Biography

Shorty Shea

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Shorty Shea was a livestock wrangler, ranch hand and handyman on the Spahn Movie ranch, near Chatsworth, California, prior to the arrival there of Charles Manson and his entourage. In addition to his duties on the ranch, Shorty also found time to work in Hollywood as an extra, and some larger parts in "adult films." Unfortunately, Shea also found the time to visit with, and on occasion party with, the hippie clan led by Manson. It has long been suspected that Shea knew enough about the movements of the "Family" to make him a liability. Shea's disappearance from the ranch after the arrest of Manson was cause for concern, and later his body was discovered on the ranch. A detailed account of Shea's involvement with Manson and his clan can be found in Vincent Bugliosi's highly regarded book "Helter Skelter".
- IMDb mini biography by: Buxx Banner

Had one daughter, Karen. She still attends the parole hearings of Charles Manson and Bruce Davis and opposes their release from prison.
In 1972, Charles Manson and two of his "Family" members, Steve Grogan and Bruce Davis, were convicted of first degree murder in Shea's death. It was the first time in U.S. history that a guilty verdict had been obtained in a first-degree murder case without the victim's remains having been found. More than 8 years after the murder, in December of 1977, Grogan struck a deal with authorities, agreeing to lead them to Shea's remains in exchange for leniency. Shea's skeletal remains showed evidence of stab wounds and blunt force trauma to the head. Grogan was paroled in 1985, partly in exchange for his cooperation, and remains the only Manson Family member convicted of murder to ever be released on parole. Manson died in prison in 2017 and as of 2026, Davis (who was also convicted of additional homicides) remains incarcerated.

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