Charles Manson
BIG WILLY AND LIL’
BIRK
Childhood
Charles Manson was born in Cincinnati, Ohio to 16-
year-old Kathleen Maddox. Kathleen had run away
from home at the age of 15 and spent the next few
decades drinking too much, with periods of time
spent in jail.
At age 9 started stealing and soon stealing cars to
make money.
Adult life
at age nineteen, he was released on parole after an
unusual bout of good behavior
he married Rosalie Willis, a waitress, and they had a
son together, Charles Manson Jr.
In April 1956, he was again sent to prison
His first wife divorced him in June 1957
Adult Life cont.
He married again, to a prostitute named Candy
Stevens
Real name Leona
Had second con Charles Luther Manson
2nd wife divorced him after he went to jail a second
time being arrested June 1, 1960
Prison Life
Spent six years in prison
he befriended the infamous Alvin "Creepy" Karpis,
former member of Ma Barker's gang
taught Charles Manson to play the steel guitar,
Manson became obsessed with making music
He believed that when he got out of prison, he could
be a famous musician.
Life after prison
Manson was released from jail on March, 21 1967
Headed to San Francisco to follow his dream of being
a famous musician.
Was not successful
Then Manson and some of his followers moved into
the Spahn Ranch
it became a cult compound for "the Family."
Helter Skelter
When the Beatles released their White Album in
1968, Manson believed their song "Helter Skelter"
predicted an upcoming race war
when blacks were going to rise up and slaughter all
the white people
He told his followers that they would be saved
because they would go underground, literally, by
traveling to an underground city of gold located in
Death Valley
When the event did not occur, He told his followers
that they needed to show the blacks how to do it.
The Orders
Manson ordered the followers to go to the house of
Terry Melcher, The man who refused to help Manson
in his music career.
Melcher no longer lived there; actress Sharon Tate
and her husband, director Roman Polanski, had
rented the house
On August 9, 1969, four of Manson's followers
brutally murdered Tate, her unborn baby, and four
others who were visiting her.
The Followers
Manson chose four of his most obedient comrades,
Charles 'Tex' Watson, Susan Watkins, Patricia
Krenwinkel and Linda Kasabian, to carry out these
heinous crimes
Manson took no part in the killings
Atkins killed Sharon Tate, Atkins then used Tate's
blood to write the word 'PIG' on the front door.
Cathrine Share
Susan Atkins
A.k.a “Gypsy”
Share and Manson Family
member Mary Brunner, as well
as several others, held up a
surplus store and took nearly 150
guns. When the police showed
up, a shootout ensued, and Share
and a few others were shot (none
fatally) and taken into custody
Susan Atkins, possibly the most
disturbed of all the killers,
admitted in initial confessions
to fellow prisoners that she had
wanted to cut out Tate's unborn
baby, but didn't have the time
Followers Cont.
Charles Watson
A.K.A “Tex”
he led other Manson followers,
under Manson's orders, into a
house in Hollywood, and
murdered actress Sharon Tate
and four other people.
Patricia Krenwinkel
Manson was playing a guitar and
immediately captivated
Krenwinkel, who slept with him
that night. Krenwinkel had always
had low self-esteem, and Manson
manipulated her, telling her she
was beautiful and pulling her into
his sphere of influence.
Arrest
Ironically, Manson and his Family were arrested not
on suspicion of the murders but simply on the belief
that they had vandalized a portion of the Death
Valley National Park while they were hiding out in
the Mojave Desert
Crazy Manson
Manson believed that he was the new Messiah and
that after a 'nuclear attack' he and his followers
would be saved by hiding in a secret world under the
desert
Believed that after the race war ‘black’ would
triumph
Then Manson and his ‘Family’ would have to teach
the blacks how to run the planet
Charges
On January 25, 1971 Manson was convicted of first
degree murder for directing the deaths of the
Tate/La Bianca victims.
He was sentenced to death but this was
automatically commuted to life in prison after the
Californian's Supreme Court invalidated all death
sentences prior to 1972.
Kasabian was granted immunity for her part in
acting as star witness.
Susan Atkins was sentenced to death, but was later
commuted to life in prison. She was incarcerated
from 1969 until her death in 2009.
Interesting Facts
The Beach Boys released a song written by Manson
entitled "Cease To Exist" (renamed "Never Learn
Not To Love") on their 1969 album, 20/20, as a
single B-side.
During his trial, Manson released an album titled
Lie in an effort to raise money for his defense.
Manson revealed in media attention and during
court proceedings turned up with an X carved on
his forehead.
The X was gradually modified until it turned into a
swastika symbol.
Work Cited
http://www.biography.com/people/charles-manson
9397912?page=3
http://history1900s.about.com/od/1960s/p/charles
manson.htm
http://www.charliemanson.com/
http://www.trutv.com/library/crime/serial_killers/
notorious/manson/murder_1.html
http://law2.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/mans
on/manson.htmL
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