Recent news sources have been reporting on the latest Charles Manson parole hearing. Details of the parole hearing, the unusual friendship between Debra Tate and Barbara Hoyt and the original story from 1969 have been making headlines. In the past, a number of books and movies have been made on the subject. Perhaps most notable among them were the book “Helter Skelter” by prosecutor, Attorney Vincent Bugliosi about the murders and the 1976 film it inspired. Manson is one of the most notorious serial murders in the annals of crime and insanity. His life history shows that he suffered neglect and abuse from an early age, however unfortunate he was not alone in that. There are many children then, and today, that also grew up in dysfunctional, criminal atmospheres. Some are able to cope and become functional adults. Others like Manson become violent, dangerous people. When he was released in 1967, Manson had spent half his life in prison and asked to remain incarcerated. If Charles Manson’s request to remain in jail had been granted he would not have been free to commit his murder scheme.
Best known for the Sharon Tate La Bianca murders Charles Manson’s criminal career goes back to 1947 when he was thirteen years old. The son of an unwed sixteen year old mother, Kathleen Maddox who gave his father’s identity as “Colonel Walker Scott” Later, Kathleen Maddox and Walker Scott came to an agreement in a paternity suit she filed. Charles Manson was originally named Charles Milles Maddox. When his mother married William Manson, his stepfather adopted him and gave him his name. Due to his mother’s alcoholism and criminal activity. Manson’s early years were spent with relatives, foster parents and in state assigned boy’s schools. Manson once said his only happy childhood memory was his mother’s embrace when she was released from prison in 1942.
Charles Manson served his first prison sentence in 1951 during the course of this sentence he raised his educational level from fourth grade to seventh grade before he was eventually granted parole. After his release, under conditions of his parole he went to live with his aunt and uncle. He later violated this order, went to live with mother and then married a waitress, Rosalie Jean Willis. He was in jail again for car theft when is wife gave birth to their son, Charles Manson, Jr. When she stopped visiting, Manson found out that his wife had moved in with another man. Two weeks before his parole hearing in that case Manson tried to escape, he was caught and parole was denied.
In 1958 Manson’s first wife divorced him, at that time Manson was involved with a sixteen year old prostitute and another woman who helped support him. A year later he was arrested and given parole for trying to cash a Treasury Check. That December he married a young prositute, Leonia who had testified on his behalf. In the course of their 1963 divorce, she alleged she had given birth to their son and named him Charles Luther. He was arrested, but not convicted, for violating the Mann Act, which involves transporting a girl over state lines for immoral purposes. He was returned to jail for violating the terms of his parole on the check cashing charges. By the time he was released in 1967 at age 32 Manson had already spent half his life behind bars. In an interview with Tom Snyder he reveled that prison felt like home and he asked for permission to stay. .
Released in 1967, “The Summer of Love,” he asked for and got permission from his parole board to travel to San Francisco, California. He set himself up as a “Guru” in the Haight-Ashbury district. There he became known locally for both his music and his philosophy. By the end of the summer, he had collected a group of young followers and set off with them on an odyssey that covered the west coast from Mexico to Washington State before they returned to California and settled in the Los Angeles area.
There are various stories about how Manson and his family came to live for a time with Dennis Wilson, the Beach Boys drummer. However, it happened, there is no doubt that Manson was there. Wilson spent a lot of money to support them and get medical treatment for Manson and his family. He was impressed with Charles Manson and tried to help him get his music recorded. Part of this was that Wilson personally paid to have Manson’s songs recorded. Another part was that he introduced Manson to people who could help him. These people included Rudi Altobelli, who later rented his house to Roman Polanski and Sharon Tate. Dennis Wilson’s manager eventually insisted the Manson family move out. They moved into the Spahn Ranch embarking on final stage of the course of events that would leave an infamous wake of death and destruction. .
Inspired by the Beatles song “Helter Skelter” from their “White Album” Charles Manson conceived a delusion that the black people in America were going to rise up and kill all the white people. He developed a conspiracy with his Family to bring this about, inspired by the notion that, ultimately they would be able to seize control from the survivors. All together, there were at least ten murders committed by the Manson family in the course of their crime spree. They started with Gary Hinman on July 31, 1969. Then the infamous Tate and La Bianca murders followed. Manson sent Family members Patricia Krenwinkel, Susan Atkins, “Tex” Watson and Linda Kasabian out with a knives and a change of clothes to kill everyone at the Polanski/Tate residence and to leave a message; “Something Witchy.” The people murdered in the early morning hours of August 9, 1969 in the Polanski/Tate carnage were Sharon Tate, Abigail Folger, Wojciech Frykowski, Steve Parent, Paul Polanski, Jay Sebring. Those murders were discovered by Winifred Chapman, the housekeeper when she arrived in the morning. In the evening of August 9 1969 Manson, Patricia Krenwinkel, Tex Watson, Leslie Van Houten and Linda Kasabian set out to find new victims. They chose Leno and Rosemary LaBiance and stabbed them to death.. This part of the Manson Family murder spree is widely known. However, other violence and crimes connected to the Family and Helter Skelter got less publicity.
In November of 1970 Ronald Hughes, the attorney who represented Leslie Van Houten during the trial disappeared days after he rested his case, Four months later his body was found near Sespe Hot Springs. Manson Family followers later confessed to the murder.
On November 8, 1972 James Willett’s body was discovered in Guerneville, California, his wife’s body was found three days later in a house on West Flora Street in Stockton, California. In the house at the time were four people associated with the Manson Family; Nancy Pitman, Michael Monfort, James Craig and Priscilla Cooper. Cooper said Lauren Willett died while playing Russian Roulette. The Willetts were associated with the Manson Family for at least a year at that time and Monfort and Craig, prison escapees were both associated with the family as well.
There was the Hawthorn shootout at a gun shop in August, 1971. Arrested were Mary Brunner, Catherine Share, Lawrence Edward Bailey, Dennis Rice and Kenneth Como. The motive was to get guns to free Charles Manson during the Gary Hinman-Donald “Shorty” Shea murder trial.
The Ford assassination attempt in 1975 was an attempt by Lynette “Sweaky” Fromme to gain Charles Manson’s approval. Fromme was a founding member of an order of “nuns” called the International People’s Court of Retribution. This group’s stated purpose was to terrorize environmentally destructive businesses. Fromme escaped from prison in 1989, was captured and then incarcerated under higher security. . Interestingly enough, George Spahn, the owner of the Spahn ranch died on September 22, 1974 at the Sherwood Convalescent Hospital in Sherwood, California not at the hands of the Manson Family as is widely believed.
Charles Manson lived a life of crime and sociopathic behavior from an early age. Although he was abused and neglected, that is true of far too many people. He recognized he was not able to function in society and asked to stay in jail. Our criminal system does not allow that and did not give him any alternatives between jail or freedom. However if Charles Manson was allowed to stay in jail in 1967 he would not have committed all those murders.
Works Cited
Encyclopaedia Britannica . "Charles Manson." 2012. Encyclopaedia Britannica . 15 4 2012
History.Com. "Gerald Ford survives first assassination attempt." 5 9 195. History.Com. 15 4 2012
Linder, Douglas. "The Trial of Charles Manson." 2008. University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Law. 15 4 2012
Manson Case File. "Manson Case File." 2010. Manson Case File. 15 4 2012
Manson Direct. "Official Site for the Charles Manson Truth." 2011. Manson Direct. 15 4 2012
Ng, Christina. "Charles Manson Denied Parole After Saying He Is a 'Very Dangerous Man'." 11 4 2012. ABC News. 15 4 2012
True TV - Not Reality Actuality. "Charles Manson and the Manson Family." True TV - Not Reality Actuality. 15 4 2012
Turner, Mark. "The Six Degrees of Helter Skelter." 2009. Charlie Manson. 15 4 2012
