Former Manson Family Follower Bruce Davis Granted Parole For 4th Time

SAN LUIS OBISPO (CBS SF) -- A former Charles Manson follower and convicted killer was granted parole Thursday following a parole board hearing - his fourth such grant with each of his previous ones reversed by the governor.

72-year-old Bruce Davis was convicted of two counts of first-degree murder for the 1969 killings of two men, musician Gary Hinman and stuntman Donald (Shorty) Shea.

Davis was not involved in the more notorious murders of actress Sharon Tate and six others that year, carried out by Manson's followers.

Thursday's hearing at the California Men's Colony in San Luis Obispo was Davis' 30th before the parole board. Former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger reversed his first parole grant in 2010, because he said the murders were "especially heinous."

Gov. Brown reversed his parole grants in 2013 and 2014 after concluding Davis remained a danger to society for continuing to withhold information about the murders and downplaying his role.

A second man convicted of the murders of Hinman and Shea, Steve Grogan, led authorities to the location of Shea's remains in 1977. Grogan was released from prison in 1985 and is the only Manson follower convicted of murder to ever be paroled.

Davis' parole grant is subject to a 120-day review period, after which the governor can reverse, modify, uphold, or take no action on the decision.

The 80-year-old Manson is serving a life sentence for the nine murders connected to the 'Manson family' cult. He has been denied parole 12 times with his next hearing set for 2027.

Carlos E. Castañeda is Senior Editor, News & Social Media for CBS San Francisco and a San Francisco native. You can follow him on Twitter or send him an email.