On August 10, 1969 the headline "Actress Is Among 5 Slain at Home in Beverly Hills" appeared on the front page of the New York Times (Roberts). This was the beginning of a investigation of police error which prolonged the arrest of Charles Manson.
There were several people who claimed they had
heard gunshots and screaming in the early morning hours of August 9. Mrs. Kott, who lived at 10070 Cielo Drive,
heard three or four gunshots at what she guessed was to be about twelve thirty
to one o'clock a.m. after which she heard nothing. About three quarters of a mile south of the
murder scene, Tim Ireland was having an over night party at the camp of which
he was a counselor. Everyone had gone to
bed when Tim awoke to a man's voice screaming "Oh, God, no, please
don't! Oh God, no, don't, don't,
don't..." (Bugliosi & Gentry 4).
At this time, about twelve forty
a.m., he awoke his supervisor, told him
about the scream, and requested that he go see if anyone needed help. He drove around the area but saw nothing
unusual. Robert Bullington of the Bel
Air Patrol was in his parked car when he heard three gunshots spaced a few
seconds apart. He immediately called in
to headquarters (the call logged in at 4:11 a.m.). Headquarters then called in to LAPD but
nothing further was done. About four
thirty paperboy Steve Shannon, who hadn't heard anything the previous night,
noticed what looked like a telephone wire hanging over the front gate and a bug
light on near the house. Mr. Kott also
noticed the wire when he went out to get his paper at about seven thirty that
morning (Bugliosi & Gentry 4-5).
Winifred Chapman, the housekeeper for 10050
Cielo Drive, arrived at the house and also noticed the wire hanging at the
gate. She first thought the power was
out but then she pushed the button to open the front gate and it did. She began to walk up the driveway when she
noticed that there was an unfamiliar automobile in the driveway. She figured, though, that it was only a
visitor and continued toward the house.
When she entered, she picked up the phone and the line was dead. Thinking she should inform someone, she
entered the living room where she noticed two blue trunks which were not there
when she left the previous night. A
closer look saw that there was blood on the trunks. There was blood scattered about in the living
room. She could see out the back door
and on the ground there were pools of blood and a body on the lawn. She ran out
of the house in a panic and on her way out she passed the unfamiliar automobile
in the driveway and this time, looking inside, saw yet another body (Bugliosi
& Gentry 5). She ran from the estate
screaming "Murder Death Bodies Blood" (Begg & Fido 134).
Knowing she needed to get help she ran
immediately to 10070 Cielo Drive and began banging on the door but Mr. and Mrs.
Kott did not answer. She then went to
10090 Cielo Drive and began banging on their door. Mr. and Mrs. Asin came to the door and let
her in. She was in complete hysterics
and the Asin's didn't know what to do.
Jim Asin, 15, called the police and noted the time, eight thirty-three
a.m. Jim and his father Ray went to the
crime scene and stood at the gate. they
noticed a white Rambler in the driveway and also noticed that there were wires
cut. They then returned and made a
second call to the police and, shortly after, a third call (Bugliosi &
Gentry 6).
Police error begins with phone calls. The first being the one that was made to the
LAPD in connection with the gunshots heard early on the morning of August
9. The police didn't follow up on
anything concerning that call. As for
the calls made by Jim Asin, in the official report it says that at "0914
hours, West Los Angeles Units 8L5 and 8L62 were given a radio call 'Code 2
possible homicide,10050 Cielo Drive'" (Bugliosi & Gentry 6).
"The
confusion extends to the arrival times of the units. Officer DeRosa would later testify he arrived
about 9:05 a.m., which was before he supposedly received the Code 2. Officer Whisenhunt, who came next, set the time
of his arrival at between 9:15 and 9:25, while officer Burbrige, who arrived
after both men, testified he was there at 8:40
(Bugliosi & Gentry 6).
Officer DeRosa, who was driving 8L5, had
arrived first and began interviewing Mrs. Chapman but she was too hysterical
and only mentioned names- Polanski, Altobelli, and Frykowski. Ray Asin cleared things up for DeRosa. He said the house was owned by Rudi Altobelli
who was in Europe. Altobelli had hired a
caretaker, a young William Garretson, to watch the house. He lived in the guest house just behind the
residence. Altobelli rented the house
itself out to Roman Polanski and his wife Sharo
No comments:
Post a Comment