Historical Events  People
Charles Manson

Alternate:
Died mid 2000's

Current:
Died November 2017

A final trip round the Helter Skelter

The news that notorious cult leader Charles Manson was reported to have died in November 2017 came as quite a shock to many. That's because they were sure he'd already died some time ago - the date range seems to span from 2003-2005, with some remembering 2012, and his death being from natural causes whilst in prison. This is the same situation as Nelson Mandela being reported dead much earlier too, so if that hadn't happened we could all be referring to the Manson Effect.

Charles Manson was found guilty of first-degree murder in 1971 even though he didn't personally kill anyone. As the leader of his cult - known as "The Family" - he was sentenced to life imprisonment for ordering his cult to kill 7 people. He avoided the death penalty only because it was abolished in California in 1972.

Executed in the electric chair

Some are even reporting they remember him dying in the electric chair in the early '70s. He probably would have too, had the law not changed just in the nick of time. Or did that really happen, but in another timeline?

Controversy over the controversy

Neil Sanders has studied the Manson case in great detail. His book, "Now's The Only Thing That's Real", examines the murders, motives and mythos surrounding the life of Charles Manson and questions the official story. 

Neil Sanders:

How do Terry Melcher, Elvis Presley, the Beach Boys, Jane Fonda, the Mamas and the Papas, Michael Caine, Dean Martin, Angela Lansbury, Peter Sellers, Warren Beatty, Yul Brynner, Peter Falk, Cary Grant, Steve McQueen, Neil Young, Frank Zappa, Nancy Sinatra, Ronald Reagan and Debbie Harry fit into the tale? What Hollywood secrets did the industry, the police and the prosecution strive to keep hidden? Were the victims really chosen at random by a crazed cult of serial killers, high on a mix of LSD, Satanism and the music of the Beatles? Read on to uncover the secrets of the Manson family, their trial, the main players in the case and the murky world of Hollywood.

The only thing known for sure is Manson didn't personally kill anyone, but was found guilty of murder...