Charles Manson, the notorious criminal and cult leader of the Manson Family, continues to cause legal issues postmortem, and the 1970’s serial killer’s Santa Clarita penpal is at the heart of it.

Michael Channels, a Newhall resident and long-time penpal of the now deceased Charles Manson, is fighting a legal battle against the former cult leader’s grandson, Jason Freeman of Bradenton, Florida, according to court documents obtained by KHTS through a public records act request and a Los Angeles Daily News report.

In 1969, Manson masterminded a string of brutal murders in Los Angeles. He, along with a number of his followers, were convicted of murdering actress Sharon Tate and six other people during the killing spree.

Documents filed on Dec. 20 with the Superior Court of California, County of Los Angeles, indicate that the Kern County Coroner is deliberating on the matter of who can rightfully claim the remains of the decedent Charles M. Manson.

In essence, both Channels and Freeman are claiming Manson’s cadaver and property.

Channels was reported to have met Manson in Central Valley’s Corcoran State Prison in 2002 after sending the serial killer nearly 50 letters over the course of a decade, according to a Los Angeles Daily News article published on December 21.

“A few months after their meeting, an envelope landed in the mail with a will that Channels says bequeathed the notorious serial killer’s possessions to his pen-pal,” stated the Daily News article.

The Dec. 21 article continued, “Manson, according to the will, left his entire estate to Channels, including his remaining cash funds from his prison account, image, music, printing, movie and publishing rights, along with prison and police records.”

However, after Channels filed the claim in 2002, the will was denied by Kern County officials due to “improperly filed paperwork,” according to the Daily News article. The reported problem is that despite the fact that Manson died in Kern County, his last address before his arrest and incarceration was in Los Angeles.

Hence, the filing with the Los Angeles Superior Court.

The alleged lack of proper filing, along with a number of other contentions, has left the door open for the grandson of Manson to fight for his claim over his grandfather’s body and estate.

“We are aware that there is a document that is reported to be a will, but frankly we are very suspicious,” said Alan Davis, attorney for Freeman. “Manson was incarcerated and we are suspicious that someone could get to him and get it signed.”

Furthermore, while the will produced by Channels states that Manson “disinherited both known sons and any unknown children in the present and in the future,” legal expert Jack Barcal, who spoke with the Los Angeles Daily News, stated that the “grandson was not disinherited in the will.”

“The property should go to his grandson or whoever the grandchildren are,” said Barcal.

Additionally the document that is in Channels’ possession may be invalid because a will in California require two signatures and two witnesses to be legitimized.

“It appears there is a signature of Roger Dale and another person whose name was redacted,” concluded Barcal. “Presumably that’s the guy who is the beneficiary. Because the beneficiary acts as a witness, the will is not valid… A judge will decide if the will is valid or not.”

State law requires that the remains of a deceased inmate must be claimed within 10 days by the next of kin, or else prison officials must make arrangements for cremation or burial. If there is dispute over the legal right to the body, the cadaver is held by officials until the matter is resolved, according to the Los Angeles County Coroner’s office.

On Jan. 8, 2018, a Los Angeles Superior Court is scheduled to hear the case regarding Manson’s body and estate.

Along with Freeman and Channels, another penpal of the serial killer who lives in Illinois has also made claim of the body, in addition to two men who claim to be the biological sons of Manson, according to Kern County attorneys.

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