BRUCE DAVIS AND HIS CONNECTION TO THE ZODIAC KILLER

I want to start this story off by giving you background about myself and how I became involved with the Manson family case, and how I ended up fighting against parole for the Manson family.

Well with the invent on the internet I got my first computer back in 1996 and I found Bill Nelson's site Manson Murders.com. Then I wrote to Bill via the internet and struck up a long friendship. Since then Bill passed away in 2005.  But before that I wrote to Charles Manson in prison and got hooked when he answered me back. That was in 1991.   Bill and I did a lot of research into the Manson family and I was able to research and dig up a lot of documents and history on the internet. We were also instrumental in getting the LaBianca family members to the parole hearing.  I also met another researcher into the Manson case and Zodiac Killer case Howard Davis...who runs the site www.thezodiacmansonconnection.com Howard and I had a common interest into the zodiac case via the Manson family and when Bill Nelson dies Howard and I continued research into Bruce Davis.  Howard has long laid claim that Bruce Davis was connected to the Zodiac Killer case and other unsolved murders in the Los Angeles area in the 1960's which have a lot of unanswered questions.  And we have documents that show that when Bruce Davis was contacted about the other murders he chose not to cooperate.  So it leads most to believe that he has something to hide. I also met Tom Voigt who has become a friend and runs the www.zodiackiller.com I met Tom via the internet and his message board...he has a vast amount of information about Bruce Davis and the possible link to the Zodiac Killer case. I have submitted articles and documents to Tom to aid in research of the Zodiac Killer. 

I also met Jon Aes-nihil who runs www.aes-nihil.com which also has extensive research material into the Manson family and the Zodiac Killer case. You can order parole hearing documents, videos that he has produced based on the Manson family and much more.  These friendships have been very rewarding with the sharing of information about these two horrific times in the 1960's that shocked a nation..Howard Davis, Tom Voight, Jon Aes-nihil, and I have also contributed to books, articles, television appearances, and have stayed active in both the Manson Family and Zodiac case for many years.

Bruce Davis was Born on 10-5-1942 in Louisiana, and raised in Mobile Alabama, he was the youngest of two children. His parents were Bert and Marguerite Davis. They separated and Bruce had to move frequently...He did graduate high school and attended college periodically.  Bruce came to California in 1962 and then returned to Tennessee.  In 1966 he returned to the western states working in Kingman, Arizona for a short time before relocating to Southern California.  In Oct, 1968 he took a trip to Europe as the guest of several young women, coming back in May 1969 after having visited North Africa, Spain, Portugal, Belgium, England and other places of interest.  It's here in 1969 that while he was in England that he possibly murdered Joel Pugh (this has never been proven) which was at the time the husband of Sanda Good who was devout follower of Charles Manson and she remains loyal to him to this day.

Bruce Davis held a variety of jobs in his younger days as a metal worker. Prior to his working he was involved and living in a commune headed by Charles Manson in Topanga Canyon. He also had a on again off again common-law wife Nancy Pitman in 1968 who was a devout follower of Charles Manson.  The people listed in this commune were Susan Atkins, Charles Manson, Steve Grogan, and Robert Beausoliel.  All of these people were devout followers of Charles Manson and subsequently arrested in the Tate/Labianca murders, Gary Hinman Murder and Donald (shorty Shea) murder.  All are incarcerated to this day except Steve Grogan who was released under the cover of darkness after serving 17 years.  He told where the body of Donald Shorty Shea was buried and Shea was recovered in 1979 and the autopsy showed that he had not been decapitated as the Manson family wanted the world to believe. He was released in 1986. Grogan also was convicted in the Gary Hinman Murder as well and has lived a crime free life since. 

Bruce Davis turned himself in to authorities on 12-2-1970 and has been incarcerated ever since.  He was charged with two counts of murder and one count of conspiracy to commit murder and robbery.  A jury convicted him on all counts.  The murder of Donald Shea (AKA Shorty) and musician Gary Hinman was really tragic.  Shorty Shea, was a bit actor and stuntman in the movie industry.  Shorty was also was a ranch hand on the Spahn Ranch and that's where he met the Manson family and soon met his own demise at the hands of the Manson family.  Ruby Pearl had worked at Spahn ranch for 18 years and had known Shea for 15 years.  Shorty was getting excited about being in a movie and he wanted to stay with her, but she had no place for him except a shed and he did not want to do that.  As Pearl was talking to Shorty one day and she drove away she saw a car come up the road quickly and saw Manson, Grogan, Beausoliel, and Tex Watson get out of the car and they all approached Shorty and he was in the middle and she never saw Shorty again. It was at this time the police surmised that Shorty was murdered.

Barbara Hoyt a prosecution witness testified that late one night in the latter part of Aug1969 when she was going to sleep that she heard screaming.  She heard many loud screams coming form down by the creek, and she recognized the screams as coming from Shorty Shea and she never saw him again and she also helped pin-point the time of death.  Watson, Manson, Grogan, Beausoliel all told Shorty that they had something to show him. And he got in the car with them and they drove down the road and hit him in the head with a lead pipe in the car and pulled him out of the car and started stabbing him and kept on stabbing him.  This was all because of some more Charlie's paranoia; he thought Shorty was a SNITCH.  Geoge Spahn the owner of the ranch let the family move in and take over.  There was not a lot he could do as he was blind and 80 years old.  Charlie made sure George was taken care of by the women of the Manson family in more ways than one.  

Gary Hinman was a musician and the second victim of Bruce Davis.  Gary was kept in his home for TWO DAYS and he was stabbed and clubbed before finally being put to death at the hands of the Manson family members. The autopsy established that Gary Hinman had been stabbed twice in the chest. The cause of death was a stab wound to the heart.  There was also a large cut in the left side of his face through the left ear to the left lip of the mouth, which was done by a sword... Bruce has always tried to minimize his involvement in to Shorty's death and Gary Hinman's death.  This is evident in all his parole hearings but the facts tell otherwise.  Apparently it can't be too minimal or a jury would not have convicted him on all three counts and gave him the death penalty.  Which was subsequently overturned by a vote of 5-4 in Californina State Supreme Court as unconstitutional in Nov 1972. And all the Manson family members were commuted to life with parole as we did not have life without parole in California in 1972.  All Manson family members became eligible for parole starting in 1977 and have had subsequent parole hearings ever since. 

In a letter to the Board of Prison Terms by Bill Nelson. 

1.) " Mr. Davis said that he would have given up the location of the body of murder victim Shorty Shea but that he did not know where it was buried".

2.) Mr. Davis went to some in-depth effort to distance himself from responsibility in the Manson family. But he played a major part in the Manson family.

3.) Zero, another murder linked to the Manson family, believed to have committed suicide, with a fully loaded gun, playing Russian Roulette, died in the presence of Bruce Davis. And Bruce Davis admitted to picking up the gun, after the shooting, but could not explain why there were no prints on the weapon.  The victim left no prints either. There are many unanswered questions.

4.) Ruby Pearl, told law enforcement about Jane Doe 59 had been seen at the ranch.  She was murdered and dumped at the same location as the previous murder victim Marina Habe 12-3-68 one year later.  She was known as Sherry. Law enforcement officers would like to know that whereabouts of Mr. Davis during this time.

5). Doreen Gaul and James Sharp were found murdered on 11-21-1969.  Both were in the Scientology movement, and the chief suspect was Mr. Bruce Davis. Mr Davis was involved in Scientology.  Bruce Davis was not willing to cooperate with Law enforcement.  This case is still unsolved.

6.) Bruce Davis did an interview with BBC England. On the interview Bruce Davis boasts that he "was evil" when he surrendered in 1970." He was asked if he should be in prison all these years for the murders that he was convicted for, Davis Replied " not for those two," and " I was even more bad that they thought, and "They don't know the half of it I was smarter than them". 

There are many unsolved murders in California that have links or ties to the Manson family.  The family boasted of 37. Needless to say there are a lot of unanswered questions surrounding the Manson family to this day.  I continue to research files related to unsolved cases revolving around the family and so do others.  It's been a tireless effort but very enlightening.  I hope that one day we will know what happened to the people involved in the countless unsolved cases of the world.

There is so much more that I could add to this story.  It would be endless to say the least. I continue to fight against parole for the Manson family.  I urge all who read this story to go to the links at the beginning and read up on all of this and please help keep these people behind bars.