Woman Who Joined California ‘Family’ As A Teen Says She Believed Charles Manson ‘Was A Magic-Maker’

“He was a magic-maker,” says Dianne Lake of the man she once knew as “Charlie.”

In 1967, at just 14 years old, Dianne says she was the newest, and the youngest member of the Manson Family. Charles Manson, along with his followers, later became infamous for a number of ritualistic murders reportedly masterminded by the charismatic leader, who she claims told them he was the Messiah.

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“Charlie would often tell us that he was Jesus. He would tell us that his name, Manson, was significant: Man-Son. He thought he was the son of God,” claims Dianne.

Dianne Lake is the author of Member of the Family: My Story of Charles Manson, Life Inside His Cult, and the Darkness That Ended the Sixties. She says she joined up with Charles Manson and his followers nearly 50 years ago; two years before the August 1969 Tate/LaBianca slayings that brought the Manson Family international notoriety.

“I didn’t watch television, didn’t read newspapers. So it was a double shock,” says Dianne describing her reaction the day she first learned about the murders.

On Wednesday’s Dr. Phil, Dianne talks about the discussions she had at the time with members of “The Family” who were directly involved with the crimes, and the testimony she claims helped prosecutors send Charles Manson and his accomplices to prison for good.

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Member of the Family: My Story of Charles Manson, Life Inside His Cult, and the Darkness That Ended the Sixties is available online and in bookstores now.

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