A key factor in the board’s decision was something Manson said recently to one of his prison psychologists, which a parole board member read aloud:
“‘I’m special. I’m not like the average inmate. I have spent my life in prison. I have put five people in the grave. I am a very dangerous man.'”
It was probably Manson’s last bid for freedom – he’s 77 and can’t apply again for another 15 years.
It took the parole panel deliberated for 20 minutes before making its decision.
No clear motive for Manson’s crimes has ever been established. He was sentenced to death, but his life was spared when the
California supreme court briefly outlawed the death penalty in 1972.
Authorities read a litany of Manson’s prison infractions, including the latest – manufacture and possession of a weapon, for which he is serving 15 months in an isolation unit.
Manson has a steady stream of visitors to his jail cell, including college students writing papers about him and prison workers say he receives more mail than most inmates.
Already a convicted criminal, Manson left prison in 1967 and headed to the hippy scene of San Francisco, then on to Los Angeles where he formed a commune and attempted to make a music career. He went on to instruct members of the commune, known as the Manson Family, to go out and do murderous deeds.
Musician Neil Young once said of Manson “He had this kind of music that nobody else was doing. I thought he really had something crazy, something great. He was like a living poet.”
‘Never Learn Not To Love’ by the Beach Boys was written by Manson, listen below.
