CHARLES “TEX” WATSON
Imprisoned and an ordained minister in Ione, Calif.
Watson, Manson’s self-described right-hand man, was sentenced to death for his part in the killings, but was later given life in prison after the death penalty was overturned. In prison, Watson married, divorced and fathered four children and became an ordained minister.
A website for Watson’s ministry, which claims to be written by Watson through letters from prison, says he believed “Manson offered a utopia, but in reality he had a destructive worldview which Charles ended up believing in and acting upon. Watson’s participation in the 1969 killings is a part of history that he deeply regrets.” He hasn’t had any disciplinary actions taken against him since 1973, corrections officials say.
According to the website, Watson, now 69, works as a janitor and attends Bible studies and services in the prison chapel. He is housed at the Mule Creek Prison in Ione, Calif., about 40 miles outside Sacramento.