Where Are They Now?

Patricia Krenwinkel – Krenwinkel is currently serving a life prison sentence at the California State Institute for Women in Chino, and was denied parole for the 13th time on January 20, 2011, saying that the Tate-LaBiana deaths "remain relevant." Though she remained loyal to Manson throughout the trial and during her early years in prison, in recent years she has made strides to turn her life around. With a perfect prison record, Krenwinkel has earned a bachelor’s degree, participates in Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous programs, trains service dogs, and has helped with illiteracy programs. "I'm just haunted each and every day by the unending suffering of the victims, the enormity and degree of suffering I've caused," Krenwinkel said, according to the Associated Press. "He sang to me and made love to me," she said. "...I left everything and went with him. He seemed like the answer to my salvation." Krenwinkel will be eligible for parole in seven years.

Susan Atkins – Atkins died in 2009 while serving a life prison sentence in the California Institution for Women in Corona and later the Central California Women's facility in Chowchilla after being diagnosed with terminal brain cancer. Atkins served 40 years in prison and died at the age of 61. She became a born-again Christian in 1974, and married her attorney, James W. Whitehouse, in 1987. Whitehouse, a Harvard graduate, defended Atkins in her 2000 and 2005 parole hearings. A request for compassionate release was denied in 2008.

Bobby Beausoleil – Currently serving a life prison sentence in the Northwest. A musician and artist, Beausoleil composed and recorded the soundtrack for the film Lucifer Rising from jail. More recently, his artwork has appeared in the Clair Obscur Gallery in Los Angeles (2005), though a parole board of the same year cited this decision as a mistake on Beausoleil’s part, for the art appeared just after an exhibit of Sharon Tate photographs. The board called Beausoleil’s decision "exploitative." Beausoleil married a woman named Barbara in 1982 from prison; she has three children. Since 2004, Beausoleil has worked with an at-risk youth program and is creating a series of instructional videos to educate children in public schools. He was denied parole in 2008 and is next scheduled for a hearing in 2013.

Mary Brunner – Brunner served six years in prison at the California Institute for Women and was released in 1977. Brunner had been present during the shooting of Manson associate Gary Hinman, but received her prison sentence for stealing guns from a surplus store and attempting to hijack a plane with fellow "family" members in an attempt to free Manson from prison.  She is currently living in the Midwest under an assumed name and has regained custody of her son, Valentine, who was born during Brunner’s time with the Manson "family."

Lynette Fromme – After receiving a life prison sentence for attempting to assassinate President Gerald Ford, Fromme was transferred from a California women’s prison when she attacked another inmate with a hammer. During her subsequent time at the Alderson Federal Prison Camp in West Virginia, Fromme made an escape to try and meet up with Manson. She was captured two days later, and has since served time at the Federal Medical Center in Texas. She was released from prison on August 14, 2009.

Linda Kasabian - Following her critical testimony both at the Manson/Atkins/Krenwinkel/Van Houten trial and the Charles Watson trial, Kasabian tried to put her life back together but has struggled with small scrapes with the law over the years. She is currently living in the state of Washington and is married, but has had legal troubles for possession of drugs, interfering with firefighters during a fire and numerous traffic violations. She generally has stayed out of the spotlight, but reappeared in 2009 in both a documentary about Manson and an appearance on Larry King Live, with her image obscured to protect her identity.

Leslie Van Houten – Van Houten is currently serving a life prison sentence in the California Institution for Women in Corona, the same institution where Susan Atkins is serving her sentence. Van Houten has been considered to be a model prisoner in her 30+ years in jail and has earned two bachelor’s degrees. An appeal of Van Houten’s 2000 parole rejection was reviewed by the Superior Court and the prisoner earned a new hearing, but was rejected again in 2006, 2007 and 2010. She will be eligible for parole request number 20 in 2013.

Paul Watkins – The former Manson family member went on to live, by all accounts, a normal life following his testimony in the Manson murder trial. He became the founder and president of the Death Valley Chamber of Commerce and the unofficial mayor of a small Death Valley town before dying of leukemia in 1990, leaving behind a wife and two children. During his later years, Watkins lectured about substance abuse and cult psychology, and appeared in a documentary about his involvement with the Manson family.

Charles Watson – Currently serving a life prison sentence in Mule Creek State Prison in Ione, Calif. In 1979, Watson married Kristin Joan Svelte and had four children with her through conjugal visits. The couple was married for 25 years and divorced in 2003. Watson is a born-again Christian and operates a Web site called Love Ministries, through which he apologizes to his victims’ family members. He has been denied parole 13 times and will receive his next hearing in 2011, at which point he will have spent two-thirds of his life in prison.