By Karen Moen, Dylan Becker
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Charles Manson is a convicted serial killer. Manson founded
a hippie cult in the 60s known as the “the family” whom he
manipulated into killing others on his behalf.
On November 12, 1934, he was born in Cincinnati Ohio to 16
year old Kathleen Maddox
Kathleen Maddox was an alcoholic and spent periods of
time in jail. Since his mother couldn't take care of him,
Charles spent his childhood at various relatives and spent
time in special reform schools and boys' homes.
At age nine, Charles Manson had already started stealing.
All through his childhood and early adult years, he had
been going in and out of different schools, homes, and jails.
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After being married twice and having two children,
Manson has spent more than half of his 32 years of life
in prisons and other correctional institutions.
Manson asks authorities to let him remain in prison,
arguing that it has become his home. The request is
denied.
He founded the hippie cult in 60s, and manipulated
"the Family" into killing several people on his behalf.
They are caught when Susan Atkins told a cellmate
about the events, who later tells the authorities.
They have all be sentenced to life in prison, and all
have been denied parole several times.
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In 1934, Charles Manson was born November
12 in Cincinnati, Ohio to 16 year old Kathleen
Maddox. It is unclear whether Manson ever
met his biological father. In 1939, his mother
received 5 years imprisonment for robbery.
Charles went to stay with his aunt and uncle.
When his mother was released, Charles
described it as being the only joy of his
childhood. His mother than took care of him
in run-down motel rooms.
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Kathleen unsuccessfully tries to place Charles in a foster home, but there
was no space is available. As a result, the court places Charles in Gibault
School for Boys in Indiana where he resides for 10 months until fleeing to
his mother, who refuses to take care of him.
The following year Manson commits a number of burglaries and is sent to
juvenile detention centre where he spends 1 day before escaping. He
begins stealing and robbing grocery stores and is sent to the Indiana
School for Boys, where is claims that he was physically and emotionally
brutalized. After escaping from there, he continues stealing cars and
commits petty crimes. He spends time at National Training School for
Boys in Washington, National Bridge Honour Camp. He is the then sent
to the Federal Reformatory in Petersburg for putting a razor blade to
another boys throat and sodomizing him .A couple years later, Manson’s
positive behaviour earns him parole and he is awarded the Meritorious
Service Award. He temporarily abides by the parole requirements which
include living with his aunt and uncle in, but, Manson violates parole
and moves to be with his mother
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At age 21, Manson marries 18 year old Rosalie Willis and
supports her through auto theft and petty crime. In the
same year Manson was caught again and received 5 years
probation. The following year he failed to appear at a
hearing in regards to another charge and as a result he is
arrested and his probation is revoked. During this time his
wife gave birth to his first son, Charles M. Manson Jr.
In 1957, Rosalie stops visiting Charles as he later find out
that she is living with another man. Less than a month
later and 2 weeks before his parole hearing, Manson
makes a failed escape attempt. Manson is than denied
parole and Rosalie files for divorce.
The following year, he becomes a pimp of a 16 year old
girl and is gaining additional financial support from
another girl with wealthy parents.
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Manson is arrested in Los Angeles and pleads guilty to attempting to
cash a forged U.S. Treasury check in the amount of $37.50. He receives a
10-year suspended sentence and probation following the testimony of a
young woman who tells the court she has fallen in love with Manson
and will marry him if he is freed. The woman, Leona, a prostitute,
marries Manson before the end of the year. He takes Leona and another
woman to New Mexico with intent to use them for prostitution and is
questioned by police for violation of the Mann Act. Manson is freed
without charged. A warrant is issued for Manson’s arrest when he
violated his parole and he is indicted for violation of the Mann Act.
Manson returns to Los Angeles after he is arrested in Texas. Manson is
ordered to serve his 10-year sentence for attempting to cash a U.S.
Treasury check since he violated his parole. After spending a year
trying unsuccessfully to appeal his revoked probation, Manson is
transferred from the Los Angeles County Jail to the United States
Penitentiary at McNeil Island due to the federal offense of trying to
cash a forged Treasury check. The Mann Act charge has been officially
dropped.
In 1963, Leona divorced Manson, and during that time, Leona had given
birth to his second son.
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Manson is released on March 21. By this point, he has spent more than
half of his 32 years of life in prisons and other correctional institutions.
Manson asks authorities to let him remain in prison, arguing that it has
become his home. The request is denied.
Manson receives permission to move to San Francisco, where he
obtains an apartment in Berkeley. He quickly meets 23-year-old Mary
Brunner, a graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Madison and moves
in with her in San Francisco. Before long, he has convinced her to allow
other women to live in the apartment – totaling as many as 18 women in
the home at one time. Manson makes a living by playing steel guitar – a
skill he learned in prison – and panhandling.
Manson ingratiates himself into hippie society in the Haight-Ashbury
district of San Francisco, where he quickly recruits a group of devoted
young followers, especially women. According to one account, in the
summer of 1967 Manson and a group of eight or nine women take a
school bus and travel north to Washington State, and then south
through Los Angeles, Mexico and other areas of the southwest, finally
returning to Los Angeles where they take up residence in various
places including Topanga Canyon, Malibu and Venice.
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Manson ingratiates himself into hippie society in
the Haight-Ashbury district of San Francisco,
where he quickly recruits a group of devoted
young followers, especially women. According to
one account, in the summer of 1967 Manson and a
group of eight or nine women take a school bus
and travel north to Washington State, and then
south through Los Angeles, Mexico and other
areas of the southwest, finally returning to Los
Angeles where they take up residence in various
places including Topanga Canyon, Malibu and
Venice.
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1948 Manson robs a grocery store. He is
caught and sent to a juvenile detention center.
He escapes and commits two armed
robberies. He is quickly apprehended again,
and spends the next three years at Indiana
School for Boys in Plainfield.
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Manson escapes from the School for Boys
steals a car and is caught in Utah and sent to
the National Training School for Boys in
Washington, D. C.
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Manson sodomizes a boy while holding a razor
to his throat. He is then transferred to a more
secure prison in Virginia.
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While in prison Manson falls in love with The
Beatles, and spends most of his time learning
guitar and aspiring to be a songwriter.
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Manson finishes his sentence and is released
The Beatles release their album The White,
which would turn out to be a major influence
in Manson’s thoughts
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Gary Hinman is stabbed to death and on the
wall near the body, in Hinman's blood
"political piggy" is printed on the wall.
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Manson tells Family members, "Now is the
time for Helter Skelter." Manson also tells
Patricia Krenwinkel, Susan Atkins, Tex
Watson, and Linda Kasabian to get knives and
changes of clothes. As he sends them from the
ranch on their mission, he tells them "to leave a
sign something witchy." Watson drives to the
Tate residence.
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Actress Sharon Tate, Jay Sebring, Voytek
Frykowski, Abigail Folger, and Steven Parent
are found dead at the Tate residence.
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Family members stab to death Leno and
Rosemary LaBianca. The words "Death to Pigs"
and "Healter Skelter" is found printed around
the house.
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On August 9, 1969 the Polanski’s housekeeper Wilfred
Chapman arrives for work in the morning to find the Tate
Murders. The next day detectives of the Hinman case inform
the LAPD detectives in charge of the Tate case of the bloody
writing at the Hinman house. Detectives thinking that the
Tate murders are a consequence of a drug transaction
ignored this and other similarities between the two cases.
Steven Parent is shot in the Tate driveway, and found to be
an acquaintance of William Garretson who lived in the
guesthouse at the time. Parent was shot while leaving from
a visit with Garretson. Garretson was held as a Tate suspect,
Garretson told police that he had not seen or heard anything
on the night of the murder. Garretson was released on
August 11, 1969 after completing a polygraph exam, even
though the exam indicated that he has seen some of the
murder. Garretson would later admit to this indication.
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At about 10:30pm 15-year-old Frank Struthers
son of Rosemary and Leno’s stepson from a
prior marriage, returns home and is disturbed
by the exterior of the home. He then called his
sister over who brought her boyfriend and the
two entered the house to find Leno’s body.
Investigators would later find Rosemary’s
body.
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The LAPD ruled out connection between the
Tate and LaBianca homicides.
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The sheriff’s office got a warrant and raided the
Spahn Ranch and arrested Manson and 25
others on suspicion of a major auto theft ring.
Manson and the others were later released
because the warrant was misdated.
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Detectives of the Tate and LaBianca cases were still
working separately, but the LaBianca detectives
checked to find out about any similar crimes and
found that in the Hinman case, detectives spoke
with Beausoleil’s girlfriend Kitty Lutesinger whom
was arrested a few days earlier with some
members of the Manson Family at desert ranches
members found out that authorities had been
searching Death Valley. Lutesinger told the
detectives of the LaBianca case that Manson had
been in contact with a motor cycle gang that
Manson wanted to use as body guards while the
Family had been at the Spahn Ranch
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Members of the motorcycle gang gave information that
suggested a link between the Manson family and the
murders, information later confirmed by Susan Atkins.
Susan was arrested at Barker for the Hinman murder
and booked after telling cellmates Ronnie Howard and
Virginia Graham of events that she had been involved
in. With the information from Howard and Graham
the LAPD put out warrants for the arrest of three of the
Family members Watson, Kasabian and Krenwinkel for
the involvement in the Tate case. Howard and Graham
did not mention anything about Manson. The three
were soon in custody and before long fingerprints
linked Krenwinkel and Watson to the murders at Cielo
drive
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10 year old Steven Weiss who lived near the
Tate residence found the .22 caliber revolver in
a bush that was used to kill Parent, Sebring and
Frykowski. Knives used in the murders could
not be found except for one that was by Susan
Atkins found behind a cushion in the Tate
living room, which must have fallen out during
the attack.
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Manson, Kasabian, Atkins and Krenwinkel
were charged with seven counts of murder and
one count of conspiracy. Van Houten was
charged with two counts of murder and one of
conspiracy because she was only at the
Labianca murders
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Prosecutors said that “Helter Skelter” was the
main motive of the crimes and that the
references at the crimes written in blood pig,
rise, helter skelter were related to Manson’s
thought's that “Blacks” were going to try and
kill off “Whites.” Manson got Kasabian to place
a purse found at the LaBiancas house in a black
area in hopes that a black person would find it
and have investigators think that it was some
sort of an organized group that committed the
murders.
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During the trials Manson and members of the
family carved X’s onto there foreheads, and
loitered near the entrance of the court room,
some members also carried sheathed hunting
knives which was legal because they were in
plain view. Prosecutors subpoenaed the famiy
members keeping them out of the courtroom
while other members were testifying. The X’s
made every member identifiable.
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prosecutors rested their case, and three days
later the defense surprisingly rested as well,
without calling any witness’s, Krenwinkel, Van
Houten and Atikins quickly demanded their
rights to testify. The lawyers of the three
testified that Manson had no part in the
planning or execution of the murders,
prosecutors viewed their statements as
something Manson told them to say this in
hope that he could save himself.
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The next day Manson made a statement that
“The music is telling the youth to rise up
against the establishment” and “why blame it
on me? I didn’t write the music” Manson told
the court that he did not remember ever telling
anyone to “Get a knife and a change of clothes
and go do what Tex says.” Attorney Older said
that it was the defendants were acting on each
other and putting on a show, he then banned
the four from the court room so they could not
work off of what the others were saying.
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The judge’s verdict to the 4 excluding Manson
was guilty on all 27 separate counts against
them. Krenwinkel and Van Houten testified
that the murders were a copy of the Hinman
murder, and Atkins then took credit for them.
They said this to take any suspicion away from
Beausoleil who was jailed for a resembling
crime. Linda Kasabian who was apparently in
love with Beausoleil apparently put this plan
together.
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The jury finds the four defendants guilty on all
counts against them.
April 1971 the four were sentenced to the death
penalty which was later changed to the life in
prison when California abolished the Death
penalty
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After the Labianca and Tate convictions
Charles Manson was found guilty in a trial of
committing the murders of a stunt man who
worked at the Spahn ranch while the family
was living there, Manson murdered Donald
Shea for either suspicion on him knowing
about the murders or for marrying a black
woman. Family members Bruce Davis and
Steve Grogan were also found guilty of the
murders. Manson in the same trial was also
convicted of the Hinman murders.