Youngstown-area native battles to claim serial killer’s body

The body of cult leader Charles Manson remains locked in a cooler as the battle over his remains and estate heats up in two California courtrooms.

At the center of the case is Wellsville native Michael Channels, a longtime Manson pen pal and memorabilia collector.

Channels, 52, of Santa Clarita, Calif., was a toddler in 1969 when Manson’s followers brutally murdered nine people, including pregnant actress Sharon Tate.

Channels and at least three others — including a purported son and grandson — have filed paperwork in California to claim the body and estate.

Manson died on Nov. 19 at age 83 while serving a life sentence for his role in the 1969 slayings.

Channels has filed a copy of a will he said Manson sent him in 2004. He said the document disinherits all known family members and names Channels sole heir.

Some say Manson’s estate could be worth millions, given his artwork, music and other memorabilia.

Channels wrote numerous letters to Manson in prison before getting a response. They stayed in touch more than 20 years and visited more than 20 times at California State Prison in Corcoran, where Manson was kept.

“He really became like a friend,” Channels said during a telephone interview. “I liked him a lot.”

He described Manson as “charming,” sometimes emotional and, depending on the day, sane.

“He was a nice guy; he was a mean guy,” Channels said. “He had lots of different faces.”

Channels said he has grown used to being called “crazy,” a “satanist” and “cult member” because of his claims. He doesn’t bother himself with others’ opinions and insists he’s not out for money or fame.

“I didn’t ask to get this will,” he said, but explained that he’s ready for the fight even though it may cost him a good deal of time and money. “It’s a moral issue now.”

A decision on Manson’s body could be made Wednesday in Kern County, Calif., where he died. A Los Angeles probate court will hear the estate case on Friday.

Debra Tate, Sharon Tate’s sister, was 16 at the time of the murders. Even though Manson “was a monster,” she said, her Catholic faith helped her to forgive him.

“His body is laying there in the coroner’s office, and I think it’s horrible,” she said during a telephone interview. “I think he should have dignity in death.”

She knows people may not understand her compassion toward Manson but said every human being, regardless of the life lived, should have dignity at the end.

As for the fight over Manson’s body, Debra Tate hopes all parties come to an agreement soon to honor Manson’s wish for cremation.

Channels still has a brother, aunt and uncle in Columbiana County. He said family members have been targets of harassment because of his involvement with Manson.