DIANNE LAKE AKA SNAKE

by charliesfamily.tripod.com

Dianne Elizabeth Lake was born sometime in late 1953. While Diane was still very young, her parents embraced the "hippie" lifestyle and brought their young daughter with them to Wavy Gravy's Hog Farm Commune in southern California. It was while living there that 13-year-old Diane met Charles Manson at a party in Topanga Canyon. Charlie immediately took a liking to the auburn-haired beauty and it was not long before she became a permanent fixture on the black magic bus. After all, she had nothing holding her back; she joined the Family with her parents' permission.

During her days at Spahn Diane earned the nickname "Snake." Author Ed Sanders has said that the moniker comes from the "transverse ophidian wiggles" that she made during sex, although Lake has firmly denied this. Whatever the case may be, it is undoubtedly true that young Diane's early background left her relatively free of sexual hangups; at various times she has been cited as the favorite sexual partner of both Manson himself and his "second-in-command," Paul Watkins.

Snake's life with the Family was not all fun and flowers, though; it has been documented that Manson beat her on a somewhat regular basis. Prosecutor Bugliosi has said that at various times Charlie had punched her in the mouth, broke a chair leg over her head, kicked her across a room, and whipped her with an electrical cord. "Despite such treatment," says Bugliosi, "she stayed, which implied something tragic about the alternatives available to her."

Snake's young age, prolonged drug use, and possible mental illness led to her to be completely delusional by the time she was arrested at the second Barker Ranch raid in October 1969. Snake apparently thought that the murders were wrong, but was unable to do anything because of her fear of Charlie, whom she believed to be in her head at all times. It was only after kindness and coaxing from Inyo County officer Jack Gardiner that Diane came out of her shell and found the courage to speak against the Family.

After a six-month stint in a mental hospital, Gardiner and his wife took in Diane as a foster child. While living there she attended Big Pine High School and did a tremendous job at acclimating herself into "normal" society. She went on to get her associate's degree and worked in a bank for many years. Today she is a born-again Christian and is married with three children. She apparently shows no scars from her Manson days.

by M. Turner, charliemanson.com

LAKE, DIANNE ELIZABETH: (aka Snake, Dianne Bluestein) Born around 1953. Said that her parents became hippies when she was a child. By the age of 13, she was a member of the Hog Farm commune and had tried group sex and LSD. Just before her 14th birthday she joined the Family with her parent's approval. She later told police that Manson had beat her several times. She said about a month before the Tate murders (she thought July) Manson told the Family "I'm going to have to start the revolution." She said many times during June, July and August 1969 that Manson told the Family "We have to be willing to kill pigs in order to help the black man start Helter Skelter." She also said Watson had told her that Manson had ordered the murders and that he had stabbed Tate. She said one morning about a week or two before the August 16 raid, that Van Houten had come to the back house at Spahn with a purse, rope and a bag of coins and hid them. A short time later, a man knocked on the door and Van Houten hid. The man left and Van Houten came out. Van Houten told her that the man had given her a ride from Griffith Park (which was near the LaBianca house) and she didn't want to be seen by him. Lake and Van Houten counted the money (about $8 in change) and it was split up to buy food. She said she believed it was divided between her, Cottage and Good. Good was in jail the morning after the LaBianca murders, though. So, Lake testified that Good "might not have been there." This cast doubt on whether this happened on August 10. She also had told the grand jury that she was in Inyo County on August 8 and 9 rather than at Spahn Ranch. At trial she testified that Manson asked her to lie, though. Said she did because she was afraid for her life. When asked if there were any foreign coins, she said "Canada." In one statement she said the coins were in the purse but testified they were in a plastic bag. Van Houten built a fire and burned the purse, credit cards and rope. Burnt her clothes, too, but Lake didn't notice any blood on them. In late August or early September, Van Houten told her that she had stabbed someone who was already dead (near Griffith Park near Las Feliz). Van Houten said someone had written something in blood on the refrigerator and that she had wiped everything clean of fingerprints, even things they hadn't touched. Said they took a carton of chocolate milk. Described a boat outside. Said she wasn't at Tate murder. Van Houten also told her she had been reluctant to stab but after she'd done it, it became fun. The more she stabbed, the more she enjoyed it. At Willow Springs, Krenwinkel told her she'd dragged Folger from the bedroom into the living room. Krenwinkel also told Lake that Watson had told Leslie to stab Rosemary LaBianca and to wipe fingerprints off everything they had touched but Lake was not allowed to testify to this. Lake suffered emotional problems and had LSD flashbacks. Said she loved Manson but feared him. She was arrested in October 12, 1969 Barker Ranch raid. On November 26, 1969 she was questioned by police but gave no answers. On December 8, 1969 she testified before the grand jury and denied any knowledge of the Tate/LaBianca murders. In late December she did finally talk to police. Manson testified that Lake wanted attention and would cause trouble and accidents to get it. He said she wanted a father to punish her and he obliged to keep her from burning down the ranch. In January 1970, Inyo County court sent her (at age 16) to Patton State Hospital because of her emotional problems. The staff psychiatrist called her schizophrenic but said her problems were emotional instead of mental. Said they were behavioral disorders of adolescence and possibly drug related. In early June, she was still in Patton but making straight A's in school. After her release from Patton, detective Jack Gardiner and his wife were appointed as her foster parents and she lived with them until graduating high school.

DIANNE ELIZABETH LAKE
AKA: Snake, Dianne Bluestein

Dianne Lake was born in the early '50's. Her parents were prominent members of Wavy Gravy's Hog Farm commune. From an early age, Dianne was subject to both group sex and hallucinogenic drugs. In 1967, just before her 14th birthday, Dianne met the family at the "Spiral Staircase" house in Topanga Canyon. With her parent's permission, Lake left to travel with the family. Manson seemed to have it out for Snake (Dianne's alias in the family), often beating her in front of others. When police raided Spahn's Ranch on August 16, 1969, Dianne, along with Tex Watson were hiding out at a ranch in Olancha. It was there that Tex laughed at a newspaper headline about Sharon Tate's murder. "I killed her. Charlie asked me to. It was fun," Watson told Snake. He told her to keep quiet, and she did.

In October of 1969, Dianne was arrested with the family in the second Barker Ranch raid. In December, Lake testified that she knew nothing about the murders. She remained silent even after LAPD interrogated her for hours, threatening her with the gas chamber. She finally broke her silence when she was befriended by Jack Gardiner - an Inyo County officer - and his wife. Afterwhich, she provided the District Attorney with loads of incriminating evidence against the family.

In January of 1970, Dianne was admitted to Patton State Hospital, where she was labeled "schizophrenic" due to an emotional trauma. She spent 6 months there, and even began attending high school. She made good progress, and was eventually declared competent to testify at the murder trials. After being released from Patton State, Dianne was taken in by Jack Gardiner and his wife. Dianne went on to graduate both high school and college. Today she is reportedly happily married with 3 children.

Excerpt from "Helter Skelter -- The True Story of the Manson Murders," by Vincent Bugliosi with Curt Gentry

When interrogated in Los Angeles, sixteen-year-old Dianne Lake had been threatened with the gas chamber. And had said nothing. Inyo County Deputy DA Buck Gibbens and investigator Jack Gardiner tried kindness, something Dianne had known little of during her life.

Dianne's parents had "turned hippy" which she was still a child. By age thirteen she was a member of the Hog Farm commune, and had been introduced to group sex and LSD. When she joined Manson, just before her fourteenth birthday, it was with her parents' approval.

Apparently not finding Dianne submissive enough, Manson had, on various occasions: punched her in the mouth; kicked her across a room; hit her over the head with a chair leg; and whipped her with an electrical cord. Despite such treatment, she stayed. Which implies something tragic about the alternatives available to her.

After her return to Independence, Gibbens and Gardiner had a number of lengthy conversations with Dianne. They convinced her that other people did care about her. Gardiner's wife and children visited her regularly. Hesitantly at first, Dianne began telling the officers what she knew. And, contrary to what she had told the grand jury, she knew a great deal. Tex, for example, had admitted to her that he'd stabbed Sharon Tate. He did it, he told her, because Charlie had ordered the killings.

On December 30, Sartuchi and Nielsen interviewed Dianne in Independence. She told them that one morning, maybe a week to two weeks before the August 16 raid, Leslie had come into the back house at Spahn with a purse, a rope, and a bag of coins. She hid them under a blanket. When, a short time later, a man arrived and knocked on the door, Leslie hid herself. She told Dianne the man had given her a ride from Griffith Park and she didn't want him to see her.

The two LaBianca detectives exchanged looks. Griffith Park was not far from Waverly Drive.

After the man left, Leslie came out from under the blanket and Dianne helped her count the money. There was about eight dollars in change, in a plastic sack.

Because of Leno LaBianca's coin collection, the detectives were very interested in that bag of change.

Q. "O.K., you say you helped Leslie count the money or coins. Did you see any coins in there from another country?"

A. "Canada."

Leslie then built a fire and burned the purse (Dianne recalled it as being brown leather), some credit cards (one was an oil company card), and the rope (it was about 4 feet long and 1 to 1-1/2 inches in diameter). Then she took off her own clothing and burned it too. Had Dianne noticed any blood spots on the clothing? No.

Later, in late August or early September, while they were at Willow Springs, about ten miles from barker Ranch, Leslie told Dianne that she had stabbed someone who was already dad. Was it a woman or a man? Leslie hadn't said.

Leslie also told Dianne that the murder had occurred someplace near Griffith Park, near Los Feliz; that someone had written something in blood on the refrigerator door; and that she, Leslie, then wiped everything so there would be no prints, even wiping things they hadn't touched. When they left, they took some food with them. What kind of food? A carton of chocolate milk.

Had Leslie said anything about the Tate murders? Leslie had told her she wasn't in on that.

Sartuchi attempted to get more details. The only other thing Dianne could recall was that there had been a big boat outside the house. But she couldn't remember whether Leslie had told her about the boat or whether she had read it in the paper. She did, however, remember Leslie describing it.

Prior to this, the only evidence we had linking Leslie Van Houten with the LaBianca murders was the testimony of Susan Atkins. Since Susan was an accomplice, this would not stand up in court without independent corroboration.

Dianne Lake supplied it.

There was a question, however, as to whether Dianne would be able to testify at the trial. She was obviously emotionally disturbed. She had occasional LSD flashbacks. She feared Manson, and she loved him. At times she thought he was insider her head. Shortly after the first of the year the Inyo County court arranged for her to be sent to Patton State Hospital, in part for treatment for her emotional problems, in part because the court didn't know what else to do with her.

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