Shea murder case

Press, Volume CXI, Issue 32665, 22 July 1971, Page 15

Shea murder case

(N.Z. Press Assn.—Copyright) LOS ANGELES, July 21. According to the prosecution, a young member of Charles Manson’s hippie “family” had not only admitted beheading a film stuntman in 1969, but had said: “I felt groovy when the head went ‘bloop, bloop, bloop’ as it rolled away.” The Los Angeles Deputy District Attorney (Mr Burton Katz), made this allegation in his opening statement yesterday at the trial of Steve Grogan, aged 20, who is jointly charged with the murder of Donald (“Shorty”) Shea, aged 35, a part-time cowboy actor whose body has not been found.

Manson is also charged with the murders of Mr Shea and a professional musician, Gary Hinman; but his trial will be held separately. The cult leader has already been convicted and sentenced to death for the seven Tate-Labi-anca murders.

Mr Katz alleged that Grogan had admitted that he, Manson and another cult member, Bruce Davis, all took turns at stabbing Mr Sjiea before the decapitation. Later, Mr Katz said, the body was buried by women members of the cult.

The Manson "family” hated Mr Shea, because he had taken a Negro dancer as his second wife. “Manson hates Negroes,” Mr Katz said. “He believes that they are inferior people put on earth to serve the whites.” Grogan’s defence counsel (Mr Charles Weedman), interrupted Mr Katz, submitting that the prosecution was deliberately trying to prejudice the jurors, five of whom are black. Later, Mr Woodman told the jury in his opening statement that he would produce witnesses who would testify that they had seen Mr Shea alive in January, 1970, six months after the prosecution contends that he was killed. Grogan would testify in his own defence, and would deny killing Mr Shea, counsel added.

S. P. Pisarev, aged 69, a member of the Soviet Communist Party since 1918 and a minor party official, last year, directed a letter to the Soviet Academy of Medical Sciences protesting against the Soviet police practice of sending political prisoners to “psychiatric institutons” such as the Serbsky Institute of Psychiatric Diognosis. Pisarev’s letter reached the West through the Russian underground.