Charles Denton "Tex" Watson ... The Man Behind the Monster, Part Four, The Interviews, Part I, Part A

Both photos, courtesy Rolling Stone

  

In my previous posts covering this extended interview of Tex, conducted in 2003, read below:

Part One, Part Two , Part Three

Part Four: Part A, Part B, Part C , Part D, Part E, Part F, Part G, and the most recent, Part H,

I’ve discussed the mental minutia of the man — very little Good, the often Bad, and the underbelly Ugly. It’s a classic case of an obsessive narcissistic sociopath trading one escapism obsession for another. In Tex’s case – illicit drugs, and his Charles Manson high, for God.

 

Since I began this examination way back in 2009, Tex has upped his game, revamping his website, Abounding Love, with a super-duper, touchy-feely look (no Buntline or bayonets anywhere in sight) and making a book out of this interview, for sale on Amazon — ebook $1.54, paperback $577.99. No, that’s not a type-O, peeps, and you can bet some schmucks have bought the paperback.

Note: As you go back in time with these much older posts listed above, you’ll see a major change in how I present them — wacky font colors, wacky font choices. When I first took on this blog, fear of these monsters was still very much in the forefront of my mind. Their murders colored my world back then, and as an adult, the only way I could spoon out this horror was by mixing it with a bit of black humor, injecting quirky funny with fact. I won’t be going back to those posts and modernizing them. You’ll just have to tolerate the wackiness. They sit as a time capsule, of sorts, showing how I had to interject sardonic wit to swallow these traumatic events. Since Sadie and Manson’s deaths, there has been more inner peace for me, peace that we all should have experienced when the entire gang received that Death Penalty. Peace has been a long time coming, but slowly, those of us who lived through those horrific days are slowly receiving a measured dose of that peace long coming.

Sociopaths, once you know their subterfuge code, can’t hide what they truly desire under carefully chosen words, to manipulate the public into thinking all’s well, no matter how much blood they shed in the past. Tex, like the rest of the Manson Family killers, never uses the words kill or murder. It’s always “the crime” or “what I destroyed” or “the wrong I’ve caused” or some other emotionally distanced words, as if separating the man from his deeds is easily done, and accepted by all.

In Part I — to be posted in three separate sections — Tex discusses his views on the Death Penalty. In general, I think it’s rather hilarious we should give one hoot about what a mass killer thinks about anything, especially capital punishment. But to ignore his words is to cover over the evil that still lies within this man, no matter what “Statement of Faith” or “Insights into my Behavioral Change” Tex spouts on his pathetic website, or what Bible-thumping gloss he paints over the blood-stained facts.

Here’s a Fun Fact: If Watson had not been stopped buy law enforcement in ‘69, he would have kept on doing drugs and killing to get what he wanted. It’s always a neat little trick that sociopaths only find God after they can’t do anything else. Where was Tex’s God when he drove up to Cielo Drive on that hot August night? Where was his God when he wrapped lamp cords around Leno and Rosemary La Bianca’s necks?

I’ll tell you something else. If I were in charge of his website (and who says convicted killers can have websites anyway?), the visuals would be a heck of a lot more realistic, if only to keep young people from continually falling for this guy’s devious charms.

Let’s dive in, shall we? There’s a lot to cover. I’ll try and keep the dry-heaving down to a minimum…

Q: Charles, I want to talk about the death penalty. But first, by doing this interview, do you fear being misunderstood by the victims' families?

In his reply, Tex talks about this interview as an “apology” to the victims’ families. Tex, the only apology you can give them is to return to your cell and never speak publicly again. They want to at least pretend that you didn’t skirt the Green Room at San Quentin. You do all this publicity for you. You crave the attention. Let’s call a spade, a spade, or a bayonet, a bayonet, shall we?

He goes on to talk about the pain he has caused, and that only God can remove the pain the families feel. No, Tex. You made it so that their pain will never be gone on this earth. The only relief they will ever feel is when they leave this mortal coil and possibly see their loved ones again. People who have been hurt grow protective scars, but it takes very little for those scars to be ripped open when killers like you speak.

He goes on to say that through this interview he hopes to convince “rebellious youth” to find God instead of the path he trod. Wow. Rebellious youth, huh. Is that what we’re calling mass murderers these days? Tex’s way with words is quite the wonder, I must say. There’s a Grand Canyon’s worth of space between a rebellious youth and Tex Watson, and let’s pray it stays that way.

Q: You were sentenced to death for your crime, correct?

Tex readily admits said, but then as easily admits he was originally going for a “diminished capacity” plea similar to what Steven Dennis “Clem” Grogan got away with and was let out of prison due to said in 1985. Funnily enough, the DC didn’t last with Clem. The moment he got out of jail, he made a miraculous mental recovery, playing guitar in front of audiences for moolah. It’s my opinion that the judge who fell for Clem’s game was the one who had DC. Luckily, Tex’s judge had all his synapses firing, so he rightly threw the judicial book at this monster killer.

Q: Weren't you shaken and scared by the sentence?

Tex describes moving from the L.A. County Jail to San Quentin as a “relief,” and that he “started coming back to life.” The only thing I can glean from this is he was happy to have his own cell.His own little slice of Tex life.

He goes on to say God forgave him for “all the evil I had done.” Again, pretty words. No mention of what exactly he had done, which was to kill seven innocent souls with a Buntline and a bayonet. He further states, “I was not willing to give Him [God] my whole life. That would come later.” Right. Because maybe his lawyer still held out hope of lightening the sentence or getting this killer out of prison like Clem. Once he knew he wasn’t going anywhere, then the only guru left to Tex certainly wasn't Manson. It had to be God. Espousing that belief might get him back on top with other prisoners and get him on the good side of the guards for favors — again, manipulation being paramount.

Q: Did you ever think of committing suicide and saving the state the money?

Unless committing suicide is to a narcissistic sociopath’s advantage, they never harm themselves. They have all the guts in the world to harm others, never putting at risk their own life. There maybe a few faked attempts to gain attention or sympathy, but these diseased people put themselves as No.1 above all else. Falling into what he claims was a catatonic state was merely his mind escaping from responsibility, yet again. Better to stop thinkling than failing to get out of jail or out of the reality that he was a mass killer. This constant refrain that Tex believed he was now God’s possession is highly disturbing. All this says to me is he traded one guru for another — Charlie to God.

Q: Why weren't you put to death?

Tex doesn’t simply state that the Death Penalty was overturned. He has to mention the “cruel and unusual punishment” aspect, completely blithe to the fact that as he shot Steven Parent four times and dove the bayonet into Gibby so many times her white nightdress turned red, there was no thought then that night on the 10050 Cielo Drive grass as to “cruel and unusual punishment” behavior towards his vistims. Sociopaths have no capacity to see anything but the “Me” factor in any scenario. And like with other statements made by the other Manson killers, they are incapable of looking outwards at how they destroyed others. It’s always about what happened to them. He goes on to state stats on Americans disfavoring the Death Penalty, as if that’s some kind of proof, See. People love me. Let me live. Let me go free. Then, the ultimate quote from Tex: “I believe there was just a greater sense of mercy and less anger in society at that time.” How he can say that with a straight face and mean it boggles the mind.

Q: Can't you understand how the victims' families wanted you to be put to death?

Tex uses the word, destroy, instead of kill or murder. Always a distanced treatment, as if it was another entity, another person, other than his great and special self, who committed these awful killings.

He states, “Jesus doesn't want me suffering in my sin. He sees me forgiven and desires my total restoration,” simply ignoring that wee thing actual Christians call mortal sin, the old tablet rule, Thou shall not kill. If there’s an accountant in Heaven, Tex maybe facing a price tag that he’s refusing to acknowledge now.

He talks about the idea to “separate the sin from the sinner,” that he can love his fellow inmates by separating the two, inferring why can’t we of him? My response to Tex: A man is more his actions than his words. Words are cheap. Actions live forever.

Q: So, do you think you deserved the death penalty?

Tex states, “I feel that many people who are being executed today are totally changed people from who they were when they committed the crime, but no mercy is found for them.” — read between the lines on this, people. He’s not talking about other inmates. He’s talking about himself. I smell a sense of superiority and a belief that Tex thinks he’s mighty special. Pathetic.

No mercy is found for them or for you? You claim to be a Bible thumper, but the old “eye for an eye” passage, you chose not to believe? Mercy was never even a thought when you annihilated your seven victims, Tex. Why should society ever shower mercy upon you? What, because you’ve faked being a good boy in prison, you get a Get out of Jail Free card? Crikey, even Manson didn’t pretend this much.

Tex, consider yourself damn lucky that you weren’t executed, and doubtful that’s because the victims’ families wanted it that way. Because you live, you keep torturing these families with every damn parole hearing you have, with every word you speak.

Q: What is this term “closure” that the victims' family members use so often?

Tex basically quotes chapter and verse about the evils of the Death Penalty, to include an off-hand remark that more injury would befall the victims’ family members if he were executed. It’s Tex’s word slight-of-hand trick that is so insulting here. It’s almost a threat — hurt me and I’ll hurt you more. I personally am not a fan of the Death Penalty, but sociopaths like Tex need to have no public forum where they can speak. They should be holed away in their cell, virtually dead to humanity. All they ever do when they speak is spew more vitriol and cause more pain. If this interview doesn’t show that in spades, what would? It’s like we have allowed Tex to keep his damn bayonet and continue to slash at society. Bottom Line: he skims over how the victims’ families are feeling — the very question asked here — and returns to his own little Tex world.

He quotes a Bible verse, “…Come to me, all you who are weary and carry
heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle, and you will find rest for your souls” How Tex can liken heavy burdens with cold blooded murder is beyond me. I’m fairly sure Jesus meant a good man’s simple burdens, not a monster’s cold blooded attacks.

Q: You mean God doesn't desire that a man be put to death for his crimes?

Tex is in rare form on this question. He states — I gather with a straight face — that God’s mercy has to be incorporated into our earthly justice system, to give Tex yet another Pass simply because Jesus died for our sins. Hey, Tex, the sins of a good men are not the sins of a monster. There’s a reason a separation of Church and State exists on this earth, primarily to deal with monsters like you. If all people abided by the laws of God, principally the Thou Shall Not Kill goodie, then church and state could probably co-exist. It’s because of men like you, Tex, that mercy on earth has to be far different than in heaven.

Okay, folks, that’s it for the Part A section of Part I. I welcome your thoughts, feedback.

It’s good to be back writing again on TLB2. I know, it’s been a lonnnnng time coming. Talk with you soon!