Author: Myschizlife

AKA: Squeaky, Red, Elizabeth Elaine Williamson

DOB: 10/22/48

Prisoner ID: 06075-180

Prison: Federal Medical Center Carswell

Parole Status: Paroled August 16, 2009

Born in Santa Monica, California, Lynette Alice Fromme grew up in Westchester, California where her father William worked as an aeronautical engineer. Lyn was the first of 3 children, was a talented, well-liked child that toured throughout the United States and Canada in a song and dance troop called the Lariats. In Junior High School Lynette was active with many after school activities. She was a member of the Athenian Honor Societyas well as the Girls Athletic Club. In her drama class Lyn befriended a young Phil Hartman, who eventually gained fame on shows like Saturday Night Live, The Simpsons, & Newsradio. When her class gave out superlatives, Lynette was voted “Personality Plus”. 

As Lyn grew older, the relationship between her and her father grew apart. Neighbors remembered William Fromme as a tyrant-like figure, who seemed to punish Lyn for little or nothing at all. In High School, Lynette became more rebellious, using drugs and alcohol. She worked in a Canvas shop where coworkers would see Lyn burn herself with lit cigarettes, and shoot staples into her forearm with a staple gun. She briefly dated Bill Siddons, who went on to be the road manager of The Doors. However, Siddons’ mother felt that Lyn was disturbed, and talked Bill into steering clear of her. 

After High School, Lynette bounced around, living with different people. She eventually moved back home and enrolled at El Camino Junior College. It wasn’t long before Lyn and her father were fighting again. The two got into a fight over a definition of a word, and it was the last straw for Lynette; again, she hit the road. It was at this time, that Lyn met Charles Manson on Venice Beach. Impressed by Manson, she quickly decided to leave Los Angeles to travel with Charlie and Mary Brunner

Lynette had a special spot in the family; according to Paul Watkins, no one but Charlie was allowed to sleep with Lyn. At Spahn’s Ranch, Fromme spent most of her time taking care of the 80 year-old blind owner, George Spahn. Lynette would make squeak-like noises when George ran his hands up her legs, so he dubbed her “Squeaky.” Lynette was arrested with the family in both the Spahn and Barker Ranch raids. During the Tate-Labianca murder trial Lyn was frequently arrested. The charges ranged from contempt of court, loitering, trespassing on county property, to attempted murder, for a LSD lanced hamburger given to Barbara Hoyt in Hawaii.

After Manson was convicted, Squeaky moved to San Francisco to be closer to San Quentin. She maintained contact with defense attorney Paul Fitzgerald, and family members in and out of jail. However, prison officials were uncomfortable about her and wouldn’t permit her to see Charlie. When Lyn wasn’t petitioning to see Manson, she began writing a book about the family.

In September of 1972, Lynette was arrested in connection with the murders of James and Reni Willet. Authorities soon found she wasn’t involved with the murders, however they were reluctant to let her go. Finally on January 2nd 1973, all charges against Lyn were dropped, and she was released the following day. On her release Lynette was immediately arrested by LAPD. She had been accused of robbing a 7-11 convenience store in October of 1972. At the trial Lyn’s accuser, a 17 year-old 7-11 employee, admitted that the robber didn’t have the “X” scar on her forehead. Once again the charges weren’t dropped until another woman was arrested and confessed to the crime. Freedom was bittersweet for Lyn, the Family was falling apart. Mary, Gypsy, Katie, Leslie, and Sadie all wanted nothing to do with Manson.

Later that year, Lynette moved to Sacramento with Sandra Good. The reason for the move was once again to be closer to Manson; Charlie had been moved from San Quentin to Folsom Prison. While walking in a park Fromme befriended a 64 year-old man named Harold “Manny” Boro. According to Boro’s daughter-in-law, the two were lovers.

In Sacramento, Lyn and Sandy became more preoccupied with saving the environment. It was around this time that Charlie started to talk about the Order of the Rainbow, his own religion in which Lyn and Sandy would be nuns of. Each of the Manson girls was given a color; Lynette was dubbed “Red” and was given the duty of saving the Redwoods. Their Lifestyles would be very different compared to the Spahn’s Ranch days. The girls weren’t allowed to smoke, have sex, or watch “movies with violence that sets thoughts to death and confusion.”

From their P Street apartment, Lyn and Sandy started the International People’s Court of Retribution; a fictitious terrorist group that would assassinate executives and CEO’s of companies that polluted the earth. The two sent out hundreds of threatening letters that claimed that there were thousands of members of the terrorist group just waiting to kill. While trying to get the local news to report the damage being done to the Redwoods from logging, Lyn was informed that the President of the United States was coming to town. On September 5, 1975, Lynette headed down to Capital Park with a loaded Colt .45 automatic pistol (borrowed from Manny Boro) strapped to her leg. When President Gerald Ford came walking down the path, Lynette pulled out her gun. Immediately Secret Service Agents wrestled Lyn to the ground, and the President escaped untouched.

At her trial, Lynette followed Charlie’s example and chose to represent herself. However, her presence in the courtroom was short lived. When Lyn lectured about the Redwoods and her other environmental concerns, Judge Thomas McBride instructed Lyn to stick to things relevant to her case. As Lyn continued to talk about whales and pollution, McBride had her removed from the courtroom. Squeaky was returned to her jail cell, where she spent most of the trial, watching from closed circuit television. Later on in the case, and nearly costing a mistrial, it was discovered that U.S. Attorney Dwayne Keyes had failed to turn over some exculpatory evidence. In late November of 1975, a jury convicted Lynette of Attempted Assassination of the President of the United States of America. Upon sentencing, an angry Lynette threw an apple at Dwayne Keyes’ head, afterwhich Squeaky was sentenced to Life.

Squeaky was sent away to the Alderson Federal Corrections Institute in West Virginia. She was eventually reconnected with fellow family member Sandy Good, after she was transferred to a new prison in Pleasanton, California, where Good was serving time for sending threatening letters. In March of 1979, Lynette attacked a Croatian Nationalist named Julienne Busic, imprisoned from her connection in a 1976 airline hijacking. Squeaky hit Busic in the head with the claw end of a hammer, got 15 months added to her sentence, and was sent back to Alderson. On December 23, 1987, Lyn got word that Charlie was dying of cancer, and escaped from Alderson. She was picked up 2 days later having traveled only a few miles. Squeaky then bounced around the prison system: from Lexington, Kentucky, to Marianna, Florida, and finally to the Federal Medical Center Carswell, near Fort Worth, Texas where she remained until her release on August 16, 2009.

‘Manson’ (1973)

This is the original Manson documentary, featuring interviews with Family members like Lynette “Squeaky” Fromme and Paul Watkins, as well as Vince Bugliosi, the Los Angeles deputy district attorney and lead prosecutor for the Manson murder trial. Viewers get an inside look into what life was like in the Family thanks to footage shot on their home at Spahn Ranch. Other standout interviews include those with the cellmates of Susan Atkins — one of the three female Family members convicted of murder — who detailed her plans to murder other celebrities like Elizabeth Taylor and Frank Sinatra next. Manson was even nominated for an Academy Award for best documentary, though it lost to one about a different kind of charismatic preacher.

‘Helter Skelter’ (1976)

With taglines like “His name is Charles Manson. His disciples call him God. He preached death!” you know exactly what you’re in for with this campy CBS made-for-TV-movie based on Bugliosi’s bestselling book of the same name. Given the source material, much of the film takes place during the murder trial. To his credit, Steve Railsback is equally convincing and terrifying as Manson. Though it may appear dated now, the movie was incredibly popular when it first aired, even earning three Primetime Emmy nominations. 

‘Charles Manson: Superstar’ (1989)

Buckle up — this is a weird one. The film’s aim appears in the first few minutes: “This tape is designed to deprogram the minds of those who are still thinking — those who have not yet been lulled into sedation by the soothing lies that surround us.” The problem is that if the filmmakers were trying to convince people that Manson was a normal, rational guy, that mission was not accomplished — mostly due to interviews with the man himself from inside San Quentin prison. In case that wasn’t enough, the documentary is partially narrated by Zeena LaVey, daughter of Anton LaVey, the founder of the Church of Satan, and the person behind the topless revue called “the Witches’ Sabbath,” where Atkins was a dancer before she joined the Family. 

‘Manson, My Name Is Evil’ (2009)

 The plot of this movie centers around a fictional member of the Manson jury: a straight-laced, sheltered young man who becomes infatuated with Leslie Van Houten — one of the three women eventually accused of murder for the deaths of Rosemary and Leno LaBianca. The Canadian-produced film draws parallels between the Manson murders and the 1968 My Lai massacre, when American soldiers killed more than 500 civilians in Vietnam, including pregnant women and infants. It’s part satire, part social commentary, and a little odd, but overall a different spin on a well-known story. 

‘The Six Degrees of Helter Skelter’ (2009)

If you’ve ever wanted to take one of those tours in Los Angeles that visit locations associated with Manson, but have never had the opportunity, this documentary has you covered. which makes sense, considering it was produced in conjunction with Dearly Departed Tours, a company that specializes in showing tourists the macabre side of Los Angeles. (They’ve even had a five-hour tour of Topanga Canyon and Spahn Ranch scheduled for the 50th anniversary of the murders which sold out.) The draw of this film is being able to virtually visit more than 40 Manson-related locations in southern California from the comfort of your own couch — including footage Nine Inch Nails frontman Trent Reznor shot in 1993 while he was recording in the house on Cielo Drive where actor Sharon Tate and four others were murdered, shortly before it was demolished. 

‘Life After Manson’ (2014)

This quick, 25-minute documentary focuses on Patricia Krenwinkel — a Family member who participated in both nights of murders in August 1969. If you’ve ever wondered how a person could get to the place of leaving their old life behind to wholeheartedly follow someone like Manson, this film will provide some background. Krenwinkel openly discusses her life before Manson, as well as what it was like to endure his abusive manipulation techniques, and why she considers herself to be an entirely different person than the 19-year-old who committed murder almost 50 years ago. 

‘Manson Family Vacation’ (2015)

Unlike the other scripted films on this list, this movie’s plot isn’t a retelling of the Manson murders or trial. Instead, this film takes place in the present and stars Jay Duplass as your average family man whose adopted brother is obsessed with Charles Manson. When Conrad (the brother, played by Linas Phillips) makes a surprise visit to Los Angeles, he insists on dragging Nick (Duplass) around on a tour of the Manson murder sites. The final stop on their excursion is a remote house in Death Valley where Conrad supposedly has a job lined up with an “environmental organization.” At this point, Nick learns the real reason behind this trip and the truth about his brother. 

‘Manson’s Lost Girls’ (2016)

In a surprise move, Lifetime made a movie about the women of the Manson Family that Variety described as “a credible account of that historical moment.” This time, former follower Linda Kasabian — who played chauffeur and lookout for both nights of murders in August 1969 — takes center stage. She was granted immunity for her role in the crimes for agreeing to testify against Manson, Susan Atkins, Patricia Krenwinkel and Leslie Van Houten in court (both in real life and this movie). With an impossibly attractive cast and plenty of sex, drama and violence, it’s basically everything you’d hope for from a Lifetime movie.

‘Manson Speaks: Inside the Mind of a Madman’ (2017)

This two-part documentary examines Manson’s claim that the Family was responsible for more than 35 murders. Armed with more than 26 hours of conversations with Manson, taped over a decade, a retired cold-case detective and an independent researcher investigate several unsolved murders that took place in November and December 1969 in an attempt to determine if they were the work of Manson or his followers. Highlights include interviews with Aesop Aquarian — a former friend-of-the-Family who is reluctant to share too much — and Windy Bucklee, a former Spahn Ranch worker who lived there at the same time as the Family, and says he almost shot Manson during an argument. 

‘Manson: Music from an Unsound Mind’ (2019)

Manson made no secret of his ambitions to be a rockstar, famously befriending Beach Boys’ drummer Dennis Wilson. This documentary provides an in-depth look into his failed attempt to be a professional musician, starting with his love of music as a child. What really makes this documentary stand out, though, are the interviews. In addition to former Family member Dianne Lake — who was known within the Family as Snake — there are interviews with Manson’s fellow inmate from 1966, the Beach Boys’ producer who recorded Manson’s demo, as well as Anthony DeCurtis and David Felton from Rolling Stone.

‘Charlie Says’ (2019)

Another recent entry to the Manson movie canon, Charlie Says tells the story of the Family and murders from the perspective of three of his female followers. It flashes between the summer of 1969 and after the trial, when Atkins, Van Houten, and Krenwinkel are imprisoned for their crimes. This movie also stands out because it was written by Guinevere Turner, who was born into the Lyman Family — a commune lead by folk musician Mel Lyman, who Rolling Stone referred to as the “East Coast Charles Manson” in 1971.

Sources: IMDb, Rolling Stone