Assassinated fifty years ago by members of the Manson family, Sharon Tate continues to fascinate Americans. Back to its history.
We are on Saturday, August 9, 1969. Sharon Tate, a young American actress, is eight months pregnant by director Roman Polanski. The young woman receives, at her home, in Los Angeles (California), friends for dinner: Jay Sebringcelebrity hairdresser, Wojciech Frykowskiproducer and his wife, Abigail Folger, heiress of a large coffee company. Meanwhile, the villa caretaker, William Garretson is with a friend, Steve Parent.
It is this date that choose Charles Tex Watson, Patricia Krenwinkel and Susan Atkins, three members of the sect led by Charles Manson, to break into this residence, thinking it is the one belonging to music producer Terry Melcher, at the heart of a dispute with their spiritual leader. Problem: Terry Melcher recently sold his house to Roman Polanski and his wife.
As Steve Parent leaves the property, he is shot four times by Charles Tex Watson. With the exception of the villa caretaker, all other occupants of the house killed and stabbed by members of the Manson family. Sharon Tate, she is stabbed sixteen times by Susan Atkins who will tell, during her trial, that the young woman implored her to leave her and her child alive. Word “pig”pig, is inscribed on the front door with the blood of Sharon, who is found connected to the hairdresser by a rope around their necks and the face covered with a white mask.
The news item then terrorizes the United States and the trial of the three serial killers is extremely publicized. All condemned to death, they took advantage of the decision of the Supreme Court of California which made capital punishment unconstitutional in 1972 to avoid death row. Charles Tex Watson and Patricia Krenwinkel are still in prison. Susan Atkins, meanwhile, died while still in prison in 2009 at the age of 61 from brain cancer.