In almost all lists of famous serial killers, probably the most mentioned among them all is Charles Manson. With more than 35 documented killings and a cult of disciple murderers, Manson has become the living embodiment that the devil walks on earth. But what has made this troubled youth into one of America’s feared monsters?
Charles Manson was born on November 12, 1934. Named Charles Milles Maddox, he was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, to a teenage mom, Kathleen Maddox. His alcoholic and prostitute mother soon married William Manson, but the marriage was short-lived. His mother did not want anything to do with the boy and this pushed him to live on the streets and fend for himself. Pretty soon, Charles turned to petty crime to survive. By the time he was in his late teens, Charles already experienced life in prison.
Charles met a girl in 1955 whom he married and brought with him to California. There, she became pregnant and Charles was back into his life of petty crimes leading him to another time in prison in 1956. The young wife eventually left him after a year. After being released, Charles turned to other crimes such as pimping, using stolen checks and conning a woman of her money. While on probation, he met a prostitute Candy Stevens, who bore him a second child. By 1960, the authorities arrested Charles for his previous crimes and sent him to a Washington penitentiary.
In prison, troubles never escaped Charles. He once raped a fellow male inmate and he was considered to be safe only when under supervision. He stayed in prison for seven years. There, he began to explore his creativity through music when he met and befriended a former member of Ma Barker’s gang, Alvin “Creepy” Karpis. It was Alvin who taught Charles how to play the steel guitar. With his new-found interest, Charles became obsessed with music and he wrote original songs and practiced his singing and guitar playing all the time. Suddenly, Charles had the goal of becoming a famous musician once he got out of jail.
On March 21, 1967, Charles was released and he hoped for a musical career. Around this time, there was an emergence in the popularity of quasi-religious cult groups and Charles became one of the heads. In his mind, he has prophetic powers of when the world would end. He was also pathologically deluded into thinking that this doomed end would be brought by him. His beliefs were largely influenced by drugs such as LSD, art, and music as well as his interests in the concept of Armageddon, Scientology and of cult churches like the Church of the Final Judgment. He had strong beliefs of the strong racial tension between blacks and whites, with him as the one who was going to end it.
As a great manipulator, Charles took different philosophies from several religions and created his own where he gained around 100 followers, including a group of hard-core young girls. This group of followers was unquestioningly influenced by Charles’ idea that he was Jesus and that the racial war will soon come true. The group moved to San Francisco and later on to San Fernando Valley. They became known as the “Family.”
Charles still had the dream to make his own music and his group paved the way to meeting Dennis Wilson of the 1960s band the Beach Boys. Dennis met two of the Family members who were hitchhiking. Through this introduction, Charles and several members of the group were able to stay in Dennis’ house and Charles was given the opportunity to audition for Terry Melcher, the Beach Boys’ record producer. Terry was living at the time in Roman Polanski’s house, which later became the first location of the series of murder sprees that shocked the nation. Terry was not interested in signing Charles, though. However, Charles was still able to record music in Dennis’ brother’s home studio and in 1969, the Beach Boys released a song “Never Learn to Love” which came from Charles. According to accounts, the “Helter Skelter” massacres took place first in Polanski’s house as it was a representation of Charles’ rejection from the music industry.
Disappointed, Charles continued preaching his prophecies of Armageddon to his followers. Months before the August 1969 murders, he started mentioning the idea of “Helter Skelter”, with a reference to a 1968 Beatles song. Charles believed that the song spoke about the racial tensions and the impending war that he had already been talking about prior to the release of the song. His plan suggested that the Family would create an album that would trigger the race war. During the supposed war between blacks and non-blacks, with the blacks emerging victorious, the members of the Family will be safe and hidden in a secret city in a hole under the Death Valley. After the war, Charles predicted that the Family would resurface and rule the blacks, who he deemed are incapable of running the world on their own.
Alongside the Book of Revelation, Charles interpreted every line of the Beatles song as he believed that the band was speaking to him through their “White Album.” In the months before their killing spree, Charles, and his members worked on preparing for the inevitable like gathering escape vehicles and studied maps of the Death Valley area. He also referred to the Helter Skelter song for directions, believing that it contained the code of the route towards safety.
Charles predicted the race war to take place during the summer of 1969. However, the album that they were working on has not come to fruition. When the war did not happen, Charles decided to take matters into his own hands, saying that the Family needed to show the blacks how to do it. Although the Tate and the La Bianca murders were considered the most infamous among Charles Manson’s killings, they were not the first to fall victims. On July 1, 1969, Charles shot Bernard Crowe when the latter refused to give money to the Family to help prepare for the conflict. In the same month, a similar crime took place when members of the Family held Gary Hinman hostage and later killed him after Hinman refused to give them $21,000 from his inheritance.
On August of 1969, they started a killing spree that shocked Hollywood and the world. The murder took place in Roman Polanski’s house in Beverly Hills. Charles chose Charles Watson, Susan Atkin, Linda Kasabian and Patricia Krenwinkel to perform the heinous act. The victims were Steve Parent, Wojciech Frykowski, a writer, Abigail Folger, heiress to the coffee empire, Jay Sebring, a celebrity hairstylist and Sharon Tate, the actress who suffered the most in the killing. Jay Sebring was shot while Abigail Folger and Wojciech Frykowksi were bludgeoned to death. Sharon Tate, who was pregnant at that time, was mercilessly stabbed by Susan Atkins despite Sharon’s continuous pleas. The event created a nationwide shock. Although Charles was not part of the group who performed the murders, the members were under his instructions.
The following night, the La Bianca murder took place. Charles went with six of the Family members to the home of Leno LaBianca and his wife Rosemary. The area was familiar to Charles when he and some members attended a party next door a year ago. Leno LaBianca was stabbed twelve times with a chrome-plated bayonet and the word “WAR” was carved on his abdomen. Patricia Krenwinkel also left him with 14 puncture wounds and a stuck a steak knife in his throat. Rosemary LaBianca died with 41 stab wounds, the majority of which were inflicted even after she already died.
During the arrest and trial of Charles Manson and members of the Family, theories surfaced on how the mind of this serial killer worked. According to examinations, the main motivations for these murders were most likely Charles’ pathological ego coupled with insanity and the belief that Armageddon is almost coming. He made himself believe that he is the new prophet and that his visions will help create a new and better world, one that would end the long-running racial tension of that era.
