Fight For Charles Manson’s Corpse Rages On In Court

RadarOnline.com can reveal that the battle for mass murderer Charles Manson’s corpse is set to play out in a Los Angeles courtroom at the end of the month after his grandson filed a petition for the rights to control the cult leader's remains.

In a recent petition, Manson’s grandson, Jason L. Freeman, claimed no one else has “a higher claim” to the body except him.

As Radar reported, Manson’s pen pal, Michael Channels, is fighting those claims and said he should have rights over the body because Manson made him his beneficiary. In a hearing last month, Channels, 52, said he possesses a will allegedly penned by Manson in 2002.

According to court documents filed by Freeman on Jan. 12, however, the grandson said Channels’ claims are bogus and his grandfather died without a will. “Any purported will, if any, that may be asserted, is a forgery,” Freeman said in his petition.

Channels has said he plans to cremate Manson’s body and spread the ashes in the desert.

A hearing to determine who will get control of Manson’s remains is scheduled for Jan. 26 at Los Angeles Superior Court. Meanwhile, Manson’s corpse "remains on ice” with the Kern County Coroner in California.

“We will hold on to his body until the next of kin relationship is established,” said Sgt. Stephen Wells, a spokesman for the Kern County Sheriff’s Office.

Manson died Nov. 19 at the age of 83 of acute cardiac arrest and other complications, including respiratory failure and metazoic colon cancer.

We pay for juicy info! Do you have a story for RadarOnline.com? Email us at tips@radaronline.com, or call us at (866) ON-RADAR (667-2327) any time, day or night.