Charles Manson Cult Member Bruce Davis Dies in Prison at 83

Bruce Davis, a key follower of Charles Manson, has died in prison after serving a life sentence for two 1969 murders.

September 15, 2026 One Min Read

POLICY WIRE — Los Angeles, United States — Bruce Davis, a former member of Charles Manson’s cult and convicted of two 1969 murders, has passed away while serving a life sentence in California. He was 83 years old.

Davis died on Friday at the California Medical Facility in Vacaville, as confirmed by the Solano County coroner’s office to ABC News. He had been incarcerated since 1970 after voluntarily surrendering to Los Angeles police following a year in hiding.

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Despite multiple parole board recommendations for release, Davis remained behind bars due to repeated rejections from California governors. During his time in prison, he earned a college degree and became an ordained minister with no disciplinary issues. He was convicted in 1972 for his role in the killings of musician Gary Hinman and stuntman Donald “Shorty” Shea, and admitted during a 2014 hearing that he held a gun while Manson attacked Hinman with a sword and cut Shea with a knife.

Reporting by Policy-Wire (PW)

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