Ruth Ann Moorehouse (born January 6, 1953) is an American woman who is a former member of the
Manson Family
The Manson Family (known among its members as the Family) was a Intentional community, commune, gang, and cult led by criminal Charles Manson that was active in California in the late 1960s and early 1970s. The group at its peak consisted of a ...
, led by
Charles Manson
Charles Milles Manson (; November 12, 1934 – November 19, 2017) was an American criminal, cult leader, and musician who led the Manson Family, a cult based in California in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Some cult members committed a Manson ...
. In December 1970, she, alongside
Catherine Share
Catherine Louise "Gypsy" Share (born December 10, 1942) is an American criminal who is known as a former member of the Manson Family; she was convicted of witness intimidation in relation to the 1970 trial of the Tate-LaBianca murders. In 1971 sh ...
,
Lynette Fromme
Lynette Alice "Squeaky" Fromme ( ; born October 22, 1948) is an American woman who was a member of the Manson Family, a cult led by Charles Manson. Though not involved in the Tate–LaBianca murders for which the Manson family is best known, she ...
, Dennis Rice, and
Steve Grogan
Steven James Grogan (born July 24, 1953) is an American former professional football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for sixteen seasons with the New England Patriots. He played college football for the Kansas Stat ...
were charged with attempted murder after they plotted to murder former fellow Manson Family member
Barbara Hoyt
Barbara Hoyt (December 27, 1951 – December 3, 2017) was an American nurse and a member of the "Manson Family", led by Charles Manson.
Hoyt was a witness in District Attorney Vincent Bugliosi's prosecution of Manson and his followers for the ...
to prevent her from testifying for the prosecution against Manson,
Susan Atkins
Susan Denise Atkins (May 7, 1948 – September 24, 2009) was an American convicted murderer who was a member of Charles Manson's "Family". Manson's followers committed a series of nine murders at four locations in California over a period ...
,
Leslie Van Houten
Leslie Louise Van Houten (born August 23, 1949) is an American convicted murderer and former member of the Manson Family. During her time with Manson's group, she was known by aliases such as Louella Alexandria, Leslie Marie Sankston, Linda Sue O ...
, and
Patricia Krenwinkel
Patricia Dianne Krenwinkel (born December 3, 1947) is an American convicted murderer and former member of the Manson Family. On August 9, 1969, Patricia Krenwinkel, Tex Watson, and Susan Atkins murdered pregnant actress Sharon Tate, Jay Sebring ...
during the
Tate–LaBianca murder trial. The charge was later reduced to conspiracy to dissuade a witness from testifying. While her accomplices served a 90-day sentence at the Los Angeles County Jail, Moorehouse never served her sentence, as she failed to appear at the sentencing hearing.
[Bugliosi, Vincent: ''Helter Skelter'', 1974. pg. ''601''.] In October 1975, she was arrested on the 4-year-old warrant for attempting to murder Hoyt. However, the following month the county judge ruled that she would not receive a prison sentence as he was satisfied that she had disassociated herself from the Manson Family.
Early life
Ruth Ann Moorehouse was born on January 6, 1953 (though some sources indicate January 6, 1951 or May 19, 1952), in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, the fourth and youngest child to former
Protestant
Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that emphasizes Justification (theology), justification of sinners Sola fide, through faith alone, the teaching that Salvation in Christianity, salvation comes by unmerited Grace in Christianity, divin ...
minister Dean Allen Moorehouse, who had been born in
North Dakota
North Dakota ( ) is a U.S. state in the Upper Midwest, named after the indigenous Dakota people, Dakota and Sioux peoples. It is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Saskatchewan and Manitoba to the north and by the U.S. states of Minneso ...
, and Audrey Lucille Sirpless, who was originally from
Minnesota
Minnesota ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Upper Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Ontario to the north and east and by the U.S. states of Wisconsin to the east, Iowa to the so ...
.
She had three siblings; sister Kathleen, brother Dean Thomas and sister Sharon, all of whom were born in Minnesota.
The family is of English, Scottish, Irish,
Scotch-Irish, German, and French descent. Moorehouse attended Westmont High School in
Campbell, California
Campbell is a city in Santa Clara County, California, in the San Francisco Bay Area. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. Census, Campbell's population is 43,959. Campbell is home to the Pruneyard Shopping Center, a sprawling open-ai ...
, and Leggett Valley High School in
Leggett, California
Leggett (formerly Leggett Valley) is a census-designated place in Mendocino County, California, United States. It is located on the South Fork of the Eel River, by road northwest of Laytonville, at an elevation of . It is home to some of the l ...
, where she was a part of the
student council
A student council (also known as a student union, associated student body or student parliament) is an administrative organization of students in different educational institutes ranging from elementary schools to universities and research or ...
. Her parents divorced in August 1967 after her mother, Audrey, had grown uncomfortable with her husband Dean's friendship with
Charles Manson
Charles Milles Manson (; November 12, 1934 – November 19, 2017) was an American criminal, cult leader, and musician who led the Manson Family, a cult based in California in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Some cult members committed a Manson ...
, and went to live with her sister.
Involvement with the Manson Family
Meeting Charles Manson
In 1967, Ruth's father Dean Moorehouse befriended
Charles Manson
Charles Milles Manson (; November 12, 1934 – November 19, 2017) was an American criminal, cult leader, and musician who led the Manson Family, a cult based in California in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Some cult members committed a Manson ...
after he had picked him up as a hitchhiker. Moorehouse invited Manson to dinner at his
San Jose home, which resulted in Manson spending the night. The two discussed the Bible, sang religious songs, and Manson was fond of the piano that the Moorehouse family owned, which Dean Moorehouse allowed Manson to take for himself. Dean Moorehouse told Manson that he was always welcome in his home, and Manson became a frequent visitor. He soon took interest in Ruth Ann, who was 14 years old at the time, and took Ruth Ann on a trip up the coast in his recently acquired
Volkswagen Microbus, which he had gotten from a neighbor of the Moorehouse's in exchange for their piano.
This resulted in Dean and Audrey reporting Ruth Ann as a runaway, and the pair were apprehended by Sheriff's deputies on July 28, 1967. Ruth Ann was returned home and Manson was arrested for trying to interfere with the police.
On May 20, 1968, Ruth Ann Moorehouse married 23-year-old bus driver Edward Lewis Heuvelhorst in
Santa Cruz in an effort to become
emancipated
Emancipation generally means to free a person from a previous restraint or legal disability. More broadly, it is also used for efforts to procure economic and social rights, political rights or equality, often for a specifically disenfran ...
from her father, which Manson had advised her to do. According to Moorehouse, the marriage only lasted one day, and she moved to the
Los Angeles
Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...
area where Manson and his followers had relocated months earlier.
Dennis Wilson and Terry Melcher
Dean Moorehouse learned of this, which resulted in him meeting Manson at
Dennis Wilson
Dennis Carl Wilson (December 4, 1944 – December 28, 1983) was an American musician, singer, and songwriter who co-founded the Beach Boys. He was their drummer and the middle brother of bandmates Brian Wilson, Brian and Carl Wilson as well as ...
's house, where Manson kneeled down and kissed Moorehouse’s toes, welcoming him to the party and introducing him to
LSD
Lysergic acid diethylamide, commonly known as LSD (from German ; often referred to as acid or lucy), is a semisynthetic, hallucinogenic compound derived from ergot, known for its powerful psychological effects and serotonergic activity. I ...
. Dean spent the rest of the summer at Wilson's house living in the guesthouse in exchange for taking care of the landscaping.
He became a devout follower of Manson, and spent a brief amount of time with the
Manson Family
The Manson Family (known among its members as the Family) was a Intentional community, commune, gang, and cult led by criminal Charles Manson that was active in California in the late 1960s and early 1970s. The group at its peak consisted of a ...
at
Spahn Ranch
Spahn Ranch, also known as the Spahn Movie Ranch, was a 55-acre (22.3 ha) movie ranch in Los Angeles, California. For a period it was used as a ranch, dairy farm and later movie set during the era of westerns. After a decline in use for filming b ...
after they began living there in the summer of 1968.
A different account says Manson,
Lynnette Fromme, and
Mary Brunner
Mary Theresa Brunner (born December 17, 1943) is an American criminal and former member of the "Manson Family" who was present during the 1969 murder of Gary Hinman, a California musician and Ph.D. candidate. She was arrested for numerous offen ...
visited the Moorehouse home, where Dean Moorehouse chased Manson outside, threatening him for having sex with Ruth Ann. He cornered Manson with a shotgun, to which Manson responded by putting his hand on Moorehouse's shoulder and saying, "love is so much better than anger, and what a relief it was when you gave up your individuality and became part of a real family."
Record producer
Terry Melcher
Terrence Paul Melcher (; February 8, 1942 – November 19, 2004) was an American record producer, singer, and songwriter who was instrumental in shaping the mid-to-late 1960s California Sound and folk rock movements. His best-known contribution ...
, who Manson had befriended, took a liking to Ruth Ann and began an affair with her. He attempted to employ her as a housekeeper at his
10050 Cielo Drive
10050 Cielo Drive was the street address of a former luxury home in Benedict Canyon, Los Angeles, Benedict Canyon, in the west-central part of the Beverly Crest, Los Angeles, Beverly Crest neighborhood of Los Angeles, bordering Beverly Hills, Cal ...
home, which
Candice Bergen
Candice Patricia Bergen (born May 9, 1946) is an American actress. She won five Primetime Emmy Awards and two Golden Globe Awards as the title character on '' Murphy Brown'' (1988–1998, 2018). She is also known for her role as Shirley Schmi ...
, his girlfriend, disapproved of.
Spahn Ranch and Barker Ranch
While living at
Spahn Ranch
Spahn Ranch, also known as the Spahn Movie Ranch, was a 55-acre (22.3 ha) movie ranch in Los Angeles, California. For a period it was used as a ranch, dairy farm and later movie set during the era of westerns. After a decline in use for filming b ...
, Moorehouse was responsible for taking care of the children,
dumpster diving
Dumpster diving (also totting, skipping, skip diving or skip salvage) is wikt:salvage, salvaging from large commercial, residential, industrial and construction containers for unwanted items discarded by their owners but deemed useful to the ...
, and
panhandling.
She acquired her nickname "Ouisch" from
George Spahn
George Christian Spahn (February 11, 1889 – September 22, 1974) was an American rancher who once owned the Spahn Ranch near Chatsworth, Los Angeles. Spahn rented the ranch to the movie industry to film Westerns, and later allowed Charles ...
, although there are different theories as to what the nickname meant. One theory is that it was because of the sound that her pants made when she walked by, another is because it was the whistling sound men made when she walked past them.
In April 1969,
George Spahn
George Christian Spahn (February 11, 1889 – September 22, 1974) was an American rancher who once owned the Spahn Ranch near Chatsworth, Los Angeles. Spahn rented the ranch to the movie industry to film Westerns, and later allowed Charles ...
agreed to act as Moorehouse's foster parent after she was arrested and placed in juvenile hall.
A week after the
Tate–LaBianca murders
On the night of August 8, 1969, Tex Watson took Susan Atkins, Linda Kasabian and Patricia Krenwinkel to 10050 Cielo Drive in Benedict Canyon, Los Angeles, California. Watson claims Charles Manson had instructed him go to the house and "totally des ...
, Moorehouse was arrested with the family in the August 16, 1969, Spahn Ranch raid as "suspects in a major auto theft ring" that had been stealing
Volkswagen Beetle
The Volkswagen Beetle, officially the Volkswagen Type 1, is a small family car produced by the German company Volkswagen from 1938 to 2003. One of the most iconic cars in automotive history, the Beetle is noted for its distinctive shape. Its pr ...
s and converting them into
dune buggies
A dune buggy — also known as a beach buggy — is a recreational off-road vehicle with large wheels, and wide tires, designed for use on sand dunes, beaches, off-road or desert recreation. The design is usually a topless vehicle with a rear- ...
. Weapons were seized, but, because the search warrant had the wrong date on it, the group was released a few days later. Months later at the Myers Ranch in
Death Valley
Death Valley is a desert valley in Eastern California, in the northern Mojave Desert, bordering the Great Basin Desert. It is thought to be the Highest temperature recorded on Earth, hottest place on Earth during summer.
Death Valley's Badwat ...
,
Susan Atkins
Susan Denise Atkins (May 7, 1948 – September 24, 2009) was an American convicted murderer who was a member of Charles Manson's "Family". Manson's followers committed a series of nine murders at four locations in California over a period ...
told Moorehouse about the murders of coffee heiress Abigail Folger and pregnant actress
Sharon Tate
Sharon Marie Tate Polanski (January 24, 1943 – August 9, 1969) was an American actress and model. During the 1960s, she appeared in advertisements and small television roles before appearing in films as well as working as a model. After receiv ...
. Moorehouse allegedly responded with laughter and told Atkins she couldn't wait to get her first “pig”.
Moorehouse later told
Barbara Hoyt
Barbara Hoyt (December 27, 1951 – December 3, 2017) was an American nurse and a member of the "Manson Family", led by Charles Manson.
Hoyt was a witness in District Attorney Vincent Bugliosi's prosecution of Manson and his followers for the ...
that she knew of 10 more murders other than Tate.
Moorehouse was again arrested with the family in the October 10, 1969
Barker Ranch
Barker Ranch is located inside Death Valley National Park in eastern California. Used as a mining and recreational property from the 1940s to the 1960s, it is infamous due to its association with Charles Manson and his "family". It was the family' ...
raid. Moorehouse later recalled, "Just before we got busted in the desert, there was twelve of us apostles and Charlie
anson"
Tate–LaBianca trials
After being released from jail, Moorehouse briefly lived with her mother in
Minnesota
Minnesota ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Upper Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Ontario to the north and east and by the U.S. states of Wisconsin to the east, Iowa to the so ...
.
During the Tate-LaBianca murder trial, she reconnected with the Manson Family, and became a regular fixture outside of the Los Angeles courthouse and carved an "X" into her forehead alongside other family members to signify that they “had ‘X'd’ themselves from our world,” as Manson had said. While being questioned by authorities, Moorehouse remained loyal to the family, and claimed that she did not know anything about the murders.
Hawaiian burger incident
In 1970,
Vincent Bugliosi
Vincent T. Bugliosi Jr. (; August 18, 1934 – June 6, 2015) was an American prosecutor and author who served as Deputy District Attorney for the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office between 1964 and 1972. He became best known for suc ...
wanted Hoyt to testify against the Manson Family, and she was scheduled to take the stand in September. Under pressure from the Family, who were urging her to stay loyal to them, she took a vacation to
Hawaii
Hawaii ( ; ) is an island U.S. state, state of the United States, in the Pacific Ocean about southwest of the U.S. mainland. One of the two Non-contiguous United States, non-contiguous U.S. states (along with Alaska), it is the only sta ...
with Moorehouse. According to
Ed Sanders
Edward Sanders (born August 17, 1939) is an American poet, singer, activist, author, publisher and longtime member of the rock band the Fugs. He has been called a bridge between the Beat and hippie generations. Sanders is considered to have bee ...
,
Steve Grogan
Steven James Grogan (born July 24, 1953) is an American former professional football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for sixteen seasons with the New England Patriots. He played college football for the Kansas Stat ...
drove Hoyt and Moorehouse to Dennis Rice's house. Rice bought them plane tickets, gave them money and credit cards, and drove them to the airport. Using the names Amy Riley and Jill Morgan, Hoyt and Moorehouse flew to
Honolulu
Honolulu ( ; ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Hawaii, located in the Pacific Ocean. It is the county seat of the Consolidated city-county, consolidated City and County of Honol ...
.
On September 9, Moorehouse told Hoyt that she had to go back to California, but that Hoyt was to stay behind in Hawaii. While at the airport, Hoyt ordered a hamburger. According to Hoyt, when it arrived, Moorehouse took it and went outside, while Hoyt paid for it. When she came out, Moorehouse gave her the hamburger, and Hoyt ate it while they were waiting for Moorehouse's flight. Just before she was to board, Hoyt said that Moorehouse remarked, ‘Imagine what it would be like if that hamburger had ten tabs of acid in it.’ After Moorehouse left, according to Hoyt, she “then went into the city. All of a sudden I was feeling really weird, very high, and I realized there were ten tabs of acid in the hamburger. I got to a bathroom and made myself throw up. I don't know how I did it, but I got to the steps of the Salvation Army building… A man asked me, ‘Are you all right?’ I said no. I told him to call Mr. Bugliosi. They took me to a hospital and gave me Valium by IV to bring me down…. That's when I lost consciousness. Even though they tried to kill me, I had to testify. I'd seen Sharon Tate's mother on TV talking about her grief. That's what swayed me… What it finally came down to for me was this: Did I want to be able to live with myself when I got old? I decided that I did.”
On December 18, 1970, Moorehouse, Rice, Grogan, Fromme, and
Catherine Share
Catherine Louise "Gypsy" Share (born December 10, 1942) is an American criminal who is known as a former member of the Manson Family; she was convicted of witness intimidation in relation to the 1970 trial of the Tate-LaBianca murders. In 1971 sh ...
were charged with attempted murder of Hoyt. On February 26, 1971, a heavily pregnant Moorehouse appeared on the witness stand during the Tate-LaBianca murder trial, where Vincent Bugliosi
cross-examined her. She was also questioned by Manson's attorney, Irving Kanarek, and said that Manson was at a waterfall several miles from the Spahn Ranch on the night of the Tate murders.
On March 23, 1971, Moorehouse, Share, Fromme, Grogan, and Rice were allowed to plead no contest to the lesser charge of conspiracy to dissuade a witness, and the murder counts were dropped. The following month, Share, Fromme, Grogan, and Rice were sentenced to 90 days in jail for conspiracy to dissuade a witness; Moorehouse did not appear at the sentencing hearing, and fled the state to go live with her sister in
Carson City, Nevada
Carson City, officially the Carson City Consolidated Municipality, is an Independent city (United States), independent city and the capital of the U.S. state of Nevada. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 58,63 ...
. On April 10, 1971, Moorehouse gave birth to a daughter named LaDieh Fawn, and returned to her mother's home in Minnesota.
After the Manson Family
On October 6, 1972, she married construction worker Harold Irving Fowler in
Reno
Reno ( ) is a city in the northwest section of the U.S. state of Nevada, along the Nevada–California border. It is the county seat and most populous city of Washoe County, Nevada, Washoe County. Sitting in the High Eastern Sierra foothills, ...
, and the following year their daughter was born. In 1975, the
FBI
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic Intelligence agency, intelligence and Security agency, security service of the United States and Federal law enforcement in the United States, its principal federal law enforcement ag ...
located Moorehouse living in
Sacramento
Sacramento ( or ; ; ) is the capital city of the U.S. state of California and the seat of Sacramento County. Located at the confluence of the Sacramento and American Rivers in Northern California's Sacramento Valley, Sacramento's 2020 p ...
, where she had been residing since August 1974. They informed Sacramento authorities, who arrested her in October of that year on the 4-year-old warrant for attempting to murder Hoyt. Her bond was set at $1,000, and she was released later that day after a family member posted the bond. A week later, Moorehouse appeared in court with her lawyer Fitzgerald, who said, “The ‘family’ told her she had to shave her head and that she had to have her baby in jail, and she wanted none of that.” Fitzgerald also claimed that Moorehouse did not appear at the sentencing hearing because she was 9 months pregnant at the time, and that Fromme and Sandra Good had been harassing Moorehouse's sister in Nevada and urging Ruth Ann to return to the Family. On November 4, the judge ruled that because she was abandoned by her father and “thrown willy-nilly into the Manson cult” she could go free with no time served.
In 1975, Moorehouse underwent plastic surgery to remove the swastika from her forehead. She moved to Minnesota, and married for a third time, to Dale Warren Geist, in 1979. Her daughter died at the age of 7 in 1981. She and Geist divorced on November 14, 1994.
Moorehouse filed for bankruptcy in 2007 and in 2014.
In popular culture
The character "Pussycat", portrayed by
Margaret Qualley
Sarah Margaret Qualley ( ; born October 23, 1994) is an American actress. A daughter of actress Andie MacDowell, she trained as a ballet dancer in her youth. She made her acting debut in the 2013 drama film ''Palo Alto'' and gained recognitio ...
in
Quentin Tarantino
Quentin Jerome Tarantino (; born March 27, 1963) is an American filmmaker, actor, and author. Quentin Tarantino filmography, His films are characterized by graphic violence, extended dialogue often featuring much profanity, and references to ...
's ''
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
''Once Upon a Time...in Hollywood'' is a 2019 comedy-drama film written and directed by Quentin Tarantino. Produced by Columbia Pictures in association with Bona Film Group, Heyday Films, and Visiona Romantica, and distributed by Sony Pict ...
'' (2019), is based on Moorehouse and Kathryn "Kitty" Lutesinger, another Manson Family member.
The character also appears in Tarantino's debut
novel of the same name.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Moorehouse, Ruth Ann Ouisch
1952 births
Living people
People from Toronto
Manson Family
American people convicted of attempted murder
People convicted of attempted murder
20th-century American criminals
American people of French descent
American people of German descent
American people of Irish descent
American people of English descent
American people of Scottish descent
American people of Scotch-Irish descent