Mass murderer Charles Manson 'seriously ill'
January 4, 2017
Charles Manson, the notorious leader of the Manson family cult, was transported from the California State Prison in Corcoran to a hospital in Bakersfield on Tuesday and is "seriously ill," according to celebrity news website TMZ.
Terry Thornton, a spokeswoman for the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, would not discuss the reasons for Manson's hospitalization, citing privacy laws.
Another source, speaking with the "Los Angeles Times" newspaper, would only confirm that Manson "is alive."
Life in prison
Manson, 82, has been in prison since 1971 following his cult's horrific murders of seven people during the summer of 1969, all on Manson's orders.
One of the victims included Sharon Tate, an actress and the wife of film director Roman Polanski, who was eight-and-a-half months pregnant at the time of her murder.
Manson and three of his followers were initially sentenced to death, but their sentences were later reduced to life sentences. He has been denied parole 12 times and is not eligible to apply for parole again until 2027.
kbd/cmk (AP, dpa, Reuters)