Rosalie Willis Charles Manson’s Ex-wife

Rosalie Willis

Rosalie Willis is the first wife of serial killer Charles Manson. Mrs. Willis had one son with Manson, Charles Manson Jr. (now deceased), before divorcing him in the mid 50’s. Manson subsequently married Leona Rae “Candy” Stevens, a prostitute with whom he had a second son, Charles Luther Manson. Here is what we know about Rosalie Jean Willis.



Rosalie was born between 1937 and 1940, in West Virginia. Her father was a coal miner. She was a waitress when she met Charles. They married in 1955. She and her husband drove across country to Los Angeles. In Oct. he was arrested and sentenced to 3 years prison. In 1956, while Manson was in jail, their son, Charles Milles Manson Jr. was born. There are rumors that shortly after the birth of her son, she left him and eloped with a truck driver. They divorced in 1958.

By 1969 Rosalie Willis, now White, was living in Cadiz Ohio and had three more children with her new husband.

Charles Manson Jr.

Her son, Charles Jr. born on10 Apr 1956, later changed his name to Charles Jay White; is said to have committed suicide in Colorado on the 29th of June in 1993. There are no confirmed details although it’s been indicated by some that he pulled over while driving, parked and shot himself in the head. Like we said before, it has never been proven.

We certainly know a lot about Rosalie’s first husband, the infamous Charles Manson, convicted murderer, leader of the cult the “Manson Family”.  He is currently serving a life sentence without parole at San Quinten State Prison for the murders of Sharon Tate, Leno and Rosemary La Bianca, Wojciech Frykowski, Abigail Folger, Jay Bresling and Stephen Parent (all pictured below) in August of 1969, along with his “family members”. Although these crimes occurred over forty years ago, they are still shocking today. Most likely that is why nothing more was ever heard about poor Rosalie Willis.