Charles Milles Manson (nee Maddox) was born under the sign of Scorpio on 12 November 1934, in Cincinnati, Ohio USA, and passed away on 19 November 2017 at the age of 83 in Bakersfield, California USA. His mother, Kathleen Manson-Bower-Cavender, was only 16 years old when she gave birth to Charles; she was a prostitute and an alcoholic.
His biological father was Colonel Walker Henderson Scott Sr., whom he never met, and before his birth, his mother married William Eugene Manson – even though they divorced in 1937, Charles kept his last name. His mother then spent some time in jail for assault and robbery, during which time he lived with his aunt and uncle in McMechen, West Virginia. Following her release, they moved to Charleston, West Virginia. She continued to drink every day and eventually married an alcoholic named Lewis in 1943.
First Imprisonment
Charles became a troublemaker very early, so it was quite hard to find a foster home for him. At the age of 13, he was sent to the Gibault School for Boys in Terre Haute, Indiana, a strict school for male delinquents.
He eventually ran away from the school and slept in the woods and on the streets. After he tried to reunite with his mother, she returned him to the school, so he would later run away to Indianapolis, where he became involved in crimes.
Over the years, he spent time in and out of juvenile facilities and school. In 1951 he was arrested for driving a stolen car across state lines from California to Utah. He was sent to Natural Bridge Honor Camp, but after being caught raping a boy, was moved to the Federal Reformatory in Petersburg, Virginia. He there committed eight serious offenses, and was sent to a maximum security reformatory at Chillicothe, Ohio, released in May 1954 to live with his aunt and uncle.
He then married Rosalie Jean Willis, and they moved to Los Angeles, California in a stolen car, so in March 1956 he was again arrested, and sentenced to three years of imprisonment. His wife soon started living with another man, and Charles was caught trying to escape from prison and was given five years of probation.
Second imprisonment
In 1959, Charles was accused of attempting to cash a forged check, and was sentenced to ten years in prison, but suspended since his girlfriend Leona Rae ‘Candy’ Stevens made a tearful plea for him, after which they married. He then took her and another woman to New Mexico for the purpose of prostitution, and violated the Mann Act.
After one of the women was arrested for prostitution in Laredo, Texas, he was arrested as well, and sentenced to serve his ten years in the Los Angeles County Jail. In 1961, he was transferred to the US Penitentiary, where he started taking guitar lessons. Charles was finally released on 21 March 1967.
The Manson Family Cult and ‘Helter Skelter’
Charles then moved to San Francisco, California. His unconventional lifestyle and usage of such drugs as magic mushrooms and LAS attracted a large group of followers. They soon formed the group which would later become known as the Manson Family, whose members were mostly young women. Some of the core members were Mary Brunner, Patricia Krenwinkel, Leslie Van Houten, Susan Atkins, Linda Kasabian and Charles ‘Tex’ Watson, later moving to live in a deserted ranch located in the San Fernando Valley.
The Family was developed as a doomsday cult, since they believed in an apocalyptic race war between black and white populations – Charles even claimed that he was Jesus Christ. In 1968, he started using the term ‘Helter Skelter’ to refer to the war; the term was taken from The Beatles’ “White Album”.
Murders and Trial
In August 1969, Charles encouraged the members of the Family to start ‘Helter Skelter’. Under his instruction, they committed around 35 murders. The Manson Family gained enormous popularity after four of them – Charles ‘Tex’ Watson, Patricia Krenwinkel, Susan Atkins and Linda Kasabian – went to the house rented by Roman Polanski and murdered eight-months-pregnant actress Sharon Tate and four other people on 8 August 1969; Linda Kasabian didn’t participate.
The next day Charles, Patricia, and Leslie Van Houten murdered Leno and Rosemary LaBianca. Moreover, they were responsible for many other crimes, thefts, and assaults. In July 1970, the trial on the Tate and LaBianca murders started, and in January 1971, Manson, Atkins, and Krenwinkel were found guilty of first-degree murder for all seven murders, while Van Houten was found guilty of first-degree murder for the La Bianca murders. In March 1971, they were sentenced to death.
Post-Trial Events and Death
Since the death sentence was pronounced unconstitutional in 1972, Charles Manson’s sentence was changed to a life sentence.
He was subsequently convicted of first-degree murder for the deaths of Gary Hinman and Donald Jerome ‘Shorty’ Shea. During the 1980s, Charles was interviewed four times by the mainstream media – the interview conducted by Charlie Rose for “CBS News Nightwatch” was rewarded with the 1987 Emmy Award for Best Interview, and the complete version of the interview – “The Mind Of Manson” – was broadcast on MSNBC in September 2007. It was found out that he recorded the album “Completion” during his time in jail, but it remains unreleased. Charles Manson passed away from cardiac arrest caused by colon cancer and respiratory failure at California State Prison, Corcoran. After a decade of fighting over his estate and body between his grandson Jason Freeman, alleged son Matthew Roberts, and friend Michael Channels, the court decided in favor of his grandson, who cremated his body in March 2018.
