The Closing Argument...

Keep this in mind, ladies and gentlemen, that murders as extremely bizarre as these murders were, almost by definition-by definition-are not going to have a simple, common, everyday type of motive. Just imagining the incredible barbarism and senselessness of these murders would leave one to conclude that the person who masterminded them had a wild, twisted, bizarre reason for ordering them.

The evidence at this trial shows that Charles Manson is that person who had that motive, and the trial showed what that motive was.

I, as a prosecutor, and you folks as members of the jury, cannot help it, we cannot help it if Manson had this wild, crazy idea about Helter Skelter. It is not our fault. Manson is the one that made the evidence, not we. We can only deal with the evidence that presents itself.

That evidence was that he wanted to start this black-white war out in the streets. That is what the evidence was that came from that witness stand.

On the very day of the Tate murders, a matter of hours before these five murders, Linda Kasabian testified that Manson said: "Now is the time for Helter Skelter."

Afer dropping Tex, Katie, and Leslie off at the LaBianca residence, as they were driving away on the freeway, Manson told Linda: "I have to show Blackie how to do it."

Of course, he then gives Linda the wallet and tells her to hide the wallet, and says, I hope a black person finds it and uses the credit cards, thereby leading the white community to believe that black people had committed these murders. On the refrigerator door at the LaBianca residence we find the words "Helter Skelter" printed in blood. We know the killers printed those words, "Rise," and "Death to pigs," printed in blood on the living room wall of the LaBianca residence. "War" was carved on Leno's stomach. "Rise," "Death to pigs," 'War," all of these terms are tied in with Manson's fanatical obsession with Helter Skelter.

The Family at Spahn Ranch was Charlie Manson's Family, ladies and gentlemen. He controlled every single facet of their daily existence.

Manson and the Family used the term "Helter Skelter" constantly. It was an everyday word with them. Even a song composed by Charles Manson had the words "Helter Skelter" in there. The song "Helter Skelter," as recorded by the Beatles, was played over and over again by Manson and the Family.

When these defendants and Charles "Tex" Watson printed the word "Pig" at the Tate residence and the words "Death to pigs," "Rise," and "Helter Skelter," and "War" at the LaBianca residence, instead of those words, ladies and gentlemen, they may just as well have printed the name Charles Manson. It is that obvious. Those words and Charles Manson are synonymous.

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