Valentine Michael Manson has lived most of his life trying to escape his father’s evil legacy. Did he succeed? Meet him.
Valentine Michael Manson is known for the wrong reasons. Despite his best efforts to distance himself from his father, Charles Manson, who infamously orchestrated a series of killings in the 1960s, he continues to be associated with his father’s notorious legacy.
Valentine had to take up a new name to be disconnected from his father’s legacy. Unfortunately, these actions have had limited success in separating him from his father’s reputation. People always find out who Valentine is. Despite his father having been convicted of his crimes and dead, Valentine still received death threats and was bullied in his younger years.
Valentine Michael Manson Early Life
Valentine Michael Manson was born on April 15, 1968, in Topanga Canyon, Los Angeles, California, USA. His parents were Charles Manson, the founder of the Manson Family Cult, and Mary Brunner. He was named Valentine after a character in Charles’ favorite book, “Stranger in a Strange Land,” and was nicknamed Pooh Bear by his father.
Were Valentine Michael Manson’s Parents Married?
Mary and Charles met when she moved to California from Wisconsin after she graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Charles was 33 and had just been released for sex trafficking-related charges and violating his probation. Mary, on the other hand, was 22. She allowed Charles to stay in her apartment while she worked as a library assistant at the University of California Berkeley.
The duo soon started dating. It was after a few years of dating that Mary became pregnant with Valentine. By Valentine’s birth, his father’s cult was already in existence, with his mother as the first member. They lived in an abandoned property in Topanga Canyon with other members of his father’s cult.
According to reports, Valentine’s mother gave him birth without professional assistance. She was assisted by other women who joined the cult while she smoked marijuana to reduce the labor pain. Charles was said to have cut the umbilical cord using his teeth.
Who Raised Valentine Michael Manson?
In a strange turn of events, when Valentine was just a week old, his mother was found near a stolen bus with the “family members” lying in a ditch. Valentine himself was discovered naked, lying on the cold ground. The police arrested his mother and placed Valentine in a childcare facility.
While the Mary or Mother Mary, nicknamed for her status in the cult and some other female cult members, stood trial, his maternal grandparents, John and Evelyn Brunner, took him in. They renamed him Michael Brunner to shield him from the effects of his father’s actions.
He attended Arlington Heights Elementary School, but his education was challenging due to his father’s infamous reputation. His peers constantly reminded him of his father’s crimes, making it difficult for him. However, his grandparents still tried their best to keep him safe.
What Was Valentine Michael Manson’s Father Convicted For?
After his initial arrest, Charles Manson claimed he was a reincarnation of Christ and used his charisma to manipulate and gain more followers. He often used sex as a means of control and recruitment.
No one knew how dangerous the cult formed by Valentine’s father was until The Manson Family went on a murdering spree, with Manson allegedly orchestrating them. These killings included the music teacher Hinman who refused to join the group. The cult’s most notorious crime was the murder of pregnant actress Sharon Tate.
Manson was arrested soon after. The Manson Family engaged in a spree of crimes and protests to free him or avoid the death penalty. Valentine’s mother received a life sentence for her involvement in a shootout, but she was later released on parole due to good behavior in the late 1970s. In contrast, despite numerous parole requests, Charles Manson died in prison in 2017 at 83 due to gastrointestinal bleeding.
Did Valentine Ever Reconnect With His Parents?
After being released, Valentine’s mother retreated from public attention, and little information was available about her. However, she did reconnect with Valentine, and in an interview with the LA Times, he described their relationship as more akin to that of siblings.
In contrast, despite defending his father in the same interview, Valentine deliberately distanced himself from him. He destroyed any letters sent to him from prison and refused any association with him.
Is Valentine Michael Manson the Only Child Charles Manson Had?
Charles Manson had two older children, both born from his affairs with members of the Manson Family. The eldest son, Charles Jr., tragically died while on vacation. Throughout his life, he struggled to reconcile and distance himself from his father’s crimes, especially because he carried his father’s name.
The second son of Charles Manson has remained out of the public eye, and little information is available about him. However, records indicate that he likely passed away at some point during his adulthood. This makes Valentine the only known living child of Charles and Mary.
However, he seems to have finally gotten away from the world, as there are no available details about what he has been up to since his last interview. Christine Gacy is another person who forced herself into hiding due to her father’s outrageous crimes.
