The Manson Family BlogOne of the only known photos of Leona Candy Stevens (also known as Leona Rae Musser). 1956.In 1959, Leona Candy Stevens tearfully stood before a judge and begged him for leniency. Her boyfriend was facing a hefty sentence, but Stevens told the judge that she was pregnant, and that the two planned to get married. The judge was sympathetic, and let her boyfriend go. But it was all a lie. That said, Stevens did later marry her boyfriend:Charles Manson.One of the infamous cult leaders of all time, Manson is best known for orchestrating the horrifying Tate-LaBianca murders of 1969. But before that, Manson was married twice. After his first marriage to Rosalie Jean Willis fell apart, Manson ultimately wed Candy Stevens.Though their marriage produced a son, one of three of Mansons known children, it was ultimately an unhappy union. Citing cruelty and Mansons felony conviction, Stevens filed for divorce in 1963.After that, she disappeared from the historical record. Meanwhile, her ex-husband drifted to San Francisco, where he began to gain a cult following.Charles Manson Meets Candy StevensLittle is known about Candy Stevens early life. Also known as Leona Rae Musser, she was likely still a teenager when she first crossed paths with Charles Manson in the late 1950s. By then, Manson already been married once (to Rosalie Jean Willis, with whom he had one son) and had developed an extensive rap sheet. Indeed, Manson and Steven seemingly met shortly after Manson got out of prison in September 1958, where he served 29 months of a three year prison sentence for stealing cars. As Lis Wiehl wrote in Hunting Charles Manson: The Quest For Justice in the Days of Helter Skelter in 2018, Manson initially tried to find legitimate work. But he ultimately returned to a life of crime, convincing women to work as sex workers and pocketing their profits. Though Stevens became Mansons girlfriend, she was a sex worker who worked for him, too. Manson Family BlogCandy Stevens is pictured here in a class photo from 1956. Shes in the third row, the fourth from the left. Colorado, 1956.But though Manson was taking the money Stevens earned through sex work, it wasnt enough to satisfy him. On May 1, 1959, he stole two treasury checks from a local mailbox and was quickly arrested when he tried to cash one of them. Though Manson tried to conceal the evidence by swallowing one of the checks, he was in serious trouble.Suddenly, he found himself facing down another lengthy prison sentence. But Charles Manson came up with a plan, involving Candy Stevens, to keep himself out of jail. How Candy Stevens Lied To Save Charles MansonMichael Ochs Archives/Getty ImagesCharles Manson standing trial in the 1970s.First, Charles Manson had his fellow inmates write letters on behalf. When that didnt work, he enlisted the help of Candy Stevens. As Vincent Bugliosi wrote in Helter Skelter: The True Story of the Manson Murders, Stevens called Mansons parole officer and lied, telling him that she was pregnant.But the parole officer was skeptical. Ultimately he, the U.S. Attorneys Office, and psychiatrist Dr. Edwin McNiel, all recommended against probation. [Manson] is very unstable emotionally and very insecure In my opinion, he is probably a sociopathic personality without psychosis. Unfortunately, he is rapidly becoming an institutionalized individual, McNiel stated. I certainly cannot recommend him as a good candidate for probation.So Stevens went straight to the judge. As Bugliosi wrote, Stevens tearfully appealed to the judge. She claimed she and Manson were in love, that they were pregnant, and that they planned to get married. This was untrue. But Stevens appeal moved the judge. He suspended Mansons 10-year sentence and placed him on probation. It wouldnt take long, however, for Charles Manson to return to a life of crime. The End Of Charles Manson And Candy Stevens RelationshipSoon, Charles Manson was in trouble again. He started sexual relationships with two teenage girls, was arrested for grand theft auto and using stolen credit cards and, in December, took Candy Stevens and another woman across state lines. This violated the Mann Act, which forbids the transport of people across state lines for the purpose prostitution or debauchery.Albert Foster/Mirrorpix/Getty ImagesAfter violating his probation, Charles Manson spent most of the 1960s in prison where, among other things, he learned to play the guitar. Manson then married Stevens, but may have only done so to try to prevent her from testifying against him. Whatever his motives, Stevens soon got pregnant. On Sept. 24, 1950, she gave birth to their son, Charles Luther Manson. He is one of Mansons three known children, alongside Charles Manson Jr. and Valentine Michael Manson.But Candy Stevens had seemingly grown weary of coming to Mansons aide. Facing legal trouble of her own, she agreed to testify against Manson before a grand jury. In 1963, she divorced him, citing his felony convicted and mental cruelty during their marriage. By then, Charles Manson was back in jail, where he would remain until 1967. But while Candy Stevens and her son would more or less disappear from the historic record, Manson would soon became one of the most infamous men of the 20th century. Charles Mansons Crimes After Candy StevensIn 1967, Charles Manson made his way to the Haight-Ashbury district in San Francisco, where he began to gain a cult following. Mansons followers, who became known as the Manson Family, then followed him to Los Angeles. Los Angeles Public LibraryManson followers Leslie Van Houten and Patricia Krenwinkel being led to court after the Tate-LaBianca Murders. April 17, 1970.There, in August 1969, they committed a series of bloody murders known as the Tate-LaBianca Murders. Charle Manson directed his followers Tex Watson, Susan Atkins, Patricia Krenwinkel, Linda Kasabian, and Leslie Van Houten to commit the heinous crimes, during which nine people, including the actress Sharon Tate, were gruesomely slain.But while Charles Manson had captivated and horrified the world ever since, Candy Stevens has stayed out of the spotlight. Its unknown what happened to her after she divorced Manson, or even if shes still alive today. Her digital paper trail has essentially been relegated to a handful of books, Manson blogs, and the dark legacy Manson himself created in the 1960s.After learning about Leona Rae Candy Stevens, the second wife of cult leader Charles Manson, discover the story of Charles Mansons death in prison. Or, read about Kathleen Maddox, Charles Mansons mother.The post Candy Stevens, The Sex Worker Who Became Charles Mansons Second Wife appeared first on All That's Interesting.