Charles Manson



As one of the most popular killers, Charles Manson was born on November 12, 1934. He is known as the leader of the Manson Family. He had a very troubling childhood, with his mother in jail and no father. He was not able to be placed in a foster home so the court placed him in a school for boys. He kept getting in trouble, running away, and transferred to different schools for boys. By the age of 13, he stole cars, broke into stores, and committed armed robbery. He committed so many small crimes he basically spent most of his life in jail, a place that would become his home. When he finally got out, he was able to read and figure out people very accurately. He even said, “And when I got out, all your children would come to me because they never had anyone tell them the truth.”  His followers were hippies; most of them lost and confused females. Manson would also use the girls to attract male followers. His beliefs became their beliefs. He kept his followers entertained by moving from town to town in California. Manson wanted complete control of the followers, whether it was emotionally, physically, or psychologically. The main way he kept control was through drugs, LSD specifically. On August 8, 1969, Charles Manson ordered some of his followers to go to a house and do what ever Tex Watson, one of the followers, wanted them to do. They went into the house of actress Sharon Tate, murdered her and four other people that were at her house. They were either shot or stabbed, or both. The next night, they went in the house of a grocery executive and slaughtered him and his wife. Charles Manson had provoked his followers to commit the crimes. One of the followers felt guilty and tipped off the police. On December 1969, Charles Manson and the four other followers were arrested and charged with murder. They were first sentenced to death but the State of California temporarily eliminated the death penalty and they were automatically sentenced to life imprisonment.