Charles Manson Essay Example

assume the burden of looking after Charlie. Instead, she decided to persist with her drinking habits. It reached a stage where she would trade Charlie for a glass of beer. Consequently, Charlie grew accustomed to a life filled with violence and isolation. He became withdrawn, lacking any form of companionship. Adopting an observational stance towards life, he avoided interacting or conversing with others. Shortly thereafter, Charlie found himself imitating his mother's behavior.

At the age of nine, he began stealing and causing trouble, which led to his enrollment in a reform school. However, he quickly escaped with the intention of reuniting with his mother but was sadly rejected. Consequently, Charlie frequently found himself constantly moving between reform schools, prisons, and other institutions.

Newsweek (55) reported that Charles Manson was released on parole in 1958 and chose to become a pimp, causing further turmoil. However, the next year brought an unexpected turn of events as he was re-arrested on two federal charges. Surprisingly, Manson evaded imprisonment thanks to a young woman who deceitfully claimed she was carrying his baby. Consequently, at the age of twenty-six, Manson was sent to the US penitentiary.

Charles, a man with a criminal background that included rape, drug use, pimping, stealing, and fraud by 1959, had an emotionally unstable disposition. He constantly sought attention and had a strong love for music, particularly the Beatles and playing the guitar. His ultimate aspiration was to make a name for himself in the music industry (UMKC). At the age of 32, on March 21st, 1967, Charles was released from prison for the second time and moved to San Francisco.

Charles Manson, despite his expressed concern about leaving prison

and inability to adapt outside, preferred staying in the penitentiary where he could enjoy walks in the yard and play guitar. However, disregarding his plea, the prison guards released him. Religion served as a significant manipulative tool for Manson, allowing him control over his followers - particularly troubled young women rebelling against their parents and society.

Charlie's followers were vulnerable individuals who were naive, easily influenced, and easy to manipulate. Manson used drugs like LSD and amphetamines to change his followers' personalities. The members of Manson's "family" called him "God" or "Jesus Christ," and they journeyed throughout California seeking a community where they could unite and reside. Finally, in the spring of 1968, they discovered their haven with a music teacher named Gary Hinman.

Hinman eventually grew restless with Manson and his female followers, prompting him to ask them to leave. In response, Manson sought out George Spahn and deceived him into granting shelter on his ranch for himself and his followers. The Manson "family" relied on theft and scavenging to survive, with Manson manipulating the girls into obeying his every command. They admired and idolized Manson.

According to Singer (55), members of Charles Manson's "family" blindly obeyed his commands, including taking drugs and fulfilling his sexual desires. They even went so far as to mimic his actions, such as carving a black X on their foreheads, just as Manson did. The Manson family used the ninth chapter of Revelation as their guide, with Manson himself believing that he was akin to a god and his followers were his devoted disciples.

His family believed that the "four angels" mentioned in the Revelations were none other than the renowned band,

the Beatles. Manson considered the Beatles to be prophets whose purpose on this planet was to forewarn of an imminent revolution. He firmly believed that the Beatles communicated with him directly through their musical compositions. (Missouri) Charlie invented a philosophy, something he conjured up to amaze his devoted followers.

According to Charlie's teachings, his philosophy centered around an Armageddon-like scenario. He argued that a time would come when black individuals would rise to power and initiate the mass extermination of white individuals, resulting in cities becoming fiery infernos of racial revenge. Charlie believed that people of color had the potential to triumph in this conflict. However, he also held the belief that eventually blacks would lose their grip on power due to inherent inferiority.

In 1968, Charlie made a prediction about a racial clash coinciding with the release of The Beatles' White Album, which included the song "Helter Skelter." This song's lyrics aligned with Charlie's theory of war as it contained phrases like "look out helter skelter, helter skelter, helter skelter."

She's descending rapidly, she surely is, indeed she is." The cataclysmic event was now referred to as "Helter Skelter." As per Charlie's beliefs, his family would survive this racial genocide by seeking refuge in the desert away from the turmoil in the cities. He derived inspiration from the book of Revelations, particularly the notion of an endless pit, with an entrance located in a cave beneath Death Valley that led to a city made of gold. This was where Charlie and his family intended to wait out the war. Charlie envisioned that once the war ended, the Manson "family" would be among the few remaining white families.

Consequently, he believed that the Manson "family" would dominate the world since he felt that black individuals would not be able to handle such a responsibility.

(Buglioso, 321) Manson believed that since the Armageddon did not occur, he needed to initiate it himself. In 1969, he instructed some of his followers to begin committing murders. The first target was the Tate residence. Sharon Tate cherished her secluded home on Cielo Drive in the quiet canyons above Beverly Hills, which provided her with privacy and ample space away from the busy atmosphere of Hollywood.

On August 9, 1969, Sharon attended a gathering that held great significance for her. This special occasion provided an opportunity to meet Roman Polanski, the man she loved and the father of their child. Accompanied by close friends Abigail Folger, Voytek Frykowski, and Jay Sebring, Sharon experienced a mix of joy and longing due to her husband's absence in Europe for work. Being eight months pregnant intensified her feelings of loneliness, prompting her to frequently organize gatherings like this one (Buglosi, 25). Despite its seclusion, the Tate house had some measures in place for protection. These included a locked gate located about one hundred feet from the house and a guesthouse where the caretaker resided.

Sharon's neighbors, who lived about 100 yards away, reported hearing what they believed were gunshots coming from her property between 12:30 and 1:00 a.m. Despite not hearing any other sounds, they went back to sleep. At the same time, Tim Ireland was supervising a camp-out less than a mile away when he heard a woman saying distressing words like "Oh, God, No, Don't, Don't..." He checked the surrounding area but

found nothing unusual. Additionally, sometime between 2:00 and 3:00 a.m., the Scott family's nearby dogs started barking excessively.

Upon waking up, Robert Billington, a member of a private security patrol, observed the surroundings and discovered no irregularities. At approximately 4 am, he thought he heard multiple gunshots which caused him to be alarmed. Without delay, he contacted headquarters to report the situation. Upon receiving this information, an officer from the LAPD expressed apprehension by stating, "I hope this isn't a homicide case because we recently received an emergency call from a woman in that vicinity." Following these events, Winifred Chapman, who serves as Tate's housekeeper, arrived at the main gate by 8 am.

Upon opening the gate and approaching the house, she immediately noticed a peculiar white Rambler parked in the driveway. Upon entering, she proceeded to the living room where she observed that the front door was ajar and there were red splatters scattered throughout. Positioned by the front door, she gazed outside and detected pools of blood on the front lawn.

LAPD officer Jerry DeRosa was the first to arrive at the scene. Approaching the Rambler, he found a young man covered in blood sitting in the passenger seat. Two more officers joined him and they went towards the house. The front door had graffiti that said "PIG." When they entered the living room, they were shocked by what they saw - a young pregnant woman lying on the floor, covered in blood, with a rope around her neck tied to a rafter on the ceiling.

In close proximity, the young man was similarly drenched in blood, with the opposite part of the rope fastened around his

neck. While exploring the residence, they detected the sounds of a dog and a male individuals conversing. The aforementioned individual was subsequently recognized as William Garretson and expeditiously apprehended for the homicides. Manson subsequently directed his attention towards the LaBlianca family. After Rosemary LaBlainca's demise, one of Manson's adherents confiscated her wallet and credit cards, deliberately abandoning them within the restroom of a gas station situated in an area primarily occupied by black individuals.

The credit cards, originally intended for use by black women, were never utilized and had no apparent connection to the LaBianca family's death (Sanders, 153). On a late Saturday evening, Leno and Rosemary LaBianca, along with Susan Struthers, returned from their vacation. After dropping Susan off at her apartment, they returned home to 3301 Waverly Drive in Los Angeles.

Frank, Rosemary's son, arrived at the house the following day at 8:30 am. He had been brought by a friend and immediately sensed something was wrong when he carried his camping equipment up the driveway. Despite his attempts to get someone's attention by knocking on the door, he received no response. Unable to reach anyone through a pay phone, he encountered the same result once more.

Frank contacted his sister, Susan, who arrived at the residence accompanied by her boyfriend. Frank and the boyfriend discovered that the rear entrance was unlocked. While they explored the premises, Susan remained in the kitchen. Upon entering the living room, Frank and the boyfriend encountered Leno in his sleepwear, with a pillowcase covering his face and a cord wrapped around his throat. Additionally, an object protruded from his abdomen.

Upon leaving the house, Susan was forcefully pulled along by them

and the police were promptly alerted. The authorities conducted a comprehensive search of the LaBianca residence upon their arrival. In the course of their investigation, they discovered Leno with a pillowcase soaked in blood covering his head. Furthermore, he had a fork sticking out from his stomach and the word "WAR" carved into his skin.

In his book Helter Skelter, Vince Bugliosi reports that Rosemary was discovered in the master bedroom with her nightgown covering her head and a cord tightly wrapped around her neck. Additionally, the house contained various writings in the victim's blood, including phrases such as "DEATH TO PIGS" and a misspelled version of "HEALTHER SKELTER" (Manson).

Bugliosi blames the detectives from the Los Angeles Police Department for their slow response in linking the Tate murders to the LaBianca murders that occurred on the subsequent night, as well as Gary Hinman's murder a few days earlier (Bugliosi).

Following the Tate-LaBianca murders, two Los Angeles Sheriffs approached the LAPD to address the issue of poor communication between their departments. They informed the LAPD about the murder of Gary Hinman on July 31 and emphasized a connection between all three crime scenes.

At Hinman's house, the words "POLITICAL PIGGY" were written on the wall, just like the words found at the Tate and LaBlianca crime scenes. Hinman was also killed in a similar manner to the victims at the Tate and LaBlianca homes. Surprisingly, the LAPD detectives chose not to investigate any possible connections among these three crime scenes. If they had listened to the LA Sheriff's detectives, they would have learned that Bobby Beausoleil had been arrested by the Sheriff's Office for Hinman's murder. Beausoleil was residing

with a group of hippies headed by Charles Manson. However, the LAPD had already concluded that the Tate murders were the result of a drug transaction gone wrong.

The LAPD detained William Garretson, the caretaker on the Tate estate, who claimed to have slept through the entire violent incident (Manson). On September 1, 1969, in Sherman Oaks, a ten-year-old named Steven Weiss found a dirty and rusty .22 caliber Hi Standard Longhorn revolver in his backyard. He gave it to his father who promptly took it to the LAPD. After a few weeks, forensic experts from the LAPD confirmed that the .22 caliber revolver with a broken gun grip was indeed the exact firearm used in the Tate murders.

The gun turned in and tagged, a rare and antique .22 caliber Longhorn revolver, was soon filled away and forgotten. The LA sheriff's department detectives, a group of aggressive young individuals who had conducted research, had identified several suspects, including Charles Manson (Langarde). In mid-October, the LAPD initiated discussions with the Sheriff's office to examine the similarities between the murder of Gary Hinman and the Tate-LaBlianca crimes. This investigation ultimately led them to the Spahn Ranch, the residence of the Manson "family," a hippie group.

Bobby Beausoleil, the murder suspect in the case of Gary Hinman, resided at the Spahn Ranch alongside the Manson "family." Law enforcement discovered that Manson instructed Bobby and a girl named Susan Atkins to go to Hinman's residence with the intention of obtaining money. When Hinman refused to provide them with money, they murdered him. Susan Atkins confided in a friend about a physical altercation she had with a man whom she repeatedly stabbed

in the legs. At this point, there appeared to be no direct link between Beausoleil and the Tate-LaBlianca murders, other than Susan Atkins stabbing a man in the leg. Notably, Gary Hinman had not suffered stab wounds to his legs, unlike Voytek Fryowski, one of the victims at the Tate house.

After conducting investigations, it was determined that Charles Manson instructed his "family" to carry out all the killings on his behalf. Upon learning this, the LAPD apprehended the entire "family" (Manson). In summary, the 1960s was a highly violent period in American history that was abruptly ended by Charles Manson. The Manson family committed numerous gruesome murders under Charles' direction.

He was seen as the devil by some, but considered a god by his "family" members. His followers admired him and imitated everything he did. Charles Manson was regarded by many as the downfall of civilized society and the beginning of a horrifying new era.

References

1. Book of Revelations.Online Available http://www.umkc.com,1 May.2000.
2. Buglioso, Vincent. Helter Skelter. New York: Bantam Books,1974.
3. Charles Manson.Online Available http://www.crimelibrary.com, 1 May.2000.
4. Filmer, Deborah K. Forensic Science and Charles Manson Murders. Online Available http://www.concentric.net, 2 May. 2000
5. Galanter, Marc. Cults:Faith, Healing,and Coercion. New York: Oxford University Press, 1989.
6. "In '69: Manson".

Online Available http://omegaserve.com, 30 April.2000

• Porterfield, Kay Marie. Straight Talk About Cults. New York: Facts on File,1995.

SanFrancisco: Jossey-Bass Publishers,1995.