Where Is the Manson Family Now? All About Charles Manson's Former Cult Members

For decades, the fascination surrounding the deaths of seven people at the hands of Charles Manson's followers has never waned.

Throughout two nights in August 1969 in Los Angeles, Manson instructed a handful of his followers — including Susan Atkins, Patricia Krenwinkel and Leslie Van Houten — to kill seven people: actress Sharon Tate, Jay Sebring, Abigail Folger and Wojciech Frykowski, Steven Parent and Leno and Rosemary LaBianca. 

Linda Kasabian, another Manson follower, became the state's key witness and was granted immunity in exchange for her testimony, while many others were sentenced to prison. 

In January 1971, Mason was convicted of first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder for the deaths of seven people. He was sentenced to death, which was commuted to life in prison after California’s Supreme Court invalidated all death sentences prior to 1972. 

He was 83 and serving nine life sentences in California’s Corcoran State Prison at the time of his death in November 2017. 

While several members have also since died, others remain private citizens. Here’s everything to know about where the Manson family is now. 

Linda Kasabian

After two failed marriages and the birth of her daughter Tanya, Kasabian joined Manson's commune at Spahn Ranch in July 1969. During the Tate-LaBianca murders, Kasabian waited outside. The prosecutor called her a "star witness," and she was granted immunity in exchange for her testimony. At trial, she told jurors Manson's women did "anything and everything" for him. She reportedly changed her name and moved to the Pacific Northwest.

Mary Brunner

Mary met Manson in 1967, and is often regarded as his first follower. On April 15, 1968, Mary gave birth to Manson's son, who she named Valentine. Brunner was charged for the murder of Gary Hinman, but later received immunity as she testified against fellow Manson followers Bobby Beausoleil and Susan Atkins. However, in 1971, Brunner assisted other members in an attempt to hijack a plane and break Manson out of prison, armed with over 100 rifles. As a result, Brunner received a sentence of 20 years to life, though she was released on parole in 1977, per NBC News. 

Lynette "Squeaky" Fromme

While many of the members were on trial and testifying, Fromme and other Manson family members camped outside and spouted their devotion to Manson at passers-by and the media. Fromme was never linked to the Tate-LaBianca murders, but she was eventually charged and convicted for the 1975 attempted assassination of President Gerald R. Ford. She was convicted and received a life sentence. However, she was released on parole in 2009, per NBC News. In 2018, she published the book Reflexion about her life.

Susan Atkins

Atkins was known as "Sexy Sadie" on Spahn Ranch, an abandoned movie set used as the group's commune. She was sentenced to death, but the sentence was commuted to life in prison after the state changed its death penalty laws in February 1972. Atkins was denied parole 13 times before dying in prison from brain cancer on Sept. 24, 2009, at age 61, CNN reported.

Leslie Van Houten

Former homecoming princess Van Houten was charged with two counts of first-degree murder and one count of conspiracy to commit murder. She was granted a retrial in 1976 because her lawyer disappeared during her initial trial. She was found guilty and began her sentence at the California Institute for Women in Corona in 1978. After 53 years behind bars, she was released from prison on July 11, 2023. According to the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, she will “have a three-year maximum parole term with a parole discharge review occurring after one year.”. 

Patricia Krenwinkel

Krenwinkel was convicted of seven counts of first-degree murder in 1971 and 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. However, on Oct. 21, 2022, 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 her parole was denied.

Tex Watson

Convicted of seven counts of murder, Watson was sentenced to life in prison in 1971. However, after the California Supreme Court ruled that the death penalty was unconstitutional in 1972, his sentence was commuted to life in prison. During his sentence, he married, divorced and became a father of four while incarcerated. He also earned a degree in business management and was ordained as a minister in 1981. In October 2021, he was denied parole for the 18th time, NBC News reported at the time. 

Bobby Beausoleil

Beausoleil was convicted in 1970 of the first-degree murder of Gary Hinman, the first murder committed by Manson's follower that set the precedent for the "Helter Skelter" killing spree. He has been denied parole review nearly 20 times; in 2019, the California Board of Parole commissioners recommended that he be released on parole, which was denied by California Governor Gavin Newsom.