Charles Manson motive challenged by new audio recordings

Filmmaker Joe Berlinger is challenging the long-standing narrative regarding the motive behind the 1969 Manson Family murders. While prosecutors previously argued that Charles Manson orchestrated the killings of Sharon Tate and others to incite a racial uprising known as ‘Helter Skelter’, Berlinger suggests this theory was a tool used to control followers rather than the primary driver of the crimes.

Drawing on previously unheard prison recordings featured in the Netflix series ‘Conversations with a Killer: The Charles Manson Tapes’, Berlinger argues the murders were actually a frantic attempt to rectify mistakes and assist associate Bobby Beausoleil. According to Berlinger, Manson directed his followers to commit the acts to help get Beausoleil out of prison, describing the killings as an effort to cover up ‘a series of blunders’ rather than a calculated attempt to start a race war.