Barbara Hoyt

Barbara Hoyt (December 27, 1951 – December 3, 2017)[1] was an American nurse and a member of the "Manson Family", led by Charles Manson.[2]

Barbara Hoyt
Born(1951-12-27)December 27, 1951
Seattle Washington, U.S.
DiedDecember 3, 2017(2017-12-03) (aged 65)
OccupationNurse
Known forFormer member of the Manson Family

Hoyt was a witness in District Attorney Vincent Bugliosi's prosecution of Manson and his followers for the Tate-LaBianca murders, one of the highest-profile murder trials in history.[3]

Life

When she was 17, Hoyt left home after an argument with her father and was found by a group of Manson's followers.[4] She lived with the Manson Family at Spahn Ranch until shortly after the Tate–LaBianca murders, when she left after overhearing Susan Atkins describing the murder.[5]

In 1971, five Manson followers — Catherine Share, Lynette Fromme, Dennis Rice, Steve Grogan and Ruth Ann Moorehouse — were charged with attempted murder after they plotted to murder Hoyt to prevent her testifying for the prosecution during the Tate/LaBianca murder trial.

Moorehouse was to lure Hoyt to Honolulu, Hawaii, so that she would be unable to testify. Once in Hawaii, if Hoyt could not be convinced not to testify, Moorehouse was to kill her. On September 9, 1970, as Moorehouse was preparing to board her flight back to California, it was alleged that Moorehouse bought Hoyt a hamburger and laced it with a multi-dose of LSD,[6] then left her and flew back to California. Hoyt survived the attempt on her life. Share and the others were initially charged with attempted murder; the charge was later reduced to conspiracy to dissuade a witness from testifying.

Share, Fromme, Rice, and Grogan served 90-day sentences in the Los Angeles County Jail. Moorehouse never served her sentence, as she failed to appear at the sentencing hearing.[7]

After Hoyt had pursued a career in nursing, she became friends with Sharon Tate's sister, Debra.[8]

Death

Hoyt died of natural causes on December 3, 2017, at the age of 65.

References
  1. "Barbara Hoyt profile". cielodrive.com. Retrieved October 10, 2017.
  2. Oney, Steve (July 1, 2009). "Manson: An Oral History". Los Angeles.
  3. Lief, Michael S.; Bycell, Ben; Caldwell, Mitchell (December 11, 2012). Ladies And Gentlemen Of The Jury: Greatest Closing Arguments. Simon and Schuster. ISBN 9781471108549.
  4. Deutsch, Linda (August 9, 2009). "Manson followers haunted". Winnipeg Free Press. Retrieved September 4, 2023.
  5. Cooper, Anderson (August 18, 2015). "Face of Evil: The Charles Manson Murders. Aired 9-10p ET". CNN Special Report.
  6. Singh, HemRaj (April 10, 2018). "Charles Manson-IV Investigation, Trial and Conviction | Lawyers Update".
  7. Jeff Guinn (August 5, 2014). Manson: The Life and Times of Charles Manson. Simon and Schuster. p. 385. ISBN 9781451645170.
  8. "Women linked by Manson form odd friendship". Newsday.com. April 16, 2012.
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