Within the late 1960s, Charles Manson had been an American criminal that headed the Manson Family, a cult centred in California. In July and August 1969, a few of the members carried out a string of nine killings in four different places. Manson was acquitted of first-degree murder as well as conspiring to commit murder in 1971 for such murders of seven people, notably Sharon Tate, a Hollywood actress. Although Manson allegedly personally commanded the murders, the prosecution argued that his ideas constituted an overt act of conspiracy.
Manson had spent over half of his life in jail or prison prior to the killings. Manson was indeed a singer-songwriter upon that fringes of the Los Angeles music business while building his cult following, thanks to a fortuitous meeting with Dennis Wilson of the Beach Boys, who introduced Manson to record producer Terry Melcher. The Beach Boys covered “Cease to Exist,” renamed “Never Learn Not to Love,” as just a single B-side in 1968, however without giving Manson credit. Following that, Manson tried unsuccessfully to acquire a record deal with Melcher.
Manson was a big fan of the Beatles, especially their self-titled album from 1968. Manson was influenced with his interpretation of the Beatles’ songs, as per Los Angeles County District Attorney Vincent Bugliosi, and coined the term “Helter Skelter” to symbolise an imminent cataclysmic race conflict. Throughout his trial, Bugliosi claimed that Manson meant to spark a racial war, but this was refuted by Manson and others. The Tate–LaBianca murders, according to recent interviews and trial witness evidence, were indeed a copycat act designed to exonerate Manson’s associate Bobby Beausoleil. Manson has denied ever ordering somebody to kill someone.
Manson’s reputation as a symbol of lunacy, violence, as well as macabre, had an impact on popular culture. Beginning with Lie: The Love and Terror Cult, professional recordings of songs written and performed by Manson became published (1970). Various musicians have recreated several of his tracks after his imprisonment. Even though he was condemned to death in 1971, when the California Supreme Court abolished the state’s capital penalty legislation in 1972, his sentence was commuted to life imprisonment with the chance of release. He died in late 2017 there at age of 83 while serving his prison term within California State Prison, Corcoran.
Kathleen Manson-Bower-Cavender, née Maddox (1918–1973), gave birth to Charles Manson on November 12, 1934.
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