Naman Shrestha
Peacock’s ‘Making Manson’ and Netflix’s ‘Conversations with a Killer: The Charles Manson Tapes’ provide insights into the notorious cult leader Charles Manson and the views he instilled into his followers. These two documentary series feature his former “Family” members who were closely associated with the criminal. It also makes the 20 years’ worth of his conversations from prison public, as he talked about his life and the crimes of his cult. One of the hot topics of the show was the brutal murder of Gary Hinman in 1969, which reportedly was the first of the many crimes committed by the Charles Manson Family.
Gary Hinman Was Found Dead in His Topanga Residence
On Christmas Eve 1934, Robert and Frances Hinman were gifted by the birth of their first child — Gary Alan Hinman — in Grand Junction, Colorado. Over the next few years, he became an elder brother to two sisters, Carole Ann Hinman Romberg and Barbara J. Hinman. Although he was born in Grand Junction, he was raised in Fort Collins, where he developed a passion for musical instruments, including piano, guitar, drums, trombone, and bagpipes. In the mid-1950s, he attended Colorado University to pursue a Bachelor’s degree, and after graduating, he chose to marry and relocate to Los Angeles, California.
Gary continued his studies after his marriage (1959), pursuing a Ph.D. in Sociology at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). At the same time, he served as a music teacher in order to earn some extra income to get by. Since the piano was his favorite musical instrument, he owned a baby grand piano that he kept in his living room. Described as a kind and compassionate person, Gary purchased a house at 964 Old Topanga Canyon Road in Topanga, California, and allowed his friends to stay at the property whenever they felt like it. Despite being busy with other ventures, he still ran a mescaline factory in his basement.
In the summer of 1969, Gary got immersed in Nichiren Shoshu Buddhism and planned to travel to Japan. Yet, fate had other plans as he was found brutally murdered at his Topanga residence on July 27, 1969, at the age of 34. When the authorities taped the crime scene and inspected the body and the property, they came across a message written with his blood on one of the walls and paw prints. The autopsy report revealed that he was stabbed to death. Thus, a homicide investigation was launched immediately.
Gary Hinman’s Killer Staged the Crime Scene to Divert the Authorities
During the investigation of Gary Hinman’s murder, detectives learned that in the late 1960s, he had gotten associated with several members of the Charles Manson Family. The victim reportedly even allowed some of them to stay at his residence from time to time. When they delved deeper into the cult members, they uncovered that he was allegedly killed over some money related to a drug deal with the “Family” gone wrong. According to prosecutors, Robert “Bobby” Beausoleil, along with Susan Atkins and Mary Brunner, went to Gary’s house on July 25, 1969, to demand the money he took after allegedly selling them bad drugs.
When Gary did not obey their orders, Charles Manson drove to his house himself and reportedly struck him on the face with a samurai sword/bayonet, according to records. Charles’ attack severely damaged his face and ear, but the leader left almost immediately after telling his followers to finish the job. As per the Netflix show, Bobby, Susan, and Mary initially tried to treat Gary themselves, but it was essentially torture because what he needed was medical treatment.
Gary requested to be taken to the hospital, but he was held captive in his own home for 3 days before being killed. It was allegedly Bobby who stabbed him to death. In order to make the murder seem like it had been committed by black revolutionaries, Charles Manson’s followers wrote “political piggy” on the wall with the victim’s blood. Susan and Mary were reportedly the ones who staged the scene most, whereas Bobby escaped the scene of the crime in Gary’s car.
Despite Inconsistent Accounts, the Perpetrator Was Brought to Justice
As investigators turned every stone to get to the bottom of the case, they finally found Gary’s Fiat pulled off the highway at Cuesta Grade, between San Luis Obispo and Atascadero, on August 6, 1969. When they approached the vehicle, they saw Bobby asleep inside and arrested him on the spot. Upon inspecting the car, they also found the murder weapon in the tire well. Several months later, on April 18, 1970, 22-year-old Bobby Beausoleil was found guilty and convicted of first-degree murder. For his crimes, he was sentenced to death, but in 1972, his death penalty was changed to life imprisonment after the Supreme Court of California ruled that the death penalty statutes were unconstitutional.
While Bobby was serving his sentence in prison, he claimed that Charles sent him to recover the money that Gary owed the “Family” as he gave them a batch of bad mescaline. However, Susan Atkins claimed that Charles instructed Bobby, Mary, and her to visit Gary and obtain his $21,000 inheritance. Later, Bobby changed his story, claiming that the cult leader never showed up at the victim’s house, and he himself cut his face with a knife while struggling for a gun. In the late 1990s, he changed the story yet again and asserted that he had no part in the assault. However, he has long been legally deemed responsible for Gary’s homicide, and to this day, he remains incarcerated in state prison for it.
Read More: Dianne Lake: Where is the Ex-Manson Family Member Now?
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