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Bruce M. Davis

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Bruce M. Davis
Born
Bruce McGregor Davis

(1942-10-05) October 5, 1942 (age 82)
Monroe, Louisiana, U.S.
Criminal statusIncarcerated
AllegianceManson Family
Conviction(s)First degree murder
Conspiracy to commit murder
Robbery
Criminal penaltyLife imprisonment

Bruce McGregor Davis (born October 5, 1942) is an American criminal and former member of the Manson Family who has been described as Charles Manson's "right-hand man".[1][2]

Early life

[edit]

Bruce McGregor Davis was born on October 5, 1942, in Monroe, Louisiana[3] and grew up in Mobile, Alabama.[4]

Davis was editor of his high school yearbook and attended the University of Tennessee for three years, dropping out due to poor grades.[5] In 1962, he hitchhiked to California, where he worked for a time as a barback at Harrah's Lake Tahoe.[6] Davis stated that he regularly consumed cannabis and LSD, hitchhiked and lived as a drifter.[7] In The Family, Ed Sanders claimed Davis met Charles Manson and his associates Mary Brunner, Lynette Fromme, and Patricia Krenwinkel in Oregon in 1967,[8] but Davis himself said in a February 2023 interview that he met Manson in Topanga in 1968, shortly after having been arrested in front of a Malibu, California liquor store for drug possession.[9] Davis states that when they first met, Manson was in a bathtub outdoors, being bathed by around five girls, and that Davis primarily joined the family because of the girls and drugs.[10]

Davis traveled to Europe and spent time traveling in Spain, Portugal, and Morocco, and claims he was introduced to Scientology after arriving in London in November 1968 when he was invited by girls he met after stepping out of the Earl's Court underground station.[11] He says he first heard about Scientology from Manson, but that he did not think Manson was very knowledgable about it.[12] This conflicts with Manson's claim that he was "Theata Clear", the highest level within Scientology.[13] Davis lived in London from November 1968 to April 1969 while working at the Church of Scientology headquarters.[14] Manson picked him up from LAX on his return, and that was when Davis first noticed Manson's change in ideology as he embraced Helter Skelter. [15]

Manson Family murders

[edit]
See also: Manson Family

Davis was present when, in July 1969, Manson allegedly cut Gary Hinman's left ear. Hinman was allegedly stabbed to death by Bobby Beausoleil one day, although neither Manson nor Davis were present when Hinman was murdered. In late August, Davis did participate in the murder of Spahn's Ranch hand Donald "Shorty" Shea.

Davis said that he was at Spahn Ranch on August 8, 1969, the night of the Tate murders. He says that Susan Atkins approached him, saying that they were going out tonight and that Manson wanted him to come, but that he refused.[16] Davis said the same thing occurred the following night, the night of the LaBianca murders.[17]

Davis was present when, on November 5, 1969, John Philip Haught aka "Zero", allegedly killed himself playing Russian roulette.[18] Davis claimed in an April 2023 interview that he was in the front room of the house, and heard a popping from the back room. He thought they were setting off firecrackers, until "Patty" (Madeline Cottage) came in and told him Zero shot himself.[19] Interestingly, he stated that the gun was a "Sears Roebuck High Standard .22 automatic",[20] a semi-automatic firearm cannot be used to play Russian roulette. Bugliosi wrote in Helter Skelter that the gun police found was a .22 caliber Iver Johnson revolver.[21] Davis also stated that he had put his finger on the muzzle of the firearm after the shooting, and that the police found his fingerprints,[22] while Bugliosi wrote that the police found no fingerprints on the gun.[23]

At some point after these events, Davis went into hiding, ultimately turning himself in on December 2, 1970.[24]

Conviction and prison

[edit]
External audio
audio icon Bruce Davis BBC Interview with Bill Scanlon-Murphy

In 1972, Davis was convicted in Los Angeles County of two counts of first-degree murder for the killings of Hinman and Shea, conspiracy to commit murder, and robbery. California having recently abolished the death penalty, he was sentenced to life imprisonment.[25][26][27] He began his sentence on April 21, 1972. He became a preacher in the prison chapel[28] and has kept a clean disciplinary record since 1980. He was found suitable for parole in 2010,[29] 2012,[30] 2014,[31] 2015,[32] 2017,[33] 2019,[34] and 2021.[35][36] In each case, the sitting Governor reversed the decision.[37] In July 2022, the two-member panel board denied him parole. His lawyer said that the panel highlighted Davis's "lack of empathy".[38] He is currently imprisoned at San Quentin State Prison where he is serving his life sentence.

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Times, Los Angeles (October 5, 2012). "Charles Manson's 'right-hand man' recommended for parole". Los Angeles Times. ISSN 0458-3035. Retrieved April 12, 2016.
  2. ^ George, Edward; Matera, Dary (July 16, 1999). Taming the Beast: Charles Manson's Life Behind Bars. Macmillan. ISBN 9780312209704.
  3. ^ "The Charles Manson family: Where are they now?". www.mercurynews.com. June 5, 2013. Retrieved April 12, 2016.
  4. ^ Keith Rovere (April 2023). "S1E22 - Bruce Davis: Scientology, Murder, and Manson". Spotify (Podcast). The Lighter Side of Serial Killers with Keith Rovere. Event occurs at 48:50. Retrieved March 22, 2024.
  5. ^ Sanders, Ed (2002). The Family. Da Capo Press. p. 17. ISBN 9781560253969.[permanent dead link]
  6. ^ Keith Rovere (February 2023). "S1E14 - Bruce Davis: Salvation from Manson Pt. I". Spotify (Podcast). The Lighter Side of Serial Killers with Keith Rovere. Event occurs at 36:05. Retrieved March 21, 2024.
  7. ^ Keith Rovere (February 2023). "S1E14 - Bruce Davis: Salvation from Manson Pt. I". Spotify (Podcast). The Lighter Side of Serial Killers with Keith Rovere. Event occurs at 36:05. Retrieved March 21, 2024.
  8. ^ Sanders, Ed (April 11, 2023). The Family. Hachette Books. ISBN 9780306834226.
  9. ^ Keith Rovere (February 2023). "S1E14 - Bruce Davis: Salvation from Manson Pt. I". Spotify (Podcast). The Lighter Side of Serial Killers with Keith Rovere. Event occurs at 38:11. Retrieved March 21, 2024.
  10. ^ Keith Rovere (February 2023). "S1E14 - Bruce Davis: Salvation from Manson Pt. I". Spotify (Podcast). The Lighter Side of Serial Killers with Keith Rovere. Event occurs at 38:11. Retrieved March 21, 2024.
  11. ^ Keith Rovere (April 2023). "S1E22 - Bruce Davis: Scientology, Murder, and Manson". Spotify (Podcast). The Lighter Side of Serial Killers with Keith Rovere. Event occurs at 9:45. Retrieved March 22, 2024.
  12. ^ Keith Rovere (April 2023). "S1E22 - Bruce Davis: Scientology, Murder, and Manson". Spotify (Podcast). The Lighter Side of Serial Killers with Keith Rovere. Event occurs at 16:17. Retrieved March 22, 2024.
  13. ^ Bugliosi, Vincent (1974). Helter Skelter: The True Story of the Manson Murders. W. W. Norton. ISBN 9780393072365.
  14. ^ Sanders, Ed (January 1, 2002). The Family. Da Capo Press. ISBN 1560253967. Archived from the original on October 22, 2013.
  15. ^ Keith Rovere (April 2023). "S1E22 - Bruce Davis: Scientology, Murder, and Manson". Spotify (Podcast). The Lighter Side of Serial Killers with Keith Rovere. Event occurs at 9:00. Retrieved March 22, 2024.
  16. ^ Keith Rovere (April 2023). "S1E22 - Bruce Davis: Scientology, Murder, and Manson". Spotify (Podcast). The Lighter Side of Serial Killers with Keith Rovere. Event occurs at 51:09. Retrieved March 22, 2024.
  17. ^ Keith Rovere (April 2023). "S1E22 - Bruce Davis: Scientology, Murder, and Manson". Spotify (Podcast). The Lighter Side of Serial Killers with Keith Rovere. Event occurs at 51:46. Retrieved March 22, 2024.
  18. ^ Bugliosi, Vincent; Gentry, Curt (2001). Helter Skelter: The True Story of the Manson Murders. W. W. Norton & Company. p. 120. ISBN 9780393322231.
  19. ^ Keith Rovere (April 2023). "S1E22 - Bruce Davis: Scientology, Murder, and Manson". Spotify (Podcast). The Lighter Side of Serial Killers with Keith Rovere. Event occurs at 38:29. Retrieved March 22, 2024.
  20. ^ Keith Rovere (April 2023). "S1E22 - Bruce Davis: Scientology, Murder, and Manson". Spotify (Podcast). The Lighter Side of Serial Killers with Keith Rovere. Event occurs at 38:29. Retrieved March 22, 2024.
  21. ^ Bugliosi, Vincent (1974). Helter Skelter: The True Story of the Manson Murders. W. W. Norton. ISBN 9780393072365.
  22. ^ Keith Rovere (April 2023). "S1E22 - Bruce Davis: Scientology, Murder, and Manson". Spotify (Podcast). The Lighter Side of Serial Killers with Keith Rovere. Event occurs at 39:08. Retrieved March 22, 2024.
  23. ^ Bugliosi, Vincent (1974). Helter Skelter: The True Story of the Manson Murders. W. W. Norton. ISBN 9780393072365.
  24. ^ Bugliosi, Vincent; Gentry, Curt (2001). Helter Skelter: The True Story of the Manson Murders. W. W. Norton & Company. p. 621. ISBN 9780393322231.
  25. ^ "Toledo Blade - Google News Archive Search". news.google.com. Retrieved April 12, 2016.
  26. ^ Sanders, Ed (2002). The Family. Da Capo Press. p. 272. ISBN 9781560253969.[permanent dead link]
  27. ^ "Manson family member Bruce Davis found eligible for parole". Los Angeles Times. August 27, 2015.
  28. ^ Sanders, Ed (2002). The Family. Da Capo Press. p. 486. ISBN 9781560253969.[permanent dead link]
  29. ^ "CDCR Today: Parole Granted for Former Manson Family Member Bruce Davis". Archived from the original on August 31, 2015. Retrieved June 21, 2017.
  30. ^ "CDCR Today: Parole Granted for Former Manson Family Member Bruce Davis". Archived from the original on August 31, 2015. Retrieved June 21, 2017.
  31. ^ "Parole Hearing: Bruce Davis 2014 | Cielodrive.com". cielodrive.com.
  32. ^ "For the third time, Brown rejects parole of Manson follower Bruce Davis, 73". Los Angeles Times. January 23, 2016.
  33. ^ "Parole Hearing: Bruce Davis 2017 | Cielodrive.com". cielodrive.com.
  34. ^ "Parole Hearing: Bruce Davis 2019 | Cielodrive.com". www.cielodrive.com. Retrieved June 19, 2020.
  35. ^ "Parole Recommended for Ex-Manson Follower, Bruce Davis – CBS Los Angeles". January 22, 2021.
  36. ^ "Governor Denies Parole for Former Manson Family Follower". June 18, 2021.
  37. ^ Fortin, Jacey (June 24, 2017). "Bruce Davis, a Charles Manson Follower, Has Parole Blocked for Fifth Time". The New York Times. Retrieved June 25, 2017.
  38. ^ Thompson, Don (July 8, 2022). "Parole denied for Manson follower for slayings in 1969". Associated Press. Retrieved July 10, 2022.
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