Watkins took the prophecy seriously enough . One day , as he looked out a window of the Canoga Park house , he wondered to himself whether the violence of Helter Skelter would reach the Family . Indeed , it was apparently his fear that the Family was lingering too long in the soon-to-be-war-torn Los Angeles area that prompted him , in late June 1969 , to ask Manson when the group would be leaving for the desert . Manson assured him Helter Skelter was " ready to happen . " " I t 's got ta happen soon , " Manson said , adding , with a wink , that the Family might have " to show blackie how to do it . " Manson 's remark disturbed Watkins , who had no trouble recognizing it as an indication the Family would be undertaking murders . When Manson instructed him to transport supplies to the desert camps , Watkins embraced the opportunity to get away . At the same time , he was unsure whether to sever himself from the commune ; " my insides were tied to Charlie and the Family in ways I had n't begun to sort out . " At Barker Ranch , Watkins came under the influence of Paul Crockett , a middle-aged prospector who , with metaphysical musings of his own , had begun to influence a male Family member and female Family member who had been left to watch the desert camp . Returning briefly to Spahn Ranch , Watkins changed his relationship with Manson by using a suggestion by Crockett ; he asked that Manson " release him of all his agreements . " Within a few days , Watkins had settled in at Barker , with Crockett and the others . About a month later , on August 9 , 1969 , the group saw a television broadcast while they were in Kingman , Arizona , with plans to do some mining there . The news was of the Tate murders , which had taken place in Los Angeles overnight . " Would n't it be somethin' if old Charlie did that , " said Crockett , whom Watkins and the others had made aware of Helter Skelter . Though chilled by the remark , Watkins dismissed it as a bad joke
Tate murders
Tate murders
Paul Watkins (Manson Family)