Monday, July 6, 2015

Ruth Ann's Sacramento Arrest

Los Angeles Times
October 15, 1975
Page D1

Ex-Manson girl Tells of Quitting 'Family'
Says She Didn't Appear for Sentencing Because of Pregnancy

By William Farr

Ruth Ann Morehouse, still wearing a bandage over plastic surgery she underwent to remove the forehead X that had marked her as a member of the Manson family, Tuesday made a brief and tearful court appearance in Los Angeles.

"She has divorced herself from the Manson family for some time now," her attorney, Paul Fitzgerald, told Superior Court Judge David Fitts.

Morehouse was brought to court from Sacramento, where she was arrested a week ago on a four year old warrant issued while Charles Manson was on trial for the Sharon Tate-Leno La Bianca murders.

Known as "Ouish" to other members of Manson's cult, she initially was charged with conspiracy to commit murder for her part in what came to be known as the "Honolulu hamburger caper."

Four other members of the "family," including Lynette (Squeaky) Fromme, who is now awaiting trial for allegedly attempting to assassinate President Ford, were codefendants in the conspiracy case.

According to the county grand jury indictment against them, the group of Manson followers persuaded Barbara Hoyt to fly to Honolulu with Morehouse in October, 1970.

Morehouse reportedly spiked a hamburger with LSD before giving it to Hoyt for consumption.  the whole plan purportedly was to keep Hoyt from testifying at the Manson trial.

All five were allowed to plead no contest March 23, 1971, to the lesser charge of conspiracy to dissuade a witness, and the murder counts were dropped.  The other four received 90-day jail sentences April 16 of that year but Morehouse did not show up for sentencing.
With Morehouse at his side, unsuccessfully trying to fight back her tears, Fitzgerald told Fitts that she did not appear for sentencing because she was nine months pregnant at the time.
"The 'family' told her she had to shave her head and that she had to have her baby in jail." Fitzgerald explained "And she wanted none of that."
Instead she left to live with her sister in Carson City, Nev. and four days after her arrival there had the baby, Fitzgerald said.  In the interim between now and then, she married a Reno builder, had another child and recently was divorced.
Fourteen months ago, according to Fitzgerald, she moved to Sacramento but did not rejoin Manson followers Fromme and Sandra Good who also lived in the capitol city.
Fromme and Good called Morehouse's sister several times in Nevada and insisted that Morehouse had to come back with the 'family', Fitzgerald said.
The FBI found Morehouse's sister in Carson City and the sister informed the federal agents Morehouse was in Sacramento.
The FBI did not arrest her but did inform Sacramento authorities who subsequently picked her up on the long-standing warrant last Wednesday.
Fitts said he wanted and up-to-date probation report on Morehouse and set her bail at $1000.00 pending a November probation and sentencing hearing.  She was released later in the day after a member of her family posted the bond.
On November 4, 1975 Ruth Ann again appeared in court to be sentenced.  Judge Fitts did not give Ruth Ann any jail time, instead he ruled that because she was abandoned by her father when she was 14 years old and "thrown willy-nilly into the Manson cult" she could go free with time served.  She intended to go back to Minneapolis to live with her mother. 






42 comments:

orwhut said...

She was cuter than a speckled puppy.

Anonymous said...

DebS,

Always nice to see you doing posts.

So glad Ruth Ann resisted Ms Fromme and Ms Good who were trying to get her back into the fold. She would never have been out of trouble had she remained under the influence of those two.

MHN said...

The official story is nonsense. Anyone with an open mind can see that that burger was spiked with LSD to initiate a race war between burgers and hot dogs. The franks would win, but not knowing how to govern, Charlie would emerge from a giant bun and rule over the wieners.

Either that or it was a copycat killing to Get a Burger Out of Jail.

Anonymous said...

Michael Hloušek-Nagle said...

The official story is nonsense. Anyone with an open mind can see that that burger was spiked with LSD to initiate a race war between burgers and hot dogs. The franks would win, but not knowing how to govern, Charlie would emerge from a giant bun and rule over the wieners.

Either that or it was a copycat killing to Get a Burger Out of Jail.


Michael,

LOL. I'll have some of whatever you are on;);). In The Family's case, the above scenario is probably not too far fetched.

orwhut said...

Michael Hloušek-Nagle said..
Either that or it was a copycat killing to Get a Burger Out of Jail.

Do you mean the hamburgler was locked up? I should have known

Matt said...

Dammit orwhut, you beat me to the Hamburglar!

Robert Hendrickson said...

Apparently Abe Lincoln was the FIRST to raise the issue with HIS far-out idea that "dogs" and "pigs" (ham) should live together as ONE big happy Family. BUT just SEE where that got us: Helter Skelter!

Of course, no thanks to the "beatles" (bugs) who realized a sneaky way to ignite the ultimate FOOD war.

Then along comes some crazy hippie guru who proclaims: NO meat for you - and "vegatarionism" begins to spread from commune to commune. Until LSD is discovered - which nutralizes ALL hostility between the species.

It's kinda like: "Hold the pickels and heavy on the LSD" for the "peacenicks" OR "I'll have a double-double, but hold the LSD" for the WAR mongers.

Hoyt must of been suspicious when offered a "hamburger" by the Manson Family - they were vegitarians.


Anonymous said...


Robert Hendrickson said...

"Hoyt must of been suspicious when offered a "hamburger" by the Manson Family - they were vegitarians."


Hi Mr H,

Normally, I would have agreed with you, but Hoyt looked like such a 'greedy guts' that she probably would have eaten a whole hog (in one mouthful!!!)

(I still find the online exchanges between her and Bill Nelson slightly nauseating)


Anonymous said...


Robert Hendrickson said...

"Then along comes some crazy hippie guru who proclaims: NO meat for you"


The Meat Nazi?

AustinAnn74 said...

It has come to my attention that our readers are highly offended that the comments from this posting are talking about wieners! You must take down the blog or completely cease discussing wieners & buns and NEVER, EVER fly any kind of hotdog-type flag or the media, oops, I mean the political correctness police will be informed! Freedom to fly the flag of your choice is not an option. Also, readers are asking that Oscar Meyer never show their commercials from the past or the future and the Oscar Meyer wienermobile you see driving around periodically will be destroyed and sent to the scrap yard. From now on, you must substitute the word "wiener" with the word "meat-filled casing" and Matt should attend sensitivity training so that uptight individuals that get offended by the word "wiener" don't. As a civil society we must be sensitive to all individuals! Oh, hamburgers apply to this policy too, because all swine might get offended by the term "ham." Thank you.


maudes harold said...

Austin Ann,

So I guess we now should refer to former Congressman Anthony Wiener as Anthony Meat-Filled Casing? (I'm non-partisan, I hate em all!)

Anonymous said...


Austin Ann,

I think you overdid the 'celebrating' on July 4th;);) LOL

AustinAnn74 said...

You got it!

orwhut said...

Matt said... Dammit orwhut, you beat me to the Hamburglar!

Matt,
That was an easy one. I suspect that Michael might planted the clue so we could respond. Sometimes I do that in another group and am disappointed if no one catches it.

Anonymous said...

In an unrelated story, there have been several wildfires burning in Vacaville, CA.

grimtraveller said...

Robert Hendrickson said...

"Hoyt must of been suspicious when offered a 'hamburger' by the Manson Family - they were vegetarians."


That's a good point. But then, after having been forced into fellatio when she didn't want to and having had threats against her family and other things that caused her to agree to testify, one has to question what in the world she was doing in Honolulu at the behest of the family on the outside in the first place.
One of the jurors later remarked that they found her manners childish ~ and from the court transcripts in both the Watson and Grogan trials, they were right. She comes across as both immature and dizzy. Yet she also was full of great info that sheds some interesting light on times for underage youngsters in 'the family.'

Anonymous said...

In Hawaii you put your wahenie on a buhun with lots of muhustard.

CrisPOA said...

Can someone explain to me how and why some membros of the family were in Hawaii? I mean - i always read somewhere the family were frequently trying to sort out ways to get some money and suddenly they have plenty to go out flying to Hawaii? I guess plane tickets were not cheap back then.
So how (who paid - the credit cards?) and why did they go there? I also read somewhere they didn't go once but several times?
I am currently reading "The family" from Sanders (i know...) but i haven't got there yet and this story of the hawaiian trips is something i never really understood so far. Thanks.

Anonymous said...


@ChrisPOA

Chris,

I think Barbara Hoyt was originally from Hawaii. I recall her travelling there because she had been subpoenaed by Bugliosi and was trying to avoid appearing in court. The credit cards were presumably stolen.



Guida Diehl said...

Such a beautiful girl ... http://i.imgur.com/HbVxELT.jpg

candy and nuts said...

Equinox...i recall reafing that ouisch said they all craved meat..but couldnt eat it..and how sadie would sneak out and have a stteak dinner now and then...so hog jokes and calling hoyt a greedy guts seems a bit cruel and unfair...i mean fat jokes...really?

lman28 said...

...."immature and dizzy"...? How would one draw that conclusion?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=83P5y2cP_gY

Anonymous said...


candy and nuts,

Read my post properly. I haven't mentioned the word 'fat'. Cruel and unfair? Take a look at what ISIS is doing to others, that is what I would call 'cruel and unfair', not anything which I have written.
.

sasha11papers said...

Long time lurker here. I realize that Barbara Hoyt is a controversial figure in the Manson saga but can we drop the "weight" comments--her weight is her business and has nothing to do with Manson and the murders.

Mr. Humphrat said...

There are two photos in which Barbara was lean and quite beautiful, and other ones where she had a little chub on her and still looked great. She seemed pretty dizzy in the video I've seen of her, but interesting. That's funny: now they want me to identify pictures with Hamburgers in them!

Anonymous said...


sasha11papers said...
Long time lurker here.


Welcome,

instead of lurking, I am sure we would all enjoy more contributions from you.

candy and nuts said...

Equinox saying greedy guts and she could probably eat a whole is definitely a jab at her weight and because you didnt use the word fat its not? Gimme a break and bringing up isis now,,,hmmm seems youre really reaching there about my cruel comment,,a Bit over dramatic

candy and nuts said...

*Eat a whole hog

Anonymous said...


candy and nuts said...
"...hmmm seems youre really reaching there about my cruel comment,,a Bit over dramatic"

Not at all, I'm putting things into perspective. Today in the UK, we are publicly remembering the deaths of 52 people who ten years ago were bombed on buses going to work in London (7/7/2005). Within that context, I can't get too interested in whether Ms Hoyt is fat, thin or anything else for that matter. I do, however, condemn those who put the LSD pills in Ms Hoyt's food - I believe that to be 'cruel and unfair'. I don't know enough about drugs to ascertain whether or not the dosage could have killed her, but it certainly left her hugely vulnerable to other sorts of harm.

Can we move on now?


candy and nuts said...

Equinox saying greedy guts and she could probably eat a whole is definitely a jab at her weight and because you didnt use the word fat its not? Gimme a break and bringing up isis now,,,hmmm seems youre really reaching there about my cruel comment,,a Bit over dramatic

candy and nuts said...

Equinox i already had, didnt realize you still posting

Anonymous said...


Candy and Nuts,

There seems to be two identical posts from you - one at 2:50pm, which is the one I was responding to, and the other at 3:09. Maybe there was a delay in the system. Anyway, I hate it when someone gets their drink or anything else spiked, and am glad that Ms Hoyt survived her ordeal.

candy and nuts said...

Equinox i already had, didnt realize you still posting

candy and nuts said...

No worries,,,

leary7 said...

love ya, Candy, for sticking up for us size challenged. I've come to accept cheap shots and cruel jabs as just part of the internet, but it is always cool to see someone say WTF to cruelty.
I always think of how different the world might be if Ella Jo had just said WTF when she found out her fellow Family members had offed her friend Gary.

By the way, at the end of this article it said Ruth Ann was going to live with her mother in Minneapolis. I always thought she was strictly a Nevada person. Anyone know of her Minny story?

DebS said...

Hey Leary! Read Dean Moorehouse's Mendocino County probation report. The Moorehouse's were from Minneapolis. Lots of connections to that city.

http://www.mansonblog.com/search/label/Dean%20Moorehouse

Mama Sunshine said...

You cannot OD on acid...
As far as Ms Moorehouse, sounds to me as if she was enjoying playing the victim...."oh my daddy abandoned me at 14"..no...U ran away.... sorry....tired of ppl using the so called family as a friggin scapegoat.
For the person reading The Family by Sanders, try Goodbye Helter Skelter by George Stimson...puts things in perspective..
And BTW....wasn't Fitzgerald representing Ouisch a conflict of interest???

Mama Sunshine said...

You cannot OD on acid...
As far as Ms Moorehouse, sounds to me as if she was enjoying playing the victim...."oh my daddy abandoned me at 14"..no...U ran away.... sorry....tired of ppl using the so called family as a friggin scapegoat.
For the person reading The Family by Sanders, try Goodbye Helter Skelter by George Stimson...puts things in perspective..
And BTW....wasn't Fitzgerald representing Ouisch a conflict of interest???

DebS said...

Liberty said...
And BTW....wasn't Fitzgerald representing Ouisch a conflict of interest???

This arrest happened in 1975, well after the other trials, so no, not a conflict of interest.

Guida Diehl said...

People with good family lives don't generally run away from home when they're 14.

candy and nuts said...

Hi leary
,,,hope u ok maybe we can meet up next time your here,,,no thanks needed the days of fat shaming and fat jokes is looked dowm on and really doesnt belong anymore i thought we are all over that

Anonymous said...


leary7 said...
love ya, Candy, for sticking up for us size challenged.

Leary 7 and Candy,

I am also more than likely 'size challenged'. Best wishes to both of you.