Cult leader Charles Manson's thousand-mile stare -- captured in one of the most famous mug shots of all time -- and the story of his followers' murderous two-night rampage in 1969 Los Angeles terrified America. How, a nation asked, could one small, failed songwriter's apocalyptic drivel spark such savagery? The slayings by Manson's followers -- of a beautiful, pregnant actress, as well as at least a half-dozen other innocents -- were horrible enough. But the motives behind the murders seemed, if possible, even more sinister, securing Manson and his "family" of misfits a permanent perch in the darkest corner of American pop and crime culture.