Charles Manson, the cult leader behind the 1969 Los Angeles killing spree including the murder of actress Sharon Tate, has died at the age of 83 in a Bakersfield hospital. He is notably known for his Manson Family cult that created his reign of terror which resulted him on spending the past 46 years in prison.
Debra Tate, Sharon’s sister, was informed by the California State Prison system that Manson died 8:13pm Sunday. The prison notified all of the victims’ families. He was recently admitted to a Bakersfield hospital escorted by five uniformed cops. It was reported that he was seriously ill and “it was a matter of time.” Last January, he was also rushed to the hospital for gastrointestinal bleeding. He was supposed to undergo surgery but he was too weak and deemed too risky.
Manson has been in prison since his arrest in December 1969 for the Tate-LaBianca murders. He was convicted of conspiracy to commit the slayings, which occurred one day after the next in August 1969. Manson wasn’t present during the Tate murder but it was done by the members of his family composed of Susan Atkins, Tex Watson, Patricia Krenwinkel, and Linda Kasabian. His goal was to start a race war called “Helter Skelter” (a term that he took from The Beatles’ song of the same name).
The night after the Tate murders, members of the family randomly murdered Leno and Rosemary LaBianca. Overall, the family inflicted 169 stab wounds and 7 gunshot wounds. Manson got the death penalty in 1971, but it was ruled unconstitutional. It was changed to nine consecutive life sentences.
American Horror Story: Cult recently featured Manson during the final two episodes of the series. The Tate murder was recreated during the tenth episode. Manson was played by Evan Peters, who also played other notorious cult leaders. Quentin Tarantino’s next film will reportedly involve the Manson Family murders during the year 1969.
Follow Us
