In , Manson was convicted of first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder for the deaths of seven people , including the film actress Sharon Tate. The prosecution contended that, while Manson never directly ordered the murders, his ideology constituted an overt act of conspiracy. Before the murders, Manson had spent more than half of his life in correctional institutions. While gathering his cult following, he was a singer-songwriter on the fringe of the Los Angeles music industry, chiefly through a chance association with Dennis Wilson of the Beach Boys , who introduced Manson to record producer Terry Melcher.
Afterward, he attempted to secure a record contract through Melcher, but was unsuccessful. Manson would often talk about the Beatles , including their eponymous album. According to Los Angeles County District Attorney Vincent Bugliosi , Manson felt guided by his interpretation of the Beatles' lyrics and adopted the term " Helter Skelter " to describe an impending apocalyptic race war. Contemporary interviews and trial witness testimony insisted that the TateβLaBianca murders were copycat crimes intended to exonerate Manson's friend Bobby Beausoleil.
Nevertheless, he served his time in prison and died from complications from colon cancer in He allowed Maddox to believe that he was an army colonel, although "Colonel" was merely his given name. When Maddox told Scott that she was pregnant, he informed her that he had been called away on army business; after several months she realized he had no intention of returning.
In August , before Manson's birth, Maddox married William Eugene Manson β , a laborer at a dry cleaning business. Maddox often went on drinking sprees with her brother Luther Elbert Maddox β , leaving Charles with babysitters. Maddox and her husband divorced on April 30, , after William alleged "gross neglect of duty" by Maddox. Charles retained William's last name of Manson. Manson was placed in the home of an aunt and uncle in McMechen, West Virginia.
Manson later characterized the first weeks after she returned from prison as the happiest time in his life. In an interview with Diane Sawyer , Manson stated that when he was aged 9, he set his school on fire. Although there was a lack of foster home placements, in , at the age of 13, Manson was placed in the Gibault School for Boys in Terre Haute, Indiana , a school for male delinquents run by Catholic priests.
