles Police Chief Charlie Beck wrote the U.S. court trustee asking for the original recordings. The judge approved the request on Tuesday.

"The LAPD has information that Mr. Watson discussed additional unsolved murders committed by followers of Charles Manson," said a letter signed by Beck and Lt. Yana Horvatich, acting commanding officer of the robbery-homicide division.

Beck's letter is dated March 19, seven days after Watson asked that all legal material relating to his case be turned over to his nephew, Brian Patton, of Rowlett, Texas, according to court papers.

"One last thing: I want to thank you for hunting me down. I'm so glad these documents didn't get in the wrong hands," Watson wrote in a March 12 letter to a U.S. court trustee asking that he forward the legal materials to Patton.

In November, Watson, 66, convicted of seven counts of first-degree murder, was denied parole for the 16th time and will be considered again in 2016, according to the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.

In March, Manson, 77, who is serving a life sentence for nine murders and who led his family of followers in a murder spree in 1969, was denied parole for the 12th time and will be up for parole again 15 years from now, when he would be 92.

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Not that it matters a bit, but how does a law firm go bankrupt, anyway? I'm not used to hearing that. They're selling the building using this YouTube video:

The Grump's Book Report: The Manson File: Myth and Reality of an Outlaw Shaman by Nikolas Schreck

It is available here: http://www.nikolasschreck.eu/ for 52 Euros ($65.00) It arrived in less than 10 days.

This is a huge expanded version of the previous version of “The Manson File”. When I say huge, it is over 900 pages with no “fluff” or pictures. It is very well written, full of new information. Very few “unnamed sources” are noted. Through meetings with Charlie, a lot of the things he said in interviews are explained. Such as “The divorce courts are running through Reno”, and I’ll call New York”.

There is way too much information to share, but I’ll let you know some of the changes to what we already know. I am just saying what is in the book. These are not my words!

Hinman - It was all about recouping the $$ for the bad mescaline. The Straight Satan’s were the ones that forces Bobby into this. Bobby did not call Charlie, Mary did. If that call was not made, it is doubtful that Hinman would have been killed.

April 1969 - Tex and Bruce botched a robbery (of drugs of course) at the apt of Joel Rosteau and his girlfriend Charlene Cafritz.  Rosteau ended up getting shot in the foot. The police got involved and found drugs all over his place.  Rosteau‘s attorney, Paul Caruso made it go away. Why is the name Caruso important?? He was also the attorney for Billy Doyle, Harrigan and Pic Dawson. He was also the law partner of Richard Caballero, Sadie’s first lawyer. Hmmmmmmm

Somewhere in the books on the case, Linda is quoted as saying to Sadie, “Remember that thousand dollars I had? I got burned up in the hills on some bad MDA”. Who burned her? Billy Doyle.

Aug 8 1969 - Rosteau makes a delivery of $20,000 worth of cocaine and mescaline to Jay at Cielo Drive. A large amount of LSD was also expected, however the LSD supplier (who owned a dress shop) was out of town till the next day. Rosemary‘s name is never mentioned, but it would have to be her..

Later that night, Tex and the girls go to Cielo with the intention of robbing Jay of his drugs. When he learns the LSD is not there, a fight breaks out and they end up dead. It reads that two of them were tied up, and the others killed. When Charlie and friend returned later, the other 2 were killed.

The LaBianca killings - This is a tough one. The book doesn’t even settle this. There are theories mentioned, some we’ve heard before. Yes Leno had had mob connections. The Genovese family is mentioned many times in the book. When The Beach Boys manger, Grillo(?) told Charlie, “I’ll call New York”!, he actually called Leno. This came from Grillo’s secretary.

Remember in Little Paul’s book where he talked about a mob lawyer putting him up in a hotel and questioning him??

Did Rosemary deal LSD? No credible source was ever found. But how did she accumulate an estate over 2 million dollars in 1969?  Her store sold wigs. Tex sold wigs. Important? Maybe, I don’t know.

If Leno was in debt to the mob for $200,000, why didn’t Rosemary cover it?

Was it a robbery? Maybe, the safe was empty and Bruce took off for England with Leno’s coins.

The Labianca’s had a drug dealer neighbor whose name was Quartermain. He was the boyfriend of the mother of one of the Murdered Scientologists., Doreen Gaul or James Sharp. He ran in the same circles as Rosteau. That was the reason for those murders.

There is way too much information to share in this forum. If you spent the $100 for “Death to Pigs”, there is no reason not to buy this. The Process is hardly mentioned at all. The whole Mafia, Catholic Church, Italian Bugliosi issued is explained in detail. It is best to have a pad and pen nearby as there are many facts you will want to write down. Porno movies, gay sex and kiddie porn discussed in great detail. (Altobelli and Charlie gobbled each other’s knobs a few times). Peter Lawford, the Kennedy’s, Marilyn Monroe, it’s all here!

Some facts I remember:

Joel Rosteau  Sebring’s dealer - Mafia
Both LaBiancas - Mafia
Candy Stevens (Charlie’s 2nd wife) - Mafia
 Candy took the alias “Leona” after one of her clients (Leno!)
Gary Hinman was an FBI Informant
The Straight Satan’s were Mob connected
Manson meets Dennis Wilson at Gary Hinman's house during a drug buy, not at his house. The whole hitch-hiking story was a cover-up.

This one caught my eye:

The prosecution offered Charlie a deal, 18 years in jail, if he testified against Tex and co. He refused.

The book is not entirely pro-Manson. Some of the theories are a little far fetched. But so was “Helter Skelter” for that matter!