In his book "Helter Skelter", Vincent Bugliosi wrote that Sandra Good, an associate of Manson and a close friend of devoted Manson family member Lynette "Squeaky" Fromme, claimed that Manson family members had killed "35 to 40 people" and that, "Hughes was the first of the retaliation murders." In the afterword to the 25th anniversary edition of the book, Bugliosi also said that he received a call in 1976 from a former member of the Manson family, "understandably wanting to remain anonymous," who also claimed that Hughes had been murdered by the family. Attorney Stephen Kay, who helped Bugliosi prosecute members of the family, stated that while he is "on the fence" about the family's involvement in Hughes' death, Manson had open contempt for Hughes during the trial. Kay added, "The last thing Manson said to him was, 'I don't want to see you in the courtroom again,' and he was never seen again alive."