Mass murderer and cult leader Charles Manson has obtained a license to marry a 26-year-old woman who moved to Corcoran, Calif. nine years ago so that she could visit him in prison.
The marriage license wasissued by the Kings County Recorders Office on Nov. 7 by and verified by NBC News on Monday. Manson, 80, has 90 days to marry Afton Elaine Burton or they will have to reapply for another license. Burton, who goes by the name 'Star' and runs several several websites advocating for her fiance's innocence, told the Associated Press in an interview that she will marry Manson next month.
'Y'all can know that it's true,' she said. 'It's going to happen ... I love him ... I'm with him. There's all kinds of things.'
Manson, who has been incarcerated since 1969, led a commune in the California desert known as the Manson Family. He was convicted in 1971 of conspiracy to commit the murders of seven people carried out by members of his cult at his instruction. His followers also murdered other people, and Manson was convicted of those of those murders as well.
The California Department of Corrections approves most requests for such weddings as 'a tool of family reunification and social development,' spokeswoman Terry Thornton told the Associated Press. Manson and Burton can have a wedding at the prison and invite 10 guests who are not inmates, Thornton said.
But, because he is sentenced to life and has no possibility of parole until 2027, Manson is not entitled to conjugal visits.
Burton told the Associated Press that she wants to marry Manson because she is interested in working on his case and marrying him would allow her to get information not available to non-relatives.
'There's certain things next of kin can do,' she said, adding that she believes her fiance is innocent and will get a new trial.
First published November 17 2014, 3:29 PM
Maria Elena Fernandez is the Los Angeles entertainment correspondent. She started this role in May 2013. Fernandez is responsible for covering televsion, film, music, pop culture, and celebrity justice for NBCNews.com and Today.com. Fernandez reports to entertainment editor Courtney Hazlett.She previously worked at The Daily Beast and Newsweek. Before that, Fernandez was a staff writer at the Los Angeles Times for 12 years. She also spent many years on the crime beat as a staff writer at The Washington Post and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.Fernandez is the author of a children's book, 'The Secret of Fern Island,' which was published in 1996 under a pseudonym so that she wouldn't be stalked by screaming children. Fernandez is a member of the National Hispanic Journalists Association and the Television Critics Association.
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