Police believe the recordings between Charles "Tex" Watson and his attorney could hold clues to unsolved murders
Imprisoned killer and former Manson follower Charles "Tex" Watson has not yet found a judge to agree with him. But his ongoing pursuit of legal channels has convinced Los Angeles Police to postpone a mission to get hold of long unheard audio tapes Watson does not want released.
The recordings were made by Watson's
then-lawyer after Watson's arrest in connection with the horrific
TatLaBianca murders that rocked Los Angeles in August 1969. Police
believe the recordings contain information about additional, as yet
unsolved murders committed by the infamous murder cult of Charles
Manson.
Watson denied this in a legal filing
opposing LAPD gaining possession of the tapes. Watson did not object to
LAPD detectives being allowed to listen to the tapes in the presence of
some kind of court monitor, but LAPD maintains that is not adequate for a
proper investigation.
The tapes had been held for decades by Watson's former attorney Bill Boyd.
Following Boyd's death three years
ago in Texas, the tapes passed to the custody of a bankruptcy trustee.
After LAPD became aware of the situation, it contacted the Eastern Texas
Bankruptcy Court, and last month obtained a court order for the tapes.
The order took effect Thursday amid a flurry of legal motions.
A motion signed by Watson himself to stop the transfer was denied Wednesday by Bankruptcy Judge Brenda T. Rhoades. Attorney Kelly Puls filed
another motion that same day, and amended it Thursday. It too has been
denied.
LAPD had been planning to send two
detectives to pick up the tapes, but with word that Watson will appeal
to another federal court, the department has decided to hold off,
according to LAPD Commander Andrew Smith.
The department is now hoping to obtain the tapes sometime next week.
