Helter-Skelter

Roman Polanski, 83, is a renowned international film maker. For the past 40 years, he has been a fugitive running away from the American law, and trying to escape from persistent US attempts to get him extradited. 

In 1977, while photo-shooting a 13-year model for Vogue, Polanski allegedly drugged and raped her. Even if consensual as Polanski maintains, it was a statutory rape, since she was a minor. The incident happened in Jack Nicholson’s house, but Nicholson was out. Polanski spent a few weeks in jail. Threatened by a lengthy jail term, he fled a day before the final hearing and has never been to the USA thereafter. (Couldn’t attend the 2003 Oscar ceremony, where he won the Best Director award for The Pianist). 

In 2009 Polanski, a French/Polish citizen, was arrested and imprisoned in Switzerland at the behest of the USA. After ten months in jail/house arrest, he was freed, when Switzerland decided not to send him to the USA. In 2015, after a lengthy legal process, Poland refused to extradite him. This week, his victim requested the American courts to drop the case. US media and legal fraternity have begun debating whether courts can drop a rape case at the request of the victim. The fact that the crime is forty years old and that its perpetrator is a celebrity is not relevant, legal experts say. Polanski is in the news once again.

A melodramatic life

I wasn’t really impressed with Chinatown and Rosemary’s baby, the two Polanski films I have seen. But I am more fascinated by Polanski’s life story.

Born in Paris, he moved with his parents to Poland just as Nazis began the Jew extermination campaign. Polanski’s mother was taken to Auschwitz and immediately killed. His father was in a German concentration camp till the end of the war. Roman Polanski, as a Jew child, was expelled from school and was denied access to education for the next six years. Living in the Krakow ghetto, he spent his childhood hiding and wandering. A catholic family sheltered him.   

Natural justice demands that a talented person with a childhood so miserable should be spared further traumas in adulthood. But there is no such thing as natural justice. Even before his fleeing America, the most traumatic day in Polanski’s life was 9 August 1969. On that day, his eight- month pregnant wife along with his friends were brutally murdered in what became one of the most sensational cases in America.

9 August 1969 

Sharon Tate, the 26-year old wife of Roman Polanski, was just ten days away from delivering their first child. On Friday 8 August, 1969 she was in her Los Angeles house. She had returned from Europe three weeks before that. An American actress, Sharon preferred to deliver in familiar surroundings. Polanski, shooting in London, had called in the afternoon. Debra and Patti, her two younger sisters, offered to come over to spend the night with Sharon. Sharon thanked them but said it was not necessary. She was disappointed Roman Polanski was not here, but he had promised to be back in time for delivery.

In the evening, Sharon went with three friends to El Coyote, her favourite Mexican restaurant on Beverly Boulevard. Jay Sebring, 35, was a hairstylist. He was Sharon’s lover before her marriage to Polanski, but all parties had reconciled to the change in relationships. Jay was friendly with both Sharon and Polanski. Wojciech Frykowski, 32, was known to Polanski since his days in Poland. Frykowski was an aspiring screenwriter. His girlfriend, Abigail Folger, 25, was the fourth person at the dinner table. Abigail was the heiress of the famous Folger coffee corporation. By 10.30 pm, they returned to the Polanski house. Sharon’s friends planned to be at her side for the weekend.

After midnight

Polanski had rented the LA property. Its landlord had appointed a young man as its caretaker. The caretaker had a visitor, one Steven Parent, an 18 year old student. At midnight, Steven was about to leave in his car. Had he left even five minutes earlier, he would be alive today.

Not known to him, though, another car had arrived near the house carrying a 23-year old boy, and three 21-year old girls. The boy confronted Steven, first slashing him with a knife. Steven begged for life. The stranger pointed a 22-caliber revolver and shot him four times in the chest, killing him.

The gang then broke into the house. Each of them carried a knife. Over the next two hours, they tortured and killed Sharon along with her yet-to-be-born baby, and her three friends. The descriptions of the torture and brutality are too inhuman to be repeated here. Sufficient it is to say that Frykowski was stabbed 51 times. One of the 21-year old girls took Sharon’s blood, and wrote PIG in big letters on the front door. 

The investigation

William Garrestson, the young caretaker, was the first suspect. He was subjected to a lie detector test. Garrestson denied any knowledge of what happened in the night. He was grieving for his friend Steven, and was in a shock over the massacre. The police released him.

The media talked about drugs. Drug consumption was common in Hollywood. Equally common were drug related murders. However, post- mortem did not find any trace of drugs or nicotine inside any victim.  

Despite that, the American media sensationalized the domestic life of the Polanskis. The personalities of victims were analyzed to boost newspaper sales. Some people wondered why Roman Polanski was on another continent. To create an alibi? If he could arrive on hearing about the murders, why couldn’t he arrive before the murders?

The police were perplexed by another twin murder that happened within 24 hours after the Tate murders. Leno LaBianca and his wife Rosemary were killed the following night with equal brutality. The two incidents could be connected.

The Manson family

Charles Manson was in and out of prison before he formed his hippy commune. Manson called himself a reincarnation of Jesus Christ. Apart from his criminal life, he was a singer-songwriter. He wished to publish his albums.

Manson believed in Helter-Skelter, a title of a Beatles’ song. Helter-Skelter means confusion, disorder, some haphazard apocalyptic event. Manson often talked about the inevitable war between the Blacks and the Whites in which all Whites would be destroyed. Manson conceived strategies whereby he and his commune would survive in bunkers (while the remaining White race would disappear). His cult would then rule the world from their secret place. Manson was a charismatic guru, with several girls out of teens joining his cult. Such was his influence they were prepared to do anything he told them. The commune came to be known as the Manson family.

To fulfill his musical ambitions, Manson first tried the well-known rock band the Beach Boys, and later Terry Milcher, the musician and record producer. Milcher was the only son of Doris Day, singer of the famed Que Sera, Sera Whatever will be, will be. Milcher initially showed interest. Manson even auditioned for Milcher, but Milcher never signed him. That truly angered Manson.

Order to kill

On 8 August 1969, Manson sent Tex Watson (23), Susan Atkins (21), Patricia Krenwinkel (21) and Linda Kasabian (20) to go and kill everyone at the luxury house at 10050 Cielo drive.

“Because we wanted to do a crime that would shock the world, that the world would have to stand up and take notice.” Susan Atkins would later explain the reason for the ghastly murders in which she had participated.

It was true Terry Milcher did not live in that house any longer. But killing everyone in the house previously occupied by Milcher would teach him a great lesson, scare him to death, Manson thought.

The investigators identified at least nine murders committed by the Manson family members. Charles Manson and his co-murderers were arrested and tried on 27 counts. After a lengthy trial, the jury returned a verdict of death for all, the death sentence later confirmed by the Californian judge. However, in this wacky story full of twists, Charles Manson is alive even today.

Twist in the tale

10050 Cielo drive was an LA luxury home that was rented out to Hollywood celebrities. Cary Grant and Henry Fonda were its earlier residents. In 1968, Terry Milcher, the record producer and his girlfriend were renting it. Early in 1969, Milcher split with his girlfriend and decided to leave the place. From February 1969, it was rented by Roman Polanski.

Had Polanski not rented the house earlier occupied by Melcher, Sharon Tate, Polanski’s unborn son, and the three others murdered on that fateful night would be alive today.

Their brutal killers were given a death sentence in 1971. Only Linda Kasabian who acted as a witness for the prosecution was let go. She had told the entire story in exchange for immunity.

Before the death sentence could be executed, in 1972, the state of California changed its law. Death sentence was termed unconstitutional and all death row prisoners were given life imprisonment. A few years later, this decision was reversed, and death sentence was re-established in California. However, once death sentence is commuted to life imprisonment, it can’t be reversed in case of an individual convict. As a result, in that window, Charles Manson and killers from his family escaped death. Manson’s requests to be freed on parole are denied every time. His next parole request will come up in 2027 when he will be 92 years old. 

Five innocent people die, their only fault being residing in the wrong house. And their killers continue to live their full life. If such a bizarre story was offered to Roman Polanski, he would have refused to make a film on it.

Ravi