Charles Manson: Everything you should know about his 'family members' who killed for him

TW: mentions of murder

Linda Kasabian, Leslie Van Houten, Bobby Beausoleil... The Manson Family was made up of many members, all lead by their guru, Charles Manson. However, if any of these names stand out more than the others, it's probably Patricia Krenwinkel, Susan Atkins and Charles 'Tex' Watson. So what did they do to become so well known?

The Manson Family was built around murder

The Manson Family was born in the late 1960s. It was headed by Charles Manson, a criminal who had been in and out of prison many times. He had already committed numerous robberies and sexual assaults. For a time, he even pimped a young under-age woman. A crime for which he remained behind bars for some time, and where his passion for music gradually developped.

On his release, he set up his own hippie community, introducing himself to the members who joined him as the 'reincarnation of Christ'. The group took refuge at Spahn Ranch, a place that once served as a movie set. Everyone was on the outs with Charles Manson, and lived for just one thing: to please him. From the outset, however, the Manson Family's goals were criminal to say the least. The only way they survived was by stealing and selling drugs. In fact, many of the members were drug addicts themselves.

At this point, the Manson Family wasn't the best 'family' ever, but it wasn't as dangerous as it would later become. Indeed, Charles Manson's insanity was taking hold of him more and more. Based on the Beatles' latest album, the White Album, he was convinced that black people would dominate white people. He used the album to justify the murders to come.

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Helter Skelter, the Hollywood slaughterhouse

As early as 1969, the guru sent his disciples to commit the first murders. His goal was to blame the murders on black people. Nevertheless, if there's one event that will make the Manson Family infamous, it's the Hollywood massacre.

The event took place in Los Angeles, at 10050 Cielo Drive. Charles 'Tex' Watson, Patricia Krenwinkel and Susan Atkins initially went to this mansion to murder music producer Terry Melcher and avenge their guru. A few years earlier, Melcher had refused to sign a contract with Charles Manson. When they arrived at the house, the murderers couldn't find Terry Melcher, so they decided to attack the members present. Among them was Sharon Tate, Roman Polanski's wife, who was eight months pregnant. She was murdered along with her friends Wojciech Frykowski, Abigail Folger, Steven Parent and Jay Sebring.

Charles Manson and his followers even gave the slaughter a name: Helter Skelter, a Beatles song from the White Album. Paul McCartney, one of the Beatles' band members, said of the massacre:

Charles Manson interpreted 'Helter Skelter' as having something to do with the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. I still don't know what all this is about. It's from the Bible, the Book of Revelation. I haven't read it, so I don't know. He interpreted the whole thing, and ended up killing everyone. ... It was scary because you don't write songs for those reasons.

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What happened to the Hollywood assassins?

Charles 'Tex' Watson, Patricia Krenwinkel and Susan Atkins were the three murderers of Sharon Tate and her friends. What happened to them?

Charles 'Tex' Watson

Charles 'Tex' Watson heard about the Manson Family from his followers. It was only later that this Texan man met Charles Manson. Watson was quickly hooked: he joined the group some time later. Along with his two other accomplices, Susan Atkins and Patricia Krenwinkel, he was responsible for the murder of Roman Polanski's pregnant wife.

But that's not the only murder on his record. The day after the Helter Skelter massacre, Charles 'Tex' Watson also participated in the murder of the LaBianca couple, Rosemary and Leno. Leno LaBianca was found dead with a fork in his throat, reminiscent of one of the Beatles' songs, Piggies, which reads:

You can see them out to dinner, with their piggy wives, grabbing forks and knives, eating their bacon.

After leaving the Spahn Ranch, he was arrested on November 30, 1969. His trial followed, and he was found guilty of murdering seven people. Behind bars, he claims to have questioned his whole life. He converted to Christianity and published his autobiographyWill You Die For Me?

The former murderer's heart left a little room for love: in 1978, he married Kristin Joan Svege. Together, they had four children. However, their marriage did not last, and the couple divorced after 25 years together in 2003.

In 1981, he became a pastor, before obtaining a degree in Business Management at California Coast University.

Today, Charles 'Tex' Watson remains imprisoned at Mule Creek.

Patricia Krenwinkel

Patricia Krenwinkel met Charles Manson in 1967, in Manhattan Beach. The woman nicknamed 'Katie' by all members of the Manson Family had participated in the murders of Sharon Tate and the LaBiancas. In fact, on the walls of the couple's house, she had written 'Death to pigs'.

She was sentenced to life imprisonment. After receiving her sentence, she remained attached to the Manson Family, before gradually breaking away. Like Watson, she graduated from the University of La Verne. In prison, she claims to have found her place. She now plays the guitar, writes music and poetry, and plays sports.

In an interview with Diane Sawyer in 1994, Patricia Krenwinkel admitted she regretted her actions, saying:

I wake up every morning knowing that I am the destroyer of the most precious thing in the world: life.

Today, the 75-year-old woman is still in prison.

Susan Atkins

Susan Atkins met the head of the Manson Family when she was just 18 years old. Like Patricia Krenwinkel, Susan Atkins also had a nickname: Sadie Mae Glutz.

Like Charles Manson's two previous disciples, Susan Atkins was involved in the murders of Sharon Tate and Leno and Rosemary LaBianca. But she was also involved in the killing of one of her guru's friends, Gary Hinman, who allegedly owed money to the head of the 'family'. In fact, she was initially arrested in 1969 only for Hinman's murder.

On 23 April, 1971, she was sentenced to life imprisonment for the murder of eight people. Three years later, she also became a born-again Christian. In 1977, her book Child of Satan, Child of God was published.

She married twice: the first time to Donald Lee Laisure, and the second time to James W. Whitehouse, who was actually one of her lawyers. She made several unsuccessful attempts to get out of prison.

On September 24, 2009, Susan Atkins died at the Central California Women's Facility.

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This article has been translated from Gentside FR.