To what extent can one find obedience, conformity and bystander effect in the case of the Manson Family murders

753 Words2 Pages

Charles Manson and the Manson family committed gruesome crimes that shocked Los Angeles in 1969. The actress Sharon Tate and four others were ritualistically slaughtered in her Hollywoods Hills home. The murderers had left cryptic messages on the walls in the victims blood, and law enforcement were stumped by the multiple stab wounds found on the victims. The next day a married couple, Leno and Rosemary LaBianca, who were successful shop owners, were found in their Las Feliz home murdered in the same way as Sharon Tate and her friends.

The breakthrough came when a young woman confessed to the crime. Susan Atkins was arrested for car theft and admitted to being a part of the group also known as “The Family”. She explained their theory that the murders were to be the first step in a global race war, which the group called HelterSkelter. It would cause the end of the world, with the Manson family emerging as leaders to the survivors. Atkins implicated several others, including, Linda Kasabian, Patricia Krenwinkel, and Tex Watson. They were all white, middle class youths living like hippies in a desert near LA. They came from average American homes, and had no prior history of violence, which made the police conclude that someone else had to be in charge. Atkins told them about their leader, who they followed with unwavering devotion, and that he was the only one who knew the truth, Charles Manson who has now come to represent true evil in most people eyes.

Manson was born in 1934 in Cincinnati, Ohio, an unwanted child to a 16 year old prostitute mother. He had a life filled with rejection and abandonment which begun early on. He never knew his father, and his mother would leave him alone for days, sometimes weeks. Leaving him...

... middle of paper ...

...t at any point speak up against Manson’s will.

Even today Manson still acquires new followers daily, who believe his theories and treat him like the authority figure that he sees himself as. This is why he is still considered one of the most frightening and compelling criminals of the day.

Works Cited

Bardsley, Marilyn. "Murder!" Charles Manson and the Manson Family — — Crime Library. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Mar. 2014.

"Charles Manson - Documentary." YouTube. Discovery Channel, 14 Apr. 2013. Web. 13 Mar. 2014.

"Charles Manson - Dianne Sawyer Documentary." YouTube. YouTube, 24 Feb. 2013. Web. 13 Mar. 2014.

Watson, Charles D. "Chapter 2 The Cult :: Manson's Right-Hand Man Speaks Out!" Chapter 2 The Cult :: Manson's Right-Hand Man Speaks Out! N.p., 2010. Web. 13 Mar. 2014.

"Charles Manson and the Manson Family." Crime Library:. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Mar. 2014.

More about To what extent can one find obedience, conformity and bystander effect in the case of the Manson Family murders

Open Document