‘IMPACT X NIGHTLINE’ TO COVER PAROLE BID FOR 77-YEAR-OLD MANSON CULT KILLER, STREAMING THURSDAY, OCT. 16, ON DISNEY+ AND HULU

THURSDAY, OCT. 16
IMPACT x Nightline: “Evil: Manson Killers Freed?” (406) — Streaming on Disney+ and Hulu
Logline: Should the Manson killers go free? The Manson Family cult is back in the headlines decades after they brutally murdered seven people. One killer is already free, and another is hoping for parole. Victims’ families explain why they are still a danger to society.

Extended Logline: Should the Manson killers ever walk free? The infamous Manson cult is back in the headlines once again. Decades after Charles Manson and his followers brutally murdered seven people, 77-year-old Patricia Krenwinkel, one of the women convicted in the killings, has been recommended for parole. With cult member Leslie Van Houten already released, Krenwinkel hopes to be the second Manson family member to gain her freedom. “IMPACT x Nightline” speaks with Sharon Tate’s sister and reports on the controversy over whether any of the killers should be released, and if they are still a danger to society.

The Inside Scoop:

• “IMPACT x Nightline: Evil: Manson Killers Freed?” begins streaming Thursday, Oct. 16, on Disney+ and Hulu.
• This new episode, led by ABC News chief national correspondent Matt Gutman, features an all-new interview with Debra Tate, the sister of actress Sharon Tate, who was stabbed to death by Manson cult members while eight months pregnant. Debra remains staunchly opposed to any parole. Gutman speaks with Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman, who weighs in on the legal implications, while Manson family members’ attorneys Keith Wattley and Rich Pfeiffer argue that their clients have changed and deserve their freedom.
• The episode features rare ABC News archival footage — including Diane Sawyer’s groundbreaking 1994 interviews with Charles Manson, Leslie van Houten and Patricia Krenwinkel — and reexamines the crimes and the psychological grip Manson held over his followers, exploring how his influence led them down a twisted path of murder and mayhem.
• Additional new interviews include the following:
  • Sunny Hostin, former federal prosecutor and co-host of “The View”
  • Tom O’Neil, author of “Chaos: Charles Manson, the CIA, and the Secret History of the Sixties”
  • Rick Alan Ross, founder and executive director of The Cult Education Institute
  • Dan Abrams, ABC News chief legal analyst
  • Brian Buckmire, ABC News legal contributor
  • Chris Connelly, ABC News contributor

• Now in its fourth season, ABC News Studios’ award-winning streaming newsmagazine “IMPACT x Nightline” investigates the topics dominating American culture, stories in the zeitgeist, and conversations around the globe. Eman Varoqua is executive producer.

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