Charles Manson
Fast Facts:
- Born Charles Milles Maddox in 1934 in Ohio, died in 2017 in California
- A cult leader suspected of 35 killings, who believed he was the harbinger of doom regarding the planet’s future
- Arrested for vandalism and the confessions of a follower led to the murder charges
- Charged with first-degree murder for directing 4 murders at Roman Polanski’s house
- Sentenced to death, which was commuted to a life sentence a year later
Manson’s mother was a 16-year-old alcoholic and prostitute. She briefly married William Manson, but after the marriage ended her son was sent to a boys’ school. Manson was rejected when attempting to return to his mother and ended up on living on the street and getting into petty crime.
While still a teenager he ended up in prison, eventually spending 16 of his first 32 years in jail for a variety of offences which included pimping and passing stolen checks. He was considered dangerous and suffering from “rejection, instability and psychic trauma” and looking for status and love.
Manson was the leader of a cult with approximately 100 followers who lived an unconventional lifestyle and habitually used hallucinogenic drugs. After serving time for petty crimes, Manson moved the “Manson Family” to a deserted ranch in the San Fernando Valley. Some of his followers (mostly young, impressionable girls) believed without question of his prophecies of a race war and that he was Jesus.
The most well-known killing was the first, at the house of Roman Polanski. Polanski’s wife (Sharon Tate, who was 8 months pregnant) and 3 others were killed by four of Manson’s followers at his direction (because Polanski represented the showbiz world that had rejected Manson).
Manson and his family were arrested when hiding out in the Mojave Desert. They were thought to have vandalised an area of the Death Valley National Park. But one of Manson’s family members confessed and detectives realised Manson was involved in the killings.
Many of their murders were never tried due to lack of evidence, or because Manson and his family members were already in jail for life for the Tate murders.
He served his time in Corcoran State Prison in California until his death in 2017.
April 3, 2018 at 10:59 am
I wonder if that prison picture was his natural look, or did he put that on for the camera? Wouldn’t be surprised at either, to be honest.
April 3, 2018 at 11:14 am
What a theme! Do you have nightmares when you research serial killers??? Very creative topic.
JQ Rose
April 3, 2018 at 4:05 pm
Hi JQ. I’m almost embarrassed to admit I don’t. Watch anything fictional and scary and I won’t be able to sleep for a week, but the real stuff doesn’t seem to bother me. Maybe it’s because I already know the ending!
April 3, 2018 at 11:14 am
I agree. He must have been quite charismatic, but I’m sure he maintained a certain look to convince his followers if his “prophecies”.
April 3, 2018 at 12:48 pm
The whole Manson family story is just crazy. I don’t understand how people can be blindly lead by someone. It happens more than I want to believe.
April 3, 2018 at 4:06 pm
I don’t understand either, Morgan. I guess the followers must be missing something in their lives (love/family) and their leader must be very confident, outgoing, charismatic and a master manipulator!
April 3, 2018 at 12:49 pm
You certainly pick the scary ones!
Dena
https://denapawling.blogspot.com/
April 3, 2018 at 4:21 pm
Lol, Dena. Although I think all serial killers are scary.
April 3, 2018 at 5:22 pm
AJ.
That was such a depressing story. I’ve read accounts of the LaBianca/Tate murders several times and it’s just sad. She, like any mother, begged for the life of her child, but they just laughed her off. I have no sympathy for any of them. I guess it’s not a good attitude, but I grow hard in my old age.
Another good story
April 3, 2018 at 5:29 pm
A perfectly reasonable attitude in my books, Julie.
April 3, 2018 at 7:54 pm
I have a strange fascination with serial killers. I’m glad I found your blog. Good luck with the rest of the challenge!
April 4, 2018 at 8:48 pm
Thanks, Lauren. I think many people are fascinated with what they don’t understand (including serial killers).
April 3, 2018 at 8:04 pm
Chilling. Just chilling!
April 4, 2018 at 8:56 pm
And just when you think you’ve read the worst, you realise there are far too many letters in the alphabet!
April 4, 2018 at 1:06 am
That look says it all!!!!
Geez, if everybody who has been rejected in their life walked around and killed the people “repsonsible”.
I am a Human Resources Manager, and in one of my first jobs my boss, the CEO, told me, an acquaintance, also a business leader, fired an employee, and that individual felt treated unfairly so he shot the boss and the HR person. Ouch!!! So for a whle, when preparing for difficult conversations we joked “don’t forget to wear your bulletproof vest!”
https://thethreegerbers.blogspot.ch/2018/04/c-is-for-cape-town.html#gpluscomments
April 4, 2018 at 8:58 pm
Oh, wow. Tamara, that certainly illustrates the point. Thank goodness most people just console themselves with chocolate!
April 4, 2018 at 1:48 am
I remember reading Helter Skelter years ago and being horrified at Manson and his followers, that they had such a disregard for human life. Their behavior in the courtroom was equally horrific. No remorse.
April 4, 2018 at 8:59 pm
I think that’s the sign of a true sociopath/psychopath. No remorse.
April 4, 2018 at 2:38 am
He ended up such an evil man, but you have to wonder how he would have turned out if he had had the start all children deserve.
Tasha
Tasha’s Thinkings – Movie Monsters
April 4, 2018 at 9:01 pm
It’s interesting, Tasha. I went to a talk by a psychiatrist who has interviewed serial killers. He said there is a genetic basis for sociopaths but if the child is nurtured in the first (I think it was 6 months?) of their life they might end up in jobs where their life is on the line (like police or firies) or in white collar management roles, but if they aren’t then they will go down the crime/killer route.
April 4, 2018 at 2:55 am
That’s a world I just don’t understand. I guess in a twisted mind, it makes sense. Maybe how I feel about stepping on an ant. Well, I do think twice about that so it’s not a good example.
April 4, 2018 at 9:04 pm
Jacqui, you sound like me. I don’t even kill spiders in our house unless they are poisonous (actually even then they have to be the really nasty ones).
April 4, 2018 at 8:33 am
I’m so fascinated by your theme! Can’t wait to see who else you dig up 🙂
April 4, 2018 at 9:04 pm
The fun thing about A-Z is it lets us indulge in something we want to learn or talk about =)
April 4, 2018 at 10:27 am
I used to be a teacher and my father would be able to look at a photo of my class and pick out the kids who were troubled in one way or another. He never missed, but not one of them ever looked anything like that photo of Manson. Whether he put it on for the camera or not, that is one seriously scary dude!
April 4, 2018 at 9:05 pm
You would have to assume he didn’t know he was about to be arrested, so while he controlled his facial expression, the wildness about him I think must have been him.
April 4, 2018 at 11:42 am
I read the book Helter Skelter. I watched the made for TV movie. Scared the daylights out of me. I was only 5 at the time of the killings and do not remember any news on it. Guess my parents kept it from us. TV news coverage was not 24/7 back then.
April 4, 2018 at 9:07 pm
My Barbarians are both in high school and it is hard to keep the scary stuff away from them. The cyber world we live in is so different to the one I grew up in.
April 5, 2018 at 6:58 am
Later in life, he carved a swastika between his eyebrows. He was a scary man…
April 5, 2018 at 10:23 am
I’ve seen images of him with the swastika. Makes him even scarier than the above image.