DANIEL THOMAS DeCARLO
AKA: Donkey Dan, Daniel Romeo, Richard Allen Smith
DOB: 6.20.44
Danny DeCarlo was born in Toronto Canada on June 20, 1944, but was granted U.S. citizenship after serving four years in the Coast Guard. After his service, DeCarlo went into the firearms business with his father. Danny loved guns, so much so, that he once said he loved them more than his old lady. Danny was also club treasurer of the Straight Satans motorcycle gang. In 1966, he was convicted of smuggling Marijuana across the U.S./Mexican border.
Through the Straight Satans, Danny met Charles Manson. Charlie wanted the motorcycle gang to hang around Spahn's Ranch to protect the family. DeCarlo enjoyed the girls, and the lifestyle at Spahn's, so he joined the family. However, Danny was the only Straight Satan to become a full time fixture at Spahn's. DeCarlo was given the duty of taking care of all the family's weapons. Danny was arrested with the Family on the August 16th raid, a week after the Tate-Labianca murders. And after hearing about the Shea murder later that month, Danny split the Family and moved to Venice.
On Thursday, November 13, 1969, DeCarlo was interviewed by the LAPD at the Parker Center in downtown Los Angeles. Danny provided police with a lot of incriminating information on the family. He also handed over the sword that Manson had sliced off Gary Hinman's ear with. Six days later a handcuffed Danny DeCarlo gave Vincent Bugliosi and the LAPD a tour of Spahn's Movie Ranch.
From September 11th to the 17th of 1970, Danny testified against Manson and the girls in the infamous Tate-Labianca murder trials. DeCarlo also gave testimony in the trials of Tex Watson and Bobby Beausoleil. Danny didn't stay around to collect his portion of the $25,000 reward; he skipped bail on a federal gun charge and fled to Canada.
It was during this period that we met Danny De Carlo, a tough booze-addicted biker, who, at the time, was treasurer for a motorcycle gang known as the Straight Satans. Danny was a fast-talking, earthy little dude (five-eight) with a thick black “waterfall” hairdo, dark, direct eyes, and a passion for “beer and broads.” He invariably wore the full Levi’s garb (with “Straight Satan” embossed across his jacket) and boots, and walked like a Hell’s Kitchen hoodlum. He had a good sense of humor, a quick wit, and while blinded by his own prurient inclinations, he was, as the saying goes, nobody’s fool. He later told authorities that his rapport with Manson was enhanced by the fact that he (Danny) could satisfy Charlie’s girls sexually, thus taking the pressure off Charlie. While this was pretty farfetched (Charlie only allowed Danny access to certain girls), Danny did acquire the nickname “Donkey Dan”-A tribute to his “Size”; it was a sobriquet he was proud of.
We’d met Danny just before leaving the Gresham Street house. Charlie cultivated him for his knowledge of bikes, his street savvy, and because he could keep things copacetic between the family and outsiders who sometimes showed up to make trouble. Charlie seemed to like Danny (he was always more favorably disposed to smaller guys) and saw to it that Danny got rewarded. Danny had recently separated from his wife and was invariably hot to trot. Sherry, a new girl, and Ouisch were virtually given to Danny in exchange for his talents as a mediator and mechanic and his knowledge of firearms.
De Carlo was born in Canada but had been given U.S. citizenship after serving in the coast guard as a weapons expert. When it came to guns, Danny knew what he was talking about. His father sold firearms for a living, and Danny had dismantled, repaired, and fired all kinds.
