Charles Manson circa 1948 and April 22, 1968.
Charles Manson spent the vast majority of his life behind bars. He led the notorious Manson Family cult and was convicted in 1971 of orchestrating a series of horrific murders, including the brutal murder of Hollywood actress Sharon Tate. Although he never killed anyone himself, Manson was accused of manipulating others into committing heinous crimes. Charlie Manson remains one of the most notorious criminals in American history. His image, name, and actions have come to symbolize the embodiment of evil in the American psyche.
early life
Charlie Manson at 14 years old, Source: Oxygen.com
Charles Manson was born in 1934 in Cincinnati, Ohio, to 16-year-old Kathleen Ada Maddox and Colonel Scott, a known con man whom Manson had never met. Before his birth his mother married William Manson, to whom he owes his name.
A victim of a difficult childhood, Charlie’s mother was an alcoholic and petty criminal, and ended up severely neglecting her son. She once tried to sell it to a waitress for a pitcher of beer and was imprisoned for five years for theft when Charlie was just 4 years old.
Manson’s childhood was filled with a series of moves between abusive relatives, foster homes, reform schools, and eventually prison. By 1969, the year the infamous Tate-LaBianca murders took place, he had spent half his life in prison and had been convicted of robbery, carjacking and raping a fellow inmate.
Manson’s music Dennis Wilson (far left) and The Beach Boys pictured in 1968, Source: Wikimedia Commons
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While imprisoned on McNeil Island, Washington, Manson befriended Alvin “Creepy” Karpis, leader of the Ma Parker Gang, who taught him to play the guitar. During this time, Manson began thinking about a career in music.
He was released from prison in 1967 and after befriending the Beach Boys’ Dennis Wilson in early 1968, he recorded a demo album, released in 1970 as Lie: The Love and Terror Cult. His song “Cease to Exist” was reworked into “Never Learn Not To Love” for the Beach Boys’ 1968 album 20/20.
Despite his efforts, although his music career never took off, his influence on popular music continues. Rock singer Maralyn Manson was named after him and several bands, such as The Lemonheads, Guns N’ Roses, and Nine Inch Nails, have covered his songs or referenced them in their music.
Family
Police photo of Charles Manson, 1968, Source: Wikimedia Commons
Manson was released from prison during the Summer of Love in 1967, moved to San Francisco, became a mini-guru, and gained a large, mostly female following. At its peak, the Family consisted of about 100 followers who were linked to Manson through a combination of sex, manipulation, and heavy use of psychoactive drugs.
In early 1968, they lived briefly with Beach Boy, Dennis Wilson, before being evicted and settled at Spahn Ranch – an old Hollywood movie set outside Los Angeles. There, Manson intensified his control over the family.
He began giving his followers several acid trips daily, manipulating their perceptions and exerting increasing control over their behavior. Manson planted the idea that he was Jesus Christ and claimed to have had visions of a coming race war, “Helter Skelter,” named after the Beatles song.
The Tate-LaBianca Murders Hollywood actress Sharon Tate in the year she was murdered by the Manson Family, 1969, Source: Wikimedia Commons
Charlie Manson’s direct involvement in the Tate-LaBianca murders remains a subject of fierce debate. Prosecutors argued at his trial that he ordered the murders because the former owner of Sharon Tate’s home, Terry Melcher, refused to provide a record of him. They also argued that he had a motive to start a race war.
Manson believed that Helter Skelter would result from racial violence between blacks and whites. In the summer of 1969, the family decided to start the war themselves. On August 8, 1969, family members Tex Watson, Patricia Krenwinkel, and Susan Atkins murdered Sharon Tate and four others – Tate was eight months pregnant.
Charles Manson with short hair, after his court appearance, 1973, Source: Wikimedia Commons
The next night, the group was joined by Leslie Van Houten and Manson himself. They drove to Leno and Rosemary LaBianca’s house. The pair were tied up by Manson and killed by Watson and Krenwinkel.
Sharon Tate was stabbed 16 times and had the word “pig” written on the front door in her blood. The word “WAR” was carved into Leno LaBianca’s stomach with a fork. The message written in blood “HELTER SKELTER” was left on the walls of the crime scene. The family believed that black Americans would be blamed for the killings and that a race war would begin.
Manson’s legacy
Graffiti drawing of the famous photo of Charles Manson, Source: Wikimedia Commons
While the Tate-LaBianca murders were not the only killings committed by the Manson Family, they shocked American society. The horrific details of the crime scene and the specter of drug-crazed young men brainwashed and randomly murdered innocents remains etched in public memory.
Charlie Manson was undoubtedly a product of a life spent in the penal system. Yet today it stands as a symbol of evil. For some, he was Satan incarnate. He described himself as a mirror, insisting that “everything you see in me is in you” – and also claimed to be “nobody”.
Manson died in prison from complications of cancer in 2017. He was 83 years old. He spent 46 years in prison for his role in the Tate-LaBianca murders. He maintained his innocence to the end and never revealed the motive behind his crimes.
