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To you, Charles Manson might be the bloodthirsty mastermind behind the Tate-LaBianca murders rotting away in a California prison only because the death penalty was briefly banned in California. But to others, he's grandpa, a fiancé or a future son-in-law.Melissa Burton, 48, of Bunker Hill, Illinois is speaking out since the news broke about the impending nuptials of her 26-year-old daughter Afton Elaine Burton to Manson. Burton says that she's concerned about her daughter marrying a mass murderer. However, she told ABC News that she believes Charles Manson is truly in love with her daughter: "He does. I think he does. She has been good to him."
It wasn't a big shock for her to hear the couple was planning on getting hitched, because her daughter, who now goes by Star, has been discussing marriage with Manson for about a year and she moved away from her Midwestern home at age 19 to be near the Corcoran Prison where Charles Manson has been holed up.
Burton says that her daughter is a smart woman who is passionate about the environment, and that's how she was drawn to Manson in the first place. Burton, ever the polite Midwesterner, calls the engagement a "different situation." But she defends her daughter's choice, telling Inside Edition in an interview airing tonight, "She's not a freak at all. We love her with all our heart."
That being said, she doesn't have any plans to attend the wedding itself. Nor does she have any plans to meet her daughter's beloved any time soon.
One person who said he is planning to attend the wedding is Manson's grandson Jason Freeman, who has spoken out publicly about the "Manson curse." It will be the first time he's met his grandfather. He tells Inside Edition, "It'll be my first day to meet my grandfather and my grandmother - even though she is twelve years younger than me. She seems extremely sweet."
Some have expressed anger that Charles Manson of all people has the privilege of marrying when gay couples in some states cannot. Freeman said that he's just happy for his family: "At the end of the day, if he's happy and she's happy, I'm happy for them."
