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‘I come from a murderer’: the woman who found out Charles Manson was her grandfather
A new Hulu documentary, My Grandfather Charles Manson, follows Sophia Maddox, 26, as she comes to terms with discovering that the notorious cult leader Charles Manson was her paternal grandfather. The revelation emerged four years ago via a genealogy website match, and the film traces Maddox's efforts to process the shock, understand her family's inherited trauma, and reconcile her identity with the legacy of one of America's most infamous murderers.
Maddox's father, Daniel Arguelles, had grown up not knowing his own father and only learned the truth alongside his daughter, taking two months to tell her because the discovery was so difficult. The documentary, co-directed with Alexandra Orton, blends therapy-session-style footage with interviews with former Manson Family members, while also revisiting the 1969 murders Manson orchestrated, including the killing of actor Sharon Tate and four others, and the LaBianca murders the following night. Manson died in prison in 2017 aged 83; Maddox says she hopes sharing her story might help others feel less alone.
In short
- Woman discovers via DNA test that Charles Manson was her grandfather
- New Hulu documentary follows her processing the shocking family link
- Film explores generational trauma alongside Manson Family murder history
Explained simply
Charles Manson led a group known as the Manson Family in California in the late 1960s. Members of the group killed actor Sharon Tate and four other people in 1969, then killed Leno and Rosemary LaBianca the next night. Manson was convicted in connection with the murders and died in prison in 2017.
Sophia Maddox’s father, Daniel Arguelles, grew up not knowing who his father was. A match on a genealogy website later revealed that Manson was Arguelles’s father, meaning he was Maddox’s paternal grandfather. Both father and daughter learned the news together.
The documentary follows Maddox as she explores what the discovery means for her family and sense of identity. It includes interviews with former members of Manson’s group and footage of therapy-style conversations, placing her personal story alongside the history of the murders.
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