Charles Manson: The Story Of The Leader Of A Murderous Cult
Throughout history, many murderers are remembered for their macabre acts and the brutality of their crimes, but There are few who have the charisma and influence of Charles Manson
This man, best known for being the founder and leader of the sect known as “The Manson Family,” managed to get his followers to commit a series of crimes with the idea that their actions would accelerate a race war that would occur at any moment. Among his victims is actress Sharon Tate who was also the wife of the well-known film director Roman Polanski.
To this day, despite being imprisoned, Charles Manson still has a large number of followers. His popularity is such that the singer Marilyn Manson was inspired by him to obtain his artistic name, which is the union between the names of Marilyn Monroe and Charles Manson.
Charles Manson was born on November 12, 1934, in Cincinnati, Ohio (United States), and his mother was only 16 years old when she gave birth. His life was always marked by crime and robbery , and he did not have an easy childhood. Her mother was an alcoholic and, according to Manson himself, one day she handed him over to a childless waitress in exchange for a mug of beer. It was his uncle who had to retrieve it a few days later.
Both Manson’s mother and brother have a criminal history , and were sentenced to 5 years in prison for robbing a gas station in Charleston (Virginia) in 1939. This caused Manson to end up in a home for homeless children. Later, Manson would try to return home, but his mother rejected him.
Manson began committing crimes at a very young age, and At the age of 13, his first arrest occurred for robbing a grocery store ; But he was a clever boy, and after 4 days he escaped from the correctional facility. After several arrests and escapes for stealing vehicles, in 1967 he returned to prison for forging checks. In jail, Manson He began studying esotericism and eastern philosophy By this time, Manson had already been married and divorced twice. He had two children with two different women.
Manson was released from prison in 1967 and moved to San Francisco, where he practically lived as a beggar until he met Mary Brunner, a 23-year-old girl who worked as a library assistant at the University of Berkeley. Her power of seduction and manipulation were such that he went to live with her. Manson’s personality aroused praise among his future followers , who referred to him as “the magician.” Maybe that’s why, a few months after settling in at Brunner’s house, They both shared a flat (Brunner’s flat) with 18 women
In those years, the city of San Francisco was the base of the “Hippie” movement, and Manson quickly established himself as a guru who, thanks to his power of persuasion, would soon have his first group of followers. They received the name “The Manson Family.” It is important to note that the majority of these followers were women. That same year, Brunner became pregnant with Manson, what would be his third child.
The following year, Charles Manson established his lair at Spahn Ranch, in the California Valley. The Manson Family He did not pay rent because he ordered his followers to have intimate relations with the owner almost blind.
The Manson Family Murders
This seemingly harmless group of individuals would go down in history for the murder of several people under the orders of Charles Manson. Despite Manson did not stain his hands with blood his ideas were the reason why La Familia decided to take the lives of its victims.
manson I thought a race war was coming , as performed in a song by The Beatles, “Helter Skelter”. That was the name of the song and also its prophecy. Manson believed that black men would rebel against white men, and win the battle. But since the blacks could not retain power, because he considered them inferior, then Manson would be the leader of the world
Over time Charles Manson became impatient. As he saw that black individuals were not making any moves, decided to advance the racial war by committing a series of murders in which they would leave evidence at the crime scene to incriminate the “Black Panthers”
The most notable murder committed by The Manson Family is that of actress and model Sharon Tate, who was only 26 years old and was also pregnant. She was only two weeks away from having her child with film director Roman Polanski.
Interestingly, that day, he was having dinner with a group of friends when they decided to go to his mansion. It was there where the crime was committed. Four members of “La Familia” assaulted the house and committed a terrible multiple murder The murderers were: Charles Watson, Patricia Krenwinkel, Susan Atkins and Linda Kasabian.
How the events occurred
A few months before this multiple murder, Bobby Beausoleil, a member of The Family, murdered musician Gary Hinman after trying to get him to give them money he had inherited. At the scene, the cult members wrote on the wall, in the victim’s own blood, “Political piggy,” and They drew a panther paw, symbol of the Black Panther movement
Beausoleil was arrested a few months later. This prompted Manson to tell The Family that the time had come to act. And although it is not known with certainty, it seems that he ordered the murder of Terry Melcher, a music producer with whom Manson had had contact thanks to his brief relationship with a Beach Boys drummer. Manson wanted to show that he had musical talent, but Melcher didn’t give him the chance.
So the four murderers They went to Melcher’s supposed house , but he no longer lived there, but it was the new home of Roman Polanski and Sharon Tate. Tate was at the house with some friends (Polanski was in London filming a film). In that place they ended the lives of 4 people, and especially sad was the murder of Sharon Tate, who after asking that she be kidnapped and murdered after the birth of her son, was murdered by Susan Atkin, who stabbed her several times. Atkins, using a towel soaked in Tate’s blood, wrote the word “Pig” on a door of the house.
A few days later, Manson ordered the murder of Leno and Rosemary LaBianca. When they arrived at the couple’s house, Manson tied them up and Leslie Van Houten was in charge of killing them.
You can learn more about Charles Manson’s story in this video:
A charismatic killer
Charles Manson is, without a doubt, one of the most notorious murderers. He is currently serving a sentence, but still has a large number of followers In addition, Manson has inspired different series or films because of his story and his personality.
Yes There are few people in the world who are capable of indoctrinating normal individuals and turning them into murderers.. His charisma and his manipulation and persuasion skills are a reality. His popularity has been such that an album with his songs was even released while he was in prison.
On the other hand, it has also been notable that, even after being convicted and a vision of him explained from the point of view of the police and justice, Charles Manson has continued to generate admiration, especially among young people.
It must be taken into account that part of this phenomenon can be attributed simply to the fact of being known by millions of people, but that does not mean that it is disturbing to what extent we are capable of idolizing people who break with all the minimum social norms to ensure coexistence. There are certain contexts that can be interpreted as justifications for criminal behavior making it positively valued and a reason for devotion or even falling in love.
You can listen to their music in this audiovisual content:
