The Icon of Evil

A CELEBRITY hit list, a loyal cult following, as many as 35 victims and an appetite for murder inspired by the acts of Hitler: Charles Manson will live on in infamy.

- Vanessa Papas

At 82 years old Charles Manson is a far cry from the man the world remembers him to be. His curly dark hair is now completely grey, his body frail and his health fast deteriorating. But despite his age, his eyes still glisten with an unmistakable madness.

Those living during ‘the summer of love’ will remember Manson as the cult leader who struck fear across Los Angeles. Although convicted for the murders of seven people, it’s believed Manson and his followers were responsible for at least 35 deaths. Still an inmate at California’s Corcoran State Prison, he’s been denied parole 12 times, with his next hearing scheduled for 2027 – if Manson makes it to 92.

Many mass killers have a sordid and abusive history that catapulted them into evil. Not much, however, is known about Manson’s early life. As the child of an alcoholic mother he did spend several years in and out of foster homes but it’s not clear whether his stay was necessarily abusive. During his teens he was arrested several times for petty theft before committing his first big crime at the age of 21 when he stole a car and drove it across a state line. While he was serving jail time, Manson’s then wife, a pretty 17-year-old named Rosalie, gave birth to his first son. Their relationship failed when Manson was arrested time and time again on various charges.