It’s not easy being the grandson of an infamous murderer

BRADENTON — The private funeral was open casket, and Jason Freeman wanted to place the ring on his grandfather’s finger, but the body was so badly decomposed he was wearing gloves.

Freeman set the ring on Charles Manson’s chest and walked away instead.

Upon conclusion of the service March 17 in Porterville, California, the six pallbearers carried Manson’s casket to the crematory, where Freeman stood in a waiting area. When Freeman was presented with the ashes of perhaps the most notorious criminal in American history, he also was given something unexpected: The ring.

It had lost its color, and the gemstone was now loose, but it survived the fire.

Freeman, a 41-year-old Bradenton resident, now wears the ring on his pinkie finger — a ring he views as symbolic in several ways.

“I think there are pieces of him in that ring that are highly spiritual,” he said. “It gives me something I can hold onto. It is more meaningful than anything my grandfather ever signed and was sold.

“This has family value.” Manson was convicted of organizing the horrific murders of actress Sharon Tate and six others in 1969, killings so shocking they continue to resonate nearly a half-century later.

Manson was originally given the death penalty but it was ruled unconstitutional in California in 1972. His sentence was changed to nine consecutive life terms and he was denied parole 12 times.

Manson died on Nov. 19 at age 83.

For nearly 50 years much has been made of the so-called Manson family, the cult of ragtag followers that acted upon Manson’s every wish and whim, it seemed.

In the end, however, about the only actual family member Manson had was his alleged grandson, Freeman, who traveled from Bradenton to Porterville for the funeral that was held 10 days after a court awarded him the body after a long, strange battle involving two others.

Freeman’s father was reportedly Jay White, one of Manson’s three known children. Unable to deal with being Manson’s son, White killed himself on June 29, 1993, in Burlington, Colorado.

Freeman, meanwhile, grew up in Ohio and said he knew at an early age his grandfather was Manson but it was not exactly dinner table talk as the dishes were being cleared. He went public with his claim in 2012.

“People have asked me, ‘What was it like to be Charles Manson’s grandson?’” Freeman said. “My mom and stepdad did a great job of keeping the past behind closed doors.

“Now the question is, ‘What is it like now being Charles Manson’s grandson, dealing with all the hatred and backlash?’ There’s envy, hatred and jealousy pouring out from everywhere.”

It’s not easy being Manson’s grandson, according to Freeman. He says he has discovered there are people around the country who still have an allegiance to Manson and see him as a threat.

“I’ve had a lot of so-called friends of my grandfather’s trying their best to stick daggers in my back,” he said. “It’s pretty sad to see.”

Closer to home, people stare at restaurants, he said. Sometimes they get up and move. He said it’s like the ring going through the fire. He tries to endure the heat and survive.

Working on a Pennsylvania oil rig for seven years also toughened him.

“I’m still me,” he said. “Me and my family are no different than three years ago. I still get up and go to work and care for my family and my kids and we love our neighbors. We believe in having a strong sense of community because it keeps kids from going down the road my grandfather had to go down.”

Though he never spoke face-to-face with his grandfather, Freeman said he simply wanted to give a family member a proper burial. About 20 people attended the service and Manson’s ashes were scattered in the Sierra Mountains.