Sharon Manson Case Essay

When you look at a crime case, who do you garner sympathy for and why? In the case of the Manson Family murders, Sharon Tate became the primary focus of the case, vastly overshadowing the other victims due to her vulnerability and beauty. Tate grew up with her mother and father traveling and growing her future reputation and career (sharontate.net). As an adult, Tate began to build a life with her husband in Beverly Hills until she was viciously murdered by Charles Manson and his followers. The Washington Post. Even after her death, she was in the spotlight of most articles written about the cases. Using information about her past and life at the time of death, we can learn more about how the perception of a victim can and will affect the public's

Tate was born on January 24th, 1943, to her two parents, Colonel Paul and Doris Tate. Many people commented on her beauty, even as a baby. As a teenager, she began winning various beauty contests, which led her to begin working as a model. Her father was eventually transferred to the United States, where Tate began working with an agent named Hal Gefsky. She began appearing in commercials for cigarettes and Chevrolet vehicles. As her experience grew, so did her popularity. Before the age of 21, a producer named Martin Ransohoff gained interest and encouraged Tate to become a ward of the court. This would allow her to begin working on Hollywood films. Tate began working on a variety of shows and films, including the film “The Fearless Vampire," which was directed by famous director Roman Polanski. Polanski and Tate were soon married and building a life together, which included beginning to grow their family. Unfortunately, while Polanski was in London working on his upcoming film, Sharon Tate and her unborn baby’s life were cut short at the hands of Charles Manson and his family. sharontate.net -

As an adult, Manson met two women who would help him get a van to begin traveling. While traveling, the van was eventually upgraded to a bus, and more people began traveling along with them, participating in illicit drug activity and sexual endeavors among members. What was now known as the Manson family settled down in California on Spahn Movie Ranch and continued the life of debauchery that had begun on the bus. One day, a “family member” named Bobby experienced a drug deal gone wrong due to a bad product given to him to sell on behalf of Gary, owner of Spahn Movie Ranch. Because of this, the family decided to kill him. When police arrested Bobby as the primary suspect, members of the family began to search for a way to rid Bobby of the blame. Upon discussion, Charles Manson and a small group from the family decided to create other murders that looked similar to the murder of Gary in order to persuade cops that the killer was still out there, therefore ridding Bobby of any blame. In a matter of 24 hours, the group killed five people at the home of pregnant Sharon Tate, drove for two hours, and then murdered Leno and Rosemary LaBianca. Charles Manson and three other family members were tried and convicted of seven counts of murder. The trial was very public, with several news