Young Charlie by Hollywood & Crime
How did Charles Manson become an evil, cunning monster? In August 1969, the world is shocked by the savage murders of movie star Sharon Tate and four others at the sprawling Hollywood Hills estate she shares with film director Roman Polanski. When the following night another couple is brutally slaughtered, panic spreads among Los Angeles residents. Four months later, the mastermind behind these vicious crimes is arrested, and the public learns the name that would haunt it to this day: Charles Manson. But few knew then – or now – the full story behind the making of a mass murderer. In this groundbreaking 6-part series, host Tracy Pattin is joined by internationally acclaimed actor Stephen Lang (Avatar, Don’t Breathe) to take listeners on a unique journey, investigating Manson’s unlikely path from his troubled childhood in rural West Virginia to the night he sent his out his followers to commit the most infamous crime in Hollywood history.
Listen now: wondery.fm/MS_YoungCharlie
MANslaughter tells intertwining stories about how one gunshot on a cold Wisconsin night in 1970 dramatically changed multiple lives. A bullet brutally tore through decorated law enforcement veteran LaVerne Stordock. Decades later, his niece, Dorothy Marcic, transformed herself into an amateur detective in a quest for truth and closure about that night. At the center of Dorothy’s investigation is Suzanne Brandon, LaVerne’s second wife, who confessed to the shooting -- and who Dorothy believes completely escaped justice. As it follows Dorothy’s discoveries, MANslaughter explores questions around the psychology of crime, the ways women are made responsible in families, and the lasting impact of trauma.
A final encounter between Suzanne and Dorothy reveals a complex connection that even that gunshot cannot shatter. MANslaughter is based on the book, With One Shot by Dorothy Marcic.
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By September 1969, police had interviewed over three hundred people and still had no viable suspects in the Tate or LaBianca murders. It didn’t help that the two separate police departments investigating the murders were not sharing information. And no connection had yet been made between those murders and the murder of Gary Hinman in July – or to the auto theft raid at Spahn Ranch near Chatsworth in August.
By 1954, Charlie has spent seven of his nineteen years in six different “institutions.” After being paroled from number six, he meets and marries Rosalie Willis in West Virginia and decides to take his new bride to Los Angeles – in a stolen car.
Want to hear the rest of Young Charlie right now and ad-free? Join Wondery+ today for instant access to all 6 episodes, plus more from your favorite Wondery shows. During checkout, enter promo code charlie to get your first month of access free: wondery.com/plus
On the morning of August 9, 1969, the bodies of actress Sharon Tate and four other people were discovered at the sprawling Benedict Canyon home of Miss Tate and her husband, film director Roman Polanski. The victims had all been brutally murdered. The next day, the bodies of Leno and Rosemary LaBianca were discovered at their home in Los Feliz. They had been murdered in a similar, gruesome fashion.
In 1939, young Charlie Manson’s mother Kathleen is arrested in Charleston, West Virginia and jailed for robbery. After her release, she is unable to control her son and has him sent to the Gibault School for Boys in Indiana. Charlie runs away after only ten months. Then, after being arrested for burglary, he is given a second chance when a kindly judge sends him to the famous Boys Town in Omaha, Nebraska. After just four days, he escapes from there as well.
