Tex Watson
Tex Watson | |
|---|---|
Watson in an undated prison photograph | |
| Born | Charles Denton Watson December 2, 1945 |
| Other names |
|
| Criminal status | Incarcerated |
| Spouse |
Kristin Joan Svege
(m. 1979; div. 2003) |
| Children | 4 |
| Allegiance | Manson Family |
| Convictions | First degree murder Conspiracy to commit murder |
| Criminal penalty | Death; commuted to life imprisonment |
| Details | |
| Date | August 9–10, 1969 |
Date apprehended | November 30, 1969 |
| Imprisoned at | Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility |
Charles Denton "Tex" Watson (born December 2, 1945) is an American mass murderer who was a central member of the "Manson Family" led by Charles Manson. Watson is often described as the tactical ringleader of the Tate-LaBianca murders on August 9–10, 1969, when Watson, Patricia Krenwinkel, and Susan Atkins murdered pregnant actress Sharon Tate, Jay Sebring, Wojciech Frykowski, Abigail Folger, and Steven Parent at 10050 Cielo Drive in Benedict Canyon, Los Angeles. The next night, Watson traveled to Los Feliz, Los Angeles, and participated in the murders of Leno and Rosemary LaBianca. Watson was convicted of murder in 1971 and sentenced to death. As a result of a 1972 California Supreme Court decision on the constitutionality in the state of the death penalty, he avoided execution but has remained incarcerated ever since. Watson has been denied parole 18 times since he became eligible for parole in 1976 after his death sentence was commuted.