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Charles Milles Manson (né Maddox; November 12, 1934 – November 19, 2017) was an American criminal, cult leader and musician who led the Manson Family, a cult based in California, in the late 1960s. Some of the members committed a series of at least nine murders at four locations in July and August 1969.
Jul 12, 2023 · Learn about the life and crimes of Charles Manson, the notorious cult leader who orchestrated several murders in the late 1960s. Find out how he influenced his followers, what he believed, and how he died in prison.
- W. W. Norton & Company
- 3 min
Apr 26, 2024 · Melissa Petruzzello The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica. Charles Manson, a notorious criminal and cult leader, orchestrated a series of brutal murders that shocked the world and left an enduring legacy as one of history’s most infamous figures.
- John Philip Jenkins
Nov 20, 2017 · Charles Manson, the notorious cult leader who directed his followers to commit a string of brutal murders, and who became a symbol of the dark side of 1960s counterculture, has died aged 83 ...
- Early Life
- Marriage
- Second Imprisonment
- The Family
- Spahn Ranch
- Helter Skelter
- Tate and Labianca Murders
- Trial
- Death
- Legacy
Charles Manson was born Charles Milles Maddox on Nov. 12, 1934, in Cincinnati, Ohio, to 16-year-old Kathleen Maddox, who had run away from home at age 15. Shortly after Charles' birth, she married William Manson. Despite their brief marriage, her son took his name and was known as Charles Manson for the rest of his life. His mother was known to dri...
In 1954, at age 19, Manson was released on parole after an unusual period of good behavior. The next year, he married a 17-year-old waitress named Rosalie Willis, and the two took off for California in a stolen car. Before long Rosalie became pregnant, which was good for Manson because it helped him get probation rather than prison time for stealin...
In 1958, Manson was released from prison. While he was out, he began pimping in Hollywood. He conned a young woman out of her money and in 1959 received a 10-year suspended sentence for stealing checks from mailboxes. Manson married again, this time to a prostitute named Candy Stevens (real name Leona), and fathered a second son, Charles Luther Man...
On March 21, 1967, Manson was released again from prison. This time he headed to San Francisco, California's Haight-Ashbury district, where, with a guitar and drugs, he began to develop a following. Mary Brunner was one of the first to fall for Manson. The U.C. Berkeley librarian invited him to move in with her. Before long she started doing drugs ...
In the late 1960s, Manson was still hoping for a music career. Through an acquaintance, music teacher Gary Hinman, he met Dennis Wilson of the Beach Boys, who recorded one of Manson's songs under the title "Never Learn Not to Love." Through Wilson, Manson met record producer Terry Melcher, actress Doris Day's son, whom Manson believed would advance...
Despite his skill at manipulating people, Manson suffered from delusions. When The Beatlesreleased their "White Album" in 1968, Manson believed their song "Helter Skelter" predicted an upcoming race war, which he referred to as "Helter Skelter." He thought it would occur in the summer of 1969 and that Blacks would rise up and slaughter white Americ...
On Aug. 9, Manson ordered four of his followers to go to 10050 Cielo Drive in Los Angeles and kill the people inside. The house had belonged to Melcher, who had spurned Manson's dreams of a music career, but actress Sharon Tate and her husband, director Roman Polanski, were leasing it. Charles "Tex" Watson, Susan Atkins, Patricia Krenwinkel, and Li...
It took police several months to determine who was responsible for the brutal slayings. In December 1969, Manson and several of his followers were arrested. The trial for the Tate and LaBianca murders began on July 24, 1970. On Jan. 25, Manson was found guilty of first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder. Two months later, he was sentence...
Manson was saved from execution when the California Supreme Court outlawed the death penaltyin 1972. During his decades in the California State Prison in Corcoran, Manson received more mail than any other prisoner in the U.S. He was denied parole a dozen times and died, apparently of natural causes, on Nov. 19, 2017. He was 83.
Laurie Levenson, a professor at Loyola Law School who followed high-profile cases, described Manson in 2009 as the worst of the worst: "If you're going to be evil, you have to be off-the-charts evil, and Charlie Manson was off-the-charts evil," Levenson told CNN. Despite the vicious brutality of the murders he committed or ordered, however, Manson ...
- Jennifer Rosenberg
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Nov 21, 2017 · CNN —. Charles Manson, the wild-eyed 1960s cult leader whose followers committed heinous murders that terrorized Los Angeles and shocked the nation, died Sunday of natural causes, according to...
Jul 25, 2019 · Learn about the cult leader Charles Manson and his followers who killed nine people in 1969, including actress Sharon Tate. Explore the motives, the crimes, the trial and the legacy of the Manson Family.
