Los Angeles police believe the notorious Manson Family may have been involved in a dozen cold case killings from 40 years ago, and want to listen to old audio tapes from a bankruptcy case to solve the mystery.
The 12 unsolved killings had “similar circumstances, the same time period” as the other murders, Los Angeles police spokesman Commander Andrew Smith told Reuters.
Manson is serving a life sentence after he convinced his young followers, mostly women, to murder random people to start his plan to incite a race war between whites and blacks.
The news of the cold cases is coming out alongside a legal battle between the LAPD and Manson Family member Charles “Tex” Watson, who is in prison for life in California for his role in the murders.
Police want to hear eight hours of recordings between Watson and his late attorney, Bill Boyd, which have come back out as part of a bankruptcy case involving Boyd’s law practice.
“We’re just trying to obtain these tapes to see if they will shed light on these and other cases,” Smith said.
Back in March, Los Angeles Police Chief Charlie Beck said in a letter to a U.S. Department of Justice trustee that the department “has information that Mr. Watson discussed additional unsolved murders committed by followers of Charles Manson.”