‘Conversations with a Killer: The Charles Manson Tapes’: Where is Bobby Beausoleil now?
In Conversations with a Killer: The Charles Manson Tapes on Netflix, director Joe Berlinger argues that the notorious cult leader’s rampage and the infamous 1969 murders were allegedly triggered by a botched drug deal, essentially involving a Manson Family member, Robert Kenneth Beausoleil, AKA Bobby and Gary Alan Hinman.
Bobby Beausoleil was born to Helen Arlene Mattox and Charles Kenneth Beausoleil in Santa Barbara, California, on November 6th, 1947. Despite being the oldest of the five siblings, Bobby was always a troublemaker who tended to run away from home. As a result, he was sent to Los Prietos Boys Camp at 15, where he spent ten months before splitting his time between San Francisco and Los Angeles.
As revealed in The Charles Manson Tapes, Bobby started playing in many local bands upon discovering his artistic passion, subsequently landing a role in Lucifer Rising before forming his own band, The Magic Powerhouse of OZ. In 1968, Beausoleil ultimately ran into Charles Manson, the leader of the Manson Family, at Spahn Ranch in California, where the group was living at the time.
Coincidentally, what helped Manson and Beausoleil connect was their shared love of music, prompting Bobby to visit the place more often. According to Moviedelic, citing official reports, the Manson Family opened their arms to the local biker gang, Straight Satans, inviting them to their ranch as much as their leader did around the same timeline.
According to a journalist appearing in Conversations with a Killer: The Charles Manson Tapes, Bobby wanted to join a biker gang in exchange for which they allegedly asked to purchase a psychedelic drug, mescaline, from a 34-year-old UCLA student, Gary Hinman, with the $1,000 they provided. Beausoleil claimed in an interview that the situation turned dangerous when the gang demanded their money back, citing that the drug wasn’t up to the mark.
Official documents state that Bobby then went to Hinman’s house with Mary Brunner and Susan Atkins to get the money back. However, Gary was found brutally murdered in his own residence. He was killed on July 27th, 1969, and the remains were discovered five days later on July 31st. While the evidence suggested that a radical group was behind the crime, court records reveal that authorities couldn’t track Gary’s vehicle at his home.
The stolen vehicle was eventually found on the highway between San Luis Obispo and Atascadero, where Bobby was asleep. Beausoleil was immediately arrested and linked to Gary’s murder. Gradually, Manson and two other members were also indicted on the charge.
Bobby’s first jury trial began in November 1969 and culminated in a hung jury. The second one followed in March 1970, where Mary was presented as a witness. After she dropped the bombshells, Bobby was reportedly found guilty of first-degree murder in April that year. He was reportedly incarcerated for around two years and two months when his death sentence was commuted to life imprisonment with the possibility of parole.
Bobby has been denied parole several times; the most recent being his 21st time on July 14th, 2026. As of now, Beausoleil is serving his sentence at the California Medical Facility in Vacaville, California, with his next parole suitability hearing scheduled for July 2029.