Congress has cut federal funding for public media — a $3.4 million loss for LAist. We count on readers like you to protect our nonprofit newsroom. Become a monthly member and sustain local journalism.
Charles Manson, 3 female accomplices sentenced for grisly crime 40 years ago today
Listen
In this handout photo from the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, Charles Manson, 74, poses for a photo on March 18, 2009 at Corcoran State Prison, California. Manson is serving a life sentence for conspiring to murder seven people during the 'Manson family' killings in 1969. The picture was taken as a regular update of the prison's files.
(
California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation via Getty Images
)
Forty years ago today, a jury in Los Angeles handed down death sentences to four of the most infamous killers in California history: Charles Manson and his three female accomplices. But the sentences the jury delivered were not the sentences they’ve served.
That’s because while Manson, Leslie Van Houten, Patricia Krenwinkel and Susan Atkins were on trial, the California Supreme Court was reviewing a death penalty appeal by Robert Page Anderson. He’d been sentenced to die in San Quentin’s gas chamber for killing a clerk at a San Diego pawnshop.
By law, Anderson’s appeal went straight to the state’s highest court. Chief Justice Donald Wright, a Reagan appointee, believed the death penalty was “cruel and unusual” – and unconstitutional. That’s what he wrote in the majority opinion in 1972 that overturned Anderson’s sentence – and every other death sentence in California, including those for Manson and the women.
That’s why they come up for parole every few years. Atkins died of cancer not long ago; it’s virtually certain that Manson, Krenwinkel and Van Houten will never win parole.
Support for LAist comes from
But do you know who did in 1976? Robert Page Anderson – the pawnshop killer.
As Editor-in-Chief of our newsroom, I’m extremely proud of the work our top-notch journalists are doing here at LAist. We’re doing more hard-hitting watchdog journalism than ever before — powerful reporting on the economy, elections, climate and the homelessness crisis that is making a difference in your lives. At the same time, it’s never been more difficult to maintain a paywall-free, independent news source that informs, inspires, and engages everyone.
Simply put, we cannot do this essential work without your help. Federal funding for public media has been clawed back by Congress and that means LAist has lost $3.4 million in federal funding over the next two years. So we’re asking for your help. LAist has been there for you and we’re asking you to be here for us.
We rely on donations from readers like you to stay independent, which keeps our nonprofit newsroom strong and accountable to you.
No matter where you stand on the political spectrum, press freedom is at the core of keeping our nation free and fair. And as the landscape of free press changes, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust, but the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news from our community.
Please take action today to support your trusted source for local news with a donation that makes sense for your budget.
Thank you for your generous support and believing in independent news.
Chip in now to fund your local journalism
(
LAist
)
Trending on LAist
-
The union representing the restaurant's workers announced Tuesday that The Pantry will welcome back patrons Thursday after suddenly shutting down six months ago. -
If approved, the more than 62-acre project would include 50 housing lots and a marina less than a mile from Jackie and Shadow's famous nest overlooking the lake.
-
The U.S. Supreme Court lifted limits on immigration sweeps in Southern California, overturning a lower court ruling that prohibited agents from stopping people based on their appearance.
-
Censorship has long been controversial. But lately, the issue of who does and doesn’t have the right to restrict kids’ access to books has been heating up across the country in the so-called culture wars.
-
With less to prove than LA, the city is becoming a center of impressive culinary creativity.
-
Nearly 470 sections of guardrailing were stolen in the last fiscal year in L.A. and Ventura counties.
Best of LAist