On 9 December 1969, ITN's Robert Hargreaves reported from the now-infamous Spahn Ranch in Los Angeles. The ranch was home to the hippie commune and cult known as the Manson Family led by Charles Manson, who had been arrested and indicted days before for the murder of actress Sharon Tate, the wife of director Roman Polanski, and six other people. This report also features footage of 10050 Cielo Drive, Tate and Polanski's home in the Hollywood hills where the murders took place.

Leslie Van Houten, convicted murderer and member of the infamous Manson Family, has been released on parole after serving a sentence of 53 years. Having been arrested and charged in relation to the 1969 killings of Leno and Rosemary LaBianca, in January 1971 Van Houten was found guilty of their murders along with group leader Charles Manson and fellow followers Patricia Kiemwinkel and Susan Atkins. Originally given the death sentence, Van Houten was the youngest woman ever condemned to death in California. Her sentence was, along with those of her fellow convicts, later commuted to life in prison with eligibility for parole after seven years. Van Houten would be the subject of more than 23 parole hearings before her release five decades later.

The Manson Family and the murders they committed continue to grip the popular imagination and remain a macabre fascination for journalists, writers, and filmmakers alike. Leslie Van Houten has been the subject of a number of dramatic portrayals, most recently being played by Victoria Pedretti in Quentin Tarantino's 2019 film Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. Spahn Ranch features prominently as a setting in the film.

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