Charles Manson: take a look at the life of the infamous criminal

Charles Manson: take a look at the life of the infamous criminal - Charles Manson was one of the most infamous criminals in the history of the United States. The charismatic leader of a cult responsible for several homicides, Manson spent nearly half a century in prison for his horrible crimes. Discover the terrifying story of the killer.

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Biography - Charles Manson was born in Cincinnati on the 12 November 1934. Born to an alcoholic sex worker who became pregnant at 15, he never knew his father and spent most of his childhood with his grandmother. He inherited the surname Manson from a man who was in a short relationship with his mother.

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Adolescence - His life of criminality began early. During his adolescence he was constantly stealing and was eventually sent to a juvenile detention center. Upon release, he continued with his life of crime. He was arrested several times, and completed rigorous psychiatric evaluations, in which experts discovered that Manson had an above-average IQ.

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Criminal life - At 20, he got married and fathered a child, Charles Manson Jr. He supported his family with small-time jobs and stealing cars. He was sentenced to jail for car theft and after three years, was released and became a pimp.

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Prison - His life of crime continued, and was arrested after one of his sex workers caught the eye of the police. He was 26 and ordered to serve 10 years in prison. In that time he began to speak about Scientology and Buddhism.

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Inspiration - Manson held a huge interest in the British band The Beatles. Manson owned a violin and believed that one day he would achieve greater success than John Lennon's band, and spent hours of his time writing songs.

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Released again - In 1967, Manson left prison aged 33. In 1968, he created a quasi-communal cult in Spahn Ranch, near LA. Manson had grandiose ideas and a group of friends and followers, known as the Manson Family.

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Manson Family - The cult was made up of young men and women, mainly from wealthy families. Many had fled bad family relationships and ended up on the streets of California. Some of his followers considered him to be the reincarnation of Jesus Christ, as Manson opened his followers up to new ideas.

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Death of Sharon Tate - On the 9 August 1969, Manson was arrested. He was accused of ordering the murder of Sharon Tate, wife of director Roman Polanski, and others.

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Death of Sharon Tate - The Manson family entered the couple's home and brutally murdered the actress.

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Death of Sharon Tate - Sharon Tate was eight months pregnant and was tortured and stabbed to death. Using the blood of their victims, the group wrote phrases on the walls of the actress's home, including "pigs" and "death to pigs."

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Death of Sharon Tate - In addition to Sharon Tate, four others were murdered. According to the police, large quantities of drugs were found at the scene.

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Murders - The following night, the same group entered the home of Rosemary and Leno LaBianca, and killed the couple. The combined murders by members of the Manson Family became known as the Tate-LaBianca Case

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Helter Skelter - Manson had ordered the murders to trigger a race war, which he called Helter Skelter, after The Beatles' song.

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Tate-LaBianca Case - Police initially ruled out any connection between the homicides and theorized that the Sharon Tate murders had a drugs connection. Several people were interrogated and Polanski himself underwent a polygraph test.

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Influences - Charles Manson's actions attracted the attention of musicians including Jim Morrison, Mama Cass, and Dennis Wilson.

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Susan Atkins - Former Manson Family member Susan Atkins told her cell mate about the crimes, claiming that she killed Tate as the actress begged for her life.

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Susan Atkins - Susan Atkins admitted that she wanted to take the unborn baby from Sharon Tate but that there wasn't enough time. She also said that she intended to take out the victim's eyes and throw them against the wall.

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Plan - Susan Atkins claimed that the next plan was to kill celebrities such as Frank Sinatra and Elizabeth Taylor.

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Subliminal messages - Members of the Manson Family appeared in court with Xs drawn on their faces. When Manson shaved his head, his followers and co-defendants, Susan Atkins, Linda Kasabian, and Patricia Krenwinkel also did. Outside of the trial, there were also signs of support.

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Death penalty - In 1971, Manson and the trio of women and were found guilty. After deliberation, the four were condemned to the death penalty. Security was reinforced in order to avoid any attacks when the verdict was announced.

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Escape attempt - The same year, six members of the Manson Family tried to steal 140 weapons from a store and were arrested. They planned to rescue Manson and resume their crime spree.

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Life imprisonment - In 1972, the death penalty was abolished in the State of California. The Family's sentences were reduced to life in prison with possible parole. With this, Manson became something of a celebrity. Books, films, and even operas were made about him.

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Prison - Even in prison Manson didn't stop trying to commit crimes. He tried to order other murders, including that of the President of the United States, and also sold drugs inside the prison.

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Prison - Manson often had problems with other inmates. He claimed to have been sexually abused in prison. In 1974, he was diagnosed with acute psychosis.

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Crimes - Later, the X he had carved into his forehead was changed to a swastika. Manson affirmed several times that he felt no guilt for his crimes and even states that he "should have killed 400 people, to feel like he'd done something for humanity."

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Prison - Charles Manson applied for parole 12 times. Each one was rejected.

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Debra Tate - The news of Manson's death was revealed to media by Debra Tate, sister of Sharon Tate, who told TMZ that she received a call with this information. Later, the news was confirmed by the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation of California.

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Death - Charles Manson died of natural causes aged 83 on the 20 November 2017, at the Kern County Hospital, California.

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