Catherine Share - Involvement With The Manson Family

Involvement With The Manson Family

In early 1967, Share met Bobby Beausoleil on the set of a softcore porn movie entitled Ramrodder. She eventually began an affair with the aspiring musician and, after meeting Charles Manson through Beausoleil, moved to the "Family"'s location on Spahn's Ranch, where the other Family members nicknamed her "Gypsy". She was not directly involved in the Tate-LaBianca murders but would testify at the 1970 trial that Family member Linda Kasabian was the mastermind behind the murders in an effort to absolve Manson of any involvement in the crimes.

In 1971, Share, along with four other Manson followers: Lynette "Squeaky" Fromme, Dennis Rice, Steve "Clem" Grogan and Ruth Ann "Ouisch" Moorehouse were charged with attempted murder after they devised a plot to murder former fellow Manson Family member Barbara Hoyt to prevent her from testifying for the prosecution against Manson, Susan Atkins, Leslie van Houten and Patricia Krenwinkel during the Tate/LaBianca murder trial. Moorehouse was to lure Hoyt to Honolulu, Hawaii so that she would be unable to testify. If Hoyt could not be convinced in Hawaii to not testify, Moorehouse was to kill her. On September 9, 1971, as Hoyt was preparing to board her flight back to California, Moorehouse bought Hoyt a hamburger and laced it with a multi-dose of LSD then left her and flew back to California. Hoyt survived the attempt on her life and Share and the others were initially charged with attempted murder. The charge was later reduced to conspiracy to dissuade a witness from testifying. Share, Fromme, Rice and Grogan served 90 day sentences at the Los Angeles County Jail. Moorehouse never served her sentence, as she failed to appear at the sentencing hearing.

While incarcerated Share gave birth to a son, Phoenix Son on January 5, 1971. The baby was taken from Share and placed into foster care. For years Share refused to confirm the paternity of her son, although refuting that Manson was the father. After her release from prison, she was reunited with her son and confirmed that Steve "Clem" Grogan was the father.

On August 21, 1971, Share, accompanied by her then-husband Kenneth Como and Family members Mary Brunner, Dennis Rice, Charles Lovett, and Larry Bailey drove a white van to a Hawthorne, California Western Surplus Store. Once inside the store, the group brandished guns and ordered the store patrons and clerks to lie on the ground. They then went about taking 143 rifles from the premises, loading them into their van, while a store clerk managed to trip the silent alarm. According to police officers, the group then began debating whether or not to kill all of those who were in the store.

The group's plan was to hijack a Boeing 747 and threaten to kill one passenger every hour until Manson and fellow Family members were released from prison. When a police squad car arrived, Share opened fire on the vehicle, shattering the windshield. As more squad cars arrived, they were able to block the van from fleeing from the scene by opening fire on the Family. When police finally gained control of the scene and apprehended the group; Brunner, Share and Bailey were injured.

Brunner and Share were convicted of the crime and incarcerated at the California Institution for Women where Leslie Van Houten, Susan Atkins, and Patricia Krenwinkel were serving their sentences for their participation in the Tate/LaBianca murders. Share served five years for her participation in the Hawthorne shootout and was released in 1975. Following her release from prison, Share disassociated herself from the "Family" and sought surgical treatment to remove the "X" she had previously carved into her forehead as a sign of solidarity with other Manson acolytes.