1 00:00:02,068 --> 00:00:02,965 [upbeat music playing] Playmates from the 1960s 2 00:00:03,068 --> 00:00:04,482 were supposed to be young, 3 00:00:04,586 --> 00:00:07,758 fresh faced, sexy, curvy women, 4 00:00:07,862 --> 00:00:09,034 and Victoria was all of those things. 5 00:00:09,137 --> 00:00:11,482 Victoria Vetri saw whatPlayboy 6 00:00:11,586 --> 00:00:13,965 had done for actresses before her. 7 00:00:14,068 --> 00:00:17,103 She wanted to emulate the likes of Brigitte Bardot 8 00:00:17,206 --> 00:00:19,068 and Sophia Loren. 9 00:00:19,172 --> 00:00:21,068 I'm gonna be a star. 10 00:00:21,172 --> 00:00:23,241 [tape rewinding] 11 00:00:23,344 --> 00:00:25,517 [Stella] There were so many triggers with her life 12 00:00:25,620 --> 00:00:27,206 and what happened to her 13 00:00:27,310 --> 00:00:29,551 and the Playboy lifestyle. 14 00:00:30,482 --> 00:00:32,619 I think it just did things to her 15 00:00:32,723 --> 00:00:34,689 that you can't come back from. 16 00:00:36,827 --> 00:00:39,241 [Holly] The Manson murders were exceptionally gruesome. 17 00:00:39,344 --> 00:00:41,241 The fact that there was a beautiful up-and-coming 18 00:00:41,344 --> 00:00:43,068 actress who appeared inPlayboy 19 00:00:43,172 --> 00:00:46,275 at the center of it, was horrifying. 20 00:00:46,379 --> 00:00:49,034 Victoria was supposed to be at Sharon Tate's home. 21 00:00:49,137 --> 00:00:52,068 The people who murdered her friends 22 00:00:52,172 --> 00:00:53,275 were out to get her. 23 00:00:53,379 --> 00:00:57,068 Victoria's story is really a cautionary tale, 24 00:00:57,172 --> 00:00:59,965 fame and success aren't a cure-all to everything. 25 00:01:00,689 --> 00:01:01,620 [Bob] You have it all 26 00:01:01,724 --> 00:01:04,861 and then when it falls from your grasp, 27 00:01:04,965 --> 00:01:07,655 it's sad to see how a life can unravel. 28 00:01:07,758 --> 00:01:08,896 [gunshot] 29 00:01:12,413 --> 00:01:15,379 [dramatic music playing] 30 00:01:20,620 --> 00:01:23,620 [train honking] 31 00:01:26,620 --> 00:01:29,586 [suspenseful music playing] 32 00:01:34,931 --> 00:01:37,068 [gunshots] 33 00:01:39,000 --> 00:01:42,206 On Saturday, October 16th, 2010, 34 00:01:42,896 --> 00:01:44,172 Los Angeles Police Department 35 00:01:44,275 --> 00:01:46,310 received multiple 911 calls 36 00:01:46,413 --> 00:01:48,241 describing a shooting in progress 37 00:01:48,344 --> 00:01:49,551 with a victim down. 38 00:01:49,655 --> 00:01:51,413 [indistinct radio chatter] 39 00:01:51,517 --> 00:01:53,655 [siren wailing] 40 00:01:56,310 --> 00:01:57,827 When they arrived, 41 00:01:57,931 --> 00:01:59,689 the officers slowly and methodically 42 00:01:59,793 --> 00:02:01,137 approached the location. 43 00:02:02,586 --> 00:02:05,379 It's a two-story multi-unit apartment building. 44 00:02:05,482 --> 00:02:08,240 It looked like a sort of a typical apartment complex 45 00:02:08,344 --> 00:02:09,448 in the heart of Hollywood. 46 00:02:09,550 --> 00:02:11,517 That I wouldn't call it luxury apartments 47 00:02:11,620 --> 00:02:13,275 by any stretch of the imagination. 48 00:02:13,379 --> 00:02:16,448 [indistinct radio chatter] 49 00:02:16,551 --> 00:02:18,344 As they're approaching the location, 50 00:02:18,448 --> 00:02:19,896 they don't know what they're walking into. 51 00:02:24,310 --> 00:02:28,068 The responding units see our victim down 52 00:02:28,172 --> 00:02:29,655 in the outside hallway, 53 00:02:32,067 --> 00:02:33,965 the victim had a gunshot wound 54 00:02:34,067 --> 00:02:35,310 to the upper left chest. 55 00:02:37,034 --> 00:02:39,103 When the investigators were looking in the apartment, 56 00:02:39,206 --> 00:02:40,793 they see evidence of a struggle. 57 00:02:42,067 --> 00:02:44,551 The place looks disheveled 58 00:02:44,655 --> 00:02:47,448 and what they discover is something very odd. 59 00:02:48,310 --> 00:02:49,551 They noticed that there are 60 00:02:49,655 --> 00:02:52,482 torn upPlayboy magazines on the floor. 61 00:02:52,586 --> 00:02:54,793 They come to realize that the woman featured 62 00:02:54,896 --> 00:02:56,862 on thesePlayboy magazines 63 00:02:56,965 --> 00:03:00,206 is Playmate of the Year in 1968, 64 00:03:00,862 --> 00:03:01,896 Victoria Vetri. 65 00:03:06,000 --> 00:03:09,793 [upbeat music playing] 66 00:03:09,896 --> 00:03:12,793 [Stella] Victoria Vetri was a California girl. 67 00:03:13,448 --> 00:03:15,310 She went to Hollywood High. 68 00:03:15,413 --> 00:03:17,103 She was a beautiful girl, 69 00:03:17,206 --> 00:03:18,448 Italian heritage, 70 00:03:19,517 --> 00:03:23,379 and was pursuing a career as an actress. 71 00:03:24,344 --> 00:03:26,965 Her father was a successful restaurant owner 72 00:03:27,068 --> 00:03:30,000 and her mother was a successful model. 73 00:03:31,103 --> 00:03:33,034 [Tom] She'd started in 1962. 74 00:03:33,137 --> 00:03:34,896 For some reason she didn't think 75 00:03:35,000 --> 00:03:38,000 her name was Movie Marquee 76 00:03:38,103 --> 00:03:41,448 and she changed it to Angela Dorian. 77 00:03:41,551 --> 00:03:43,724 [country music playing] 78 00:03:43,827 --> 00:03:46,034 [Tom] She landed a number of guest spots. 79 00:03:46,137 --> 00:03:48,655 I was just looking at myself in the water, Ms. Sarah. 80 00:03:49,517 --> 00:03:51,724 On Ozzie and Harriet, Cheyenne. 81 00:03:51,827 --> 00:03:53,551 She wanted to emulate 82 00:03:53,655 --> 00:03:57,379 the likes of Brigitte Bardot and Sophia Loren. 83 00:03:57,482 --> 00:04:00,827 And she really was making some headway. 84 00:04:00,931 --> 00:04:03,206 She was quite striking, beautiful woman. 85 00:04:03,310 --> 00:04:05,620 And she was starting to get roles. 86 00:04:05,724 --> 00:04:06,931 Do you like it? 87 00:04:07,034 --> 00:04:08,965 There was something called the Hollywood Deb Star Ball. 88 00:04:09,068 --> 00:04:13,241 And they would take nominees from TV shows, 89 00:04:13,344 --> 00:04:16,344 movie studios, talent agencies each year. 90 00:04:16,447 --> 00:04:18,379 And with her first year in Hollywood, 91 00:04:18,481 --> 00:04:21,517 Victoria Vetri was aHollywood Deb Star in 1962, 92 00:04:21,620 --> 00:04:24,241 and that was pretty prestigious. 93 00:04:24,344 --> 00:04:26,586 So she started out really like gangbusters. 94 00:04:27,448 --> 00:04:28,482 I saw you from the window 95 00:04:28,586 --> 00:04:30,344 when you said good evening to senora. 96 00:04:30,448 --> 00:04:32,206 Now, you can say good evening to me. 97 00:04:32,310 --> 00:04:33,758 But for some reason 98 00:04:33,862 --> 00:04:35,482 she wasn't getting the big film roles. 99 00:04:35,586 --> 00:04:37,793 And thenPlayboy came along. 100 00:04:39,310 --> 00:04:40,931 [Holly] WhenPlayboy came out in the '50s, 101 00:04:41,034 --> 00:04:42,862 it was really a revolutionary magazine. 102 00:04:42,965 --> 00:04:45,172 Not only because it featured nude photos, 103 00:04:45,275 --> 00:04:46,620 but because it was done 104 00:04:46,724 --> 00:04:48,482 in the context of a lifestyle magazine. 105 00:04:48,586 --> 00:04:52,344 Nobody had really combined sex and aspiration before. 106 00:04:52,448 --> 00:04:53,827 [tape rewinding] 107 00:04:53,931 --> 00:04:55,965 [applause] 108 00:04:56,068 --> 00:04:57,413 Well, hi, I'm sorry, I didn't see you coming in. 109 00:04:57,517 --> 00:04:58,931 I'm Hugh Hefner, your host. 110 00:04:59,034 --> 00:05:00,034 You really arrived just in time 111 00:05:00,137 --> 00:05:02,206 'cause it's gonna be a wild and swinging evening. 112 00:05:02,310 --> 00:05:05,000 As Playboycontinued to grow throughout the '60s, 113 00:05:05,103 --> 00:05:07,620 the magazine became more and more of a household name. 114 00:05:07,724 --> 00:05:09,655 Therefore, it was more exciting for women to pose 115 00:05:09,758 --> 00:05:11,724 and seen as a bigger opportunity. 116 00:05:11,827 --> 00:05:13,896 And in some cases it could lead to a Hollywood career. 117 00:05:14,000 --> 00:05:15,551 [camera flashes] 118 00:05:17,620 --> 00:05:19,793 [man] The magazine became more than a magazine. 119 00:05:19,896 --> 00:05:21,241 The magazine became a kind of a handbook 120 00:05:22,310 --> 00:05:23,275 for a whole way of life. 121 00:05:25,551 --> 00:05:26,586 [Holly] The first issue ofPlayboy 122 00:05:26,689 --> 00:05:28,724 featured a photograph of Marilyn Monroe, 123 00:05:28,827 --> 00:05:30,896 because of the Marilyn Monroe connection, 124 00:05:31,000 --> 00:05:32,586 a lot of women sawPlayboy as a place 125 00:05:32,689 --> 00:05:33,793 to launch their careers. 126 00:05:34,965 --> 00:05:37,448 [Meghan] Victoria Vetri saw whatPlayboy had done 127 00:05:37,551 --> 00:05:40,241 for actresses before her, 128 00:05:40,344 --> 00:05:43,620 and I think that Victoria sawPlayboy as a springboard 129 00:05:43,724 --> 00:05:47,620 for future success in the fields of acting. 130 00:05:48,827 --> 00:05:50,344 [Holly] Each issue ofPlayboy in the '60s 131 00:05:50,448 --> 00:05:52,000 reached about 5 million readers, 132 00:05:52,103 --> 00:05:54,206 so appearing as a centerfold in the magazine 133 00:05:54,310 --> 00:05:55,827 could get as many eyes on you 134 00:05:55,931 --> 00:05:57,034 as appearing in a Hollywood movie. 135 00:05:57,137 --> 00:05:58,413 So it was a really big deal. 136 00:05:58,517 --> 00:06:00,931 We don't know exactly who invited Victoria 137 00:06:01,034 --> 00:06:03,000 to thePlayboy parties for the first time, 138 00:06:03,103 --> 00:06:04,724 but a young, beautiful actress like her 139 00:06:04,827 --> 00:06:06,000 always would've been welcome. 140 00:06:07,206 --> 00:06:09,689 [upbeat music playing] 141 00:06:09,793 --> 00:06:11,827 I worked for Hugh Hefner 142 00:06:11,931 --> 00:06:13,655 for four and a half years, 143 00:06:13,758 --> 00:06:16,620 and I started out as his butler. 144 00:06:18,068 --> 00:06:19,689 I saw Victoria Vetri 145 00:06:19,793 --> 00:06:22,103 at the mansion at the big parties. 146 00:06:22,206 --> 00:06:24,482 She was always sought after. 147 00:06:24,586 --> 00:06:27,000 Guys would just chase her, 148 00:06:27,103 --> 00:06:29,551 tell her that, you know, she's beautiful 149 00:06:29,655 --> 00:06:32,103 and they were a producer, showrunner. 150 00:06:32,206 --> 00:06:34,241 They would get her a part. 151 00:06:34,344 --> 00:06:35,655 She had that magnetism. 152 00:06:37,931 --> 00:06:39,655 And she was an actress. 153 00:06:39,758 --> 00:06:41,758 This is the time to show your stuff. 154 00:06:41,862 --> 00:06:44,344 I'm sure if Hef saw Victoria at a party, 155 00:06:44,448 --> 00:06:45,896 she definitely would've caught his attention. 156 00:06:48,344 --> 00:06:51,448 [Meghan] Hugh Hefner offered her the opportunity to pose 157 00:06:51,551 --> 00:06:53,000 and to have her own spread 158 00:06:53,103 --> 00:06:55,413 to be featured in her own edition. 159 00:06:55,517 --> 00:06:57,862 Posing for Playboywas kind of a risk at the time. 160 00:06:59,862 --> 00:07:02,172 [Tom] For the '60s, it was still a bit of a dilemma 161 00:07:02,275 --> 00:07:03,689 for a lot of these actresses 'cause, you know, 162 00:07:03,793 --> 00:07:06,310 they were raised on 1950s values. 163 00:07:06,413 --> 00:07:10,206 The old guard in Hollywood, they were very moralistic. 164 00:07:10,310 --> 00:07:12,689 The actresses deciding if they wanted to 165 00:07:12,793 --> 00:07:14,862 pose forPlayboy had to make decisions. 166 00:07:15,620 --> 00:07:17,172 Do you wanna go in Playboy? 167 00:07:17,275 --> 00:07:18,344 You get the publicity, 168 00:07:18,448 --> 00:07:20,551 but does it really help your career or hurt it? 169 00:07:22,172 --> 00:07:23,689 She was breaking barriers 170 00:07:23,793 --> 00:07:25,413 and hoping that by posing 171 00:07:25,517 --> 00:07:27,310 and also posing in the nude 172 00:07:27,413 --> 00:07:29,068 would lead to success, 173 00:07:29,172 --> 00:07:31,586 but it was a risk that she took. 174 00:07:32,965 --> 00:07:36,413 Victoria first modeled forPlayboy 175 00:07:36,517 --> 00:07:38,827 in September of 1967, 176 00:07:38,931 --> 00:07:40,896 so she was the Playmate of the Month. 177 00:07:41,586 --> 00:07:42,758 [Holly] Victoria's pictorial 178 00:07:42,862 --> 00:07:44,517 was really beautiful and really unique. 179 00:07:44,620 --> 00:07:45,758 There were photos of her 180 00:07:45,862 --> 00:07:47,310 lying out on this tiger rug. 181 00:07:47,413 --> 00:07:48,551 Her centerfold with her 182 00:07:48,655 --> 00:07:49,931 lying in a hammock. 183 00:07:50,793 --> 00:07:52,206 This is the issue 184 00:07:52,310 --> 00:07:54,724 with Victoria's Playmate pictorial. 185 00:07:54,827 --> 00:07:56,241 In the '60s, they didn't publish 186 00:07:56,344 --> 00:07:57,827 very many nude photos 187 00:07:57,931 --> 00:08:00,310 of a woman in her playmate pictorial. 188 00:08:00,413 --> 00:08:01,931 Here's part of her centerfold, 189 00:08:02,034 --> 00:08:04,827 which would've been the main nude photo. 190 00:08:04,931 --> 00:08:07,344 They really wanna show that Victoria's an actress. 191 00:08:07,448 --> 00:08:09,827 They have her here studying a script, 192 00:08:09,931 --> 00:08:13,551 so they want her to appear as well-rounded as she is. 193 00:08:13,655 --> 00:08:16,551 It was just really beautiful and sexy and tastefully done, 194 00:08:16,655 --> 00:08:17,689 and really stood out. 195 00:08:18,586 --> 00:08:19,620 She was a little bit different 196 00:08:19,724 --> 00:08:21,689 than your traditional playmates 197 00:08:21,793 --> 00:08:24,103 because Hugh Hefner seemed to favor blondes. 198 00:08:24,206 --> 00:08:27,586 And Victoria being of Italian descent was darker. 199 00:08:27,689 --> 00:08:28,896 She was a brunette. 200 00:08:29,000 --> 00:08:31,862 Nonetheless, she was an absolute stunner. 201 00:08:31,965 --> 00:08:33,136 And there was just something about her 202 00:08:33,241 --> 00:08:35,379 that was extra, extra cute. 203 00:08:35,482 --> 00:08:37,931 [Meghan] The readers absolutely loved Victoria. 204 00:08:38,551 --> 00:08:40,000 She became so popular 205 00:08:40,102 --> 00:08:41,448 that she was asked to come back 206 00:08:41,551 --> 00:08:44,965 as Playmate of the Year in 1968. 207 00:08:46,517 --> 00:08:47,655 [Holly] Being chosen Playmate of the Year 208 00:08:47,758 --> 00:08:49,275 was really exciting. 209 00:08:49,379 --> 00:08:51,379 You were being chosen as the favorite 210 00:08:51,482 --> 00:08:53,620 from among 12 stunning women. 211 00:08:53,724 --> 00:08:55,103 It was always really something 212 00:08:55,206 --> 00:08:56,965 that every playmate wanted. 213 00:08:57,068 --> 00:08:58,413 In the '60s, the Playmate of the Year 214 00:08:58,517 --> 00:08:59,724 would get a number of prizes, 215 00:08:59,827 --> 00:09:01,931 but one of the prizes was always a car. 216 00:09:02,034 --> 00:09:03,586 And the car would be painted a shade of pink 217 00:09:03,689 --> 00:09:04,827 called Playmate Pink. 218 00:09:06,896 --> 00:09:09,896 [Meghan] Victoria received a pink AMX, 219 00:09:10,000 --> 00:09:12,931 which kind of rivaled the Corvette at the time. 220 00:09:14,965 --> 00:09:16,862 It was a classic beauty just like her, 221 00:09:16,965 --> 00:09:18,965 and she loved that car. 222 00:09:19,068 --> 00:09:21,965 [upbeat music playing] 223 00:09:27,689 --> 00:09:29,172 [Holly] Victoria was already a working actress 224 00:09:29,275 --> 00:09:30,310 when she posed forPlayboy. 225 00:09:30,413 --> 00:09:31,965 But after her centerfold came out 226 00:09:32,068 --> 00:09:33,413 and after she got Playmate of the Year, 227 00:09:33,517 --> 00:09:35,689 she just got more and more attention and bigger roles. 228 00:09:36,862 --> 00:09:38,482 [Stella] She was very lucky 229 00:09:38,586 --> 00:09:41,551 to be at the right place at the right time. 230 00:09:41,655 --> 00:09:44,655 Roman Polanski was makingRosemary's Baby 231 00:09:44,758 --> 00:09:48,206 and she got a part in the film. 232 00:09:48,310 --> 00:09:52,206 [Tom] The role of the friend of Mia Farrow was vacant. 233 00:09:52,310 --> 00:09:53,793 They meet in the laundry room. 234 00:09:53,896 --> 00:09:56,103 Nice to meet you. I'm Rosemary Woodhouse. 235 00:09:56,206 --> 00:09:58,241 We... We're new tenants here. 236 00:09:58,344 --> 00:10:01,517 [Tom] Victoria was the Playmate in 1968 at the time, 237 00:10:01,620 --> 00:10:03,482 but still under Angela Dorian. 238 00:10:03,586 --> 00:10:05,620 AfterRosemary's Baby came out, 239 00:10:05,724 --> 00:10:07,793 she reverted to Victoria Vetri. 240 00:10:10,586 --> 00:10:12,344 Rosemary's Babywas of course 241 00:10:12,448 --> 00:10:14,965 a huge international critical hit, 242 00:10:15,068 --> 00:10:17,724 a box office smash for Roman Polanski 243 00:10:17,827 --> 00:10:19,931 and she got a lot of publicity from that. 244 00:10:20,034 --> 00:10:23,448 So 1968 was a really big year for Victoria. 245 00:10:24,310 --> 00:10:26,034 At that time, Polanski 246 00:10:26,137 --> 00:10:28,000 had been living with Sharon Tate. 247 00:10:29,862 --> 00:10:31,310 Roman, Sharon. 248 00:10:31,413 --> 00:10:32,862 -Hi. -Hi. 249 00:10:32,965 --> 00:10:34,862 This is the very beautiful Sharon Tate. 250 00:10:34,965 --> 00:10:36,689 I'm sure you've seen in films. 251 00:10:36,793 --> 00:10:38,103 And Roman Polanski, 252 00:10:38,206 --> 00:10:39,482 best known for his original film, 253 00:10:39,586 --> 00:10:40,655 Knife in the Water, 254 00:10:40,758 --> 00:10:41,655 which he wrote and directed 255 00:10:41,758 --> 00:10:42,724 and he's also responsible 256 00:10:42,827 --> 00:10:43,896 for Rosemary's Baby. 257 00:10:46,137 --> 00:10:48,517 Sharon was on set every day 258 00:10:48,620 --> 00:10:50,758 because she wanted to be there. 259 00:10:50,862 --> 00:10:55,068 Sharon Tate was a beautiful girl. 260 00:10:55,172 --> 00:10:56,310 She was a model. 261 00:10:56,413 --> 00:10:59,896 She was the epitome of the '60s doe-eyes, 262 00:11:00,000 --> 00:11:03,103 beautiful face, just a stunning girl. 263 00:11:06,689 --> 00:11:09,586 [upbeat music playing] 264 00:11:10,620 --> 00:11:11,586 [Stella] She was born in Texas. 265 00:11:11,689 --> 00:11:13,655 She was an army brat. 266 00:11:13,758 --> 00:11:15,965 Her father and mother were in the army. 267 00:11:16,068 --> 00:11:17,758 I think her father was a colonel. 268 00:11:17,862 --> 00:11:19,862 And when she was 16 they moved to Italy. 269 00:11:21,517 --> 00:11:24,620 And she was, I believe in Verona. 270 00:11:24,724 --> 00:11:29,413 And they shot a lot of films in Rome, Verona. 271 00:11:29,517 --> 00:11:31,551 The word up was, "Oh, let's go watch them 272 00:11:31,655 --> 00:11:32,758 make the movie." 273 00:11:34,206 --> 00:11:37,034 And she met Jack Palance, 274 00:11:37,137 --> 00:11:39,068 who was a very famous actor. 275 00:11:39,172 --> 00:11:40,896 He was making a film 276 00:11:41,000 --> 00:11:42,965 and he noticed her and he said, 277 00:11:43,068 --> 00:11:44,551 "You know, you should probably get into acting, 278 00:11:44,655 --> 00:11:45,517 you'd be great." 279 00:11:49,103 --> 00:11:52,793 [suspenseful music playing] 280 00:11:52,896 --> 00:11:56,551 [Stella] And they moved back to the United States. 281 00:11:56,655 --> 00:11:58,137 She went to Hollywood and said, 282 00:11:58,241 --> 00:11:59,689 "I wanna get an agent." 283 00:11:59,793 --> 00:12:01,103 And she got an agent. 284 00:12:02,172 --> 00:12:03,586 [Holly] Victoria Vetri and Sharon Tate 285 00:12:03,689 --> 00:12:05,655 both appeared inPlayboy. 286 00:12:05,758 --> 00:12:08,241 They became close friends and bonded over the fact 287 00:12:08,344 --> 00:12:10,344 that they were both stunningly beautiful women 288 00:12:10,448 --> 00:12:11,931 who were at that point usingPlayboy 289 00:12:12,034 --> 00:12:13,275 as a stepping stone in their career. 290 00:12:14,551 --> 00:12:16,172 Sharon Tate's Playboy pictorial, 291 00:12:16,275 --> 00:12:18,379 it's one of my favorites because it's so unique, 292 00:12:18,482 --> 00:12:19,586 it's so camp. 293 00:12:20,862 --> 00:12:23,068 It's not the typical Playboypictorial at all, 294 00:12:23,172 --> 00:12:24,758 but I love it. [laughs] 295 00:12:25,448 --> 00:12:26,896 [Meghan] Roman Polanski 296 00:12:27,000 --> 00:12:28,931 was the photographer for this shoot. 297 00:12:29,034 --> 00:12:31,172 There are some very interesting photos. 298 00:12:31,275 --> 00:12:34,586 One of them features Tate in a bubble bath, 299 00:12:34,689 --> 00:12:37,310 scantily covered. 300 00:12:37,413 --> 00:12:41,206 Other photos feature her face-to-face with a vampire. 301 00:12:41,310 --> 00:12:44,517 An obvious nod to the movie they had just shot together, 302 00:12:44,620 --> 00:12:46,448 The Fearless Vampire Killers. 303 00:12:49,620 --> 00:12:52,482 [dramatic music playing] 304 00:12:52,586 --> 00:12:54,275 [Meghan] Sharon Tate and Roman Polanski 305 00:12:54,379 --> 00:12:57,034 were eventually married in 1968 306 00:12:57,137 --> 00:13:00,551 and they were married at the London Playboy Club. 307 00:13:02,000 --> 00:13:03,724 And then she became pregnant 308 00:13:03,827 --> 00:13:06,586 and they decided to nest here in Los Angeles. 309 00:13:12,241 --> 00:13:15,275 [suspenseful music playing] 310 00:13:15,379 --> 00:13:18,000 [Meghan] Sharon Tate had a couple of her friends over, 311 00:13:18,103 --> 00:13:19,965 Victoria was among those guests. 312 00:13:20,068 --> 00:13:21,965 And this wasn't uncommon. 313 00:13:22,068 --> 00:13:23,655 Victoria was at their home a lot. 314 00:13:25,137 --> 00:13:27,000 And at this gathering, something odd happened. 315 00:13:29,241 --> 00:13:30,827 Tate received a knock at the door 316 00:13:30,931 --> 00:13:32,172 from a stranger. 317 00:13:32,275 --> 00:13:33,517 [knocks on door] 318 00:13:33,620 --> 00:13:35,137 [ominous music playing] 319 00:13:40,620 --> 00:13:43,068 [Meghan] He had long, straggly hair, 320 00:13:43,172 --> 00:13:44,655 a long beard. 321 00:13:44,758 --> 00:13:46,172 You know, in some regards, 322 00:13:46,275 --> 00:13:47,896 he looked a little bit disheveled. 323 00:13:49,724 --> 00:13:52,172 He seemed a little bit scary. 324 00:13:54,068 --> 00:13:57,586 And it was Victoria who said something to the effect of, 325 00:13:57,689 --> 00:13:59,620 "This guy is creeping me out." 326 00:13:59,724 --> 00:14:02,724 [tense music playing] 327 00:14:05,620 --> 00:14:07,517 [Meghan] As it would turn out, 328 00:14:07,620 --> 00:14:10,379 the man at the door was none other 329 00:14:10,482 --> 00:14:11,413 than Charles Manson. 330 00:14:11,517 --> 00:14:14,206 [intense music playing] 331 00:14:18,620 --> 00:14:21,517 [ominous music playing] 332 00:14:23,827 --> 00:14:25,655 I'm Sara Levine, I'm the co-host 333 00:14:25,758 --> 00:14:27,344 of Not Another True Crime Podcast. 334 00:14:29,896 --> 00:14:33,344 Charles Manson was kind of a hippie 335 00:14:33,448 --> 00:14:36,000 running this group called The Family. 336 00:14:39,965 --> 00:14:42,241 [Stella] Manson was living out on the Spahn Ranch 337 00:14:42,344 --> 00:14:44,034 out in the valley, 338 00:14:44,137 --> 00:14:45,931 and he had a lot of followers, 339 00:14:46,034 --> 00:14:47,793 young girls, hippies. 340 00:14:47,896 --> 00:14:50,000 They were living on a commune. 341 00:14:51,896 --> 00:14:54,275 He was a charismatic person to them, 342 00:14:54,379 --> 00:14:56,000 and he had them under his spell. 343 00:14:57,620 --> 00:15:00,827 [Sara] He would target people that were very vulnerable 344 00:15:00,931 --> 00:15:03,275 and just kind of speak to their vulnerabilities, 345 00:15:03,379 --> 00:15:05,517 and he would just play on people's insecurities 346 00:15:05,620 --> 00:15:06,827 and seduce them. 347 00:15:06,931 --> 00:15:09,655 [intense music playing] 348 00:15:21,000 --> 00:15:22,965 [Sara] Victoria said something to her friend to the effect 349 00:15:23,068 --> 00:15:24,344 of, "This guy's a creep." 350 00:15:27,965 --> 00:15:30,310 And she thought Manson overheard her, 351 00:15:32,655 --> 00:15:34,000 and that must have angered him. 352 00:15:35,172 --> 00:15:38,034 [ominous music playing] 353 00:15:48,758 --> 00:15:50,206 [Holly] Tate was entertaining 354 00:15:50,310 --> 00:15:52,034 a couple of guests at her home. 355 00:15:54,689 --> 00:15:56,793 Victoria was invited to Sharon's house that night 356 00:15:56,896 --> 00:15:58,793 but had been feeling sick earlier in the day 357 00:15:58,896 --> 00:16:00,379 and decided not to go. 358 00:16:07,137 --> 00:16:09,310 The Manson family members arrive up to the house 359 00:16:09,413 --> 00:16:11,827 at 10050 Cielo Drive. 360 00:16:14,758 --> 00:16:16,275 They park at the bottom of the hill 361 00:16:16,379 --> 00:16:18,137 and begin walking up the driveway. 362 00:16:20,000 --> 00:16:21,689 They cut the phone lines, 363 00:16:21,793 --> 00:16:23,000 they made it impossible 364 00:16:23,103 --> 00:16:24,137 for the people to call for help. 365 00:16:29,413 --> 00:16:31,551 Manson told his tribe, 366 00:16:31,655 --> 00:16:32,827 he called it his tribe, 367 00:16:34,896 --> 00:16:35,931 he said, 368 00:16:37,724 --> 00:16:39,827 "I want you to kill everybody that is there." 369 00:16:39,931 --> 00:16:42,862 [ominous music playing] 370 00:16:45,000 --> 00:16:47,000 [Stella] I mean, it was gruesome. 371 00:16:47,103 --> 00:16:48,689 You can't even imagine 372 00:16:48,793 --> 00:16:50,379 how horrible it must have been. 373 00:16:51,310 --> 00:16:52,620 They strung up, 374 00:16:52,724 --> 00:16:54,275 tied up Sharon 375 00:16:54,379 --> 00:16:56,275 by the legs and the hands. 376 00:16:56,379 --> 00:16:59,413 They slashed her to death, killed her baby. 377 00:16:59,517 --> 00:17:02,172 I mean, it was so sick and so deranged. 378 00:17:02,275 --> 00:17:03,827 [Sara] Sharon Tate, her good friend, 379 00:17:03,931 --> 00:17:06,586 Jay Sebring, Abigail Folger, 380 00:17:06,689 --> 00:17:08,723 Roman Polanski's childhood friend, 381 00:17:08,827 --> 00:17:10,137 Wojciech Frykowski, 382 00:17:10,241 --> 00:17:11,344 they are all brutally killed 383 00:17:11,448 --> 00:17:13,034 by the Manson Family. 384 00:17:13,137 --> 00:17:15,862 I think if any murder is evil, it's this one. 385 00:17:15,964 --> 00:17:18,517 I mean, they targeted complete strangers 386 00:17:18,619 --> 00:17:20,103 who they didn't know, killed a woman 387 00:17:20,205 --> 00:17:21,758 who was eight and a half months pregnant 388 00:17:21,862 --> 00:17:25,448 in the most absolutely gruesome way possible. 389 00:17:25,550 --> 00:17:27,689 Do we have any solid leads? 390 00:17:27,792 --> 00:17:29,344 It's anyone's guess, of course, at this point. 391 00:17:30,655 --> 00:17:32,103 Two days later, 392 00:17:32,206 --> 00:17:34,793 Leno LaBianca and his wife, Rosemary, 393 00:17:34,896 --> 00:17:36,379 were brutally killed 394 00:17:36,482 --> 00:17:38,655 by members of the Manson Family. 395 00:17:38,758 --> 00:17:40,275 [reporter] The Los Angeles Police Department 396 00:17:40,379 --> 00:17:41,689 have seven people who are dead, 397 00:17:41,793 --> 00:17:44,482 and they have no solid suspects. 398 00:17:44,586 --> 00:17:47,827 The Manson Murders were truly graphic and horrifying, 399 00:17:47,931 --> 00:17:49,689 and of course, the fact that there was 400 00:17:49,793 --> 00:17:51,758 an up-and-coming actress who was extremely beautiful 401 00:17:51,862 --> 00:17:54,137 and appeared inPlayboy at the center of it, 402 00:17:54,241 --> 00:17:56,172 garners a lot of attention. 403 00:17:58,689 --> 00:18:00,586 [Meghan] When Victoria found out about these murders, 404 00:18:00,689 --> 00:18:02,172 she was absolutely horrified. 405 00:18:04,034 --> 00:18:06,758 She was supposed to be there that evening, 406 00:18:06,862 --> 00:18:09,379 so she realized that she could have 407 00:18:09,482 --> 00:18:11,241 easily been one of the victims. 408 00:18:13,827 --> 00:18:14,758 [Holly] It was very scary. 409 00:18:15,965 --> 00:18:17,620 Everybody in Hollywood was on alert. 410 00:18:18,655 --> 00:18:20,000 Everybody was getting guard dogs 411 00:18:20,103 --> 00:18:21,310 and alarm systems, 412 00:18:21,413 --> 00:18:22,241 everybody was scared. 413 00:18:32,586 --> 00:18:35,896 [tense music playing] 414 00:18:36,000 --> 00:18:37,793 [man] Today, warrants have been issued 415 00:18:37,896 --> 00:18:40,241 for the arrest of three individuals 416 00:18:40,344 --> 00:18:42,517 in connection with the murders on Cielo Drive 417 00:18:42,620 --> 00:18:44,000 in West Los Angeles. 418 00:18:44,103 --> 00:18:47,137 The named suspects and others 419 00:18:47,241 --> 00:18:50,000 lived at the Spahn Movie Ranch. 420 00:18:50,103 --> 00:18:52,620 [Sara] The Manson Family members got caught 421 00:18:52,724 --> 00:18:54,896 because members of the family 422 00:18:55,000 --> 00:18:56,448 were stealing cars. 423 00:18:57,586 --> 00:18:59,655 There was a raid on Spahn Ranch. 424 00:19:00,551 --> 00:19:03,620 Charles Manson, Tex Watson, 425 00:19:03,724 --> 00:19:05,931 Linda Kasabian, Patricia Krenwinkel, 426 00:19:06,034 --> 00:19:07,310 and Susan Atkins, 427 00:19:07,413 --> 00:19:09,068 they were arrested in this raid 428 00:19:09,172 --> 00:19:10,689 related to auto theft. 429 00:19:11,482 --> 00:19:13,620 And while in prison, 430 00:19:13,724 --> 00:19:15,724 Susan Atkins started confessing 431 00:19:15,827 --> 00:19:17,551 to a few of the people 432 00:19:17,655 --> 00:19:19,000 that she knew in prison 433 00:19:19,103 --> 00:19:20,448 that she had committed the murders 434 00:19:20,551 --> 00:19:21,793 and how they committed the murders. 435 00:19:23,620 --> 00:19:25,482 People were feeling huge amounts of relief 436 00:19:25,586 --> 00:19:27,413 when Manson was arrested. 437 00:19:27,517 --> 00:19:29,758 Los Angeles and even other parts of the country 438 00:19:29,862 --> 00:19:32,068 had been on edge for months. 439 00:19:34,000 --> 00:19:35,206 [Meghan] Charles Manson was unique 440 00:19:35,310 --> 00:19:37,551 and that most people dub him a serial killer, 441 00:19:37,655 --> 00:19:39,034 but the fact he never killed anyone. 442 00:19:39,137 --> 00:19:42,000 He commanded others to do so. 443 00:19:42,103 --> 00:19:44,965 [Holly] I thinkPlayboy would generally keep itself 444 00:19:45,068 --> 00:19:47,620 far away from a story like this 445 00:19:47,724 --> 00:19:50,448 and not weigh in or not comment on. 446 00:19:50,551 --> 00:19:52,586 It's not really the type of attention 447 00:19:52,689 --> 00:19:54,137 they're looking to attract. 448 00:19:54,241 --> 00:19:55,758 [Stella] Everybody in Hollywood, 449 00:19:55,862 --> 00:19:57,379 everybody that ran on that circle 450 00:19:57,482 --> 00:19:58,931 were terrified. 451 00:19:59,034 --> 00:20:00,413 It really changed the culture. 452 00:20:00,517 --> 00:20:01,551 After that murder, 453 00:20:01,655 --> 00:20:04,034 there was no more hippie-trippy love, 454 00:20:04,137 --> 00:20:05,931 it was really the end of the '60s 455 00:20:06,034 --> 00:20:07,620 in so many ways. 456 00:20:07,724 --> 00:20:09,448 Everyone started buying guns 457 00:20:09,551 --> 00:20:10,896 because they thought, "My God, 458 00:20:11,000 --> 00:20:12,103 they could come to my house 459 00:20:12,206 --> 00:20:13,724 and it could happen to me." 460 00:20:16,689 --> 00:20:19,827 [Meghan] Victoria Vetri was so afraid of Charles Manson 461 00:20:19,931 --> 00:20:21,379 and his followers. 462 00:20:21,482 --> 00:20:23,965 She remembered those words that she had uttered, 463 00:20:24,068 --> 00:20:26,586 that this guy had creeped her out, 464 00:20:26,689 --> 00:20:28,482 and Victoria was concerned 465 00:20:28,586 --> 00:20:30,758 that the reason her friends were murdered 466 00:20:30,862 --> 00:20:32,655 was revenge. 467 00:20:35,103 --> 00:20:37,862 She thought that the people who murdered her friends 468 00:20:37,965 --> 00:20:39,379 were out to get her. 469 00:20:42,103 --> 00:20:45,379 So she lived in a constant state of fear. 470 00:20:49,896 --> 00:20:51,448 [Sara] Even after Manson's arrest, 471 00:20:51,551 --> 00:20:53,034 Victoria did not feel safe. 472 00:20:53,137 --> 00:20:54,724 She was worried that Manson 473 00:20:54,827 --> 00:20:57,000 or one of his followers would come after her. 474 00:20:57,103 --> 00:20:59,310 [Holly] According to Victoria, not long after the murders, 475 00:20:59,413 --> 00:21:01,241 Roman Polanski gave her a gun 476 00:21:01,344 --> 00:21:04,551 so she could feel like she could protect herself. 477 00:21:04,655 --> 00:21:06,931 She was a recognizable actress, 478 00:21:07,034 --> 00:21:09,482 a former Playmate of the Year, 479 00:21:09,586 --> 00:21:11,827 and easily felt like she could be the next target. 480 00:21:21,034 --> 00:21:23,655 [dramatic music playing] 481 00:21:25,172 --> 00:21:27,586 [Holly] The Manson murders really shook Victoria. 482 00:21:27,689 --> 00:21:31,482 She didn't work for a while, she had a lot of paranoia 483 00:21:31,586 --> 00:21:34,310 about possibly being the next to be attacked. 484 00:21:34,413 --> 00:21:35,793 It affected her very deeply. 485 00:21:37,172 --> 00:21:39,103 [Meghan] Victoria's career, while once thriving, 486 00:21:39,206 --> 00:21:41,034 really stalled. 487 00:21:41,137 --> 00:21:43,896 It was likely because of this fear that she had of Manson, 488 00:21:44,000 --> 00:21:46,448 and the PTSD that she suffered. 489 00:21:46,551 --> 00:21:48,379 Victoria did start to work again 490 00:21:48,482 --> 00:21:50,206 but she found the role she was getting cast for 491 00:21:50,310 --> 00:21:52,827 were more and more the type of sexy roles 492 00:21:52,931 --> 00:21:55,206 compared to what she'd been in before she posed for Playboy. 493 00:21:55,310 --> 00:21:57,586 [narrator] When Dinosaurs Ruled The Earth. 494 00:21:57,689 --> 00:21:58,827 [screaming] 495 00:21:58,931 --> 00:22:00,931 They thought of her like a sex symbol, 496 00:22:02,689 --> 00:22:05,103 which is why she was offered and accepted 497 00:22:05,206 --> 00:22:07,172 When Dinosaurs Ruled The Earth. 498 00:22:07,275 --> 00:22:09,586 She's a blonde cave girl of a blonde tribe 499 00:22:09,689 --> 00:22:11,862 where they're dominated by the dark-haired people, 500 00:22:11,965 --> 00:22:14,172 and she was supposed to be sacrificed. 501 00:22:14,275 --> 00:22:15,724 When a woman poses forPlayboy, 502 00:22:15,827 --> 00:22:16,827 it's always a risk 503 00:22:16,931 --> 00:22:18,896 because yes, you're getting all this exposure 504 00:22:19,000 --> 00:22:22,310 but also you risk being seen as just that naked girl. 505 00:22:22,413 --> 00:22:24,241 Not everybody is going to take you seriously. 506 00:22:24,344 --> 00:22:27,310 It must have been really frustrating for Victoria. 507 00:22:28,551 --> 00:22:30,103 AfterWhen Dinosaurs Ruled The Earth, 508 00:22:30,206 --> 00:22:33,000 she had the lead roles in two, uh, B movies. 509 00:22:33,103 --> 00:22:34,965 One was called Invasion of the Bee Girls, 510 00:22:35,068 --> 00:22:38,206 about these women who are basically, 511 00:22:38,310 --> 00:22:41,586 uh, bees and they have sex with men and kill them. 512 00:22:43,241 --> 00:22:44,586 And then she was in another B movie 513 00:22:44,689 --> 00:22:46,068 calledGroup Marriage, 514 00:22:46,172 --> 00:22:48,586 which was a sex romp about, 515 00:22:48,689 --> 00:22:50,724 you know, open marriages at the time. 516 00:22:50,827 --> 00:22:53,965 And then she sort of just did a couple more TV things. 517 00:22:54,068 --> 00:22:57,655 In the 1975, she stopped acting 518 00:22:57,758 --> 00:22:59,379 and just faded away. 519 00:23:02,931 --> 00:23:05,827 [dramatic music playing] 520 00:23:08,965 --> 00:23:11,206 [Meghan] Victoria's kind of retired at this point. 521 00:23:13,000 --> 00:23:16,862 That being said, she would get a very big opportunity. 522 00:23:16,965 --> 00:23:19,965 In fact, Playboy would come back into her life. 523 00:23:21,862 --> 00:23:24,758 In 1984, Victoria was invited to participate 524 00:23:24,862 --> 00:23:26,724 in a special edition 525 00:23:26,827 --> 00:23:29,862 called "Playmates Forever! Part Two." 526 00:23:29,965 --> 00:23:32,482 This is really a compilation of the top Playmates 527 00:23:32,586 --> 00:23:34,206 throughout all time. 528 00:23:34,310 --> 00:23:36,655 After being out of the public eye for, like, 529 00:23:36,758 --> 00:23:40,172 nine years, she was coaxed by Playboy 530 00:23:40,275 --> 00:23:42,103 to do another pictorial for them. 531 00:23:42,206 --> 00:23:45,103 [upbeat music playing] 532 00:23:45,206 --> 00:23:47,068 [camera shutter clicking] 533 00:23:49,793 --> 00:23:52,413 [Holly] Victoria was thrilled to pose again forPlayboy. 534 00:23:52,517 --> 00:23:54,517 Not only was it validation, 535 00:23:54,620 --> 00:23:56,758 but she also looked stunning and, you know, 536 00:23:56,862 --> 00:23:58,655 it made her feel like she still had that magic. 537 00:24:02,689 --> 00:24:05,137 After that new pictorial, Victoria was named 538 00:24:05,241 --> 00:24:07,965 one of the Top 100 Centerfolds Of All Time. 539 00:24:09,758 --> 00:24:11,586 The special edition was something that you had 540 00:24:11,689 --> 00:24:14,379 to get voted into, so it's probably just 541 00:24:14,482 --> 00:24:16,965 reinforced the fact that the readers 542 00:24:17,068 --> 00:24:18,931 really loved Victoria. 543 00:24:19,034 --> 00:24:21,862 It must have been really exciting for Victoria, 544 00:24:21,965 --> 00:24:24,172 that must have felt really validating, you know, 545 00:24:24,275 --> 00:24:25,965 amongst all these beautiful women, 546 00:24:26,068 --> 00:24:27,103 you're chosen as one of the top. 547 00:24:28,655 --> 00:24:30,896 Unfortunately, the tragedy of Sharon Tate 548 00:24:31,000 --> 00:24:34,103 and the murders always loomed over Victoria. 549 00:24:34,206 --> 00:24:36,275 She was haunted for the rest of her life. 550 00:24:41,034 --> 00:24:42,689 After Playmates Forever, 551 00:24:42,793 --> 00:24:44,896 Victoria's career dropped off again. 552 00:24:46,655 --> 00:24:49,000 Victoria took a job waitressing at a cafe, 553 00:24:49,103 --> 00:24:51,896 and this marks a different time in her life. 554 00:24:53,034 --> 00:24:54,965 [Bob] Bruce Rathgeb met Victoria 555 00:24:55,068 --> 00:24:56,344 when they were working together 556 00:24:56,448 --> 00:24:58,896 at a restaurant in Los Angeles. 557 00:24:59,000 --> 00:25:01,689 So that's where their relationship starts. 558 00:25:03,344 --> 00:25:07,068 [Meghan] Bruce was a chef and part-time musician. 559 00:25:07,172 --> 00:25:09,965 The two became a hot item pretty quickly. 560 00:25:10,655 --> 00:25:12,965 And they began a romance, 561 00:25:13,068 --> 00:25:15,689 and I believe within a couple of years, they were married. 562 00:25:15,793 --> 00:25:19,275 [man] Victoria [indistinct] this man to be [indistinct] 563 00:25:19,379 --> 00:25:21,448 In 1987, the pair would marry 564 00:25:21,551 --> 00:25:25,034 at Bruce's father's home in La Jolla, California. 565 00:25:27,172 --> 00:25:29,413 You can see a video of the wedding. 566 00:25:29,517 --> 00:25:31,517 They're cutting the cake, they're smiling, 567 00:25:31,620 --> 00:25:32,793 they're laughing. 568 00:25:32,896 --> 00:25:35,000 They look really happy. 569 00:25:35,103 --> 00:25:37,655 She had this wonderful relationship that blossomed. 570 00:25:37,758 --> 00:25:39,586 -[Bruce] Come here. -[woman] [indistinct] Bruce. 571 00:25:39,689 --> 00:25:41,275 Looking back at that video, 572 00:25:41,379 --> 00:25:43,758 that happy couple that was smiling, beaming... 573 00:25:43,862 --> 00:25:45,965 -[woman] Plastered it in. -[Bruce] Well, wait, wait. 574 00:25:46,068 --> 00:25:48,448 -[man] Look up and smile. -[camera shutter clicks] 575 00:25:48,551 --> 00:25:50,586 [Meghan] However, Victoria Vetri 576 00:25:50,689 --> 00:25:54,482 never could leave the Manson Family murders behind. 577 00:25:54,586 --> 00:25:56,793 She couldn't really move beyond her feelings 578 00:25:56,896 --> 00:25:58,965 about the crime and the trauma. 579 00:25:59,068 --> 00:26:01,689 She lived in a state of perpetual fear. 580 00:26:10,275 --> 00:26:11,896 [tense music playing] 581 00:26:12,000 --> 00:26:13,896 [police siren blares] 582 00:26:14,000 --> 00:26:16,655 [Bob] There's a lot of chaos at a scene like this. 583 00:26:16,758 --> 00:26:20,379 You have a shooting, shots fired, victim down. 584 00:26:20,482 --> 00:26:22,137 You have the paramedics 585 00:26:22,241 --> 00:26:24,068 providing life-saving treatment, 586 00:26:24,172 --> 00:26:26,344 but law enforcement has the role 587 00:26:26,448 --> 00:26:27,931 to gather as much information 588 00:26:28,034 --> 00:26:29,655 that you can about what happened. 589 00:26:29,758 --> 00:26:32,482 At this point, the police are canvassing 590 00:26:32,586 --> 00:26:34,689 the apartment building, speaking to the neighbors. 591 00:26:36,551 --> 00:26:38,620 None of the neighbors saw what happened, 592 00:26:38,724 --> 00:26:40,965 they were all heard only, 593 00:26:41,068 --> 00:26:43,793 heard signs of a struggle, heard a lot of movement, 594 00:26:43,896 --> 00:26:47,103 a lot of loud noises, and then a loud pop. 595 00:26:47,206 --> 00:26:49,034 [gunshot] 596 00:26:49,137 --> 00:26:51,137 [tense music playing] 597 00:26:51,241 --> 00:26:55,068 The neighbor heard a lot noise which resembled a gunshot, 598 00:26:55,172 --> 00:26:58,827 and then he came outside and saw Bruce Rathgeb 599 00:26:58,931 --> 00:27:02,931 lying on the floor with a gunshot wound to his chest. 600 00:27:03,034 --> 00:27:05,931 [tense music playing] 601 00:27:09,896 --> 00:27:12,517 They see Bruce laying in a pool of his own blood, 602 00:27:12,620 --> 00:27:14,517 obviously in a very weakened state, 603 00:27:14,620 --> 00:27:15,448 barely conscious. 604 00:27:15,551 --> 00:27:17,620 [Bob] Bruce was still alive. 605 00:27:17,724 --> 00:27:19,827 Paramedics transported Bruce 606 00:27:19,931 --> 00:27:22,310 to Cedars-Sinai Hospital in Los Angeles. 607 00:27:22,413 --> 00:27:24,482 [ambulance siren blaring] 608 00:27:24,586 --> 00:27:26,620 [tense music playing] 609 00:27:27,655 --> 00:27:29,758 This could be a potential homicide, 610 00:27:29,862 --> 00:27:31,275 and they began to work the case 611 00:27:31,379 --> 00:27:34,000 while maintaining status of the victim 612 00:27:34,103 --> 00:27:37,379 as he's going through medical treatment at the hospital. 613 00:27:37,482 --> 00:27:41,172 [dramatic music playing] 614 00:27:44,620 --> 00:27:46,206 [Meghan] At this point, the police enter 615 00:27:46,310 --> 00:27:48,000 Victoria and Bruce's shared apartment. 616 00:27:50,379 --> 00:27:52,482 [Bob] It did have signs of a struggle. 617 00:27:52,586 --> 00:27:54,758 Things had been pushed over and knocked over. 618 00:27:57,379 --> 00:27:59,000 They have a limited amount of information. 619 00:27:59,103 --> 00:28:02,344 They don't know what they're gonna find. 620 00:28:02,448 --> 00:28:04,689 What they come to realize pretty quickly 621 00:28:04,793 --> 00:28:06,793 is that none other than 66-year-old, 622 00:28:06,896 --> 00:28:11,517 Victoria Vetri is standing right before them. 623 00:28:18,620 --> 00:28:21,586 [dramatic music playing] 624 00:28:28,068 --> 00:28:30,655 [siren wails] 625 00:28:30,758 --> 00:28:33,103 [Bob] The detectives are focused on getting good, 626 00:28:33,206 --> 00:28:36,000 solid information from the witnesses. 627 00:28:36,103 --> 00:28:37,965 Victoria was able to provide a statement. 628 00:28:38,068 --> 00:28:39,896 "What did you hear? What did you see?" 629 00:28:40,000 --> 00:28:42,275 Victoria gives a statement 630 00:28:42,379 --> 00:28:46,034 about what happened, that a drug dealer 631 00:28:46,137 --> 00:28:48,827 by the name of Lee had shot Mr. Rathgeb 632 00:28:48,931 --> 00:28:52,068 because Mr. Rathgeb had owed the drug dealer money. 633 00:28:52,172 --> 00:28:54,379 [dramatic music playing] 634 00:28:54,482 --> 00:28:55,931 [Bob] When you come to a scene like this 635 00:28:56,034 --> 00:28:58,103 for the officers that are responding, 636 00:28:58,206 --> 00:29:00,034 you've got an immediate statement that says 637 00:29:00,137 --> 00:29:01,620 that there's a drug dealer involved 638 00:29:01,724 --> 00:29:03,379 and it's a drug-related shooting. 639 00:29:03,482 --> 00:29:05,862 And a good detective doesn't lock in 640 00:29:05,965 --> 00:29:08,241 on the easiest path through the investigation. 641 00:29:08,344 --> 00:29:10,655 They're gonna follow every lead they can 642 00:29:10,758 --> 00:29:12,137 to gather as much evidence. 643 00:29:13,482 --> 00:29:15,344 [John] When police are examining 644 00:29:15,448 --> 00:29:17,965 where Mr. Rathgeb is found on the ground, 645 00:29:18,068 --> 00:29:20,827 they find of what appears to be a bindle 646 00:29:20,931 --> 00:29:22,724 containing a white powdery substance 647 00:29:22,827 --> 00:29:25,137 resembling methamphetamine, 648 00:29:25,241 --> 00:29:28,068 and they find a .38 caliber shell casing. 649 00:29:33,172 --> 00:29:35,551 Victoria says that Bruce was actually headed 650 00:29:35,655 --> 00:29:38,551 to get money out of her account 651 00:29:38,655 --> 00:29:40,068 to pay this guy back, 652 00:29:40,172 --> 00:29:42,827 and this is when Bruce was shot in the hallway. 653 00:29:42,931 --> 00:29:44,827 [gunshot] 654 00:29:44,931 --> 00:29:48,344 [dramatic music playing] 655 00:29:48,448 --> 00:29:51,344 [John] At that point in time, Bruce is still unconscious. 656 00:29:51,448 --> 00:29:53,517 He's intubated, he's on a ventilator. 657 00:29:54,793 --> 00:29:56,655 Bruce's injuries are quite severe, 658 00:29:56,758 --> 00:29:59,344 and at this point, it's not clear if he's gonna survive. 659 00:30:00,482 --> 00:30:01,551 In the mindset 660 00:30:01,655 --> 00:30:03,275 of the detectives at the scene, 661 00:30:03,379 --> 00:30:05,379 they're treating it as if it's a homicide. 662 00:30:05,482 --> 00:30:07,931 [dramatic music playing] 663 00:30:10,482 --> 00:30:12,551 Victoria gives the police the address 664 00:30:12,655 --> 00:30:14,896 of the supposed drug dealer, 665 00:30:15,000 --> 00:30:17,000 and police officers head out immediately 666 00:30:17,103 --> 00:30:18,689 to go question this man. 667 00:30:25,034 --> 00:30:28,103 [dramatic music playing] 668 00:30:35,413 --> 00:30:40,103 They did locate and identify the drug dealer 669 00:30:40,206 --> 00:30:43,793 that Victoria had said was the shooter. 670 00:30:43,896 --> 00:30:45,689 He cooperated and went to the station 671 00:30:45,793 --> 00:30:47,137 to provide a statement. 672 00:30:49,827 --> 00:30:51,172 So he said he knew him 673 00:30:51,275 --> 00:30:52,965 and he could explain the relationship. 674 00:30:54,482 --> 00:30:56,448 He provided a... An alibi 675 00:30:56,551 --> 00:30:58,275 with witnesses on where he was, 676 00:30:58,379 --> 00:31:00,344 and they verified that his alibi 677 00:31:00,448 --> 00:31:02,172 was, uh, solid. 678 00:31:03,965 --> 00:31:07,379 The detectives didn't feel that they needed to go 679 00:31:07,482 --> 00:31:10,689 further down, uh, the road of looking into him. 680 00:31:13,206 --> 00:31:16,827 So at this point now, Victoria is a suspect. 681 00:31:16,931 --> 00:31:20,482 [dramatic music playing] 682 00:31:20,586 --> 00:31:23,000 [Bob] Detectives go back to Victoria. 683 00:31:23,103 --> 00:31:26,482 Victoria was transported to the station 684 00:31:26,586 --> 00:31:28,517 and she's in a holding tank. 685 00:31:31,206 --> 00:31:34,137 Then she started in with another story. 686 00:31:34,241 --> 00:31:36,862 [dramatic music playing] 687 00:31:38,551 --> 00:31:41,275 She's telling them about her life with Bruce. 688 00:31:42,620 --> 00:31:45,344 [Bob] They'd been married, uh, over 20 years. 689 00:31:45,448 --> 00:31:48,379 She, uh, had a history in the entertainment world 690 00:31:48,482 --> 00:31:50,344 that she was a former Playboy model 691 00:31:50,448 --> 00:31:52,241 and a former TV star, 692 00:31:52,344 --> 00:31:54,137 and that he was a musician, 693 00:31:54,241 --> 00:31:56,620 but they had on and off against struggles 694 00:31:56,724 --> 00:31:59,620 with addiction and money issues. 695 00:31:59,724 --> 00:32:02,206 [Meghan] Victoria carried with her 696 00:32:02,310 --> 00:32:05,172 a tremendous fear of Manson. 697 00:32:05,275 --> 00:32:07,758 She was debilitated in many ways. 698 00:32:09,172 --> 00:32:10,275 She tells detectives 699 00:32:10,379 --> 00:32:12,068 that they had a very good relationship, 700 00:32:12,172 --> 00:32:14,655 a strong relationship, until around the year 2000. 701 00:32:17,517 --> 00:32:20,275 And that's when drug use began to interfere 702 00:32:20,379 --> 00:32:23,206 with their dynamic in their relationship. 703 00:32:23,310 --> 00:32:24,862 This was a former Hollywood superstar, 704 00:32:24,965 --> 00:32:26,275 but at this time in their lives, 705 00:32:26,379 --> 00:32:27,655 they were just another couple 706 00:32:27,758 --> 00:32:29,689 struggling with substance abuse issues. 707 00:32:31,448 --> 00:32:33,000 Essentially what Victoria has to say 708 00:32:33,103 --> 00:32:34,241 is that she's broke. 709 00:32:34,344 --> 00:32:36,862 [dramatic music playing] 710 00:32:36,965 --> 00:32:40,241 Victoria was gifted a, uh, AMX vintage, 711 00:32:40,344 --> 00:32:43,241 uh, car by Hugh Hefner, 712 00:32:43,344 --> 00:32:46,551 and unfortunately, she was in financial ruins. 713 00:32:46,655 --> 00:32:50,206 Um, she felt it necessary to sell this vehicle. 714 00:32:50,310 --> 00:32:52,517 [Meghan] She's down to her last $800, 715 00:32:52,620 --> 00:32:55,551 and they're living off of social security 716 00:32:55,655 --> 00:32:57,586 at this point. 717 00:32:57,689 --> 00:32:59,517 Her marriage was breaking down. 718 00:32:59,620 --> 00:33:02,172 She was in dire financial straits. 719 00:33:03,620 --> 00:33:05,551 [Holly] Being Hollywood as a woman can be tough. 720 00:33:07,551 --> 00:33:09,517 In fact, so many playmates 721 00:33:09,620 --> 00:33:11,586 die from drug overdoses and suicide. 722 00:33:11,689 --> 00:33:13,241 So something about that lifestyle 723 00:33:13,344 --> 00:33:16,689 can easily feed into substance abuse issues. 724 00:33:17,827 --> 00:33:19,724 If you look into Playmates and Bunnies, 725 00:33:19,827 --> 00:33:23,103 the casualty rate for mental health 726 00:33:23,206 --> 00:33:26,310 and drug addiction and alcoholism 727 00:33:26,413 --> 00:33:29,586 is one of the highest of any job in the world. 728 00:33:29,689 --> 00:33:31,172 It was horrible. 729 00:33:31,275 --> 00:33:33,620 And that's what happened in Victoria. 730 00:33:35,551 --> 00:33:37,689 [dramatic music playing] 731 00:33:37,793 --> 00:33:39,689 [Meghan] Victoria is pretty clear 732 00:33:39,793 --> 00:33:42,517 that she blames Bruce for their financial problems. 733 00:33:42,620 --> 00:33:45,344 Victoria says that they had split up 734 00:33:45,448 --> 00:33:47,344 and Bruce had left the home, 735 00:33:48,551 --> 00:33:51,275 but he came back in an effort to reconcile. 736 00:33:51,379 --> 00:33:53,275 However, things didn't quite go that well. 737 00:33:54,586 --> 00:33:56,379 The pair have a couple of drinks, 738 00:33:56,482 --> 00:33:58,482 but unfortunately, after a couple of drinks... 739 00:33:58,586 --> 00:33:59,965 -[Victoria] It's over. -[Bruce] It was over. 740 00:34:00,068 --> 00:34:01,862 [Victoria] Everything is over. 741 00:34:01,965 --> 00:34:03,862 Things get ugly quickly. 742 00:34:03,965 --> 00:34:05,275 -[Bruce] What about my life? -[Victoria] Everything-- 743 00:34:05,379 --> 00:34:08,551 This is when Bruce started damaging some of her items. 744 00:34:08,655 --> 00:34:10,310 [Victoria] Get out of here. Stop it. 745 00:34:10,413 --> 00:34:12,000 -[Bruce] I will. Don't hit me. -[Victoria] Stop it! 746 00:34:13,793 --> 00:34:17,413 She starts describing that, uh, Bruce had torn up 747 00:34:17,516 --> 00:34:19,068 herPlayboy magazines 748 00:34:19,172 --> 00:34:20,757 and they were arguing over money. 749 00:34:21,965 --> 00:34:23,793 She admitted that he had said he was leaving 750 00:34:23,896 --> 00:34:25,724 and he was going to the elevator, 751 00:34:25,827 --> 00:34:27,965 and, uh, she wanted to have no more of this, 752 00:34:29,585 --> 00:34:32,103 and she just shot him. 753 00:34:32,206 --> 00:34:33,310 [gunshot] 754 00:34:39,724 --> 00:34:41,688 [dramatic music playing] 755 00:34:41,793 --> 00:34:43,447 [Holly] When the news broke in 2010 756 00:34:43,551 --> 00:34:45,344 that Victoria had shot her husband, 757 00:34:45,447 --> 00:34:46,965 it was very shocking. 758 00:34:47,068 --> 00:34:49,241 You're always surprised to hear 759 00:34:49,344 --> 00:34:50,310 that a Playmate of the Year 760 00:34:50,413 --> 00:34:51,688 was involved in something like that. 761 00:34:53,862 --> 00:34:56,447 It's a little bit of a cautionary tale. 762 00:35:00,448 --> 00:35:04,482 Just making it in Hollywood doesn't solve every problem. 763 00:35:04,586 --> 00:35:07,103 It doesn't make every relationship perfect. 764 00:35:07,206 --> 00:35:10,310 It just doesn't match up with the dreams of what, 765 00:35:10,413 --> 00:35:11,965 you know, having a life in Hollywood 766 00:35:12,068 --> 00:35:15,068 or being a pin-up model means to most people. 767 00:35:17,275 --> 00:35:19,655 [phone rings] 768 00:35:19,758 --> 00:35:22,000 [Bob] She had admitted to doing it. 769 00:35:22,103 --> 00:35:25,517 The next thing is, "Where's this gun?" 770 00:35:26,965 --> 00:35:28,551 So, they asked her and she said 771 00:35:28,655 --> 00:35:30,862 the gun was in the apartment in a box, 772 00:35:30,965 --> 00:35:33,137 and they received her written consent 773 00:35:33,241 --> 00:35:35,413 to go back into the apartment to recover the evidence. 774 00:35:36,862 --> 00:35:39,862 A Walther PPK .380 auto pistol. 775 00:35:44,241 --> 00:35:46,724 [Holly] There's an irony to this shooting and the gun, 776 00:35:46,827 --> 00:35:50,172 because this was the very gun Roman Polanski 777 00:35:50,275 --> 00:35:53,758 gave her in 1969 in order for her to defend herself 778 00:35:53,862 --> 00:35:56,034 against Charles Manson and his followers, 779 00:35:56,137 --> 00:35:57,827 and it's this very gun 780 00:35:57,931 --> 00:36:00,517 that she uses to shoot her husband. 781 00:36:00,620 --> 00:36:02,103 Some of the neighbors report 782 00:36:02,206 --> 00:36:04,068 that after Victoria shot Bruce, 783 00:36:04,172 --> 00:36:06,172 and just before she walks away, 784 00:36:06,275 --> 00:36:08,689 she says to Bruce, "No more Charlie. 785 00:36:08,793 --> 00:36:10,034 No more Charlie." 786 00:36:12,310 --> 00:36:15,206 It appeared that Victoria may have been confusing Bruce 787 00:36:15,310 --> 00:36:16,862 with Charles Manson. 788 00:36:18,827 --> 00:36:20,655 She thought that Charles Manson, 789 00:36:20,758 --> 00:36:23,000 the people who murdered her friends 790 00:36:23,103 --> 00:36:24,620 were out to get her. 791 00:36:24,724 --> 00:36:27,413 She believed that she would be targeted at some point. 792 00:36:28,655 --> 00:36:31,137 Victoria never really got over the murder 793 00:36:31,241 --> 00:36:33,448 of her friend Sharon Tate, and unfortunately, 794 00:36:33,551 --> 00:36:34,655 that ended up setting the stage 795 00:36:34,758 --> 00:36:36,344 for another brutal crime. 796 00:36:36,448 --> 00:36:38,344 [Meghan] In a way, you might argue that Manson 797 00:36:38,448 --> 00:36:41,862 is almost responsible for the shooting of Bruce. 798 00:36:41,965 --> 00:36:44,172 It was Manson's actions that seemed 799 00:36:44,275 --> 00:36:47,931 to have precipitated lifelong tragedy, 800 00:36:48,034 --> 00:36:50,620 trauma, and fear in Victoria Vetri. 801 00:36:53,896 --> 00:36:58,241 She was so, either far gone mentally, 802 00:36:58,344 --> 00:37:00,758 and there were so many triggers with her life 803 00:37:00,862 --> 00:37:02,413 and what happened to her, 804 00:37:02,517 --> 00:37:05,862 and her journey and the Playboy lifestyle. 805 00:37:05,965 --> 00:37:09,034 For whatever reason, and I don't understand it, 806 00:37:09,137 --> 00:37:11,275 she tried to kill her husband. 807 00:37:23,206 --> 00:37:26,517 [dramatic music playing] 808 00:37:28,034 --> 00:37:30,862 [Bob] The primary detective now, uh, goes back 809 00:37:30,965 --> 00:37:32,482 to the hospital to try to follow-up 810 00:37:32,586 --> 00:37:34,758 and do an interview with Bruce. 811 00:37:34,862 --> 00:37:36,655 He's lucky to be alive. 812 00:37:36,758 --> 00:37:38,172 3 inches closer to the center 813 00:37:38,275 --> 00:37:39,724 of his chest and he'd be dead. 814 00:37:40,862 --> 00:37:42,137 [Meghan] The detectives asked Bruce 815 00:37:42,241 --> 00:37:44,000 about his relationship with Victoria. 816 00:37:45,620 --> 00:37:47,965 According to Bruce, he felt that Victoria 817 00:37:48,068 --> 00:37:49,965 was experiencing mental health issues, 818 00:37:52,551 --> 00:37:54,000 and that she was kind of paranoid 819 00:37:54,103 --> 00:37:55,689 about him cheating on her, 820 00:37:55,793 --> 00:37:57,724 and she was constantly accusing him, 821 00:37:57,827 --> 00:37:59,758 even though he says that he was always loyal. 822 00:38:01,379 --> 00:38:03,655 Unfortunately, when the pair sat down together 823 00:38:03,758 --> 00:38:07,793 and tried to work things out, they began arguing again, 824 00:38:07,896 --> 00:38:10,758 and it escalated to something much more serious. 825 00:38:10,862 --> 00:38:12,344 [Victoria] Don't you dare walk away from me. 826 00:38:12,448 --> 00:38:14,034 You stop right now! 827 00:38:15,241 --> 00:38:16,793 [Meghan] The trauma of her past, 828 00:38:16,896 --> 00:38:18,482 the trauma of that moment... 829 00:38:18,586 --> 00:38:19,758 Stop! 830 00:38:19,862 --> 00:38:22,931 all of these factors may have just produced 831 00:38:23,034 --> 00:38:26,172 a delusion that she was being harmed 832 00:38:26,275 --> 00:38:29,551 or that she was about to be harmed by Charles Manson. 833 00:38:32,310 --> 00:38:35,379 [dramatic music playing] 834 00:38:39,862 --> 00:38:41,655 [Meghan] At this time, Victoria was facing 835 00:38:41,758 --> 00:38:44,827 25 years in prison for the attempted murder. 836 00:38:45,931 --> 00:38:47,379 Essentially, Victoria pleads guilty 837 00:38:47,482 --> 00:38:49,655 to attempted voluntary manslaughter 838 00:38:49,758 --> 00:38:52,896 and receives a sentence of nine years in prison. 839 00:38:54,724 --> 00:38:56,413 Some might think that nine years was kind 840 00:38:56,517 --> 00:38:59,413 of a light prison sentence for an attempted murder. 841 00:38:59,517 --> 00:39:02,310 The court considered Victoria's mental health 842 00:39:02,413 --> 00:39:04,034 when they delivered the sentence. 843 00:39:09,310 --> 00:39:10,551 When you think about the story 844 00:39:10,655 --> 00:39:11,724 of Victoria and Bruce 845 00:39:11,827 --> 00:39:13,344 and from where they came, 846 00:39:13,448 --> 00:39:15,344 and especially, where she was, 847 00:39:15,448 --> 00:39:18,275 and the substance abuse and the mental health 848 00:39:18,379 --> 00:39:20,517 resulting in her, eventually, shooting him 849 00:39:20,620 --> 00:39:24,827 there in the hallway, um, you have it all. 850 00:39:24,931 --> 00:39:28,241 And then, when it falls from your grasp, it... 851 00:39:28,344 --> 00:39:31,103 It's sad to see how a life can unravel. 852 00:39:32,655 --> 00:39:35,586 Victoria's story is really a crazy Hollywood tale. 853 00:39:37,103 --> 00:39:40,482 You start out with a stunning working actress. 854 00:39:40,586 --> 00:39:41,862 Poses forPlayboy, 855 00:39:41,965 --> 00:39:44,103 gets chosen Playmate of the Year, 856 00:39:44,206 --> 00:39:47,517 becomes best friends with one of the most famous actresses, 857 00:39:47,620 --> 00:39:51,758 now, who sadly was killed by the Manson family, 858 00:39:51,862 --> 00:39:54,413 and then, to later have a tragedy happen, 859 00:39:54,517 --> 00:39:56,000 you know, between her and her husband. 860 00:39:57,379 --> 00:39:59,206 [Meghan] This case is a tragedy all round. 861 00:39:59,310 --> 00:40:01,206 You have someone who was shot. 862 00:40:01,310 --> 00:40:03,344 He almost lost his life. 863 00:40:03,448 --> 00:40:08,448 But you also have a woman who lived her life in fear. 864 00:40:08,551 --> 00:40:11,137 She lived under the shadow of an event 865 00:40:11,241 --> 00:40:13,551 that she simply could not escape. 866 00:40:13,655 --> 00:40:17,482 [dramatic music playing] 867 00:40:22,931 --> 00:40:24,724 [Meghan] Victoria and Bruce would ultimately divorce 868 00:40:24,827 --> 00:40:27,413 while Victoria was still in prison. 869 00:40:27,517 --> 00:40:29,551 Victoria was released from prison in 2019 870 00:40:29,655 --> 00:40:31,551 and she moved to Arizona. 871 00:40:31,655 --> 00:40:33,758 She wanted to put the whole incident behind her 872 00:40:33,862 --> 00:40:36,724 and start a new chapter in her life. 873 00:40:36,827 --> 00:40:38,275 Victoria was able to track down the person 874 00:40:38,379 --> 00:40:40,034 who purchased that pink car from her. 875 00:40:41,068 --> 00:40:42,413 [Holly] After everything that happened, 876 00:40:42,517 --> 00:40:44,793 Victoria's been given a second chance. 877 00:40:44,896 --> 00:40:46,827 Victoria was reunited with her pink 878 00:40:46,931 --> 00:40:48,172 Playmate of the Year car 879 00:40:48,275 --> 00:40:50,172 and makes appearces at car shows with it. 880 00:40:50,275 --> 00:40:51,965 I'm not a spring chicken. I just had a birthday 881 00:40:52,068 --> 00:40:54,586 and I'm... I think I'm in my 70s now, 74. 882 00:40:54,689 --> 00:40:56,000 I think it's nice that Victoria's 883 00:40:56,103 --> 00:40:57,275 getting a fresh start in life 884 00:40:57,379 --> 00:40:58,896 and making positive changes 885 00:40:59,000 --> 00:41:01,137 and enjoying doing the car shows 886 00:41:01,241 --> 00:41:02,724 with her Playmate of the Year car. 887 00:41:02,827 --> 00:41:05,137 You feel like you share a sisterhood 888 00:41:05,241 --> 00:41:06,862 with these other women who have posed 889 00:41:06,965 --> 00:41:09,379 for the magazine, feels close to home. 890 00:41:09,482 --> 00:41:12,172 Then you want everybody to have that happy ending. 891 00:41:12,275 --> 00:41:13,241 [dramatic music playing] 892 00:41:18,275 --> 00:41:19,931 Barbie was tall. She was thin. 893 00:41:20,034 --> 00:41:23,034 Her beauty was both a blessing and a curse. 894 00:41:23,137 --> 00:41:25,379 For bunnies, there is no real protection 895 00:41:25,482 --> 00:41:26,724 when they are not working. 896 00:41:26,827 --> 00:41:29,482 The murder was a humongous sensation. 897 00:41:29,586 --> 00:41:33,241 A good segment of the population believes cover-ups did occur. 898 00:41:33,344 --> 00:41:35,655 Then the question was "Who did this?"