Before ordering his “family” to kill Sharon Tate, Charles Manson spent his life in & out of prison. His mother was a prostitute and got busted for theft when she was a teenager. Manson’s first stint with the law happened when he was eleven. Rather than reforming him, Manson’s run-ins with the criminal justice system made him more dangerous.
Charles Manson went from being a petty thief to a pimp to a cult leader successfully conspiring to murder. His legacy as America’s boogeyman still persists to this day. Knowing he fathered children, that leads us to ask how Manson’s dark legacy impacted them.
While Charles Manson could have fathered many children throughout his life, here are the offspring we know about and how they came to be.
Charles Manson’s love life
The first thing we know about Charles Manson’s love life is his marriage to a teenage bride in 1955. Manson was twenty and his wife, Rosalie Jean Willis, was only fifteen. He bragged about marrying her so he “could get into that p****” to his friends. A year later, they had Charles Manson Jr.
While Willis was pregnant, Charles Manson stole a car and drove to Los Angeles. He was charged with the theft when he arrived in LA and spent more time in prison. Willis divorced him while he was locked up. Manson married again, fathering Charles Luthor Manson with his second wife.
While running the Manson Family, Charles Manson had many lovers. He sired at least one child with someone from his “family,” Michael Brunner. He also had lovers while in prison and tried to father a child with one of his new wives.
Charles Manson Jr.
Charles Manson Jr. went under the alias Jay White to keep his father’s reputation as a cult leader and mass murderer away from him. He tried taking his stepfather’s name, but since it wasn’t legally changed, he had a hard time finding jobs and was bullied at work.
Feeling like he was unable to escape his father’s monstrous shadow, Charles Manson Jr. died by suicide. His son, Jason Freeman, won the rights to Charles Manson’s body. Freeman had it cremated and the ashes scattered.
Charles Luther Manson
Charles Manson’s second son stayed far out of the limelight. He was Manson’s second wife, Leona “Candy” Stevens’ son. Other than his mother’s identity, we only know that he changed his name to Jay Charles Warner and died in 2007.
Matthew Roberts
If you watch an interview with Matthew Roberts, you will notice the resemblance between him and Charles Manson right away. Roberts was interviewed extensively about Charles Manson’s life behind bars. Roberts gave the press updates about Manson’s time in jail.
Roberts, a musician living in Los Angeles, was adopted at a young age. Through a search, his mother told him that she brought him into existence with Charles Manson at an orgy. He believed he was related to Manson for much of his life. However, two DNA tests between him and Manson came back negative.
Michael Brunner & Michael Lentz
Brunner & Lentz were one of the four people to come forward and claim Charles Manson’s estate after he died. Brunner’s mother is Mary Brunner, one of the original members of the Manson Family. Lentz claims to have been fathered by Manson at an orgy in 1967.
Although Manson bit through Brunner’s umbilical cord with his teeth, Brunner never had a relationship with his father. He spent his childhood with his grandparents in Wisconsin and his name was changed from Valentine Manson to Brunner. He lives in the Midwest on a farm, and apart from the occasional interview, is a private person.
Michael Lentz pieced who his father was from tracking down his mother, who told him about Charles Manson. It appeared later that Lentz may have been adopted. Lentz only claimed a part of Manson’s inheritance, the rights to a song that Manson wrote for him.
Charles Manson wanted more kids
Matthew Roberts told the NY Daily News in an interview that Charles Manson wanted another kid. He explained this was the reason for Manson to take another bride in 2014 while he was in prison (Manson was 80). Roberts was still baffled, as Manson’s prison didn’t allow him to have conjugal visits. How were kids going to happen without sex?
There is still a dispute over Charles Manson’s estate
Manson earned money behind bars by selling books, music, and art. He was excluded from a later U.S. law known as the “Son of Sam” law, stating inmates cannot earn income from their name while being locked up. Manson amassed a fortune of $400,000 when he died of a heart attack in 2017.
Naturally, where there’s a big fortune, there are people fighting over it. Four claimants came forward to claim Manson’s estate, including Mark Channels, a penpal of Charles Manson who sold his artwork online. The battle for Manson’s estate continues between Jason Freeman, Manson’s grandson, and Channels.
Matthew Roberts stated that he wants nothing to do with his father’s money. He claims he’s well off already and he doesn’t want the negative energy associated with his father’s earnings from books & music while he did time.
