Originally Posted by Matt 26z

He is in prison for being an accessory to murder. The killers were influenced by Tex Watson, not Manson. It's generally accepted that Manson knew of the plans, but he allegedly told those involved that it was their business and he distanced himself from it instead of trying to stop it.

My feeling is that Manson was/is a creative genius type surrounded by the wrong people. Watson was a violent loose cannon who by coincidence was attracted to Manson's artistic philosophy and in turn influenced some low IQ female groupies of Manson's to help him out.

Manson for his part has served his time by now and should be paroled. That won't happen though. Pop culture has built him up over 40 years to be the face of evil.