Thomas "T.J." Walleman (Witness)

Thomas “T.J.” Walleman (Witness)

Thomas Walleman (aka TJ, TJ the Terrible, Thomas Jay Alden)

Thomas James Walleman

Thomas “T.J.” Walleman was born on December 18, 1942 and spent time in Vietnam with the United States Marine Core. His USMC identification card shows that his period of active duty was from January 15, 1960 to November 15, 1962. Thomas was also a Manson family member and associate and never gave up that association for his entire life.

Walleman is most notable as being present for the killing of Bernard “Lotsapoppa” Crowe as he was the intended shooter, however, he hesitated to pull the trigger and Charles Manson became the shooter. Walleman later became a witness for the prosecution as he was the only person who could put forth evidence that Manson himself had the ability to kill. In doing so, albeit reluctantly, Walleman was able to place the .22‐caliber long‐barreled buntline revolver in the hands of Manson; the same gun used in the Tate Labianca murders. Walleman stated that when they visited the apartment of “Lotsapoppa” (Bernard Crowe) on Franklin Avenue in Hollywood that it was that weapon which Charlie had with them. In that incident, which is supposedly one of two murders Walleman witnessed, Crowe played dead after he was shot, yet survived and became a witness for the prosecution in the Manson trials. Charles Manson had no knowledge of Crowe’s survival until he walked into the courtroom to testify against the family.

According to Ronald Hughes, an attorney for Leslie Van Houten, Manson and Walleman were supposed to have shot him, kissed his feet, and said I love you before leaving him lying dead in the apartment.

Walleman is also known as being the husband of fellow Manson associate Barbara Rosenberg (aka Bo) whom he met at Spahn Ranch. The couple had two children together named Yana Mani and Domani. The two eventually divorced and Walleman met another woman named Lori Mardesich, aka Ansom 13, and had 4 children with her too leading to Walleman being the father of six children in total.

During a documentary filmed at Spahn Ranch and according to Rolling Stone magazine, Walleman was noted as being clearly brainwashed by Charlie and stated the following during the taping at Spahn:

“I am Charlie. When he dies, I die. I gave up my personality and become what he showed me I could be.”

Thomas James Walleman died in fiery blaze caused by a head-on collision with a Mac truck on June 7, 1995 when he was 54 years old. He is buried at Northern Nevada Veterans Memorial Cemetery in Fernley, Nevada.

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