He successfully recruited many people into his commune, although several of them were never directly involved in any of the murders and most would eventually move on or renounce him. He was prone to stealing and had spent most of his life in jail by the time he met Mary Brunner, essentially the first member of his "family," in Berkeley in 1967. Various members participated in two brutal and shocking murder scenes in the summer of 1969.Ĭharles Manson was born in 1934 to a teenage mother in Ohio who, by all accounts, never wanted him. The group became known as the Manson Family. His followers bought into it and agreed to commit acts of unparalleled barbarity on their leader's behalf.
That's when he would emerge and take over.
He was certain Black people would win but wouldn't know how to govern themselves. He believed that once the race war began, he and his followers would hide until it had ended. Helter Skelter had very little to do with the song, however.Īccording to testimony from ex-followers, Manson intended to incite a race war by framing the Black Panthers for the murders of various wealthy, white people. Those who joined his commune demonstrated utter devotion, ultimately agreeing to participate in what Manson called Helter Skelter, named after the Beatles track of the same name. It was most recently updated in November 2021 when Leslie Van Houten was recommended for parole for the fifth time since 2016.Ĭharles Manson was a troubled youth who, after spending more than half of his life in prison, finagled his way into becoming a guru in the California hippie scene. This story was originally published in 2017 and has been updated multiple times to reflect the status of various Manson family members.