Mary Brunner was the first recruit of the Manson Family, yet remains largely overlooked.
In short: Before the infamous Tate-LaBianca murders, a former library assistant named Mary Brunner became the first person recruited into Charles Manson's commune. Her journey from a quiet life in Wisconsin to the center of a violent criminal enterprise reveals the chaotic, shifting loyalties that defined the Manson Family's dark history.
Born in 1943, Mary Theresa Brunner moved to California in 1965 after graduating from the University of Wisconsin–Madison. While working as a library assistant at the University of California, Berkeley, she met Charles Manson in 1967. She quickly became his first follower, quitting her job to drift through California with him. By 1968, she had given birth to a son, Valentine Michael, and adopted various aliases, including Mother Mary and Linda Dee Manson, as the group grew into a commune of 20 to 30 people.
Brunner's involvement in the group's criminal activities escalated rapidly. In 1969, she was present during the murder of musician Gary Hinman. Her role in the legal aftermath was complex; she initially served as a key prosecution witness, testifying that Family member Bobby Beausoleil killed Hinman because he refused to join Manson's music group. However, she later recanted this testimony, claiming she had lied to protect Manson from prosecution. This shift in narrative was part of a broader pattern of conflicting accounts regarding the murder, with various members, including Susan Atkins, providing contradictory statements about who actually committed the act.
Following the Tate-LaBianca murders, Brunner remained deeply embedded in the group. In 1971, she participated in a brazen armed robbery at a Western Surplus Store in Hawthorne, California, where the group stole 143 rifles. Police alleged the group intended to hijack a Boeing 747 to demand the release of imprisoned Family members. During the ensuing shootout, Brunner was injured and subsequently sentenced to 20 years to life. She served time at the California Institution for Women alongside other convicted Family members before being paroled in 1977, after which she largely disappeared from public view.
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- Summary by Intellect · source: Mary Brunner
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