The most appalling expectation Charles Manson had for his Family, as proved by the Tate-LaBianca killings, was that he believed they should be ready and able to kill for him — especially if he showed the same apparent willingness. This came into sharp relief in July 1969, when Manson entered into a serious altercation with Bernard Crowe, a Black drug dealer. “Tex” Watson — one of Manson’s most notable followers — had stolen $2,500 from Crowe, and when he met with the cult leader to demand his money back, Manson shot him in the stomach.
Mistakenly believing that he had killed Crowe — and that the drug dealer had connections to the Black Panthers — Manson feared retribution. He entered a frantic state and put Spahn Ranch on high alert, and, according to Ed Sanders, would later use the shooting against Watson a month later, shortly before the Tate-LaBianca murders. “Manson prepared Watson for the event by blaming him for the ‘killing’ of Bernard Crowe. It was Tex’s fault [Manson] had to shoot him; therefore Watson owed him plenty” (via “The Family”). As always, Manson was never going to allow himself to be in a vulnerable position where an acolyte had any cards to use against him, and extended this into an expectation for his followers to kill on his command.
For those interested in learning more about Charles Manson and his many followers, be sure to check out Grunge’s strangest mysteries still surrounding the Manson Family.
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