Charles Manson was a criminal and cult leader who manipulated many young people in the 1960s. He came to believe in a coming race war called "Helter Skelter" and ordered his followers, known as the "Manson Family", to murder seven people in 1969 in an attempt to start the war. Manson and several members were convicted of the murders and sentenced to life in prison. Manson died in prison in 2017 at the age of 83, having spent most of his life incarcerated.

1. Charles Manson
by Lindsey Johnson, Edwin Rodriguez

2. Charlie Manson
• “No name Maddox” was born without a father to his 16
year old mother in Cincinnati, Ohio.
• His mother was an alcoholic, and once sold him for beer
to a waitress.
• When he was fourteen a court placed him in the Gibault
School for Boys. He ran away to his mother, but his
mother would always rejected him.
• From the time he was fourteen, he had been in and out
of prison for all sorts of theft.
• He was illiterate until the age of sixteen, when he
learned to read in a maximum security institution.

3. His Release
• Manson had been in institutions for more than half of his
life, and right before his release from prison in 1967, he
requested that he be permitted to stay.
– "Don't let me out, I can't cope with the outside world".
– “I can't handle the maniacs outside, let me back in”.

4. The Rising of the Family
• Manson moved to San
Francisco in 1967.
• He established himself as
a guru, and preached
about scientology.
• Young females were
attracted to his charisma,
and started following him.
• The use of LSD, a
hallucinogenic drug,
helped Manson hook,
control, and manipulate
his followers.

5. The Growth
• The Family lived at 636
Cole Street, in San
Francisco during the
summer of 1967.
• In November, Manson
and nine of his followers
painted a bus, took out
the seats, and went on a
drug ridden ride up and
down the west coast of
America.
• They picked up more and
more followers along the
way.

6. Rules of the Family
• No one in the family was allowed to see doctors
• Women in the family were required to have children
• For a baby’s delivery, the mother would be held in the air by the
family, Manson would “catch” the baby, and cut the umbilical cord
with a guitar string.
• Manson would beat members if they didn’t follow his command or
hesitate on doing as there told.
• All members were required to take LSD, smoke marijuana, and
participate in orgies.
– This included Manson, the men, the women, and all of the
children.
– The majority of the children were born while their mothers were
taking LSD

7. The Beach Boy
• Dennis Wilson of the Beach Boys became part
of the family when he picked up two hitch hiking
girls who were part of the family.
• The next day Manson and his family moved in
with Wilson.
• Over the next few months Wilson paid for
Manson to record in studios, and introduced him
to several musicians and producers.
• Masons recordings, if they exist, have never
been released.
• Wilson also paid a $100,000 bill for the medical
treatment the family needed for gonorrhea and
other damage.

8. Helter Skelter
• Manson believed that the tension between whites and
blacks was growing, and that the blacks would rise in
rebellion against the whites.
• He convinced his followers, “The Family”, that they
needed to be together to survive during the chaos.
• Manson believed the The Beatles had also predicted the
racist turmoil, and wrote the White Album filled with
subliminal messages, made solely for the Family.
• Manson is thought to have believed that The Beatles
were angels sent from God to tell him to take control of
the “race-war”

9. Overall Murders
• Manson planned to make the murders look like they'd
been done by African Americans.
• He wanted Whites to retaliate against Blacks"Helter
Skelter" (his made up term for a race war).
• He was convicted for 7 murders
– He was convicted for 7 murders, 8 if you count
Sharon Tate's unborn baby. Sharon Tate, Jay
Sebring, Abigail Folger, Voytek Frokowski, Steven
Parent, Leno La Bianca and Rosemary La Bianca
• 8 murders if you count Sharon Tate's unborn baby.

10. The Hinman Murder
• In June of 1969 Manson told a male family member that Helter Skelter was
ready to happen.
• During a discussion between Manson and family member Bobby Beausoleil,
Manson told Bobby “Blackie never did anything without whitey showin' him
how," he said, "It looks like we're gonna have to show blackie how to do it.“
• Manson was telling Beausoleil that in order for the blacks to revolt, to cause
Helter Skelter, The Family was going to have to show them how.
• One month later, on July 27, Manson ordered Beausoleil to murder their
former friend, Gary Hinman.
• Before leaving Hinman’s residence, Beausoleil wrote “Political Piggy” in
Hinman’s blood on the wall of his house.
• Beausoleil was arrested nine days later, caught in Hinman’s stolen car. The
murder weapon was in the tire.

11. The Tate Murders
• On August 8th, Manson told the Family Helter
Skelter was here.
• Manson directed Tex Watson to take Family
members Atkins, Linda Kasabian, and Patricia
Krenwinkel to "that house where Melcher used
to live" and "totally destroy everyone in it, as
gruesome as you can.” He told the girls to do as
Tex would instruct them.
• The four members gruesomely murdered Steven
Parent, Wojciech Frykowski, 8 and a half month
pregnant Sharon Tate, Jay Sebring, and Abigal
Folger.

12. The LaBianca Murders
• The following night Manson and six Family members
drove to the Los Feliz section of Los Angeles.
• They broke into the home of Leno LaBianca, a
supermarket executive.
• They proceeded to stab LiBianca and his wife,
Rosemary.
• Leno LaBianca was stabbed by Manson with a bayonet
over a dozen times.
• Manson wanted all of the members to participate, so
everyone had a chance to stab Rosemary.

13. Conviction
• The trial began on June 15, 1970.
• The prosecutions main witness
was Kasabian, who, along with
Manson, Atkins, and Krenwinkel,
had been charged with seven
counts of murder and one of
conspiracy.
• However, since she Kasabian did
not participate in the murders, she
was granted immunity in order to
testify.
• On January 25,1971, guilty
verdicts were returned against the
defendants on all counts.
• They were all sentenced to the
death penalty, but since California
abolished the death penalty, their
sentences were reduced to life in
prison.

14. Manson Today