This Is An Open Wound

I'm not sure why this video stopped working, but here is a DIRECT LINK

Got it streaming again, but I'll leave the link just in case. Now, back to work...

More on "the missing link"

If you have not read Part 1 of this series, it is located HERE.

Patty has a sneaking suspicion that PJ Tate actually DID know what happened at Cielo in August of 1969, but that he couldn't do or say anything about it, because there was a federal investigation going on into the workings of The Brotherhood of Eternal Love (aka "The Hippie Mafia" or BEL). Up until a few years ago, nobody talked much about this huge federal investigation because it was, and perhaps still is to some extent, being actively pursued.

Supposedly, the federal investigation into the BEL is "wrapping up" now: The last BEL-related arrest was Brenice Lee Smith (pictured at right) in 2009. Another member was recently located near Lake Tahoe, but since he is a "family man" and has stayed out of trouble for many decades, he was not prosecuted.

You probably know that Colonel Tate was retired, but that he had been fairly high up in army intelligence. There is a passage in Restless Souls where Alisa Statman writes that PJ staked out Cielo for weeks until some "bikers" showed up and taunted the dogs there from behind the fence. PJ then purportedly followed them back to Spahn Ranch. Why didn't PJ go any further with his investigation? He had suspects, he had experience, he had connections. Patty does not wish to trivialize his pain: she has only the greatest respect and admiration for this man whom she never met. Surely, he must have been PISSED: Sharon's acquaintances' involvement with drugs put her in the worst possible place at the exact wrong moment in time. Because he was a man of honor, he would not have been able to divulge details to which he may have become privy if indeed a federal investigation was ongoing. Viewed in this cold, hard fluorescent light, the look on Colonel Tate's face (above, left) screams "monkey trial" to Patty.

In 1972, there was a large law enforcement conference in a "hotel ballroom" somewhere in San Francisco, according to Tendler & May's BEL and Schou's Orange Sunshine. At this conference, a list of 750 known associates of the BEL is said to have been revealed. These associates were loosely organized into maybe 40 separate distributorships up and down the coast. Where is that list now? Perhaps lead investigator and professional creepy crawler Neil Purcell has a copy of the list, because he was supposedly there. Neil was not only instrumental in breaking up BEL operations in California, he is also the officer who arrested Tim Leary, his wife and his son Jack on 12/26/68 in Laguna Beach. The Learys were in possession of a rather small amount of weed for which Tim was sentenced to ten years in prison. You know the rest of that story, right? Anyhow, that list may end up being the holy grail if Patty can find a copy.

It was this document that Patty was searching for when she found copies of the 1972 and 1974 US Senate Hearings on the "Marijuana and Hashish Epidemic," instead. Patty was interested to learn that the BEL was heavily involved in a passport fraud operation in order to mask their comings and goings abroad. This, the hearings read, was confirmed by Interpol, who once investigated Bruce Davis' presence in London at the time of Joel Pugh's death (above). This statement in the Interpol letter caught Patty's eye: "The local police...understand that he has visited our country more recently than April, 1969. However, this is not borne out by our official records." Interesting, no? Patty was also interested to learn that Bruce (pictured below in 1961) was also an early adopter of LSD, as per his parole hearing from October 4, 2012:

"PRESIDING COMMISSIONER FERGUSON: And you say other psychedelic drugs, did you use LSD? 
 INMATE DAVIS: I started in 1965. 
...PRESIDING COMMISSIONER FERGUSON: Other psychedelic drugs as well? 
INMATE DAVIS: Mescaline...Psilocybin.
...PRESIDING COMMISSIONER FERGUSON: Okay...You've mentioned hallucinogens, how about depressants or stimulants? 
 INMATE DAVIS: Very seldom. Sometimes some stimulants. 
PRESIDING COMMISSIONER FERGUSON: What kind, like cocaine?
INMATE DAVIS: No. Methamphetamine."

These are the drugs that Patty was talking about in her first post, which bring us back to Gary, and to Patty's stalker having another cow. Why have the 48 color photographs associated with the investigation into Gary's murder (here) been lost to us? CieloDrive has promised to keep his eyes peeled for the photos, but at last report, there has been nothing. WHY?

Patty believes that drugs figure very heavily into the overall motive, and apparently Sandy Good does too. Friend of the blog "Giselle" found Sandy's old ATWA site on the wayback machine (see here). Sandy, pictured above right with an (evil-)lizard, stated on her website as late as 2000 that although "seriously flawed," the Shreck book is the closest account to what really happened. The Shreck book is very pro drug motive, as you know.

Kimchi at lsb3.com shared that the LASD arrest report of 5/2/68 states that "Suspect Good was again shown evidence held item #1, #2, #3 and #4 and asked if it was hers, suspect stated, no, never saw it before. When asked if she smokes marijuana suspect stated, yes, but I don't like it. When asked where she got the capsules, suspect stated from Gary Hinman in Topanga.(see here)." Is it a coincidence that Tex and Sadie had a baby food jar full of white powdery speed at Spahn right after Gary's murder, which Tex wrote about in his book, "Will you die for me?" It wasn't in the form of pills (aka "reds"), it was POWDER. The stuff Sandy said came from Gary was also powder in a capsule, not pressed. Gary was an amateur and would not have had a pill press like the one at left, which was recovered from an actual MDMA lab. Was the "speed" in the baby food jar methamphetamine (trade name methedrine), an MDA precursor that Sadie got from Gary's basement?

It is very interesting to Patty that places that the Family have been known to frequent parallel places where the BEL had business at around the same times. Family members were driving up and down the coast all the time, Mexico to Canada. Perhaps not so coincidentally, Phil Kaufman who wrote Road Mangler Deluxe states that he met Manson at Terminal Island, where he was serving time for smuggling marijuana from Mexico. At one time Charlie gave Kaufman's "Joint Venture" address as his own, when he applied for a Union Oil Company credit card (see here).

It is also Phil who was with Graham Parsons when he died in Joshua Tree. Phil stole Graham's body to burn it near Joshua Tree rather than let him be buried at home in New Orleans (see here). Joshua Tree was also home to a large commune that Onjya Sipe stayed at (see here), as did a woman who told Nicholas Schou that she saw Charles Manson at a Haight-Ashbury free Diggers' kitchen called "The Living Room."

The guy who was the main BEL cook around the time of the murders was Nick Sand, a Brooklynite who jumped bail and ended up in Canada. Furthermore, Pic Dawson was a purported drug dealer from Canada. In the Robert Ackerley clip, he says that he never intended to end up in the Haight, because he and a friend were originally driving to Canada. (as an aside: He also mentions hanging out with Eric Clapton in the Haight. This blog has a photo of Clapton at Cass' house, eating BBQ next to Pic Dawson: see here).

Ruth Ann was either travelling with or picking up on Hawaii a large amount of LSD at the time she dosed Barbara's hamburger. We know she disappeared and left Barbara in her hotel for several hours before she returned, then high tailed it back to the airport. The BEL was there at the same time, dealing acid and creating what later became known as "Maui Wowie." Did Ruth Ann bring the acid with her in a premotivated plan to murder Barbara, or was it an offhanded stunt she pulled in the process of picking up or dropping off some sort of shipment? (Hey Stoner, the bong babe is for you). If this was the case, it is entirely possible that Barbara was brought along as an unwitting, disposable "mule."

Clyda Dulaney was murdered in Ukiah, halfway between where the Witches of Mendocino were living in Navarro and where the BEL relocated to from the Haight (namely, Potter's Valley). Who is/was Johnny's "weird aunt," who may know what actually happened according to Johnny himself (see here)? And what about Santa Barbara? and Malibu? and Oregon? and Mexico? and San Diego? and Esalen? And....a bunch of other places that come up again and again? Stay tuned, because of course, THERE'S MORE.

Flagship statement from Susan Atkins' website

 From Alisa Statman:

The Susan Atkins website (susanatkins.org) was recently brought to my attention and I am absolutely outraged by their flagship statement on the opening page:

“[Susan] has all of these things she’s done, all these committees, all these organizations, all these degrees. And I am 60 years old and I don’t know of anybody who has done all these things.” (Jay Sebring’s Sister, 2005)

This is a complete and knowingly gross mis-representation of a victim’s impact statement. What Jay’s sister actually said is what we put in Restless Souls:

“She’s got all these things she’s done, all these committees, all these organizations, all these degrees, but the bottom line is, she’s just as much a murderer today as she was thirty-six years ago because my brother is just as dead as he was thirty-six years ago.”

I would not dare to judge someone’s religious beliefs or integrity of truthfulness, but when a born-again-Christian outright lies on their cover page by mis-quoting one of their victims next of kin—right next to sub-topics such as “Bible Studies” and “Restitution Project”—I felt the mis-quote needed to be addressed in an equally public forum.

I realize that Atkins is long gone and that this website is run by her “estate” i.e. James Whitehouse, but it serves as Atkins’ representation (much like Whitehouse representing her at parole hearings) and it’s done in her memory. And, if she were still alive and having parole hearings I think Jay Sebring’s family would be justified in bringing it up in their impact statement to question her remorse, and therefor rehabilitation.

Alisa Statman & Brie Tate - with Connie Martinson

Part 1

Part 2

On TV This Week

Crime Special: Hollywood's Most Notorious Crimes
bio (Biography Channel)
Monday September 10, 10:00 pm ET
http://www.biography.com/tv/daily-schedule?date=2012-09-10

In the shadows of the glitz and glamour lurk the dark secrets of Tinsel Town's most scandalous crimes. This two-hour special turns the spotlight on the entertainment capital's most captivating cases, including the brutal slaughter of starlet Sharon Tate, O.J. Simpson and the "crime of the century", the tragic murders of Phil Hartman and 20-year-old Playboy Playmate Dorothy Stratten, the rich kids-turned-celebrity burglars...

Alisa Statman will be interviewed during the TLB portion.

---

Twisted: The Devil's Business
Investigation Discovery
Tuesday September 11, 10:00 pm ET

(60 minutes)

Charles Manson and his so called 'family' would become the most infamous killers of the 20th Century. Their series of brutal and seemingly senseless crimes would shock the world. But how did so many young people fall under the spell of one man?

Bush making Doris one of his Thousand Points of Light

The original photos that were sent from the White House and what appeared in Restless Souls

Alisa Statman on CNN.com

**Thank you, Alisa, for your express permission to use this great photo of you and Patti.**

The enduring fascination of the Sharon Tate murder
By Mike Ayers, Special to CNN

April 11, 2012 -- Updated 0152 GMT (0952 HKT)-- "The day that I was moving in, there was a supposed producer [on the property]," said Statman, now an assistant director on "Modern Family." "He was taking footage of some of the exterior. I just told him not to film me."

Statman said she received a letter from that producer, Bill Nelson. Nelson said he was working on a film about the Manson murders and the Tate family, that he had the blessing of Sharon Tate's mother, Doris Tate, and asked if Statman would be interested in helping. "Being in the business and being 21 years old, I was like 'Heck yes, I'd love to do this.' "

From there, Statman said her life was radically altered.

Read the whole piece, here: http://edition.cnn.com/2012/04/10/showbiz/celebrity-news-gossip/sharon-tate-murder-pop-culture/?hpt=hp_c3

Addressing some of the points

Let me note that this is not a return attack on Debbie Tate. Most hold the opinion that silence is an admission to guilt so I’d simply like to address some of the points posted on the site.

I’ll begin with the most egregious, digging up Sharon’s grave. Let me be clear, I did not have Sharon's casket opened, just the grave so that Patti could be buried with Sharon, Doris, and the baby. And, yes, I have the letter from Roman giving me permission to do so. Does anyone really believe that Holy Cross would allow me to not only open a grave but to bury Patti in Doris and Sharon's plot without written consent from Roman--or at the very minimum a court order? As we wrote in the book, the grave has been opened twice since Sharon's burial--once for Doris to be buried next to Sharon, once for Patti to be buried with both.

The second thing that I will state at this time is in reference to the Holy Cross paperwork for Patti's funeral because it is indeed true--yes, I stated that I was Patti's stepsister and power of attorney--2nd part true-- but I did not call myself a Tate. I did this because sadly the archdiocese would not recognize my relationship with Patti as family. Since Roman was signing over the right to bury Patti there, it had to be a family member that signed the forwarding documents and since I was the one paying for and arranging her funeral I lied--sue me. If you've ever had to make funeral arrangements for the one person you hold most dear to your heart you'll understand that you're not always thinking clearly and you do what you have to do to get the job done. I never thought a private purchase receipt for my partner's funeral would become public record. And, quite frankly it breaks my heart that Patti's funeral arrangements have been brought up on that site for public debate. On Patti's death certificate, which I knew was public record and an official document, I signed "Friend".

The numerous points made to prove Patti and Debbie were close? Yes, Patti was a kind and forgiving person so, year after year after year she continually tried to mend the relationship with Debbie only to have Debbie slap her in the face for trying—literally, well, more like a punch on the one occasion that she dislocated Patti’s jaw. In any case, yes, this did include making her part of the wedding party. But if we had to bring Patti’s real friends and children in as witnesses in a court of law, she’d lose this argument in a heartbeat.

Account of Paul Tate: At no point did Brie or I claim to write/copy verbatim from any one of the Tate family’s unpublished manuscripts. Never did we state that words were taken directly from PJ’s manuscript. I state very emphatically in the introduction: “I unearthed a treasure of the Tate family’s home movies, audio and video recordings, journals, and letters dating back to 1961, as well as a massive archive of police and court documents from Sharon’s murder case…. It took months to catalog it all,... By using what I’d found, as well as the personal knowledge shared over the years with me by P.J., Doris, Patti, and Brie, I decided to write it from each of their unique and extraordinary perspectives.”

What this means is that we COMBINED many sources—personal conversations, tape recordings, and yes, we referenced old unfinished manuscripts to form one cohesive narrative. The numerous attacks on Debbie’s site in comparing PJ’s manuscript, Five Down on Cielo, to what’s in Restless Souls is a useless endeavor because only a single paragraph was lifted from it. The rest came from conversations with PJ 20 years after it was written.

Patti Tate Account: I have the dated floppy disks to prove when Patti and I began writing her autobiography. The rest about Robin Olsen, I will leave to Col Scott’s Blog to expose—so far he’s doing a very fine job. I’ve protected myself very well on this issue and have signed documentation from Patti. Amongst other things, I have Patti’s signed contract with our agent in 1999. I also have a registered Writer’s Guild Copy of our collaboration at the time. Why would Patti, a decent, honest, and kind person, turn around and sign a contract with me if she’d promised Olsen that they would write a book together? Something’s very wrong here and it’s not me.

As for the rest of the trivial accusations like the cloudy day at Doris’ funeral? I don’t care if they have a documented weather report that there was a freak snowstorm in LA the day of Doris’ funeral, it was written from Patti’s perspective/memory and that’s how SHE remembered it.

Did I try to push through legislation that would allow non-family members to make impact statements at the parole hearings? No. This bill—AB 219—was a long time in the making at the time that Patti died. It was about to be passed through when PJ Tate made a written request to the state of California that I be his representative at the parole hearings for Sharon’s killers. When Debbie caught wind of this she immediately began protesting that I not be allowed to speak on PJ’s behalf and that she would be the sole representative for the Tate family at the parole hearings—which is why Brie too was denied her right to make an impact statement at Atkins 2005 hearing. The people in Sacramento that were trying to help, hoped that AB 219 would be passed by the time of Atkins next parole hearing so that Debbie's protests could be silenced. Did I want it passed? Absolutely, so I could carry out PJ’s wishes. Did I personally lobby for it? No. At the time, technology wasn’t very advanced. In order to keep PJ up to date, I printed my correspondence between the people in Sacramento and myself so he could read them. Those copies are still in my possession...As a side note, at Atkins hearing that year, the impact statement of Paul Tate's that Debbie began reading and Steve Kay finished reading, was the impact statement I had prepared and planned to read had I gone to the hearing.

Would I take a lie detector test over the final questions posed on the website? Absolutely—and I’d pass.

Alisa's Statement - 3-7-12

a

"Before I can comment there are several things I need to investigate. First, I've been told that while the site is obviously approved by Debbie it may run by Robin Olsen--who has been stalking me on the various blogs (under an assumed name) making accusatory and rude comments (most, thankfully deleted by the hosts) about the book that ring very close to what's posted on Debbie's site. Yesterday morning, just before this statement was released, Olsen made threatening and disturbing phone calls to family members that Brie and I are close to, asserting, amongst numerous other things, "I'm a writer too, you know"--and I think that comment alone speaks volumes. Obviously, Olsen is a very disturbed woman. So, at this point, while I'm quite certain that Debbie would not approve of any book she didn't write, I'm not sure who actually wrote this press release or if Debbie has even read Restless Souls. Secondly, Restless Souls was extensively vetted by HarperCollins' legal department (9 months total), this is not just an attack on Brie and I but an attack on HarperCollins integrity as a publisher so I need to wait to hear what they will allow or not allow me to comment on at this time...I can tell you all this, I will not turn this into an unsubstantiated defiling circus and thus degrade the integrity of Restless Souls...More to come."

Questions for Alisa Statman

Please post you have for Alisa Statman in the comments section. These questions will be forwarded on to Alisa.

We are grateful to her.

Please. No questions about Debra Tate. To answer any and all Debra questions, she sends this:

...to avoid any more speculation and questions on why Debbie Tate is not involved in this book--and then, honestly, I will have nothing more to add on the subject of Debbie...Debbie is not part of Restless Souls simply because Patti was never close with Debbie, therefore Brie and I were never close with Debbie. In its original format, Restless Souls was Patti's autobiography. At that time, Debbie was not included in Patti's story (nor was she included in either PJ or Doris' roughly done outlines/manuscripts). When it was changed into a family memoir, I decided to keep Patti's voice as a constant throughout--you'll notice we often begin with a memory of Patti's even if the chapter isn't about her--therefore it seemed only logical to continue forward in the original fashion Patti had begun to exclude Debbie.

I hope you all don't mind, but I'm going to take this opportunity to pimp out the Restless Souls Book Trailer HarperCollins amde because it's got some fantastic footage of Sharon with Doris Tate's VO--which for those of you who've read the book, know she means every word of it. Also, I'd like to note that in the Enhanced eBook, there are more recordings, video, and different photos... Here's the link to the trailer. Thanks!

Restless Souls

Just ran out to B&N and and picked-up my copy.

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