That's the aforementioned cult of personality angle. While Charles Manson has culpability for ordering his group to brutally murder multiple people, they are the ones who actually physically took part in the brutal murders. As mentioned before, this makes Charles Manson guilty of conspiracy to commit murder, which has the same penalties as actual murder. In fact, Charles Manson was originally sentenced to death, but it was lowered to life in prison with the possibility of parole due to a California Supreme Court ruling in California versus Anderson. The cult of personality is a powerful phenomenon. There are many examples of cult of personality. At times it can even be argued that a cult of personality exists in United States Presidential Politics. Basically, one person becomes a rock star, and the "rock star" gains a sizable following. The followers are sometimes willing to break the law. The "rock star" sometimes encourages the followers to break the law. In such a case, there can be a shared culpability.