Bruce Davis, a former follower of cult leader Charles Manson who was convicted of two murders more than half a century ago, has died while serving a life sentence, according to officials.
Davis died on Friday at the California Medical Facility in Vacaville, as reported by the Solano County coroner’s office to ABC News.
Born Bruce McGregor Davis in Monroe, Louisiana, he was 83 years old. After spending more than a year in hiding, he had voluntarily surrendered to Los Angeles police on December 2, 1970.
Davis had been denied parole numerous times over the decades, according to state officials. State parole boards had recommended him for release seven different times, though Governors Gavin Newsom, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Jerry Brown consistently rejected those recommendations. While incarcerated, Davis earned a college degree and became an ordained prison minister with a clean disciplinary record.
Davis was convicted in 1972 on two counts of first-degree murder, conspiracy and robbery for his role in the 1969 killings of musician Gary Hinman and stuntman Donald “Shorty” Shea. During a 2014 parole hearing, Davis admitted to holding a firearm while Manson attacked Hinman with a sword and cutting Shea with a knife.
"I wanted to be Charlie's favorite guy,” Davis said during a 2014 parole hearing.
Following the Hinman homicide, other group members used the victim’s blood to write “political piggy” on a wall.
Davis was not involved in the separate 1969 murders of actress Sharon Tate and six others carried out by different members of the Manson group, according to police records.
Other members of the Manson group remain behind bars or have died in custody over the decades. Charles Manson died in prison in 2017 at the age of 83.
Other high-profile figures from the commune — including Charles "Tex" Watson, Patricia Krenwinkel and Bobby Beausoleil — continue to serve life sentences in California prisons. Other members, such as Leslie Van Houten and Steve “Clem” Grogan, were eventually freed through parole or court rulings in recent years.
