Charles Manson Has Three Confirmed Children, but One Man Says He Is Also Manson's Son

At the age of 14, Dianne Lake was the youngest person to join Charles Manson's cult. In her memoir, she talked about how Manson held women under his thrall and then used their feelings to get what he wanted. What Manson seemed to crave most was power and attention, and he got it in spades thanks to the women who surrounded him.

Lake described what it was like being around Manson and all of his adoring female followers. She told Good Morning America, "Yes, there were other girls, but we all shared him." The love may have been free, but it sometimes came with a price in the form of a pregnancy. Manson had at least three children with three different women, two of which were with his first two wives. A fourth man named Matt Roberts believed he was also Manson's son. Here's what we know.

In an interview with Soft White Underbelly, Roberts, whose last name is actually Lentz, sits in front of the kind of backdrop that is reminiscent of a school photo. His long dark hair is slightly disheveled and his shirt is open at the neck. If you knew nothing about this man, you would say he looks a lot like Manson. According to Roberts, the math makes sense. According to the Herald-Tribune, Roberts says his mother was impregnated by Manson in 1967.

Roberts also said he has DNA testing on his side. He and his half-sister Rebecca took DNA tests, which came back positive. "The only thing we have in common is Charles Manson," said Roberts, explaining that both of their mothers used to hang out with him. Roberts did another DNA test with Jason Freeman, who claims to be Manson's grandson, per CNN. That came back negative. In the interview, Roberts said it was proven in probate court that Freeman was not Manson's grandson.

The third DNA test Roberts did involved smuggling Manson's DNA out of prison. Unfortunately, the lab responsible for conducing the testing said while they wanted to say it was a positive match, there was one other contaminant. That DNA belonged to the person who snuck out Manson's DNA. This test was deemed inconclusive. "I don't have any direct proof from him," said Roberts, "but I do believe that matched with my half-sister." That was enough for him to get the closure he needed.

In August 2024, Roberts returned to the Daze With Jordan the Lion YouTube channel in order to update folks regarding his lineage. With the help of his friend Kim, a self-taught genetic genealogist, Roberts learned that Manson is not his father. In fact on his mother's side, Roberts has deep roots in the Mormon church that go all the way back to the time of Joseph Smith.

Sadly, one month after Roberts filmed that video, he unexpectedly passed away. The news was broken by Daze With Jordan the Lion host, Jordan Lee, who released a video about his death. Evidently, Roberts passed away from complications related to an undiagnosed hernia that, after surgery, caused respiratory issues.