Today in wedding news that definitely won’t make the New York Times Styles section, Charlie Manson has obtained a license to marry Elaine Burton, his 26-year-old girlfriend. Nine years ago, Burton moved to Corcoran, California — where the 80-year-old convict will almost certainly spend the rest of his life — from her home in the Midwest, and since then she has been working to exonerate him. Burton, who goes by Star, told the AP that they will get married next month, though a year ago Manson had cold feet. “That’s a bunch of garbage,” he told a Rolling Stone reporter who asked about their prospective nuptials. “That’s trash. We’re just playing that for public consumption.”
Since Manson is serving a life sentence and has no set parole date, he is not entitled to conjugal visits. Burton said there are still perks to getting married, as she’d be able to get information about his case that is only available to relatives. “There’s certain things next of kin can do,” she said, vaguely.
And of course, she’s smitten. “I love him,” she said. “I’m with him. There’s all kinds of things.” She said the wedding would have happened sooner, but Manson had “some situations” in prison, including being caught with a weapon, threatening staff, and refusing to provide a urine sample. The couple still found ways to show their affection. The AP reports:
The prospective bride and groom have near-matching carvings on their foreheads. Hers is an “X” and his is an “X” that was turned into a swastika after he carved it during his trial to show he was “X’ed out of society.”
How romantic.
