Charles Manson By: matt lesko

Background Information Born on November 12, 1934, in Cincinnati Ohio. Mother was a 16 year old girl, Kathleen Maddox. Kayhleen Maddox was an alcoholic and prostitute. Spent many days living with relatives. Kathleen had a hard time taking care of him. By age nine, Charles began his life of crime by stealing from cars. Maddox married William Manson, but the marriage ended very quickly. William Manson decided to place Charles into a boys school. Charles hated the everyday life of going to school. Charles decided to run back to his mom. She wanted nothing to do with him. This created a very poor relationship between the two. Charles had no choice but to live on the streets alone because he had no one left in his life. He got by through the many petty crimes that he would commit while on the streets. By 1951, Manson began spending time in prison.

Committed Crimes Crime Date Victim(s) Punishment NA Burglary of a grocery store 1948 Grocery store workers Juvenile detention center Escapes the detention center and commits an armed robbery. Name Unknown Sent to Indiana school for boys in Plainfield for three years. Has 18 escaped during this time. Escapes from the school. He steals a car and decides to head west. Burglarizes about 15 gas stations along the way. He is caught in Utah after many burglaries. 1951 All of the gas station workers and the owner of the stolen car. Sent to National Training school for boys in Washington D.C. Sexual assault on another boy while behind bars. He does so by threatening him with a razor. 1952 Transferred to a federal reformatory in Virginia. Forges a treasury check while being a pimp. 1959 NA Given a 10 year sentence Convicted of first-degree murder for directing the deaths of the Tate/LaBianca victims. January 25, 1971 Sharon Tate and her friends. LaBianca victims. Sentenced to death before it was claimed unconstitutional by California. It was reduced to life in prison.

Most Recent Crime Charles Manson’s most recent crime was the famous murder spree that he was in charge of. In 1971, He was found guilty of conspiracy to commit the murders of seven people. He instructed Leslie Van Houten, Steve Grogan, Susan Atkins, Linda Kasabian, Patricia Krenwinkle, and Charles Watson to commit the murders. These murders included the Tate and LaBianca murder scenes.

Evidence Brought Against The Manson Family Finger prints were taken from the Tate crime scene that matched Watson and Krenwinkle. The finger prints were on the grip of a revolver. Susan Atkins shared details of the murder with bunkmates while being held in jail and admitted to being part of the murders. Charles Manson believed strongly in Helter Skelter meaning that there would be an apocalyptic war because of racial tension. He openly admitted that he believed that white people needed to be killed in order to stop the war. During the trials, the other members of the Manson family listened to Charles Manson entirely. The even shaved their heads in protest. This easily connected Charles Manson to being the instructor of the murders. A few testimonies were given during the trial. Including the most important one that was given by Linda Kasabian. The main piece of evidence used by the prosecuting side was the Helter Skelter theory believed in by the Manson Family. None of the family members denied their beliefs in Helter Skelter.

Sentence Charles Manson was sentenced to life in prison rather than the death penalty because of California’s change in law at the time. He is currently serving nine life sentences at Cocoran State Prison in California.

“You know, a long time ago being crazy meant something “You know, a long time ago being crazy meant something. Nowadays everybody’s crazy.” Nicknames: Mac; Charlie

Many books written about Charles Manson and the Manson family Many books written about Charles Manson and the Manson family. Two of the most famous ones are Helter Skelter: The True Story of the Manson Murders and The Family. Most famous movie: Charles Manson Superstar (1989). No trailer found, it is a documentary. “Never Learn Not to Love” song written by Charles Manson. Recorded by the Beach Boys. “Cease to resist, come on say you love me Give up your world, come on and be with me I'm your kind, I'm your kind, and I see Come on come on, ooo I love you pretty girl My life is yours, and you can have my world I'm your kind, I'm your kind, and I see Never had a lesson I ever learned I know I could never learn not to love you”

The theory that best explains Charles Manson’s deviant behavior is the behavioral theory. The reasoning for this is because Charles Manson was raised poorly by his mother. She never wanted him in her life, so he was on his own in the streets to provide for himself. He learned to act violently because of the kind of life he had as a young kid. He did not have a caring family at home, so he turned to criminal acts early on as a kid to help benefit his life. Manson would commit petty crimes such as stealing from cars or small burglaries. One of the factors that connects deviant behavior to the behavioral theory is the stressful event or threat factor. Charles Manson faced a stressful event when not being wanted by his own mother. This triggered the criminal side in Manson. /the only thing that he could turn to was a life of crime because the lack of any good influence in his life. I believe that Charles Manson rewarded himself in his childhood and teenage years for committing these petty crimes.