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The Los Angeles Police Department has requested to review eight hours of audio previously unheard by local law enforcement that could potentially link Charles Manson and his family of followers to more unsolved murders.
The audio recordings were made several years ago between Manson follower Charles "Tex" Watson and his then-attorney Bill Boyd, according to NBC Los Angeles. Watson, who once called himself Manson's "right-hand man," is serving a life sentence for his roles in various Manson family murders; he was denied parole for the 14th time in November 2011.
LAPD Chief Charlie Beck made a request to review the audio in writing in mid-March because authorities "believe the interviews could contain information about unsolved murders." The audio material surfaced as part of the clearing out of Boyd's Texas law firm during bankruptcy proceedings. Boyd died in 2009.
Manson, 77, is serving a life sentence for his roles in the infamous crimes in Los Angeles in the summer of 1969. He was recently denied parole for the 12th time, and will be 92 years old the next time he is eligible, should he survive.
Today, a court hearing in Plano, Texas, will rule if the LAPD should be given the audio. LAPD spokesman Andrew Smith told the Associated Press that no one from the department will attend the hearing.
Here is the letter Beck sent to request the recordings:
UPDATE 2:35 PM: The judge in Texas has ruled that the LAPD may review the tapes, reports L.A. Now. Anonymous law enforcement sources told the Times, though, that the request is routine, and it does not mean there is any current investigation into Manson and his associates.
