Spahn Ranch

And I said, I wonder if we're in danger.

And then another time, Randy's car broke down and he needed to go to the Spahn Ranch where Charlie and his group were living.

He wanted to pick up a girl whose name was Gypsy.

Her real name, folks, if you want to look her up, because she's still alive, I think, is Catherine Scherr.

He had to know what he was getting into when she got in the car.

Yeah, but I think what sold it was the Spawn Movie Ranch.

Oh, yeah.

Because he wants to go make sure that his old man buddy is not being taken advantage of.

Terry Melcher knew Manson through Dennis Wilson.

Terry Melcher had come to Spahn Ranch.

Terry Melcher knew Manson, there's no question.

Manson had some idea where Terry Melcher lived.

And so when they went to that house, there's no question that Tex is directing them.

I mean, that's what they all said, and that Tex is familiar with the layout of that house.

You know, when Tex is talking to Manson before they leave Spahn Ranch, Does Tex say, hey, maybe I'll go up to Terry Melcher's house or the old Terry Melcher house and Manson says, sure, who knows? But I think if you're asking who had been at the Sharon Tate residence leading up to the murders, only one person, Tex.

Do

thing.

And like there was, for instance, when they were at Spawn Ranch,

There was

that guy who ran it, who owned it.

How, if you are consistently on a regular basis doing heavy drugs and hallucinogens and you have no outside influence on It's like, I mean, it's absolutely a big factor in this.

And do you know, so in terms of, so the Spahn Ranch is what you're talking about, where they eventually wound up, traveled from San Francisco and set up at this ranch that was an old movie ranch that I feel like I've shot on this ranch before, or I've shot where...

Maybe where they shot the movie? Yeah, we shot there, but

the original Spawn Ranch is in Chatsworth.

By 1968, it numbered around 30 people, mostly women.

They moved to Spahn Ranch, an old movie set in Santa Susana Mountains, about 30 miles northwest of Los Angeles.

They lived in abandoned buildings, ate out of dumpsters, and did whatever Charles Manson told them to do.

He controlled their lives completely.

He was given access to vulnerable people, young runaways, drug users, lost souls.

He was given drugs, specifically LSD, the perfect tool for breaking down defences.

He was given a location, Spahn Ranch, isolated and off the grid.

and he was allowed to operate while the authorities monitored.