SAN LUIS OBISPO, Oct. 23 — Charles “Tex” Watson failed for a fourth time to convince parole officials he was no longer the dangerous man who led Manson cultists in the slayings of seven people in 1969.

The 35-year-old prisoner who preaches love and forgiveness as a born-again Christian prison preacher was judged unsuitable Thursday for parole by the Board of Prison Terms.

In its ruling, the board noted a recent psychiatric evaluation saying the convicted killer still has a high potential for violence and was “relatively unchanged except superficially since 1969” — the year he killed pregnant actress Sharon Tate. Four of her friends were also killed and wealthy grocer Leno LaBianca and his wife were slain the following night by the followers of Charles Manson.

The board called the slayings “incomprehensible, heinous” and said they shocked the “public conscience.”

The board also noted the particularly vicious nature of the slayings, saying “the victims were stabbed, shot, mutilated, beaten on the head and a pregnant woman hung from a ceiling beam. Of the 156 stab wounds inflicted on the victims, (Watson) was responsible for about 90 percent.”

Watson was stunned and brought to tears during the parole hearing by a question about slain actress Miss Tate, whose fetus was slashed from her womb during the grisly attack. Watson’s wife, who he married in prison, is pregnant.

“If the same thing should happen to your wife that you did to Sharon Tate, would you be able to forgive them?” asked board chairman Peggy Jellison.

“I don’t know,” he said softly. He was then excused and waited in the hallway.

Earlier, Watson heard excerpts from the Aug. 24 psychiatric report.

“He is still seen by members of this council as having a very high potential for violence and being very dangerous,” wrote senior psychiatrist Dr. Robert Brandmeyer.

Watson, who has become an ordained minister and serves as assistant prison chaplain, was asked for his opinion of the evaluation made only two months ago.

“The report was done by a person that has known me 45 minutes of my life,” Watson said. “I feel that the psychiatric report is not just. It’s completely contradictory to every report that has been done on me before.

“I do not feel I’m a dangerous person. All I can say is I’d possibly like another chance.”

Watson, who led four Manson family women on the bloody murder rampage, attempted to gain his freedom for the fourth time on the basis of reports describing him as a model prison inmate.

In 1978, Watson told a UPI reporter that his spiritual conversion allowed him to feel genuine remorse for the seven killings.

“It’s still painful thinking about the murders,” Watson said. “I know it’s terrible what happened … really the pits of hell … but I don’t feel it should be drilled out over and over again.”

Manson, Leslie Van Houten, Patricia Krenwinkle and Susan Atkins also are serving life terms for the two-night murder spree. They have all been denied repeated bids for parole.

A fourth girl who was present at the murders, Linda Kasabian, testified against the Manson family members and was not prosecuted.