The Devil on Her Heels

SHARON TATE’S SISTER WAGES LONELY BATTLE FOR VICTIMS’ RIGHTS

By Mark Ellis
Senior Correspondent, ASSIST News Service

LOS ANGELES - May 31, 2004 - (ANS) -- It was just before her 17th birthday when cult followers of Charles Manson launched their demonic rampage that left her sister and four others dead. Thirty-five years later, she continues her fight to keep the perpetrators behind bars—several of whom are born-again Christians—while struggling to overcome tragedies that continue to haunt her life. (Pictured: Sharon Tate).

“It seems like evil is hot on my heels,” says Debra Tate, 51, the younger sister of Sharon Tate. As a postal employee, Debra was injured four years ago by a bomb placed in a mailbox near a Christian college in Southern California. The explosion—apparently unrelated to the Manson family crimes--ruptured three vertebrae in her neck, leaving her in constant pain, with numbness on her left side. “God made me tough,” Tate says. “I will keep doing what I’m doing until I can’t.” (Pictured: Debra Tate, accepting an award in 2001 on behalf of her sister, from the Motion Picture Council).

Debra’s mother, Doris Tate, was one of the pioneers of the victims’ rights movement before her death from brain cancer in 1992. Then sister Patti took up the banner until she died in 2000 from breast cancer. Debra is the only family member left to fight the battles. Her father, Colonel Paul Tate, who served throughout the world in Army Intelligence, became a very private person after the tragedy and is reportedly “barely alive.”

So she continues her lonesome crusade—carrying on her mother’s work--by attending parole hearings, organizing letter-writing campaigns, and fighting to ensure violent offenders are not released back into society—or able to profit from their crimes.

Debra was the first family member to actually attend one of Charles Manson’s parole hearings. “He doesn’t scare me,” Tate says. “It shocked him I was there. He was all the way up to the entrance to the parole hearing and could see me through the glass,” she says. “He decided not to come into the room.”

Growing up, Debra and her sister were “army brats,” moving to various parts of the world following their father’s career. “Sharon and I were extremely close,” Tate says. Because Sharon was ten-years older, she had a mother’s influence on Debra, taking her to the park, teaching her to roller-skate, and nurturing her in heartfelt ways. (Pictured: Early picture of Debra Tate).

In the early days of Sharon’s Hollywood career she had small parts on “The Beverly Hillbillies,” Mr. Ed,” “Man from U.N.C.L.E” and was cast for a short period on Petticoat Junction. Sharon also auditioned for the role of Liesl in “The Sound of Music,” along with Mia Farrow, Lesley Ann Warren, and Patty Duke, but Charmian Carr got the part.

After dating Hollywood hairstylist Jay Sebring for a time, Sharon became attached to film director Roman Polanski during the filming of “The Fearless Vanpire Killers,” a spoof of the vampire genre. In 1968 Polanski proposed to Sharon in London, and their “mod wedding” was covered by press from around the world. Polanski originally wanted Sharon for the lead in “Rosemary’s Baby,” but chose Mia Farrow instead. Tate went on to make such films as “Valley of the Dolls,” “Wrecking Crew,” and “Don't Make Waves.”

Sharon learned she was pregnant toward the end of 1968, and while she was excited, she was worried about telling her husband. “I was with Sharon when she found out she was pregnant,” Tate says. “Roman had a negative reaction at first,” she says. “He was concerned about her career because she was just getting her momentum as an actress.”

With a child on the way, the Polanskis began to look for a larger home and found one in the Benedict Canyon area of Bel-Air--a beautiful ranch style home with a pool and guesthouse. The previous tenants were Candice Bergen and Terry Melcher, the son of Doris Day. In February 1969 the Polanskis moved into the house Sharon would call her "love house".

As Sharon’s star ascended in Hollywood, a career-criminal named Charles Manson was released on probation from prison. By the age of 13 his mother decided she wanted nothing to do with him and put Manson into a foster home, which he ran away from and began living on the streets, supporting himself by stealing cars, passing stolen checks, and credit card fraud. Most of his adult life was spent in and out of prison.

Upon his release in 1967 Manson moved to San Francisco, where his deranged but magnetic personality was able to attract a group of followers often referred to as “the family.” Then he moved to Southern California where he and his group took over the Spahn movie ranch in Chatsworth, where western films were once shot.

Manson fancied himself as a budding rock and roll musician, and began trying to put together his own record album. His teaching—and lyrics—were inspired by the Beatles “White Album” and the Book of Revelation. He taught his followers a race war and nuclear attack was imminent.

“Manson wanted Terry Melcher to produce an album he recorded,” Tate says. “Melcher had made quite a few stars as a record producer,” she says. Manson didn’t receive the reception he hoped for from Melcher.

“Terry Melcher was extremely blunt and told him where to jump off,” Tate says. “Manson’s master plan was to use that money to fund a race war he was going to start--that was ‘Helter Skelter.’ He figured after everyone killed each other, that would leave him all powerful,” she says.

Manson’s twisted plans were momentarily stymied by Melcher—and feeling snubbed--Manson began to plot his revenge. Originally “they were looking for Terry Melcher,” Tate says. “He and Candice Bergen of Murphy Brown fame rented the house,” she says. When Manson discovered they moved out he formulated an alternate plan.

“Manson knew Melcher and Bergen didn’t live there any more,” Tate notes. “But he figured the people in the house were like them—young and successful—and that’s all that mattered. The location represented something distasteful to him.”

On the day of the murders, Debra Tate was planning to visit her sister. Despite the 10-year age gap, Debra had been welcomed into Sharon’s circle of friends. “That evening I was supposed to go up there and pick up a saddle Sharon brought back to me from Europe,” Tate recalls. When Debra’s ride, a friend named Johnny Glick, showed up at the door with two strangers, she called Sharon, who was eight and a half months pregnant at the time.

“She was hugely pregnant and very uncomfortable, as women get just before delivery,” Tate says. “I knew how miserable she was, and I knew these other people would probably not be a good idea, so I gave her a courtesy call.”

As Debra expected, Sharon told her not to come. “She didn’t feel like getting dressed up and putting on makeup.”

Sharon had only been home a few weeks. She had been in London promoting the release of the film "Twelve Plus One". Then she boarded the Queen Elizabeth II and sailed to the U.S., arriving on July 20. Roman stayed behind in London to finish work on “Day of the Dolphin” and then planned to join her in L.A. for the birth of their child.

Debra has managed to stay in touch with Polanski through the years and considers him a good friend. “Roman is absolutely brilliant,” Tate says. “He was raised in the Jewish ghetto in Warsaw and his mother and sister were killed in front of him,” she says, noting the movie, “The Pianist,” is loosely based on his life. “Sharon loved him dearly.”

With Roman away, Sharon invited several friends over for the evening. Those present that night included Abigail Folger, heiress to the Folger coffee fortune, and her boyfriend, Wojciech Frykowski, a Polish national befriended by Polanski. Hollywood hairdresser Jay Sebring, Sharon’s former lover, was also there. Another friend, Jozy Pollock, was invited to come over, but stayed away due to a migraine headache.

At 12:30 a.m. on August 9, all hell broke loose as the Manson family invaded the home and launched their murderous attack with buck knives and .22 caliber weapons, killing everyone inside. According to testimony at the trial, Sharon pleaded for the life of her unborn child but received no mercy. Manson did not take part in the actual killings that night, but stayed behind at the Spahn ranch, sending his followers out to do his bidding.

“Manson said, ‘Do something witchy,’ but he didn’t tell them how,” Tate says. “It was up to them to come up with the torture and degradation that went on that night.”

Debra views her absence from the murders as “an intervention” by God. “Someone had to be left behind to fight this evil,” she says. Debra was raised Catholic and “believes very much in God, but not organized religion. I am Christian and live a Christian life. I do for others on a daily basis,” she says.

The fact that several of the Manson family members have become born-again Christians does not give them a right to rejoin the ranks of society, she believes. “Susan Atkins and Tex Watkins are both using religious people as their supporters,” Tate notes. “I call it playing the God card. If they were good Christians they wouldn’t ask to come out.”

Tate fails to see any sign convincing her they deserve a second chance. “They don’t show any personal responsibility. They haven’t made atonement to any one of my family members,” she says. “I’m happy they’ve found Christ, but leave them in their controlled environment.”

“I think all these people are demon-possessed,” Tate says. “I think Charlie is criminally insane. He’s very brilliant, and sociopaths are very charming also—that’s one of their gifts. They think they have a right to do whatever they want to do.”

Sadly, a new generation of young people is following Charles Manson. His web-site receives 60,000 hits per year, according to Tate, and he’s sold artwork, guitars, and other memorabilia to his fans. “There are a whole lot of people out there who think Manson is cool and his enemies are their enemies,” Tate says.

The rock group Marilyn Manson borrowed his name in a macabre form of tribute, and the group Nine Inch Nails even lived in the house where the murders took place, and recorded songs in praise of Manson. “Guns and Roses did one of his original songs,” Tate notes. “Because he did what he did based on creating a race war all the white supremacists are on his side.”

“It’s a huge mess,” she says. To fight back, she established a web site-- www.tatelegacy.com,  which provides information about parole hearings and legislative updates for those who support the cause of victims’ rights. Thirty-five years after the murders, she remains confident justice will prevail and good will triumph.

There is one hopeful sign God is reclaiming ground in the sad affair: the former Spahn movie ranch, where Manson plotted his crimes, is under new ownership. The Church at Rocky Peak—a vibrant, growing church—bought the property several years ago. “The property where Manson hung out is dedicated to ministering to young people,” says Dave MacKerron, executive pastor at the church.

Last week, 600 middle school-age young people swarmed over the former ranch. “We had sharing about the Lord—the total opposite of what Manson was selling,” Pastor MacKerron says. Many young people attending the recent activity made decisions to follow Jesus Christ.

“It’s gone from evil to sharing that Jesus is the answer—not Satan. Jesus changes lives for the better; Satan changes lives for the worse.”

"Everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion; this right includes freedom to change his religion or belief, and freedom, either alone or in community with others and in public or private, to manifest his religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship and observance."

--Article 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights--

Christian Conversions - According to the Bible - Can NEVER be forced.

Any Conversion to Christianity which would be "Forced" would NOT be recognized by God. It is in His True and KIND nature, that those who come to Him and choose to believe in Him, must come to Him OF THEIR OWN FREE WILL.



Don't Let anyone tell you that Christians support Forced Conversions.

That is False. True Christianity is NEVER forced.

Jesus Christ