Crime Figure. Manson was a convicted murderer and cult leader who was found guilty in the killings of several victims, including actress Sharon Tate. In August 1969, he orchestrated a wave of violence that took the lives of seven people, spawned headlines worldwide and landed him and his "Manson Family" of followers in prison for most of the remainder of their lives. Manson served nine life terms in California prisons and was denied parole 12 times. The brutal killings began on August 9, 1969, at the Benedict Canyon home of Tate and her husband, movie director Roman Polanski, who was out of the country at the time. The first set of victims were Tate, who was eight months pregnant, celebrity hairstylist Jay Sebring, coffee heiress Abigail Folger, writer Voytek Frykowski and Steven Parent, a friend of the family's caretaker. The following evening, another set of murders took place. Supermarket executive Leno LaBianca and his wife, Rosemary, were killed at their home in the Los Feliz section of Los Angeles. Manson, who ordered the killings, but didn't participate, believed the murders would spawn an apocalyptical race war called "Helter Skelter". On June 16, 1970, he and three of his followers, Susan Atkins, Patricia Krenwinkel and Leslie Van Houten went on trial in Los Angeles. The charges came after a major break in the case when Atkins, who was already in jail on another charge, bragged to a fellow inmate about the Tate murders. Manson and his followers created a circus-like atmosphere in the court with singing, giggling, angry outbursts and even carving X's in their foreheads. The prosecution, led by Vincent Bugliosi, secured guilty verdicts on January 25, 1971. Manson was also convicted in connection with the killings of Gary Hinman, a musician, and stuntman Donald "Shorty" Shea in 1969. Manson died of natural causes.