American criminal and cult leader — who directed the Tate-LaBianca murders (1969) through his followers (the Manson Family) — whose case became the most culturally mythologized crime of the 20th century — serving as a symbol of the 1960s counterculture's dark side.
Creates the template for cult murder mythology — the Manson case established the legal and cultural framework for 'follower-directed murder' (a leader directing followers to kill without personally committing the act) and the Helter Skelter trial narrative became the model for prosecuting cult leaders.
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