In California on May 8, a probate hearing was held regarding the estate of the late Charles Manson. Manson is notorious for his involvement in several murders in 1969, and a number of people have come forward to claim that they are his heirs.
One of his sons filed to drop his claim. He also lost the claim to Manson’s body because his adoption by his maternal grandparents meant that he could not be considered a legal heir. It was presumed that this would also happen to his claim to the estate. An alleged grandson won the rights to the body. He held a private funeral and had the body cremated and the ashes scattered.
Another man who claims to be Manson’s son was also at the court, but he arrived late and missed the hearing. He may lose out on his claim as a result as well. However, he also faced the issue of having been adopted. In a will from 2017, he is named as sole beneficiary while a memorabilia collector is named as the executor, but there are claims this will is fraudulent. Another purported will names a different memorabilia collector as executor and sole beneficiary. One issue with this will is that the same man is also a witness.
Despite the unusual circumstances surrounding this particular case, it shows some of the problems that can arise when relatives are fighting in court over an estate and the validity of one or more wills. One issue may be that a will seems to indicate undue influence. This could mean a person was manipulated into creating the will or was not of sound mind at the time of its creation. If there is no will, there may be disputes as well.
Source: USA Today, “Purported son of Charles Manson drops out of estate fight“, Brian Melley, May 8, 2018