Charles Manson's Son Claims Both Inheritors Left Fighting For His Estate Are Liars
July 14 2018, Published 12:15 a.m. ET
Matthew Robert Lentz, one of the men who recently lost a court battle to prove he is the rightful heir to Charles Manson’s estate, said others are still trying to profit from the death of the Helter Skelter killer with “bogus" documents and claims.
In an exclusive interview with RadarOnline.com, Lentz said Michael Channels— Manson’s longtime prison pen pal— is still shopping around a fake will with a signature that is not Manson’s. Lentz also claims Manson’s grandson, MMA fighter Jason Freeman, is out to only profit from the estate, and has tried to sell Manson’s remains.
A court ruled Freeman should get the remains and Manson was cremated a few weeks after his death.
“They want to make money off of him … that’s their motivation,” Lentz said to RadarOnline.com. “(Channels) would sell glasses that Charlie wore and other things. He’s been making money off that crap for years. When Jason won the right’s to Charlie’s remains, (Channels) just tried to sabotage me. He knew where he needed to go to make that money. I just wanted to bring this to the light of day. How is any of this right?”
Lentz, who appeared a Los Angeles court on Friday, July 13, said while he lost the battle to prove he is Manson’s heir, he still plans to film a documentary about his relationship with Manson. Lentz claims Manson's longtime friend, Benjamin J. Gureki, had a copy of a will that listed him as Manson’s only child. The will also listed Gureki as the executor Manson’s estate.
Lentz also told to RadarOnline.com about conversations he’s had with Manson and their letter correspondence over the years. In one of those conversations, Manson revealed he was not the “criminal mastermind” of the Tate-LaBianca murders, and said he was not in Los Angeles at the time of the murders.
"He wasn’t an angel, but he was not a mass murderer,” Lentz said, who maintains it was Charles Denton “Tex” Watson and others in Manson’s cult who committed the murders of Sharon Tate and four others in 1969.
Lentz said Gureki had told him Manson’s estate might be worth $1 to $ 3 million, but added he wasn’t trying to cash in on Manson’s estate.
“As soon as Jason (Freeman) got Charlie’s body, Gureki stopped helping me,” Lentz said. “And today, I didn’t even get a chance to really argue or talk to the judge. Honestly, I don’t know the protocol and I am not a lawyer. I had no idea what to expect. Ultimately, I don’t care. I just want the rights to the song that Charlie wrote to me. If I could keep that, that’s what I wanted to ask … but I didn’t even get a chance.”
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Lentz, who was adopted and would not reveal the identity of his biological mother, said he has the only proof that he needs. Another woman, who said she is Manson’s daughter, matched as his relative with a DNA test, Lentz said.
“Naysayers can say and do what they want,” Lentz said. “I plan to tell my story and Charlie’s story someday with a documentary and … reveal all the lies that are out there.”
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