Charles Manson

Age: 36

Height: Mystery if his real height is 5’2” or 5’7”

Weight: 140 lbs

Job: Serial Killer, Cult Leader

Crime: Founded a hippie cult known as “The Family” and manipulated four of the members to go to a house previously owned by Terry Melcher, the man who did not help Manson with his music career. However, actress Sharon Tate, her unborn baby and four house guests were brutally killed instead. The next night Manson had his followers murder Leno and Rosemary LaBianca in their own home.

Sentencing: January 25, 1971 Manson was found guilty of first degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder. He was sentenced to death on March 29, 1971. The California death penalty was taken away in 1972, so Manson has been sentenced to life in jail.

Interesting Facts: His mother was 16 years old at his birth, and was an alcoholic and a prostitute. She sent him to reform schools, and by age 9 he was stealing cars and burglaring.

Spent over 17 years of his in prison before his sentencing from pimping, stealing checks out of mailboxes, and stealing cars. In prison he learned how to play the steel guitar, and his passion for music took off. Once out of prison he met with Dennis Wilson of the Beach Boys. The Beach Boys did a cover of one of Manson’s songs, “Never Learn Not to Love” and it appeared on their album, 20/20.

Believed that the song “Helter Skelter” by the Beach Boys was predicting a race war where blacks were going to rise up in 1969. He told his followers that they would travel underground to a city of gold in Death Valley.

He has received the most mail over any other prisoner. Even in prison he has attracted followers, and last year a woman had an interview with Rolling Stone claiming that her and Manson are in a relationship, and they will be getting married.

Manson and his family were arrested for vandalizing parts of Death Valley, not for being suspects of murder. Susan Atkins, a friend of Manson’s confessed about the murders later.

The Family planned to also kill Elizabeth Taylor, and Frank Sinatra. They said they wanted to kill these people to shock the world so they would be noticed.