Charles Manson: The Criminal Mind Behind the Family

Charles Manson: Cult Leader and Criminal

Charles Milles Manson (born November 12, 1934) was an American criminal who led what became known as the Manson Family, a quasi-commune that arose in California in the late 1960s.

The Tate/LaBianca Murders

Manson was found guilty of conspiracy to commit the infamous Tate/LaBianca murders, carried out by members of the group at his instruction. He was convicted of the murders themselves through the joint-responsibility rule, which makes each member of a conspiracy guilty of crimes their fellow conspirators commit in furtherance of the conspiracy's objective.

"Helter Skelter" and Apocalyptic Visions

Manson is often associated with the phrase "Helter Skelter," a term taken from the Beatles' song of that name. At trial, and in his book about the murders (also titled Helter Skelter), prosecutor Vincent Bugliosi presented the theory that Manson considered the song a coded message to the Family. This message, Bugliosi argued, instructed them to prepare for and precipitate an apocalyptic race war. The confluence of rock music, hippie culture, and shocking violence held the nation's attention, cementing Manson's image as a pop culture icon of insanity, violence, and the macabre.

Early Life and Music Connections

At the time the Family began to form, Manson was a recently released and unemployed ex-convict who had spent more than half his life in correctional institutions. Before the murders, he was on the distant fringe of the Los Angeles music industry, chiefly through a chance association with Beach Boy Dennis Wilson. After his arrest, recordings of songs written and performed by him were released commercially. The Beach Boys themselves had already recorded one of Manson's songs, titled Never Learn Not To Love, although without credit to Manson. More recently, artists including Guns N' Roses and Marilyn Manson have covered songs by Manson.

Conviction and Imprisonment

Manson was sentenced to death, but that sentence was automatically commuted to life imprisonment when a 1972 court decision briefly eliminated the death penalty in California and canceled all death sentences pending in the state. California's eventual reinstatement of capital punishment was not retroactive. Manson remained an inmate at Corcoran State Prison until his death.