By Camila Ensink, Year 11
It was the summer of 69, and unlike what Bryan Adams once sang, those were definitely not the best days of everybody’s lives. It was August and word had spread that the pregnant actress and wife of film producer Roman Polanski, Sharon Tate, as well as 4 of her friends had just been killed in her Los Angeles home. The bodies of all 5 victims were found the next morning by Tate’s housekeeper, as well as the words “PIG” smeared in the victim’s blood over the walls. The following night, grocery business owner Leno LaBianca and his wife Rosemary had been gruesomely murdered too. Their son, who had spent the weekend water skiing with friends, came home to find his stepfather’s dead body in the living room as well as his mother’s body in the bedroom. The words “WAR” had been carved into his stepfather’s flesh and the words “Death to Pigs”, “Rise” and “Healter Skelter” had been written on the walls and on the refrigerator in their blood. Only 4 months later would light be shed on the person responsible for these murders. His name was Charles Manson.
Charles Manson had a rough start in life. When he was very young, his mother was sent to prison for 5 years because of prostitution and armed robbery. Not knowing who his father was, he was forced to live with his aunt and uncle in West Virginia. Manson was a troubled boy from a very young age. He was sent to juvenile halls multiple times for things such as robberies, setting his school on fire, breaking into stores, breaking into cars, etc…
Once his mother had gotten out of prison, Manson, his mother and her boyfriend travelled around the Midwest. Unable to be placed in a foster home, he was sent to multiple all-boys boarding schools but just kept running away.
Manson spent his whole life in and out of jails all over the country. By the time he turned 32 years old he had already spent 18 of those years behind bars. In 1967, at the age of 34, Manson started attracting followers. People who had been rejected by their parents and/or kicked out of their homes started to look up to him as a father-figure. He promised them a family, love and care. Men joined his group too, but he continued to be the leading figure of the “family” and showed them that he was the one with the power. He started to exercise so much control over his followers that whatever he said or believed, the others would think and do as well.
He moved all of his “family” to Los Angeles, in hopes of becoming a professional singer. There, they moved into the countryside and into a ranch which had been an old movie set. Manson would “drug program” his followers into taking hard drugs, making sure that he never took any. They were all under his influence and he was their master. He became the leader of a cult known as “The Manson Family”. Together, they were responsible for crimes such as auto-theft, robberies and much more.
They then moved once again, this time to a ranch in Death Valley, California, completely isolated from anyone or anything. They had strict rules as to what they could do, including what music they could listen to.
On the night of August 9th 1969, Charles Manson approached 4 of his family members: Tex Watson, Linda Kasabian, Patricia Krenwinkel and Susan Atkins. He ordered them to do as they were told and to follow Tex’s lead. The next thing they knew, they were breaking into Sharon Tate’s home.
On the night of August 10th 1969, Charles Manson, Leslie Van Houten, Patricia Krenwinkel, Tex Watson, Susan Atkins and Linda Kasabian drove around the house of Leno LaBianca multiple times, before entering the estate. Charles Manson was the first to go into the house. He tied up both Leno and Rosemary before leaving. Once he had left the premises, the others entered the house and started the killing.
The “Family” had been arrested 2 times in the month of November for auto-theft, yet nobody knew they had been the ones in charge of the seven murders. Susan Atkins, a member of the Family, had been jailed before the others for a different, yet minor crime. While in jail, she bragged to the other inmates about the Tate and LaBianca murders. Having overheard what she had said, police then arrested all the other Family members for first-degree murder.
Although Charles Manson had never actually killed anybody, he was still responsible for having orchestrated the murders of his 7 victims. All members of “The Family” were sentenced for life, with all of their parole hearings denied. Manson was once again found guilty of orchestrating the murder of 2 other men.
Even after having been put in prison, he still had an influence over Susan Atkins, Patricia Krenwinkel and Leslie Van Houten. He would tell them things such as to shave their heads, or show up to court hearings holding hands and singing his songs. Even in prison, his power continued.
Charles Manson made it clear that he wanted to stay in jail. After all, that is where he had spent half his life and to him, that was his home. He repeatedly stated that even if he got out, he would find a way to be incarcerated once again. In 1981 during one of Manson’s interviews, he showed up with a swastika symbol tattooed on his forehead. Charles Manson continued to get into more trouble in prison. He did this by not showing up to his parole hearings, being involved in drug trafficking as well as showing that he was unapologetic for what he had done.
After having been sick on numerous occasions for various reasons, it was reported on November 19th 2017, only a week ago, that Charles Manson had passed away after a long battle with cancer in a Bakersfield Hospital.
