Charles Manson

Charles Manson is a known serial killer, who in the 1960's found a hippie cult called 'the family'. Charles manipulated these people into brutally killing others on his behalf.

Charles was born to a 16 year old runaway for spent some time in jail, because his mother couldn't take care of him he spent a lot of time in homes of relatives and often at special reform schools and boy's homes. He then started committing petty crimes then moved on the burglary and grand theft auto.

After spending some time in prison he was release in 1954 age 19 for good behaviour. In the next year he met and married Rosalie Willis, a waitress. They then had a son together in March 1956 Charles Manson Jr. Charles Manson continued to make extra money by stealing cars and in April 1956 he went back to prison. After Manson had been in prison for a year, his wife found someone new and divorced Manson in June 1957. Once he was released in 1958, Manson started to commit more crimes such as pimping, stealing checks from mailboxes, and conned a young woman out of her money. He also got married again to a prostitute called Candy Stevens (Leona), and fathered a second son, Charles Luther Manson. On June 1, 1960 he was arrested again and his wife divorced.

For the six years that Charles was in prison he befriended the infamous Alvin 'Creepy' Karpis, former member of Ma Barker's gang. Alvin taught Charles to play the steel guitar, Charles became obsessed with making music. He wrote dozens of original songs and even started singing. Charles believed that when he got out of prison, he could be famous. (This is just like Kit and Mickey, but Charles wanted to be a musician)

On March 21, 1967, Charles was once again released from prison. This time he went to San Francisco with his guitar and some drugs it was there he began to get a following. In 1968, he and several followers drove to southern California.

Charles still seeking a career in the music industry, Charles hung out with Dennis Wilson from the Beach Boys. Charles didn't have much luck becoming famous with Dennis but the Beach Boys did record one of his songs 'Never Learn Not To Love' which appeared on the B side of their album 20/20. Through Dennis, Charles met Terry Melcher, Doris Day's son. Charles believed that Terry could advance his music career but nothing happened.

During this time, Charles Manson and some of his followers moved into the Spahn Ranch. Located northwest of San Fernando Valley the Spahn Ranch had been a popular location to film westerns in the 1940s and 1950s. Once Manson and his followers moved in, it became a cult compound for "the Family."

Charles was good at manipulating people, he used different religions and his own philosophy to do this. When The Beatles released 'Helter skelter' (1968) he believed that it was about an up and coming race war in the summer of 1969 and persauded them to move underground. When this didn't happen to told his followers that they should show the 'blacks' how it is done.

Charles then told four of his followers to go to10050 Cielo Drive in Los Angeles, the house was formally owned by Terry Melcher.  On August 9, 1969, the four followers carried out Charles's ordered and brutally murdered everyone inside. But Terry no longer lived there, he had rented the house out to Sharon Tate and her husband. The four murdered her, her unborn baby and four other people who was visiting her (her husband was in Europe). The following night the followers brutally murdered Leno and Rosemary LaBianca in their own home.

 In December 1969, Manson and several of his followers were arrested. The trial began on July 24, 1970. On January 25, Manson was found guilty of first degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder. On March 29, 1971, Manson was sentenced to death.

Manson was reprieved from the death penalty in 1972 when the California Supreme Court outlawed the death penalty. Charles Manson now serves a lifetime sentence and periodically comes up for parole.
Though he's been in prison for over three decades, Charles Manson has received more mail than any other prisoner in the U.S. Charles Manson is currently being held in California's Corcoran Prison.

source: http://history1900s.about.com/od/1960s/p/charlesmanson.htm