Episode Recap: The Manson Curse

Subject Names: David Oman, Lisa Rigsbee, Jeff Mandel, Kashmir White, Laureen Rakkel, Alma Carey
Subject Location: Los Angeles, California
Paranormal Experience: The spirits of the Manson family victims haunt a man's new house

David Oman was a private investigator in Los Angeles, and he was burned out in his job. He decided to enlist his father's help in building his own house. His father found a lot in Beverly Hills for only $40,000. It was a beautiful lot up on Cielo Drive. David fell in love with the place, and he and his father got to work on a dream house.

David still couldn't figure out where he'd heard the name "Cielo Drive" before.

Three years later, pleased with his new home, David decided to hold a housewarming party. While he was putting the food together, he heard a tap at the door. He wasn't expecting anyone until later, but the knocking was persistent. When David opened the door, there was no one to be seen. He looked all over, from the house to the end of the drive. There wasn't even another car in sight.

Later that night, about fifty people had showed up for the party, including Jeff Mandel and Kashmir White. Everyone was having a great time. When Lauren Rakkel went into the kitchen to get some more wine, though, things began to take an odd turn.  Someone walked by outside the kitchen window. The problem? The window sits about twenty to thirty feet off of the ground. What Lauren had seen was impossible.

Later that night, as everyone was hanging out and partying, Jeff was near the kitchen. Out of nowhere, a wine glass flew off the bar and shattered against the wall behind Jeff. There was nobody in the kitchen.

Lisa Rigsbee, David's girlfriend, headed to bed early one night. David stayed in the living room, watching TV. As she tried to sleep, Lisa heard the bedroom door open. She thought it was David, but when she rolled over to look, she was faced with a man who wasn't her boyfriend.  Freaked, Lisa reached back to the nightstand. When she turned back, the man was gone. She ran downstairs to David, who hadn't moved from the couch. David was bothered by what was happening in his own house. It was time to bring those private investigator skills to bear.

His research brought him to the news of August 10, 1969, and the vicious acts of the Manson "family". The Tate murders had taken place just down the street.  That was why Cielo Drive had been so familiar.  But there was no physical connection between David's house and the house where the murders took place.  That house had even been torn down years before. His house was brand new. How on earth could there be some kind of connection?

That evening, David invited Jeff and Kashmir over to watch a movie. As they watched the film, an odd sound began coming from the house's intercom system.  They were voices, but nobody knew from where. As far as they knew, the three of them were the only ones in the house. All three of them could hear it. Whoever it was, they were inside the house. David went into the house to search for an intruder, grabbing his rifle as he searched. Meanwhile, in the movie room, Jeff and Kashmir are freaking out over the voices. The voices begun traveling around the room being heard as disembodied whispers that the duo couldn't understand.  Just as suddenly as they'd shown up, the voices disappeared. Jeff went to investigate the house, and found nothing. However, he began hearing a rasping radio sound, and the sound of labored breathing. It was like a death rattle. A blast of air came at Jeff, knocking him back.

While David had no clue what was happening, Jeff became obsessed with trying to investigate the things that were transpiring in the house. David wasn't a believer in ghosts, but he was willing to investigate. Jeff and David set up cameras, microphones, and the works to try to catch something. The first few attempts bore no fruit, but Jeff continued undaunted. Eventually, Kashmir began tagging along.

One night, as they were setting up a camera in David's bedroom (David had fallen asleep on the couch), something grabbed the video camera in Jeff's hands. It was a struggle, but Jeff managed to keep possession of the camera. As soon as they could, Jeff and Kashmir left the house.  Jeff couldn't sleep.  He had to know if he'd caught anything during the encounter.  He played the video over and over, able to hear a soft voice in there.  Jeff was stunned when he realized the voice was saying, "Jeffrey, don't shoot me."

After Jeff and Kashmir left, David went to bed. Something woke him around three in the morning. He realized it was the sound of footsteps. Grabbing his rifle, he went to investigate. All he found was the projector in the theater room still going. Dismissing it as exhaustion, he shut the room down and went back to bed.  Something woke him again, and David found himself face-to-face with a man at the foot of his bed. The man was pointing out the window. At the sound of a bang, the man just disappeared and things were back to normal.

Jeff played the audio for David the next day, and it was the visible proof David needed that there really were ghosts in his house. David called in a favor and asked his police friends to see the old files on the Manson murders. David was brought a box of old files, including many candid photos. He recognized one of the men in the photos as the man who'd stood at the foot of his bed. The man's name was Jay Sebring. But why was he pointing out to the driveway?

Digging further, David found a picture of Steven Parent, a young kid who'd been shot in the driveway at the scene of the Tate murders. He kept going, and came to a group of photos of Sharon Tate. Could the voices that they'd heard, including the voice on Jeff's camera, have been the spirit of Sharon Tate trying to communicate with them? David felt it was time to call in someone more experienced.

Alma Carey was a local psychic. David asked her to come in and check out the house. He didn't give her any information on what he'd experienced. Alma was left alone, and experienced a cold to the point where she expected to see her breath in the air. There was a harsh, brittle energy in the air. Alma felt something strange, and turned to watch a blonde woman walk from one room to another. Alma went downstairs to see where the woman went, but ran into David and told him what she saw. It was time for a séance.

The séance went peacefully at first, until Alma asked if anyone was there. The lights flickered. The flame on the candles bent. When she asked if it was Sharon, the candles didn't even flicker, they (and the lights) all went out.  Something began trying to grab the camera from Jeff's hands. When that didn't work, it began playing with Kashmir's chair. There was a heartbreaking scream.  Alma stood, clutching her stomach. She was being attacked. Finally, David realized that Alma was being stabbed. They were sharing the experience of what had happened in the Manson murders.

David Oman still lives in the house. He still experiences regular paranormal activity.