Charles Manson: His Mind and Motivations

Killer Psyche

Wondery | Treefort Media

True Crime, Exhibit C

4.6 • 4.2K Ratings

🗓️ 7 January 2025

⏱️ 56 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Retired FBI agent and criminal profiler Candice DeLong examines the case of Charles Manson. In 1969, Manson orchestrated the infamous Tate-LaBianca murders in Los Angeles, California – using his influence over young, vulnerable followers to commit horrific crimes on his behalf. Fueled by his outlandish beliefs and behavior, he became one of the most frightening figures in true crime. But what was really going on in the mind of Manson? Candice explores how constant rejection in Manson’s life could have led him to criminal infamy, and how he used fear and control to embolden his own twisted perception of the world and people around him.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	Want to get more from Killer Psyche?
0:02.3	Subscribe to Wondery Plus for early access to new episodes, ad-free listening, and exclusive content you cannot find anywhere else.
0:12.8	Join Wondery Plus in the Wondery app or on Apple Podcasts.
0:19.0	A listener note, this episode contains adult content and is not suitable for everyone. Please be advised.
0:31.7	The tale of the Pied Piper of Hamlin is a chilling one.
0:39.3	A mysterious figure strolls into town, playing a hypnotic tune that led hordes of menacing rats out of the village.
0:51.3	The piper promised the townspeople's salvation from the rats,
0:55.7	but when the town refused to pay, he turned his powers on them.
1:02.3	This time, he played his flute for a different audience, the town's children.
1:09.6	Lured by his enchanting tune, they followed him,
1:14.5	disappearing into the mountains, never to return. The Piper's influence, his magnetic hold over
1:24.3	those who followed him, is an ages-old myth. But Charles Manson's horrific reign of terror
1:32.5	was very real. Manson did not play a flute. He did not need to. With a twisted charisma,
1:42.9	he captivated a group of vulnerable young followers, leading
1:48.0	them not into the hills, but to a series of brutal murders that shook the nation. Just like
1:57.5	the Pied Piper, Manson prayed on the vulnerable, those searching for something more,
2:04.6	something beyond the ordinary.
2:07.5	Manson charmed his family, promising them freedom, love, and meaning in a chaotic world.
2:18.3	With a few cryptic words, Manson pulled the strings,
2:23.3	orchestrating violence with his twisted vision of a race war called Helter Skelter.
2:30.3	Charles Manson, the modern Pied Piper, a man with no weapon but his words, led his so-called family down a path of destruction.
2:43.5	Now, a new documentary series streaming on Peacock called Making Manson goes deeper into Manson's motivations, airing never-before-seen prison
	...

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