Charles Milles Manson ( né Maddox , November 12 , 1934November 19 , 2017 ) was an American criminal and cult leader . In mid-1967 , he formed what became known as the Manson Family , a quasi-commune based in California . Manson 's followers committed a series of nine murders at four locations in July and August 1969 . According to the Los Angeles County district attorney , Manson plotted to start a race war , though Manson and others involved long disputed this motive . In 1971 , he was convicted of first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder for the deaths of seven people . Although the prosecution conceded that Manson never literally ordered the murders , they contended that his ideology constituted an overt act of conspiracy . Manson was also convicted of first-degree murder for the deaths of Gary Hinman and Donald Shea
deaths of seven people
Tate murders
Charles Manson