SAN LUIS OBISPO, Jan. 13 – Charles “Tex” Watson, the Charles Manson disciple who led followers in the Tate-LaBianca bloodbath, 14 years ago, is a ”walking time bomb” who is still a menace to society, psychiatrists say.

Watson, a born-again Christian described as a model prisoner by his attorney, prepared today to make his fifth bid for parole since leading four Manson family members on the two-day murder rampage in 1969. Seven people were killed.

The state Board of Prison Terms has denied four previous parole bids by the 37-year-old Watson, saying the murders were “incomprehensible, heinous and shock the public conscience.”

“In the past, the board has concentrated on Watson’s actions during the crimes,” said Los Angeles County Deputy District Attorney Stephen Kay, who prosecuted the Manson family killers.

“He personally murdered four of the victims himself,” Kay said. “The board has said in the past that his activities during the crimes outweighed any rehabilitation he may have undergone in prison.”

Kay said the findings of a panel of seven psychiatrists who evaluated Watson last fall will be presented at the hearing.

“They said in the report that he is a walking time bomb,” Kay said. “They said he has changed only superficially since 1979 and that until his extremely high level of hostility decreases, he has a high potential for violence.”

But Watson’s attorney, Edwin Olpin, insists his client is a model prisoner who is no longer a threat to society.

“We have half a dozen psychiatric reports before this saying just the opposite,” said Olpin. “By all indications, he is a model prisoner. He causes no problems and does good work.

“The question here is, is he a danger to society? I think not. He has shown he is not going to get out and reoffend.”