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.".
As attorney for defendant Van Houten, Hughes tried to separate the interests of his client from those of Manson, a move that angered Manson and may have cost Hughes his life. He hoped to show that Van Houten was not acting independently, but was completely controlled in her actions by Manson.
Judge Older denied the request. By week's end, Hughes had been missing for two weeks. When the court reconvened, Manson and the women created a disturbance suggesting that Judge Older "did away with Ronald Hughes," which resulted in their being removed again from the courtroom.
Retired Ventura County sheriff Charlie Rudd, who was assigned to investigate Hughes' disappearance, stated that he felt Hughes' death was accidental because there were no signs of foul play. Rudd believes that Hughes was stranded by the rainstorm which caused the creek to swell.
In 1976, Van Houten was granted a new trial on the grounds that she was denied proper legal representation after Hughes disappeared before the closing arguments. Her retrial in 1977 ended in a hung jury. She was released from jail after posting $200,000 bond and retried in 1978.
Initially, he signed on as the attorney for Manson, but was replaced by Irving Kanarek two weeks before the start of the trial. Hughes eventually represented Leslie Van Houten in the Tate–LaBianca murder trial.
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.