Inside The Manson ‘Family’
By Juliet Smith
10 months ago
Charles Manson as an innocent boy
Image Source/ Bettman Getty Images
It's hard to believe that serial killers like Charles Manson started off as children. This was a photo of Manson when he was at the juvenile center Boy's Town in Indianapolis. Well, he might not be all that innocent, considering he spent his time there for burglary.Where it all began...
Image Source/ AP
If you didn't know, the Manson Family were a "hippy" cult that murdered five people in 1969, all at the hand of their cult leader Charles Manson. It brought a dramatic end to what has been described the summer of love. This photo depicts where the family lived - on a small Spahn movie ranch in Chatsworth, LA.They were in this together
Image Source/ 3001
To show the extent of brainwashing that Manson had managed to do, here are members of his so called family during the time of his 1971 public trial. They took to the sidewalk to perform a vigil in honor of Manson, shaving their heads and painting crosses on their foreheads.Dancing in circles
Image Source/ Evening Standard
This photo derives from Robert Hendrickson's banned 1973 documentary. It's creepy in a way, and even as the horses join the circle, begs the question of how Charles Manson managed to manipulate these women so well, and encourage them to join his sadistic cult.Manson gave them access to drugs
Image Source/ Daily Mirror
It was clear from the get go that there was something off about the Manson "family" and unsurprisingly, the short documentary surrounding the cult eventually became banned. This is Catherine Share, one of the members of the family, who took LSD while participating in the cult.Catherine Share cozying up with Manson
Image Source/ Daily Mirror
In another piece of footage thought to be lost after the banning of the documentary, we are able to see how Manson keeps the girls close and seduces them. Here we get a little glimpse into the life at the ranch as he cuddles Catherine Share very closely.Manson all smiles
Image Source/ CBS News
You can see that Manson was somebody that did not show any kind of remorse for the actions that he committed. Here you can see him smiling ear to ear through a car window, and one of his loyal followers in the reflection on the bottom left. His composure if creepy!Another one brainwashed
Image Source/ Rex Shutterstock
Through his art of brainwashing, Manson managed to encourage this young woman, Afton Elaine Burton, to fall in love with him. He applied for a marriage license in 2014, but shortly withdrew it after she wanted to put his corpse on display after he died.Sex played a big part of the family's life
Image Source/ Daily Mirror
According to reports, the cult was heavily centered around the use of drugs and sex as well. I mean, of course it's normal for families to be centered around sex. Here's a snapshot of Manson getting cozy with one of the girls he manipulated into his cult.Manson sadistically trained his members for the killings
Image Source/ Daily Mirror
It was clear from the offset that the murders that Manson's "family" committed were premeditated. Manson is claimed to have trained members in firearms to be a part of his cult. Why anyone would need training with these sorts of weapons is beyond me, if there was no intent to use them.One of Manson's many arrests
Image Source/ Rex Shutterstock
From what we can gather, Manson spent much of his life behind bars. According to Evening Standard, he had been released after a ten year sentence in 1967, meaning that he has spent more than half of his life behind bars. This photo was taken upon his arrest in 1969.Yet he was always convinced of his innocence
Image Source/ Bettmann Archive
This photo depicts a somewhat beaten down Manson as he tries to read his statement at a parole hearing in 1986. By this time, he had been turned down a number of 6 times for parole. Clearly, Manson was not remorseful by the crimes he had committed.One, big, happy family
Image Source/ CrimeReads
The photos of Manson with his "family" always look a little unsettling. The expressions on their faces, and with their intent of being hippy and free-love, in reality they were so much further away from that than anybody could've imagined.The blank stares of the Manson
Image Source/ The Reprobate
It looks as though Manson's cult had no shortage of members and here we can see a majority group of girls as they pose for a photo in the infamous movie ranch where they all lived together. The incidents that happened in 1969 caused a stir across the entire world.The women behind Manson
Image Source/ Vox
At one point, the girls that hung around Manson had themselves coined as the "Manson girls." It's reported that Manson had previously worked as a pimp before this, so had no shortage of experience in controlling and coercing women, exploiting them for his own gain.A brisk walk through the woods
Image Source/ Alamy
While a bit blurry, this photo is still nonetheless creepy. Here you can see the cult hanging out together as they make their way through some woodland, like the "hippy" group they claimed to be. This group includes the infamous Lynette Fromme and Sandra Good.The vigil from another angle
Image Source/ Timeline
If anything, all these photos do is solidify how deep Manson had his claws in with the girls he took under his wing and into his sadistic cult. As you can see, here are four of the women with shaved heads performing their sidewalk vigil while Manson was being sentenced.Manson's blind followers
Image Source/ Mirror
It's crazy to think how Manson managed to manipulate all of these women, but somehow he did. He did so so much that he didn't even take part in the killings himself - he got his "family" to do it all for him. They are either all dead now or still in prison!And it wasn't just women he brainwashed...
Image Source/ Mirror
It wasn't just the women that Manson managed to brainwash into his cult, he got his hands into men as well. This is a photograph of one of the members of the family, Charles Watson, who helped brutally murder Sharon Tate in her home while she was with friends.A man of pure hatred
Image Source/ AP
Here's another image where Manson did not look remorseful. This was taken in 1988 after Geraldo Rivera had the pleasure of interviewing him at the San Quentin maximum security prison. With the Swastika so proudly painted on his head, and the playing up to the camera, it's clear that Manson was a hateful man.Paul Watkins was another one of the Manson family
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Paul Watkins was a high school dropout before he met Manson in 1968. His role was set out to be the recruiter of women, and he was tasked with attracting girls that Manson was (at that time) beginning to get too old to attract. He even enrolled at a high school to prey on the women.Manson in his innocence
Image Source/ HeraldSun
When you see a murderer before they became a killer, it's hard to not ask the question "What went wrong?" and that's definitely a question everyone wants answers to about Charles Manson. He was a world away from the Satanic cult that he would later set up.Manson shortly after the murders
Image Source/ Newsweek
This photo shows a reasonably calm Manson after he was taken to court to faces his seven charges of murder and one charge of conspiracy to murder. He even acted as his own attorney during the trial - which never helps if you are a killer by nature!The Manson family's five-day-trek
Image Source/ Newsweek
This photo depicts the Manson family as they commence their five day trek through Hollywood's Sunset Strip to the Hall of Justice. They walked fifteen miles just using their knees in order to commemorate the second coming of Charles Manson... yeah, that seems normal.Escorted back to their cells
Image Source/ Newsweek
Here's a photo of three of the women that were put on trial for murdering Sharon Tate and the rest of the victims. These three were so named Leslie Van Houten, Susan Atkins and Patricia Krenwinkel, and were being escorted back to their cells at the time of the photograph.Now laughing ear-to-ear
Image Source/ Newsweek
This photo was later taken when the three girls so mentioned above were sentenced in their trial. They were sentenced to the death penalty after murdering all victims upon the orders of Charles Manson, and they do not seem one bit ashamed at all.Growing old in prison
Image Source/ Handout/EPA
It's safe to say that Manson was not ever getting out of prison, especially with a tattoo like that on his head. Here's a snapshot of himself while he was at the California State Prison in 2011, when he was aged 77. He spent most of his life living in prison.The crime scene
Image Source/ Newsweek
It only seemed fitting to include the scene at which the victims' lives were taken. This was obviously after they had been found and Country Coroner Thomas Nogouchi takes notes about the scene as the bodies were being found on the lawn of the expensive lot.Walking with confidence
Image Source/ Newsweek
This photograph was taken shortly before the three girls were convicted of their crimes to kill Sharon Tate and the other victims. The ploy was all Manson's idea, as he believed he could start a race war by pinning the murders on the Black Panther Movement of the time.Manson's unfortunate victims
