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On this day, July 27, 1969, Gary Alan Hinman was killed. It was the first of the Manson Family slayings.
Last edited Sun Jul 27, 2025, 12:17 PM - Edit history (1)
There's not that much about him online. He shows up in Wikipedia only as someone else's victim. Wikipedia spells his middle name "Allen." Everyone else spells it "Alan," which is the spelling on his headstone. I'm making the edits at Wikipedia now.
Gary Alan Hinman
BIRTH 24 Dec 1934; Grand Junction, Mesa County, Colorado, USA
DEATH 27 Jul 1969 (aged 34); Topanga, Los Angeles County, California, USA
BURIAL Rosebud Cemetery; Glenwood Springs, Garfield County, Colorado, USA
Show Map GPS-Latitude: 39.5173125, Longitude: -107.3209348
PLOT Block 78, Lot 7, Grave 7 (corner of 3rd & Glenwood)
MEMORIAL ID 6639834
Added by RachelS
Added by RachelS
Manson Family Murder Victim. He was the oldest of three children born to Robert and Frances Hinman. He had two younger sisters. He was born in Grand Junction, Colorado, but grew up in Fort Collins, CO, and attended Colorado university in the mid-1950s. He was married in 1959 and soon after moved to the Los Angeles area. He and his then-wife attended the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) where he was involved in the music and dance program, playing piano for their group in various performances they had. Gary was a multi-instrumentalist, playing the piano, bagpipes, drums, guitar, and trombone. He was also involved with a Buddhist group where he had found peace in his life. Gary's regular job was a music teacher and he taught students at his house part-time to earn extra income. His favorite instrument to play was the piano. He had a baby grand piano in his living room. Gary loved to travel and had planned a trip to Japan, but was killed before he could go. Gary lived life to its fullest and would have started a job in the sociology field where he would have continued his work in public service. He loved helping people and he was a generous and kind man. As with the Tate and La Bianca residences the week after his murder, a message was scrawled in blood on a wall. Paw prints (symbolic of the Black Panthers) were put next to the phrase "political piggy." Official cause of death was "stab wound to chest."
Bio by: Donna Di Giacomo
The Forgotten Murder Of Gary Hinman, The First Manson Family Victim
By Katie Serena | Edited By Cara Johnson
Published June 27, 2019
Updated September 11, 2024
Just days before the Tate-LaBianca murders, a musician named Gary Hinman opened his home to members of the Manson Family — and was brutally murdered for it.
Public Domain
Gary Hinman was just a “lost artistic soul” before he became the first murder at the hands of the Manson Family.
“Fear is not a rational emotion and when it sets in. Things get out of control — as they certainly did with Charlie and me.” These are the words spoken by Manson “Family” member Bobby Beausoleil as he recalled the moment when cult leader Charles Manson ordered him to kill a man whom he considered a friend: Gary Hinman.
In 1969, just a few weeks before the infamous Manson murders of actress Sharon Tate and supermarket mogul Leno Labianca, Manson ordered his follower Bobby Beausoleil to kill his friend Gary Hinman, an act which would propel the Family past the point of no return, and into the darkest depths of humanity.
Indeed, it would be the murder of 34-year-old musician Gary Hinman that escalated the Manson Family from a borderline-creepy group of free-loving young people to a crazed collection of mindless mass murderers.
Who Was Gary Hinman?
Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images
Robert “Bobby” Beausoleil poses for a mugshot after being arrested for the murder of Gary Hinman at the request of Charles Manson.
Gary Hinman was born in 1934 on Christmas Eve in Colorado. He studied at the University of California, Los Angeles, graduating with a degree in chemistry and continuing his education by pursuing a Ph.D. in Sociology.
His friends – those who never attempted to kill him, at least – remember him as a kind-hearted man. After purchasing a home in Topanga Canyon, California, Hinman employed a sort of “open-door” policy. Any friends who found themselves in a transient state would be welcomed into his home to stay for however long they wanted.
Hinman was also a talented musician who worked at a music shop and taught the bagpipes, drums, piano, and trombone. Already a busy man, Hinman also somehow managed to establish a mescaline factory in his basement.
During the summer of 1969, Hinman became involved in Nichiren Shoshu Buddhism and even began planning a pilgrimage to Japan to fulfill his new faith. Tragically, that pilgrimage would never be made as that same summer, Hinman would be killed by those he considered friends in the place he considered home.
{snip}
By Katie Serena | Edited By Cara Johnson
Published June 27, 2019
Updated September 11, 2024
Just days before the Tate-LaBianca murders, a musician named Gary Hinman opened his home to members of the Manson Family — and was brutally murdered for it.
Public Domain
Gary Hinman was just a “lost artistic soul” before he became the first murder at the hands of the Manson Family.
“Fear is not a rational emotion and when it sets in. Things get out of control — as they certainly did with Charlie and me.” These are the words spoken by Manson “Family” member Bobby Beausoleil as he recalled the moment when cult leader Charles Manson ordered him to kill a man whom he considered a friend: Gary Hinman.
In 1969, just a few weeks before the infamous Manson murders of actress Sharon Tate and supermarket mogul Leno Labianca, Manson ordered his follower Bobby Beausoleil to kill his friend Gary Hinman, an act which would propel the Family past the point of no return, and into the darkest depths of humanity.
Indeed, it would be the murder of 34-year-old musician Gary Hinman that escalated the Manson Family from a borderline-creepy group of free-loving young people to a crazed collection of mindless mass murderers.
Who Was Gary Hinman?
Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images
Robert “Bobby” Beausoleil poses for a mugshot after being arrested for the murder of Gary Hinman at the request of Charles Manson.
Gary Hinman was born in 1934 on Christmas Eve in Colorado. He studied at the University of California, Los Angeles, graduating with a degree in chemistry and continuing his education by pursuing a Ph.D. in Sociology.
His friends – those who never attempted to kill him, at least – remember him as a kind-hearted man. After purchasing a home in Topanga Canyon, California, Hinman employed a sort of “open-door” policy. Any friends who found themselves in a transient state would be welcomed into his home to stay for however long they wanted.
Hinman was also a talented musician who worked at a music shop and taught the bagpipes, drums, piano, and trombone. Already a busy man, Hinman also somehow managed to establish a mescaline factory in his basement.
During the summer of 1969, Hinman became involved in Nichiren Shoshu Buddhism and even began planning a pilgrimage to Japan to fulfill his new faith. Tragically, that pilgrimage would never be made as that same summer, Hinman would be killed by those he considered friends in the place he considered home.
{snip}
Bobby Beausoleil
Bobby Beausoleil
Mug shot taken on July 1, 2016
Born: Robert Kenneth Beausoleil; November 6, 1947 (age 77); Santa Barbara, California, United States
Criminal status: Incarcerated
Conviction: First degree murder
Date apprehended: August 6, 1969
Robert Kenneth Beausoleil (born November 6, 1947) is an American murderer and associate of Charles Manson and members of his communal Manson Family. He was convicted and sentenced to death for the July 27, 1969, fatal stabbing of Gary Hinman, who had befriended him and other Manson associates. Beausoleil was later granted commutation to a lesser sentence of life imprisonment, after the Supreme Court of California issued a ruling that invalidated all death sentences issued in California prior to 1972.
During his incarceration in the California state prison system, Beausoleil has recorded and released music. He has also worked on visual art, instrument design, and media technology. Although a parole board recommended him for parole in January 2019 in his 19th hearing for eligibility, the recommendation was denied by the governor of California.
{snip}
Bobby Beausoleil
Mug shot taken on July 1, 2016
Born: Robert Kenneth Beausoleil; November 6, 1947 (age 77); Santa Barbara, California, United States
Criminal status: Incarcerated
Conviction: First degree murder
Date apprehended: August 6, 1969
Robert Kenneth Beausoleil (born November 6, 1947) is an American murderer and associate of Charles Manson and members of his communal Manson Family. He was convicted and sentenced to death for the July 27, 1969, fatal stabbing of Gary Hinman, who had befriended him and other Manson associates. Beausoleil was later granted commutation to a lesser sentence of life imprisonment, after the Supreme Court of California issued a ruling that invalidated all death sentences issued in California prior to 1972.
During his incarceration in the California state prison system, Beausoleil has recorded and released music. He has also worked on visual art, instrument design, and media technology. Although a parole board recommended him for parole in January 2019 in his 19th hearing for eligibility, the recommendation was denied by the governor of California.
{snip}
Manson Family
{snip}
Hinman murder
Gary Hinman murder
Location: 964 Old Topanga Canyon Road, Topanga, California
Date: July 25, 1969–July 27, 1969 (Pacific Time Zone)
Target: Gary Alan Hinman
Attack type: Stabbing
Deaths: 1
Perpetrator: Bobby Beausoleil; accomplices – Susan Atkins, Mary Brunner, Charles Manson, Bruce M. Davis
Gary Alan Hinman (b. December 24, 1934 in Colorado) was a music teacher and PhD student at UCLA. At some point in the late 1960s, he befriended members of the Manson Family, allowing some to occasionally stay at his home. According to some people, including Family member Susan Atkins, Manson believed Hinman was wealthy. He sent Family members Bobby Beausoleil, Mary Brunner and Atkins to Hinman's home on July 25, 1969, to convince him to join the Family and turn over the assets Manson thought Hinman had inherited. The three held Hinman hostage for two days, as he denied having any money. During this time, Manson arrived with a sword and slashed Hinman's face and ear. After that, Beausoleil stabbed Hinman to death, allegedly on Manson's instruction. Before leaving the Topanga Canyon residence, Beausoleil or one of the women used Hinman's blood to write "Political piggy" on the wall and to draw a panther paw, a Black Panther symbol.
According to Manson and Beausoleil in magazine interviews of 1981 and 1998–1999, Beausoleil said he went to Hinman's to recover money paid to Hinman for mescaline provided to the Straight Satans that had supposedly been bad. Beausoleil added that Brunner and Atkins, unaware of his intent, went along to visit Hinman. Atkins, in her 1977 autobiography, wrote that Manson directed Beausoleil, Brunner, and her to go to Hinman's and get the supposed inheritance of $21,000. She said that two days earlier Manson had told her privately that, if she wanted to "do something important", she could kill Hinman and get his money.
Beausoleil was arrested on August 6, 1969, after he was caught driving Hinman's car. Police found the murder weapon in the tire well.
{snip}
{snip}
Hinman murder
Gary Hinman murder
Location: 964 Old Topanga Canyon Road, Topanga, California
Date: July 25, 1969–July 27, 1969 (Pacific Time Zone)
Target: Gary Alan Hinman
Attack type: Stabbing
Deaths: 1
Perpetrator: Bobby Beausoleil; accomplices – Susan Atkins, Mary Brunner, Charles Manson, Bruce M. Davis
Gary Alan Hinman (b. December 24, 1934 in Colorado) was a music teacher and PhD student at UCLA. At some point in the late 1960s, he befriended members of the Manson Family, allowing some to occasionally stay at his home. According to some people, including Family member Susan Atkins, Manson believed Hinman was wealthy. He sent Family members Bobby Beausoleil, Mary Brunner and Atkins to Hinman's home on July 25, 1969, to convince him to join the Family and turn over the assets Manson thought Hinman had inherited. The three held Hinman hostage for two days, as he denied having any money. During this time, Manson arrived with a sword and slashed Hinman's face and ear. After that, Beausoleil stabbed Hinman to death, allegedly on Manson's instruction. Before leaving the Topanga Canyon residence, Beausoleil or one of the women used Hinman's blood to write "Political piggy" on the wall and to draw a panther paw, a Black Panther symbol.
According to Manson and Beausoleil in magazine interviews of 1981 and 1998–1999, Beausoleil said he went to Hinman's to recover money paid to Hinman for mescaline provided to the Straight Satans that had supposedly been bad. Beausoleil added that Brunner and Atkins, unaware of his intent, went along to visit Hinman. Atkins, in her 1977 autobiography, wrote that Manson directed Beausoleil, Brunner, and her to go to Hinman's and get the supposed inheritance of $21,000. She said that two days earlier Manson had told her privately that, if she wanted to "do something important", she could kill Hinman and get his money.
Beausoleil was arrested on August 6, 1969, after he was caught driving Hinman's car. Police found the murder weapon in the tire well.
{snip}
Mary Brunner
{snip}
The Hinman murderhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Brunner#The_Hinman_murder
Bobby Beausoleil left Spahn Ranch on July 25, 1969, accompanied by Brunner and Susan Atkins to visit Gary Alan Hinman in Topanga Canyon. Hinman had been friendly with the Family and had often allowed members to stay at his home. Both Beausoleil and Brunner had previously lived with him for short periods of time and Brunner was close friends with him. Beausoleil had a knife and a 9 mm Radom pistol that he had borrowed from Family member Bruce Davis.
After two friends of Hinman contacted the police, Hinman was found by Malibu deputy Paul Piet murdered in his home on July 31, 1969. His face had been deeply slashed on the left side and he had two stab wounds in his chest. His house had been ransacked, and "Political Piggy" and a paw print (intended to be symbolic of the Black Panther Party) were drawn on the wall in his blood. His Volkswagen van and Fiat station wagon were missing. The California Highway Patrol found Beausoleil asleep in the back of Hinman's Fiat on August 5 near San Luis Obispo, California. He had a sheath knife attached to his belt. Beausoleil was arrested and charged with the murder of Gary Alan Hinman.
Brunner and Family member Sandra Good were arrested in San Fernando, California on August 8 at a Sears store for purchasing items with a stolen credit card. Brunner had signed for her purchases with the alias "Mary Vitasek" and the two women fled the store when a cashier became suspicious. The store manager followed them, and the police found them in possession of numerous stolen credit cards and fake identification cards. They were charged with violating Section 459 (burglary) and 484e (grand theft by fraudulent use of credit card) of the California Penal Code and booked into the Sybil Brand Institute Reception Center later that evening.
On the night of August 9, Family members Charles "Tex" Watson, Susan Atkins, Linda Kasabian, and Patricia Krenwinkel went to 10050 Cielo Drive and murdered pregnant actress Sharon Tate and her guests Wojciech Frykowski, Jay Sebring, and Abigail Folger, as well as 18-year-old Steven Parent who was visiting William Garretson, who was house-sitting in the guesthouse normally occupied by Tate's landlord.
{snip}
{snip}
The Hinman murderhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Brunner#The_Hinman_murder
Bobby Beausoleil left Spahn Ranch on July 25, 1969, accompanied by Brunner and Susan Atkins to visit Gary Alan Hinman in Topanga Canyon. Hinman had been friendly with the Family and had often allowed members to stay at his home. Both Beausoleil and Brunner had previously lived with him for short periods of time and Brunner was close friends with him. Beausoleil had a knife and a 9 mm Radom pistol that he had borrowed from Family member Bruce Davis.
After two friends of Hinman contacted the police, Hinman was found by Malibu deputy Paul Piet murdered in his home on July 31, 1969. His face had been deeply slashed on the left side and he had two stab wounds in his chest. His house had been ransacked, and "Political Piggy" and a paw print (intended to be symbolic of the Black Panther Party) were drawn on the wall in his blood. His Volkswagen van and Fiat station wagon were missing. The California Highway Patrol found Beausoleil asleep in the back of Hinman's Fiat on August 5 near San Luis Obispo, California. He had a sheath knife attached to his belt. Beausoleil was arrested and charged with the murder of Gary Alan Hinman.
Brunner and Family member Sandra Good were arrested in San Fernando, California on August 8 at a Sears store for purchasing items with a stolen credit card. Brunner had signed for her purchases with the alias "Mary Vitasek" and the two women fled the store when a cashier became suspicious. The store manager followed them, and the police found them in possession of numerous stolen credit cards and fake identification cards. They were charged with violating Section 459 (burglary) and 484e (grand theft by fraudulent use of credit card) of the California Penal Code and booked into the Sybil Brand Institute Reception Center later that evening.
On the night of August 9, Family members Charles "Tex" Watson, Susan Atkins, Linda Kasabian, and Patricia Krenwinkel went to 10050 Cielo Drive and murdered pregnant actress Sharon Tate and her guests Wojciech Frykowski, Jay Sebring, and Abigail Folger, as well as 18-year-old Steven Parent who was visiting William Garretson, who was house-sitting in the guesthouse normally occupied by Tate's landlord.
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