Manson Disciple's Tapes Being Analyzed By LAPD
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Los Angeles police have obtained the decades-old taped conversations between a Manson family disciple and his attorney, officials confirmed Thursday.
Detective David Holmes said the department has had the tapes for a couple of weeks and the Robbery-Homicide Division and the Los Angeles County district attorney's office are analyzing them.
A federal judge in Texas ruled in March that Charles "Tex" Watson waived his right to attorney-client privilege when he allowed his lawyer to sell the eight cassette tapes to an author nearly 40 years ago for a book on his life.
The tapes, which were converted to electronic audio files, are being reviewed to determine whether there's evidence that could resolve unsolved murders.
Watson is serving a life sentence for his role in the 1969 murders of actress Sharon Tate and six others. He sought to prevent turnover of the tapes. Watson has said the Manson family wasn't responsible for any other killings.
The tapes were discovered last year by a trustee handling the Chapter 7 bankruptcy case of the law firm where Watson's attorney Bill Boyd was a partner. Boyd died in 2009.
An attorney representing Watson on the tapes could not be immediately reached for comment.
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