Charles Manson Death Watch: The End Looks Near

BAKERSFIELD, CA — Charles Manson is reported to be near death in a Bakersfield hospital. The notorious, 83-year-old mass murder mastermind has suffered serious health problems throughout 2017, and all sources indicate he is in his final hours.

The Kern County Sheriff’s Office has issued no specific details regarding Manson’s condition except to describe it as “grave.” One unnamed source reportedly said, “It’s not going to get any better for him.”

According to the New York Daily News, Manson friend Ben Gurecki said the cult leader suffered heart failure and was taken to Mercy Heart Hospital. Five policeman are reportedly standing guard around him.

Charles Manson horrified the world in August 1969 by orchestrating the Tate–LaBianca massacres carried out by members of the Manson Family, his homicidal hippie cult. Among those slaughtered in the bloodbaths was Hollywood star Sharon Tate, who was nine months pregnant.

Upon being arrested, Manson’s outrageous appearance (those eyes!) and apocalyptic outbursts mesmerized humanity. His subsequent trial, along with those of the actual killers, turned into a freak show, with Family members bizarrely acting out in and around the courtroom.

Since then, Charles Manson has reigned as America’s #1 true-crime cultural boogeyman. Now, apparently, the clock ticks.

Read more: Los Angeles Times, New York Daily News