Charles Manson Hospitalized in Central California with Possible Gastrointestinal Illness

BAKERSFIELD, CA – Convicted killer Charles Manson, 82, the criminal mastermind behind two nights of "Helter Skelter" murder sprees in August 1969 that took the lives of seven and terrified Hollywood, is reportedly in a Bakersfield hospital with a possible gastrointestinal illness after being transferred Tuesday from Corcoran State Prison in Kings County.

The Los Angeles Times, citing two sources familiar with the situation, said Manson was seriously ill, however, there was no official word on his condition or the reason for his hospitalization. Terry Thornton of the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation declined this morning to comment on the report, citing federal and state privacy laws, but she confirmed Tuesday that Manson was alive.

Web site TMZ reported Tuesday that Manson was rushed to the emergency room for gastrointestinal issues.

News media in Bakersfield identified a corrections department van was parked outside Bakersfield’s Mercy Hospital.

According to the Bakersfield Californian, Manson was admitted under the name “Joe Doe.” Despite his lengthy incarceration, Manson continues to have devotees including a 26-year-old woman who was granted a license to marry Manson in 2014, the Los Angeles Times reported.

Born in Ohio in 1934 to a teen mother, Manson became the face for the underbelly of the 1960s hippie era establishing a ragtag "family" of followers, who lived in makeshift communes in Southern California. On the orders of their diminutive, 5-foot 2-inch "leader," Manson's followers on Aug. 9, 1969 broke into a Benedict Canyon home and killed actress Sharon Tate, her friend and famed hairstylist Jay Sebring, coffee heiress Abigail Folger, Folger's boyfriend, Wojciech Frykowski, and Steven Parent, an 18-year-old who visiting the property's caretaker.

Tate, married to director Roman Polanski, who was out of the country, was eight months pregnant at the time of her death.

The following evening, Manson's bidding was another round of slayings. Grocery store owner Leno LaBianca and his wife, Rosemary, were stabbed to death in their Los Feliz-area home.

Although he was not present at either murder scene, Manson was convicted of first degree-murder and conspiracy. Also convicted were Charles "Tex'' Watson, Patricia Krenwinkel and Susan Atkins. A third woman, Leslie Van Houten, was convicted of the murders of LaBianca and his wife, along with a conspiracy charge.

The band of murderers dipped their fingers in the victims' blood and scrawled messages at both Tate and LaBianca crime scenes, in what prosecutor Vincent Bugliosi contended during the trial was Manson's attempt to start a "Helter Skelter" race war.

Bugliosi was a co-author of the best-selling book Helter Skelter in 1974, which recounted the Tate-LaBianca arrests and the sensational trial proceedings of Manson and his "family."

The five defendants were spared the death penalty in 1972 when the state Supreme Court overturned capital punishment. Manson was denied parole in 2012 for the 12th time. He is not be eligible for another parole hearing until 2027.

RELATED:

• Suspected Manson Family Stabbing Victim Identified 46-Years Later
• Charles Manson Follower Recommended for Parole
• Governor Denies Parole for Manson Girl, Altadena-Native Leslie Van Houten
• Famed Charles Manson Prosecutor Vincent Bugliosi, 80, Dies

--Image via California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation/Patch writer Paige Austin and City News Service contributed to this report