Charles Manson dead at 83, leaves morbid memories of murder and mayhem

One of the most famous cult leaders of recent times, Charles Manson, died at age 83 today while serving nine life terms. Manson leaves memories of mayhem and murder that are still raw in some Californians’ minds after nearly half a century gone by.

The Manson Family, as the charismatic leader and his followers are known, perpetrated violent murders in San Francisco in the late 1960s, resulting in the death of seven victims.

Manson never participated in any of the murders, according to reports at the time, but one former prosecutor, Victor Bugliosi, told CNN in 2015: “He was the dictatorial ruler of the (Manson) family, the king, the Maharaja. And the members of the family were slavishly obedient to him.”

The original sentence for Manson was death, but after a brief repeal of the death penalty in the state, his terms were commuted to life in prison.

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