LOS ANGELES, Apr. 14 – It was Charles Manson who stabbed a Topanga Canyon musician to death last summer, murder defendant Robert Kenneth Beausoleil claims.

Beausoleil, 22, testifying in his own defense at his murder retrial, laid the entire blame in the death of Gary Hinman, 34, on Manson, leader of a nomadic “family” of cultists.

Manson, 35, is accused of masterminding the August killings of actress Sharon Tate and six others, who died about three weeks after Hinman was slain July 27 at his home.

Manson has not been charged in the Hinman murder.

Beausoleil told a seven-woman, five-man Superior Court jury Manson asked him to go to Hinman’s home to seek $20,000 the cult leader had heard the musician had inherited.

Beausoleil said Manson wanted the money in order to move his clan from the Spahn Ranch in Chatsworth to another location somewhere in the desert.

The defendant said he went to Hinman’s home at 964 Old Topanga Canyon Rd., taking along with him Mary Brunner, 26, and Susan Denise Atkins, 21, also known as Sadie Glutz.

Miss Brunner testified last Friday it was Beausoleil who stabbed Hinman to death. She
was granted immunity in exchange for her testimony.

Hinman, Beausoleil said, denied he had $20,000 but offered to donate $100 or $150.

Beausoleil testified he telephoned the Spahn Ranch to ask another family member, Bruce Davis, to come and get him and the two young women.

He said he spoke to Manson, who “sounded sort of mad when he learned they couldn’t get the $20,000.”

Later, he said, Manson and Davis went to Hinman’s house.

Manson, who looked “very fierce” and “very keyed up,” asked Hinman to sit down and talk about the money, Beausoleil testified.

“Charlie pulled a sword from behind his leg … and stabbed at his (Hinman’s) midsection,” Beausoleil said.

He testified Manson stabbed at Hinman twice, but only scratched him.

Beausoleil claimed Hinman grabbed Manson’s arm and Manson hit Hinman on the head with the handle of the sword.

Then, Beausoleil said, “Charlie slashed him on the face with the sword.

“Gary opened his mouth and said, ‘Oh, oh’.”

“I saw a white line (on Hinman’s face) that filled in with blood,” Beausoleil added.

The defendant said he had “no idea” Manson was going to harm Hinman.

He testified after Manson slashed Hinman, “I felt nauseous.”

Beausoleil was first tried for the Hinman murder last year, but that jury deadlocked on a verdict in November.

He did not testify at the first trial.

The story told to the seven-woman, five-man superior court jury by Beausoleil, 22, differed sharply from one given last Friday by Mary Brunner, 26.

Miss Brunner claimed she was at the Hinman home and it was Beausoleil who killed the musician.

She testified, as did Beausoleil, that Manson had visited the home on July 24. But Miss Brunner said Manson left more than 24 hours before Hinman was killed.

Beausoleil also claimed it was Manson who slashed Hinman’s left ear with a sword because the musician refused to give the leader $20,000 which he reportedly had just inherited.

Miss Brunner never mentioned that Manson returned later, but Beausoleil claimed he did.

When Manson came back, Beausoleil said, he appeared “very cheerful,” as contrasted to his “very fierce” appearance the first time he was at the house at 946 Old Topanga Canyon Rd.

On his second trip, Manson talked to Hinman about the latter moving to the Spahn Ranch near Chatsworth and becoming a member of the family, Beausoleil said.