Robert Beausoleil

Charles Manson ‘family member’ Robert Beausoleil gets recommended for parole, almost 50 years after killing & torturing friend: Report
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Notorious “Manson family” killer Robert Beausoleil was recommended on Thursday for parole, following a string of past rejections.

Los Angeles Times reports that this is the first time the California parole panel recommended Beausoleil for parole. Beausoleil’s 18 previous bids for parole have all been rejected. Beausoleil is serving time for the July 1969 of killing of his friend, Gary Hinman, a California musician that Beausoleil tortured for days before stabbing him twice in the chest.

According to court testimony, Charles Manson helped torture Hinman by slicing his ear off with a sword, while Hinman was held captive in his own home for three days, NBC News reports. Other Manson family members,  including Susan Atkins and Mary Brunner, helped Beausoleil hold a pillow over Hinman’s face after the stabbing, to ensure his death. The incident happened at Hinman’s residence at 964 Old Topanga Canyon Rd., in Topanga.

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Before fleeing the home in Hinman’s car, Beausoleil wrote “Political Piggy” on a wall, using Hinman’s blood. He also drew a paw print in Hinman’s blood, hoping police would pin the crime on the Black Panthers. Beausoleil was arrested on August 6, 1969, when police found him sleeping in Hinman’s car, which broke down along Cuesta Grade, in San Luis Obispo.

Deborah Tate, sister of actress Sharon Tate, who was killed by a group of Manson followers, told People that she opposes Beausoleil’s release, although he was not a part of the Manson members who murdered her sister.

 

Beausoleil wrote “political piggy” on the wall, using Hinman’s blood. [Photo: Handout]

“He is still very dangerous. Gary Hinman was his friend, music teacher, his peer. He viciously killed him. This is not a nice guy.”

Beausoleil’s lawyer, Jason Campbell, argued that his 71-year-old client is no longer dangerous and no longer a threat to society.

“He is a very thoughtful, insightful and compassionate person,” Campbell said. “He’s not the person he was in 1969. He’s matured dramatically since then.”

The decision to release Beausoleil ultimately lies with California governor Gavin Newsom; he’ll have the final say in whether the killer should get parole. The judge has 120 days from the time he takes his oath on January 7 to decide Beausoleil’s fate.

Check back with CrimeOnline as additional details become available.

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[Feature Photo: Robert Beausoleil via AP/ David F. Smith, File; California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation]