Former Manson Family Member Dies at 73

Prosecution's star witness helped send Charles Manson to prison.

Linda Kasabian has died. She was 73.

The woman who helped send Charles Manson and several of his cult members to prison passed away in a hospital in Tacoma, Washington, on Jan. 21, 2023, according to a death certificate obtained by TMZ.

Her body was cremated and a cause of death has yet to be revealed.

The outlet revealed that the certificate noted she had changed her surname to "Chioschios" to protect her identity after dissociating herself from the murderous Manson family. 

During Manson's trial from 1970 to 1971, Kasabian agreed to serve as a key prosecution witness in exchange for immunity after taking part in the "two nights of mayhem" where Manson's cult killed seven people in Los Angeles, California, in August 1969. 

During an 18-day testimony, Kasabian described how the killings went down under Manson's direction, including the murder of actress Sharon Tate. Kasabian testified that Charles "Tex" Watson drove her, Patricia Krenwinkel, and Susan Atkins to Tate's husband, filmmaker Roman Polanski's, house in Benedict Canyon.

She further revealed that Tex, Krenwinkel, and Atkins fatally shot and stabbed five victims that same night, including Tate who was pregnant at the time. Polanski was in Europe working on a film at the time of his wife's death.

Kasabian also testified that she witnessed, but did not partake, in the murders, and that she was also the driver on the second night of the Manson murders of Leno and Rosemary LaBianca.

Kasabian's testimony was a crucial part in sealing the fate of Manson and his cult members who were all convicted of the murders and sentenced to life in prison.

In 2009, Kasabian spoke with CNN's Larry King, where she wore a disguise to protect her identity. During the interview, she noted that she had been "on a path of healing and rehabilitation" in recent years, and claimed that she carried a lot of guilt over the murders that she claims none of the other cult members had felt, per The Independent.

Manson died in prison after suffering a heart attack due to complications of colon cancer in 2017.