John “Zero” Haught was an associate of the Manson family. Haught began living with the Manson family after he moved from Ohio to California.
Haught was arrested with the family during the Barker Ranch raid. After being released from jail Haught moved to a Venice Beach house, rented by a man named Mark Ross aka Aesop Aquarian, along with several Manson family members.
On Wednesday November 5th, 1969 the Venice Police Department responded to a call at 28 Clubhouse Avenue. At the scene police discovered the body of John Haught. Haught was lying on a mattress in the bedroom. He had an entrance wound to the right temple. There was a leather gun case and a revolver lying beside the body.
According to Madaline Joan Cottage, she and Haught were in bed, when he picked up a .22 Caliber revolver. After Madaline told Haught that there was only one bullet in the gun, he spun the cylinder, placed the muzzle against his head, and shot himself.
Several Manson Family members were present when Haught died, including Bruce Davis, Madaline Joan Cottage, Sue Bartell and Catherine Gillies. They told the police that Haught killed himself playing Russian roulette. The police ruled Haught’s death a suicide, however there are indications that Haught may have been murdered. No fingerprints were found on the gun, not even Haught’s own prints, the gun was wiped clean.
An anonymous source told the L.A Times that he was there when Haught died. He claimed Haught didn’t kill himself but was shot by one of the Manson girls.
There is a picture on the internet that is supposed to be John “Zero” Haught. In fact the man in this picture is not John Haught but Robert Earl Murray, an associate of the Manson family.
Was the woman Madeline Joan Cottage? Was she the shooter? What happened to her?
Not much is known about Madeline Joan Cottage, since she was in bed with Zero it could have been her who shot him. Acording to some acounts she was Zero’s girlfriend. Some say Zero was murdered because he overheard Atkins and Watson talking about the Tate murders and they were afraid he would go to the cops. When Madeline left the Family she moved to Missouri with Manson Family asociate Bill Vance. After that radio silence.