The Manson Family<\/a> was a desert commune and cult led by Charles Manson<\/a> that gained international notoriety in the late 1960s. Based primarily in California<\/a>, the group consisted of approximately 100 followers who lived an unconventional lifestyle involving the use of hallucinogenic drugs. While many members were young women from middle-class backgrounds, the group became synonymous with the brutal Tate-LaBianca Murders<\/a> of 1969.<\/p> On the night of August 8, 1969, Manson directed Tex Watson<\/a>, Susan Atkins<\/a>, and Patricia Krenwinkel<\/a> to the home of Sharon Tate<\/a> on Cielo Drive<\/a>. The victims included Tate, Jay Sebring<\/a>, Abigail Folger<\/a>, Wojciech Frykowski<\/a>, and Steven Parent<\/a>. The following evening, the group murdered Leno LaBianca<\/a> and Rosemary LaBianca<\/a> at their home in Los Angeles<\/a>. According to lead prosecutor Vincent Bugliosi<\/a>, the motive behind these killings was to trigger an apocalyptic race war Manson called Helter Skelter<\/a>, a term he appropriated from a song by The Beatles<\/a>.<\/p> The group's primary residence was Spahn Ranch<\/a>, a former movie set, before they fled to Barker Ranch<\/a> in Death Valley<\/a>. Other prominent members included Leslie Van Houten<\/a>, who participated in the LaBianca murders, and Lynette Fromme<\/a>, who later attempted to assassinate President Gerald Ford<\/a>. Detailed historical accounts can be found at Britannica<\/a> and the History Channel<\/a>.<\/p>