Where Are the Manson Family Members Now? Inside Their Lives Over 50 Years After Their Killing Spree

For decades, many have wondered how Charles Manson could convince a group of young adults to kill multiple people in his name — and why he did it.

Several theories have been put forth, most notably that Manson was trying to ignite a race war he dubbed “Helter Skelter.” But director Errol Morris offered another motive in his Netflix docuseries CHAOS: The Manson Murders, which was released on March 7.

Based on Tom O’Neill’s 2019 book of the same name, the docuseries alleged that LSD and a secret CIA brainwashing program called MK Ultra could have fueled the infamous murders.

“The Manson murders are peculiar,” Morris told Tudum in February 2025. “You could encapsulate the mystery in just one question: How is it that Manson managed to convince the people around him that killing was okay?” 

During July and August of 1969, Manson instructed a handful of his followers to kill nine people: Gary Hinman, actress Sharon Tate, Abigail Folger, Jay Sebring, Wojciech Frykowski, Steve Parent, Leno LaBianca, Rosemary LaBianca and Donald “Shorty” Shea.

Manson allegedly ordered Bobby Beausoleil, Susan Atkins, Patricia Krenwinkel, Leslie Van Houten, Mary Brunner, Linda Kasabian, Charles “Tex” Watson, Bruce Davis and Steven Grogan to kill (or help him kill) the victims.

Seven members, along with Manson, were eventually convicted for the murders. Though many, including Manson, were sentenced to death, they were spared after California’s Supreme Court invalidated all death sentences before 1972. Kasabian and Brunner were granted immunity in exchange for their testimonies.

Many of Manson’s followers disassociated themselves from the family during their incarceration, but a few remained loyal to him until his death in November 2017. Two of the seven Manson family members convicted of murder have since been granted parole.

Here’s everything to know about where the Manson family is now. 

Linda Kasabian

Linda Kasabian drove the group during both the LaBianca and Tate murders, per her court testimony. During the latter, she stood guard outside and claimed to witness Watson shoot and kill Parent as he was trying to flee.

Kasabian received immunity for her testimony against Manson and his followers. At trial, she told jurors that Manson’s women did “anything and everything” for him.

Kasabian had two children — one of whom was with her while she was in the Manson family, per the 2002 book The Family. Later, she was unable to work after a car accident left her disabled, per CieloDrive.com.

Kasabian died in January 2023 in Washington, per The New York Times. She was 73.

Mary Brunner

Mary Brunner was initially charged with Hinman’s murder but later received immunity as she testified against Beausoleil and Atkins.

In 1971, Brunner assisted other members in robbing a gun store with the ultimate goal of hijacking a plane and breaking Manson out of prison. As a result, she received a sentence of 20 years to life, though she was released on parole in 1977, per NBC. 

Brunner has stayed out of the public eye since her release and was last reported to be living in the Midwest, according to CieloDrive.com. She had one son with Manson, Valentine Michael Manson, whom Brunner’s parents reportedly raised.

Lynette “Squeaky” Fromme

Lynette “Squeaky” Fromme allegedly didn’t participate in any of the murders, but she remained a dedicated follower of Manson’s long after he was incarcerated. She later co-founded a fictional terrorist group that threatened to kill CEOs of companies she believed were contributing to pollution, per CieloDrive.com.

In 1975, Fromme pulled a loaded gun on President Gerald R. Ford in Sacramento. She was convicted of attempted assassination and received a life sentence.

Fromme was released on parole in 2009, per NBC News, and published a memoir in 2018 about her life.

Susan Atkins

Susan Atkins was convicted of first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder and sentenced to death for her roles in the Hinman and Tate killings. But the sentence was commuted to life in prison after the state changed its death penalty laws in 1972.

During her incarceration, she became a born-again Christian, wrote an autobiography and was married twice, according to UPI.

Atkins was denied parole multiple times before dying in prison from brain cancer in 2009, per The Guardian. She was 61.

Leslie Van Houten

Leslie Van Houten was charged with first-degree murder for the LaBianca killings. Because her lawyer disappeared (and was later found dead) during her initial trial — some alleged that the Manson family killed him, per the Los Angeles Times — she was granted a retrial in 1976.

After the jury deadlocked, Van Houten was granted a third trial, where she was convicted and sentenced to life in prison. While incarcerated, she married a former prisoner, edited the prison newspaper and earned a bachelor’s degree in English literature, per CieloDrive.com.

After decades behind bars, Van Houten was released in 2023 on “parole supervision” for a maximum of three years. She was then taken to a transitional facility.

Patricia Krenwinkel

Patricia Krenwinkel was convicted of first-degree murder for her role in the Tate and LaBianca murders. She became the state’s longest-serving female inmate after the death of Atkins, according to the Los Angeles Times.

In May 2022, the California State Board of Parole Hearings recommended Krenwinkel’s release, CNN reported. However, California Gov. Gavin Newsom blocked her parole, citing the inmate “still poses an unreasonable danger to society if paroled at this time.”

The ruling marked the 15th time Krenwinkel’s parole was denied.

While incarcerated, she has allegedly maintained a perfect prison record, received a bachelor’s degree in human services, played on the prison volleyball team and given dance lessons, per CieloDrive.com. Her next parole hearing will take place in May 2025.

Charles “Tex” Watson

Charles “Tex” Watson was convicted of seven counts of first-degree murder and one conspiracy to commit murder for his roles in the Tate and LaBianca killings and was sentenced to death in 1971. His sentence was commuted to life in prison the following year.

While incarcerated, Watson married, became a father of four through conjugal visits and then divorced. He also earned a degree in business management and was ordained as a minister, per his website.

In October 2021, Watson was denied parole for the 18th time, per NBC. His next hearing will be held in October 2026, per the Los Angeles Times.

Bobby Beausoleil

Bobby Beausoleil was convicted of first-degree murder in the killing of Gary Hinman and he has been denied parole review nearly 20 times.

Though Gov. Newsom denied his request in 2019, the California Board of Parole commissioners recommended his release again in 2025, per Spectrum News 1. The governor has 150 days to review the recommendation.

Beausoleil was interviewed for CHAOS and recalled to filmmakers the role Manson played in Hinman’s murder.

“This is not a crime where someone was careful or thoughtful,” the director, Morris, told The Guardian in March 2025. “It’s a crime of confusion and idiocy and Bobby Beausoleil is not stupid. In fact, quite the contrary. How does Manson get someone to do something really, really, really, really stupid?”

Bruce Davis

Bruce Davis was convicted for the murders of Hinman and Shea, a horse wrangler who lived on the Spahn Ranch with the Manson family. He was sentenced to life in prison, per the Los Angeles Times.

At one point, the FBI considered that Davis could have been the Zodiac killer, but he was eventually ruled out as a suspect, per CieloDrive.com. Davis allegedly became a born-again Christian during his incarceration and helped former Manson member Atkins do the same.

Davis has been denied parole dozens of times, and his most recent hearing in 2024 was postponed after he appeared on a true crime podcast called The Lighter Side of Serial Killers, per Fox News.

Steven Grogan

Steven Grogan (who occasionally went by the alias “Clem Tufts”) was convicted for helping to kill Shea and was sentenced to death, per CieloDrive.com.

However, the judge later changed his sentence to life in prison, saying that the former Manson follower was “too hopped up on drugs to decide anything on his own,” per the 1974 book Helter Skelter. Grogan helped police find Shea’s remains a few years into his incarceration.

In 1985, he became the first of the Manson family members convicted of murder to be released from prison on parole.

Ruth Ann Moorehouse 

Ruth Ann Moorehouse was not involved in any of the murders but was part of a plot to kill Manson family member Barbara Hoyt, per Gastro Obscura.

While on a trip to Hawaii, she allegedly fed Hoyt an acid-laced hamburger in an attempt to murder her before she was set to testify. Hoyt survived and Moorehouse was convicted of attempting to dissuade a witness in 1971. However, she fled before her sentencing.

In 1975, Moorehouse was found and arrested in Sacramento, Calif. A judge then declared her free to go, per The New York Times, citing her rough upbringing.

Moorehouse was last reported to be living with her husband and three children in the Midwest, per CieloDrive.com.