Two Trips to Cielo

 

The official version of events says that the Cielo murders took place from around 12:20am to about 12:50am.  

Here are the witnesses that support that timeline:  

--At 1am Rudy Weber claims he saw Tex and the girls using the hose outside his house to wash up.  He even got the license plate # from the Ford they were driving.  "Mr. Weber stated he was guessing at the time"

--Neighbor Mrs Kott
she heard, “in close sequence", what sounded like three or four gunshots. They seemed to have come from the direction of the gate of 10050 and she later guessed it to be between 12:30-1AM.
HS, pg24  "She did not check the time but later guessed it be be between 12:30 and 1am."

--William Garretson's testimony that Parent left the guest house shortly after 12:15am.

--Both Susan & Linda stated that Charlie asked them what they were doing home so early

--HS, pg117
"Virginia also learned(from Atkins) that the Tate murders had taken place between midnight and one in the morning..."

--Seymour Kott, NBC interview:  heard nothing after midnight

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But there are numerous witnesses that saw or heard somethiing after 1am

--Tim Ireland says his supervisor gave the time he came to him as 12.40 as he had looked at his watch ~ Ireland originally told the police it was 1.30am
 The police report notes: "Between 0100 and 0130 Mr. Ireland was awake, alert and watching the sleeping children. He heard a male voice from what seemed to him a long distance away to the north or northeast shout, 'Oh, God, no. Stop. Stop. Oh, God, no, don't'.

--Seymour Kott
LA Times Article, Aug 27, 1969
http://www.cielodrive.com/archive/tate-neighbor-heard-shots-screams-in-murder-house-about-2-in-morning/
  He heard shots and screams at "2 or 2:30am – no earlier,"
" I heard a loud shot, a woman’s scream, then another shot."

--Emmett Steele (9951 Beverly Grove Dr.) who was awakened by the barking of one of his hunting dogs. He estimated the time to be between 2 and 3am.

--14-year-old Carlos Gill,  who had a clear eye-view to the house and sound would travel right to his window who said it was 4:00 AM.
"At approximately 0400 hours he heard the sound of voices arguing. He believed it was three or four persons. The argument increased in volume and became more heated. It lasted approximately one minute and then subsided abruptly."   "Carlos, with an open window did not hear any gunshots between 1-1:30AM."

--Robert Bullington and Eric Karlson, two security patrol trained to mark the time who both said at 4:11am they heard three gunshots

--Unk 911 caller who reported "woman screaming" call from the same area, about 4am.   "I hope we don't have a murder. We just had a woman-screaming call in that area."

--www.townandcountrymag.com/leisure/arts-and-culture/a26932479/manson-family-murders-sharon-tate-death-explained-reactions/
--Richard Correll (director):
Sees Tex, another man, and two females driving near the crime scene at 3:30am.

--William Garretson also gave an account that supports the claim of gunshots after 1am:

From the trial transcripts:

MR. FITZGERALD: ... I am in possession of what purports to be a transcript of an interview with Mr. Garretson at 4:25 pm, on August 10th, 1969, where this witness was asked about the events that took place on August 8th and 9th. He stated in connection with questions about dogs barking that: “It was about 2 or 3 hours after he left,” referring to Steven Parent, “somewhere around there, that is when I looked out in the yard....” ... The importance of the dogs barking is that they may signal or herald the arrival on the scene of the persons who perpetrated the events.

But if there was a return visit, why not just admit that?  I suspect it was because it would have raised too many questions for the Bel Air Patrol, on how they could have missed the killers coming and going, twice.