Charles Manson - 1 The Famous Trial of Charles Manson...

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“The Famous Trial of Charles Manson”
Introduction to Criminal Justice
April 21, 2011

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Charles Manson
A Brief History
When most people think of Charles Manson, they think “sick, psychotic, serial
killer” when in fact that is not entirely true. Sick, yes! Psychotic, yes! Killer, not
necessarily! On November 12, 1934, Charles Manson is born in Cincinnati, Ohio. The
illegitimate son of a sixteen-year-old girl named Kathlene Maddox. His father, whom he
never met, was “Colonel Scott”, from Ashland, Kentucky. His mother was a heavy
drinker and ended up in prison for robbery of a grocery store. After the sentencing of his
mother, the Courts ordered Manson, a minor at the time, to Gibault School for Boys in
Terre Haute, Indiana in 1947. Manson began his juvenile record through escape
attempts from Gibault School. Manson’s first known committed crime is robbing a
grocery store, in 1948, which he was caught and sent to a juvenile detention center. He
escapes the juvenile detention center in 1948 and commits two armed robberies.
Apprehended again, Manson is sent to the Indiana School for Boys in Plainfield, Indiana
where he spends the next three years. During his stay, Manson escaped eighteen
times. Because of his mischievous actions and juvenile history, Manson becomes
transferred from one boy school to another several times until ultimately escaping from
the School for Boys in 1951 and starting his criminal career. Manson would later be
known as one of the most sinister and complicated criminals of all time.
Charles Manson is best known for the 1969 Tate-LaBianca murders and known
worldwide as a sociopath or better known as a psychopath. Prior to the Tate-LaBianca
murders, Manson was indicted on federal Mann Act charges in April of 1960. He was
arrested in Laredo, and brought back to California where he is ordered to prison at San

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Pedro, California to serve the ten-year sentence that had been suspended in 1959 for
forging a treasury check. He asks prison officials to let him remain in the prison, but
having completed his ten-year prison term, he is released on March 21, 1967 and heads
for San Francisco.
Manson’s Theory
The theory of Charles Manson’s connection and direction of the horrific murders
were to start a race war he called “Helter Skelter” with a mixed influence of the Beatles’
White Album and The Book of Revelations of the Holy Bible (Bugliosi, 2011). His soon
to be called “Family,” who were a group of Manson followers including Patricia
Krenwinkel, Charles “Tex” Watson, Leslie Van Houten, and Susan Adkins believed
Manson to be Jesus Christ and the devil wrapped into one. In addition, The Family