An unflinching chronicle of Charles Manson's life leading up to the orchestration of the Tate and LaBianca murders.

"In late 1967, fourteen-year-old Dianne Lake became one of "Charlie's girls," a devoted acolyte of cult leader Charles Manson and member of his Family. Joining the group with little more than an old note from her hippie parents granting her permission to leave them, the two years that followed were a mixture of sexual manipulation, psychological control, and physical abuse, as the harsh realities and looming darkness of Charles Manson's true nature...

The gruesome murders of the actress Sharon Tate, her unborn child, and four others at the hands of the notorious "Manson family" on August 9, 1969 rocked the nation. The atrocities, the trial and the subsequent conviction of Charles Manson and his followers spawned a media frenzy--a defining moment in an era otherwise associated with peace, love and understanding. Yet while this crime left an indelible mark on society's consciousness, it was an even...

In the summer of 1969, Leslie Van Houten and Patricia Krenwinkel carried out horrific acts of butchery on the orders of the charismatic cult leader Charles Manson. At their murder trial the following year, lead prosecutor Vincent Bugliosi described the two so-called Manson Women as "human monsters." But to anyone who knew them growing up, they were bright, promising girls, seemingly incapable of such an unfathomable crime. Award-winning journalist...

A look at how one man could change a group of innocent peace-loving people into a gang of brutal killers. Includes rare archive footage and firsthand interviews with members of the Manson family, lead prosecutors at the time, and Manson himself.