Sharon Tate's Sister Goes Into Graphic Detail About Charles Manson's Murders

12/10/2018 12:28 pm EST

In 1969, Charles Manson and his followers, dubbed The Manson Family, committed a string of brutal murders so brutal they rival even the most gruesome of horror movies.

The most high-profile murder was when they killed actress Sharon Tate, the pregnant wife of director Roman Polanski, whose most notable directing credit at the time was the horror classic Rosemary's Baby.

In new ABC News documentary titled Truth and Lies: The Family Manson, Sharon Tate's younger sister Debra reveals new chilling, graphic details about the Manson Family murders.

Debra, who was only 16 years old at the time, recalled the "horrible" moment that she and her family learned of Sharon's murder. She said that they received a phone call from the Los Angeles police department notifying them of the brutal crime and that her mother became a "basket case."

She also stated that, initially, she didn't believe the news that Manson had murdered Sharon because "it just didn't make sense."

Debra is a devout and vigilant opponent of Charles Manson and all of his convicted associates ever getting parole, going to great lengths to protest whenever any of them has a parole hearing.

Speaking to ABC News about the murders Debra said, "We just did not understand how somebody could walk into that house and get as far as they did without someone stopping them first, and to tell you the truth, to this very day that bothers me. It really does. I was quite frankly a little doubtful, once again. These grungy, unorganized, hippy folk living off the land and out of garbage cans - it just didn't make sense to me."

In addition to new interviews, the Manson documentary revealed lost footage from Diane Sawyer's 1993 interview with Manson from prison.

While he did not physically take part in the crimes Manson was still convicted of murder. Prosecutors convinced the jury that he intentionally incited his followers to commit the murders and that for this reason he should be held just as responsible.

Manson's "family" included Susan Atkins, Patricia Krenwinkel and Leslie Van Houten. All three women and Manson himself were sentenced to death in 1971 for the murders. After California abolished the death penalty their sentences were commuted to life in prison.

[H/T: Daily Mail]

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