Tag Archives: Bruce Davis

Lawyer reportedly claims in decades-old tape Charles Manson may have murdered more

A attorney for one of the members of the notorious Manson family said decades ago the group’s leader Charles Manson committed more murders, according to a report.

MyFoxLA.com reports Bill Boyd, who represented Manson family member and convicted murderer Charles “Tex” Watson, said Watson told him Manson had committed other murders besides the 1969 killings of actress Sharon Tate and six others.

“He told me about a bunch of other people Manson had killed,” Boyd said of Watson.

Boyd reportedly made the comments in an interview with an author about the murders, and MyFoxLA.com recently received an audiotape of the interview.

Boyd also says on the tape Watson did not implicate himself, saying the murders Watson allegedly spoke of were unrelated to the ones Watson was involved in.

Boyd, who died in 2009, said he had over 20 hours of recordings of interviews with Watson. MyFoxLA.com reports the LAPD is now seeking to get the tapes, which are tied up in Texas bankruptcy court.

The news comes as California’s governor has been asked to make the final decision on whether a former Manson follower will be released on parole after serving more than 40 years in prison.

The state’s Board of Parole Hearings submitted to Gov. Jerry Brown its recommendation that Bruce Davis is suitable for parole. The documents were submitted Friday, one day ahead of the deadline, according to California Department of Corrections spokeswoman Terry Thornton.

The governor has up to 30 days to make a decision. His options are to affirm, decline, modify or decline to review, which would allow the parole to take effect, Thornton said.

Davis, now 70, was convicted with cult leader Manson and another man in the killings of a musician and a stuntman, which happened after the most notorious of the family’s crimes.

Manson and three of his followers, Leslie Van Houten, Patricia Krenwinkel and Watson, remain in prison for life in the Tate killings. Their co-defendant, Susan Atkins, died of cancer behind bars in 2009.

Click for more from MyFoxLA.com.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Source: FULL ARTICLE at Fox US News

Calif. governor to set fate of ex-Manson follower

California’s governor has been asked to make the final decision on whether a former Charles Manson follower will be released on parole after serving more than 40 years in prison.

The state’s Board of Parole Hearings submitted to Gov. Jerry Brown its recommendation that Bruce Davis is suitable for parole. The documents were submitted Friday, one day ahead of the deadline, according to California Department of Corrections spokeswoman Terry Thornton.

The board’s attorneys were required to review the findings of a two-member panel which ruled he was suitable for parole. They confirmed there were no errors of fact or law in the submission.

The governor has up to 30 days to make a decision. His options are to affirm, decline, modify or decline to review, which would allow the parole to take effect, Thornton said.

Davis, now 70, was convicted with cult leader Manson and another man in the killings of a musician and a stuntman. He was not involved in the infamous Sharon Tate murders.

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger rejected a previous parole recommendation for Davis.

Los Angeles District Attorney Jackie Lacey sent a letter to the board last week opposing Davis’ release.

Davis was 30 when he was sentenced to life in prison in 1972, in a case that was a postscript to Manson’s notorious reign as leader of the murderous communal cult known as the Manson family.

Davis long maintained that he was a bystander in the killings of the two men, but in recent years, he has acknowledged his shared responsibility.

A recent photo released by CDCR shows a gray-haired, wrinkled man smiling for the camera.

If he is freed, Davis will go to transitional housing associated with religious groups in Los Angeles County.

Davis became a born-again Christian in prison and ministered to other inmates, married a woman he met through the prison ministry, and has a grown daughter. The couple recently divorced.

Davis also earned a master’s degree and a doctorate in philosophy of religion.

Manson and three of his followers, Leslie Van Houten, Patricia Krenwinkel and Charles “Tex” Watson, remain in prison for life in the Tate killings. Their co-defendant, Susan Atkins, died of cancer behind bars in 2009.

Source: FULL ARTICLE at Fox US News

Prosecutor opposes release of ex-Manson devotee

The Los Angeles district attorney says she is opposing the impending release of Bruce Davis, a former Charles Manson follower who has spent more than 40 years in prison.

District Attorney Jackie Lacey sent a letter to Gov. Jerry Brown last week urging him to reverse a parole panel’s decision to grant Davis freedom.

The 70-year-old Davis was convicted with Manson and another man in the killings of a musician and a stuntman. He was not involved in the infamous Sharon Tate murders.

Lacey says Davis still lacks insight and genuine remorse for his crimes.

Monday will be the end of a 120-day review period by the entire parole board. If they uphold Davis’ parole recommendation, Brown then has 30 days to review the decision and either approve or reject it.

Source: FULL ARTICLE at Fox US News