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A 'Manson Family' Murderer May Be Trying to Edit His Wikipedia Page from Prison

An anonymous editor sent Wikipedia some handwritten corrections.

Many public figures have taken to editing their own Wikipedia entries. Apparently, that includes convicted murderers.

Wikipedia blogger William Beutler wrote in a post today that it appears as though "Manson Family" member, 70 year old Charles "Tex" Watson has tried to edit his own Wikipedia page from the California prison where he's serving a life sentence for the murder of an actress in 1969, as well as several others.

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According to Beutler's post, last week a new message appeared on the discussion portion of Watson's Wikipedia page from a member of the site's Volunteer Response Team. It included a link to a PDF of Watson's Wikipedia page that Watson has allegedly hand edited and then physically sent to Wikipedia.

The changes include more details on Watson's life, such as correcting the school he went to and changing his name from Tex Watson to Charles "Tex" Watson, but also challenge some details of his crimes. In a paragraph about a brutal stabbing, the editor crossed out where it says Watson took $70 from a victim's purse and stabbed her seven times, writing "NOT true no reference."

The PDF in question doesn't actually reflect exactly what is on Watson's Wikipedia page today, because it's a version from February of this year. As of the time of publication, the majority of the changes that Watson proposed haven't been reflected on the page, although it does now make mention of the book he published, and includes a new warning indicating that the page is not that well sourced, as Watson (or whoever the anonymous editor is) pointed out in their handwritten annotations.

It's worth noting that this wouldn't be the first time that Watson has influenced the web from behind bars. With help from non-incarcerated friends, he runs a born-again Christianity site.

It's interesting that he's potentially trying to get his story straight before his upcoming parole hearing, which is set for November of this year. He has been denied parole over a dozen times.