Kristin Joan Svege saw a lover in Charles “Tex” Watson when the world saw him as a serial killer. For the record, Tex Watson is a serial killer who was convicted in 1971 on seven counts of first-degree murder and one count of conspiracy to commit murder.
The fact that Tex Watson committed terrible serial killings did not stop Kristin from falling in love with him. In fact, they went on to get married, stunning all who heard their story. Their marriage happened in 1979 while Tex Watson was already in prison.
The story made deadlines and Kristine Joan Svege became a well-known name because of it. She was married to the serial killer for 24 years, bore his four children, and started ministering through Abounding Love, a religious website started by Watson.
However, their romance did not stand the test of time as they eventually divorced in 2003.
Who is Tex Watson’s Ex-wife, Kristin Joan Svege?
Very little is known about Kristin Joan Svege and her background. There is practically no information regarding her family or what her life was like before meeting the serial killer. However, on The Manson Family Blog website, there is a report that her family is from Norway.
Tracing the ancestry of her surname, the website, ancestry.com reveals that the name Svege is historically linked to Britain or Ireland. Growing up, she attended Asbury Park High School.
What is more commonly known Kristin her is that she fell in love with Watson and became a Christian woman who preached the word. Most people believe that that Svege fell in love because she thought she could help Tex.
How Svege Met Her Serial Killer Ex-Husband
Following the criminal conviction and incarceration of Tex Watson in 1971, he converted to Christianity in 1975. Shortly after, he and Svege began to write to each other and somehow along the line, they developed a romantic interest in themselves. Few years later, they decided to marry.
On September 7, 1979, they were married in a prison ceremony. People found their union bizarre, especially since he was serving life in prison – a sentence that was initially a death sentence until the Supreme invalidation of all death sentences imposed in California before 1972.
It is difficult to ascertain why Svege married Tex but different narrations have been spurned about it. To some, she married him because he manipulated her, especially since she was young at the time. To others, he made her believe that he could get parole. Well, he was denied parole 18 times. The last was in 2021 when he was given a 5-year denial.
There are theories that Svege may have married her convicted husband because she was a Christian and she learned that he accepted Christ. She was willing to marry him with the hope that she could help to further change into a more Christlike being.
Regardless of the different theories, their marriage lasted over 2 decades. They were married from 1979 to 2003 before they divorced after Kristin found another man. Despite the divorce, Svege and her ex-husband Watson remain friends.
Their union is not the first of its kind. Several women in history fell in love and married serial killers or other criminals in prison. Some of these women include Carole Anne Boone (who married Ted Bundy), Doreen Lioy (who married Richard Ramirez – The Night Stalker), Rebecca Sneed (who married Lyle Menendez), and Christine Kizuka (married Angelo Buono Jr.)
They are Parents of 4 Children
Despite being in prison, Tex Watson has fathered 4 children (three boys and a girl) with his ex-wife Kristin Joan Svege. They conceived the children during conjugal visits they were allowed to have This was before inmates facing life were stopped from having such visits in 1996.
The children have been kept away from the public. Regardless, it is believed that the birth of the children was between the 1970s to 1995 since conjugal visits were abolished in 1996.
The birth of the children came with an opening into the finances and lives of both Svege and Tex. They were investigated twice by the California attorney general for committing Medical fraud to finance the birth of the children.
Tex’s children are aware of their father’s crimes. According to reports, he actually told them about his crimes and why he was put in jail.
Where is Kristin Joan Svege Now?
Kristin Joan Svege lives a private life and is probably with another man. Even with her divorce, she remains friends with Charles Tex Watson and helps in the growth of Abounding Love which they founded together in the 1970s.
Before now, she helped in taking care of Watson’s aged parents until their demise.
On the other hand, her ex, Watson is 78 years old and is continuously serving his life sentence. He also preaches and has made peace with the daughter of one of his victims, Rosemary LaBianca.
At the time of this report, Charles Tex Watson is incarcerated at Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility in San Diego, California.
