An open casket funeral was held for infamous cult leader Charles Manson on Saturday, with his body being cremated afterwards.
Charles Manson Has Open Casket Funeral Before He Was Cremated https://t.co/3ALnbrl5Ah
— TMZ (@TMZ) March 19, 2018
The memorial service was held in Porterville, California, and TMZ reports that Manson’s body needed quite a bit of makeup to cover up all the decomposing that has taken place.
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Additionally, the outlet reports that about 30 people showed up to the service and that Manson’s grandson, Jason Freeman, spoke.
As previously mentioned, following the ceremony, Manson’s body was cremated and his ashes were taken to a forest and spread along a nearby creek-bed.
It is also reported that the wind picked up and blew the ashes back on the memorial attendees.
Among those present were former Manson Family member Sandra Good and Manson’s former fiancee, Afton Burton.
Manson actually died of natural causes on Nov. 19., but a judge ordered his body to be kept on ice until the legal matter of who had claim to it was settled.
Freeman claimed that Manson didn’t have a will when he died and was locked in a heated legal fight with a man named Michael Channels, who claimed he was in possession of Manson’s legal will.
Channels is considered to be an expert on Manson and is also an avid collector of Manson-related artifacts. He also happens to be a long-time pen-pal of Manson.
Per newly discovered records, the two men were in frequent communication for about two decades and Channels claims to be in possession of Manson’s will, which he says left the estate to him.
Channels runs a site, www.mansonsbackporch.com, and is a formerly bankrupt ex-construction company owner who lives in Newhall, California, according to reports.
Journalists attempted to reach out to Channels who was not available, but his apparent business partner, Stoner Van Houten, responded to inquires and confirmed that Channels is involved with the Manson estate.
Freeman filed legal paperwork in an attempt to make himself the legal manager of Manson’s estate, and was awarded such earlier in March.
After news of Manson‘s death initially broke, the grandson of one of his victims soon spoke out. Tony LaMontagne is the grandson of Leno LaBianca who, along with his wife, was murdered by Manson’s family of followers that fateful night.
LaMontagne revealed that he found out about Manson’s death after an official representative of the prison notified him.
“My initial reaction was somewhat indifferent, as a matter of fact,” LaMontagne said. “You would think there would be some sort of … closure now but there really isn’t. We are glad that nature took its course and did what the state of California should have done.”
LaMontagne went on to say that any time Manson or his followers turn up in the news, the old wounds of his loss are reopened.
“It’s like putting a Band-Aid on the cut that just about heals and you rip it off and it tears it open again,” he said.
“From a 10-year-old’s perspective, you lay in bed at night running through: ‘What was it like? What happened? What was going through my grandfather’s mind,’” he said, explaining that he has been processing the terrible murder of his grandfather since he was a child.
Finally, LaMontagne suggested to reporters that he strongly opposes any of Manson’s followers being released for any reason.
“This is an ongoing thing,” LaMontagne stated. “He’s gone but they are still three people that went into our home that murdered my grandfather and his wife that are still in prison that the State of California is strongly considering paroling.”
