This is going to be different from the content I’ve put up so far. This is going to be about one of America’s most notorious criminals Charles Manson. His death this month has made me do some research and I figured it’d be a great time to write a post. There is a ton of information out there and I will do my best with the information I have to keep this post completely true.
Charles Manson was born Charles Milles Maddox on November 12, 1934 in Cincinnati, Ohio. His mother was 16 year old, Kathleen Maddox and father Colonel Scott. Kathleen was a runaway and was said to have been rebelling from her religious upbringing. Colonel died at the age of 44 without ever acknowledging Charles. He had 2 sons to his first wife who divorced him and was granted custody to their children due to the Colonel’s abuse and alcoholism.
Manson’s mother was briefly married to a man by the name of William Manson and he took his surname. Kathleen was know to be a heavy drinker and was rumored to be a prostitute. She was involved in petty crime and spend periods of time in jail. She went to prison in 1939 for robbing a West Virginia gas station.
Charles was sent to stay with his aunt and her sadistic husband who called him a sissy and sent him to his first day of school in a dress to make him “act like a man”. His mother got out on parole in 1942 and reclaimed custody of her son. However she wasn’t fit to be a mother. She was an alcoholic and constantly brought “lovers” of both sexes to their home. He would get sent to the neighbors house “for a hour” which ended up being days or weeks.
Manson never believed she even wanted to be a mother. In my opinion, I don’t think she did either. In fact Manson was quoted saying:
“Mom was in a cafe one afternoon with me in her lap. The waitress, a would-be mother without a child of her own, jokingly told my Mom she’d buy me from her. Mom replied, ‘A pitcher of beer and he’s yours.’ The waitress set up the beer, Mom stuck around long enough to finish it off and left the place without me. Several days later my uncle had to search the town to find the waitress and take me home.”
Rejected by his mother Manson spent time with different family members.
Charles began the life of crime and following in his mothers footsteps at an early age. He reportedly started stealing at the age of 9. He was in and out of reform schools. Many of which he escaped.
He was married to a woman by the name of Rosalie Willis and the two took off in a stolen car for California. She bared his son, Charles Manson Jr in March of 1956. Charles Jr would later take is own life in 1993.
Rosalie and Manson’s relationship ended in divorce while he was spending 3 years in prison for fraudulent checks. 1958 he was released from prison and he remarried a prostitute named Candy Stevens. Who would divorce him shortly after his next prison sentence.
By 1960 Manson had been committed of rape, drug use, pimping, stealing, and fraud. Married and divorced, had a child. Manson was serving another sentence in prison where he began Scientology and music. He became obsessed with making music and writing songs. He learned how to play guitar while in prison from a fellow inmate.
1967 Manson was once again released and headed straight for San Francisco. Where he met Mary Bruner. The first to fall for his tricks. She went where he said and did what he said. She helped recruit people to what would be known as The Manson Family Cult.
He ended up purchasing a movie ranch know as the Span Movie Ranch which became the Spahn Ranch in Southern California. This would be the home of his new found family.
Manson was an excellent manipulator. Manson’s manipulation gained him quite a few followers who would do anything he asked of them. The family as they were called, gained over 100 members. The cult included: Leslie Van Houten, Susan Atkins, Patricia Krenwinkel, Mary Bruner, Linda Kasabian, Lynette Fomme, Tex Watson, Bobby Beausoleil, and Catherine Share. All of who were involved in the Manson massacres. They all shared Manson’s unconventional way of life and using hallucinogenic drugs.
Manson was obsessed with the Beatles and believed that he had a connection with them. His favorite song was ‘Helter Skelter’. In interviews done by Manson’s cult they would demand the company to get the Beatles on the phone. He was also very interested in Armageddon and the book of Revelation.
Manson still hoped to have music career and through and acquaintance met Dennis Wilson of The Beach Boys. Wilson and Manson co-wrote songs and one of Manson’s songs, ‘Never to Love’, appeared on a Beach Boys album. Through Wilson Manson met Terry Melcher who Manson fully believed would help his career. However, that didn’t happen.
Manson claimed he was Jesus and that there would be a great race war, he referred to as Helter Skelter. In the months leading up to the first murder Manson buckled down on his followers. He was enjoying the power of being the cult leader.
The first murders took place on August 9, 1969 at the home of Roman Polanski. Manson ordered Tex to take Susan, Patricia, and Linda to go to the address he had given them and kill everyone in the home. He instructed that everyone must participate.
There was four victims in the house. They had just gotten back from a dinner party when the murders began. Those murdered were Polanski’s wife, actress Sharon Tate; Writer Wojciech Fryowski; coffee bean heiress Abigail Folger; and hairstylist Jay Sebring. Steven Parent, who lived in the guest house was spotted as he was leaving the home and shot and killed.
Kasabian acted as the get away driver and was a key witness in the trails. When the other three broke into the house and started the killings. Jay Sebring was shot and brutally kicked while he tried to defend Sharon Tate. Fryowski and Folger tried to escape but were chased and stabbed to death. Folger made it to the front lawn but was caught and stabbed 28 times. Ms. Tate despite being pregnant was stabbed in the stomach by Atkins. The three then used the victims blood to write pig and Helter Skelter throughout the home.
The folk night Manson took them to address of Supermarket executive Leno LaBianca. The group murder Mr. LaBianca and his wife in the same way they did the Tate murders.
The Manson cult were thought to have carried out over 35 killings. However, most of the cases were never tried due to lack of evidence or that the perpetrators were already serving life.
The Manson family was initially arrested for a vandalized portion of Death Valley. The police hadn’t linked them to any of the heinous murders and only did due to Susan Atkins admission while in detention for being a murder suspect in the murder of Gary Hinman.
Trial began June 1970. The court room was constantly chaotic. Manson would some of his female followers do some crazy things. He had them shave their heads, sing songs, carved a X on their foreheads as Manson did. Sometimes sitting outside of the courtroom. They never showed any remorse for the crimes they committed.
On January 25, 1971 Charles Manson was convicted of first degree murder for directing the Tate/LaBianca murders. He was initially sentenced to death but it was changed to life in prison. Despite the person Manson was he continued to have followers and people who were obsessed with him. In 2013 during an interview with Rolling Stone magazine, a woman named Afton Burton claimed she was dating Manson and the two had plans to wed. In 2014 they obtained a wedding license but it expired in 2015.
Manson died November 19, 2017 at the age of 83 in prison. He believed his entire life that he was the son of the devil and was pure evil.
There has been countless articles, several movies, documentaries, and books about Charles Manson. There is so much information about this man out there. I hope you enjoyed reading my post.
Thank you for stopping by.
Whitney.
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Next up which isn’t shown in the first photo is Thanksgiving with my little family. I had so much fun visiting everyone. I’m so glad we got to spend time with each of our families even if that meant we had to go to four Thanksgivings.
