Charles Manson Research Paper

Picture this…You’re nineteen years old with nowhere to call home, your mothers left you traumatised and permanently scarred. You’re alone in the big bad world. Fragile, vulnerable and powerless. Does any teenager really have life’s answers? Or are they aimlessly searching for them from somewhere or someone else? Cast yourself back to when you were nineteen, if someone had entered your life offering all the answers, don’t tell me you would’ve turned them away. Leslie Van Houten was just nineteen years old when she fell under infamous cult leader Charles Manson’s spell. She thought he could give her the answers everyone so desperately seeks at that tender age. A year after joining the ‘Manson Family’ Van Houten was involved in the 1969 murders of Leno and Rosemary LaBianca. Under Manson’s orders Van Houten stabbed Rosemary approximately 16 times. She was found guilty of murder and is now serving life in prison. In September 2017 Van Houten was granted parole. She now faces a one-hundred-and-twenty-day review period. At the end, it will be decided whether or not she is fit for release. I believe that Leslie should walk free and be allowed a second chance at life.

Jeffrey Dahmer was a notorious serial killer in the late 70’s throughout the early 90’s. What made him stand out from most serial killer’s was what he did to the bodies of his victims. During this research paper, I will cover his childhood life, what led to his lifestyle of killing and cannibalism and also the crimes that were committed during his murderous acts. I will also compare what theories relate to Jeffrey Dohmer and what could possibly be the reason why he did what he did.

The word “Cult” has not always had such a negative connotation attached to it. Many religions would’ve been considered cults when they first began. By the end of the 19th century many visionaries had revealed radically new religious systems, claiming immunity to the impurities of the old ones (Powers, 1997). These were no more than a group of people organizing themselves in worship and devotion for a person, object, or movement. They practiced rituals different to other “mainstream” religions, and were therefore considered cults.

At the age of twenty-six Charles Manson was sent to the US penitentiary. By 1959 Charles had been committed of rape, drug use, pimping, stealing, and fraud. Manson was emotionally insecure and was lacking attention.

When people hear the name Charles Manson, people automatically think of the string of horrible murders this man was involved in during the summer of 1969. Charles Manson is infamous for creating “the Manson Family” and sought to create a war between races with his followers. The book Helter Skelter by Vincent Bugliosi, the main prosecutor in the Manson trial, chronicled the murders carried out by Manson and his followers, the trial following the murders, as well as the psychological diseases that may affect Manson as a person. Manson is responsible for several murders, including that of the pregnant Sharon Tate and Leno and Rosemary LaBianca. While Manson never took part in the physical murders, he was

Manson was happy with the death of those six people, but was upset with the sloppiness of that night’s murders (“Manson Family Murders”). “Last night was too messy, Manson told the group when they assembled back into their bunkhouse. This time I’m going to show you how to do it” (Bugliosi 355). After driving for hours Manson stopped at a house in the suburbs. He had his ‘Family’ drive around the block while he looked through the window. After a few minutes Manson returned to the car and told them that the house had pictures of children. He continued on to

Charles Manson was a man behind the deaths of nine people in the late 1960s. He was a cult leader manipulated many of his followers to kill innocent people for many absurd reasons: that he was the second coming, that he was both Christ and the Devil, and that Armageddon was coming. Most people saw Manson as a madman. A select few, however, admired Manson for his cunning; to his own followers and in his own eyes, Manson was extremely clever, rather than being insane. In Rog Phillips’ “The Yellow Pill,” two men, by the names of Dr. Elton and Jerry Bocek, are either in a psychiatrist's office or in the vacuum of space. Jerry continuously tries to convince Dr. Elton that they are in a spaceship, yet Elton thinks that Jerry is insane. Evidence throughout “The Yellow Pill” shows that the two men are clearly on Earth, but that does not necessarily mean that Jerry is insane. Like Charles Manson, Jerry is simply well versed in manipulation; he did not have a skewed sense of reality at all.

"Mr. Scott, Ms. Maddox? Here's your baby boy!" These were the first words that Kathleen Maddox heard when she gave birth to a healthy baby boy, to whom she would later give her maiden name. Charles Milles Manson, born in Cincinnati, Ohio, on November 11, 1934 (FAQ's 1), seemed to be a normal child, when, in fact, he was trouble from the start. The two had not planned to have a child, and certainly did not expect him to end up being the most notorious killer of the 20th century. In the summer of 1969, Manson made the residents of California afraid to leave their homes (Fillmer 2). Charlie Manson committed grotesque crimes, controlled his trials, and now resides in the California State Prison (FAQ's 1).

On the morning of August 9, 1969, three LAPD officers arrived at 10050 Cielo Drive (Bugliosi 7). The scene that awaited them was horrendous. In the driveway, in a parked car, the body of Steven Parent was found. He was shot four times and stabbed once. Laying about eighteen or twenty feet past the front door of the house, Voytek Frykowski had been shot twice, beaten over the head with a blunt object thirteen times, and stabbed fifty-one times. Also discovered on the lawn was coffee heiress Abigail Folger, stabbed twenty-eight times. Inside the home, in the living room, were the bodies of Jay Sebring and Sharon Tate. Sebring, a hair stylist, had been stabbed seven times and shot once, dying of exsanguination. Tate, who was eight

These are some of the most infamous names in the history of murder, but they hid in plain sight, and Manson did not even commit murder. He was so manipulative he could convince others to do his bidding for him. How is that even possible? Surely one would be able to recognize someone who is such a dangerous threat or would they? One of the reasons these killers can be so successful is their ability to blend into their surroundings and at times even be considered a stand up member of the communities they live in, but what is going on inside their brains?

As I’ve said previously, the life of Charles Manson revolved around interpersonal violence. From an early age Manson was the victim of child neglect – his mother (Kathleen Maddox) would leave him with neighbors, “for an hour, then disappear for days or weeks,”

Manson believed that there would be a racial war called “Helter Skelter”. The white would be against the blacks, meanwhile, the Manson’s would hide out in the desert. He then believed the blacks would win and wipe out everyone else but not be able to govern themselves

Charles Manson ended up on the streets and this led to his life of crime. By 1952, Charles had spent 17 years, which was half his life, imprisoned. He had 8 assault charges already. While in prison, Charles Manson was known as a model inmate and he even got released against his wishes because he felt he could not adjust to the world. (Rosenberg, 2009) He also fathered two children, one by his ex wife and one by another woman.

Charles Milles Maddox was born to a young sixteen year old named Kathleen Maddox who gave birth to him on November 12, 1934, in Cincinnati, Ohio. At birth he wasn’t given an actual name and was known as “no name Maddox”. Awhile after his birth Kathleen married a man named William Manson, who worked for a dry cleaning business. The child was then named Charles Milles Maddox . Though there is no evidence that Charles had his biological father involved in his life, there's records that show that Kathleen filed a paternity suit against a man named Colonel Walker Henderson Scott, when she was charged for a robbery in 1939. With his mother in jail, Manson moved in with his aunt Glenna, uncle Bill and cousin Jo Ann in McMechen, West Virginia. Since the very beginning Manson caused Glenna and Bill trouble. Charlies cousin Jo Ann who was a few years older than him, described him as being a liar and always wanting attention. In some cases he would blame others for the things he would do, and would also act wrong to get attention when others

November 12,1934, 16-year-old prostitute Kathleen Maddox gave birth to a baby boy (Allan,2010). When the baby was born, she didn’t know what to name him, so she gave him the name “No Name” Maddox for the first weeks of his life. Soon after he was given the name Charles Milles Maddox. Charles did not know who his father was, but Kathleen would soon run off and get married to a man by the name of William Eugene Manson, who would give Charles his last name of Manson. Charles would use the last name Manson for the remainder of his life. Charles would go neglected for the majority of his childhood life by his mother who was a severe alcoholic. During his life, Charles was tossed from relatives and foster homes. Kathleen and Charles were soon abandoned by William years after their marriage which caused Kathleen to go into deep depression.