Kristin Joan Svege saw a partner in Charles “Tex” Watson when the world saw him as a serial killer who was convicted in 1971 on seven counts of firs first-degree murder and one count of conspiracy to commit murder.
The marriage was in 1979 and with Tex being incarcerated, Svege became famous. She was married to the killer for 24 years, bore his four children, and started ministering through Abounding Love together. In all of these, there is more to the story of Svege and why she was married to Tex Watson – a man known for killing at least 7 people in 1969.
Who is Tex Watson’s Ex-wife?
Kristin Joan Svege is a Christian woman who preached. The popular opinion on the internet is that Svege found God and she thought she could help Tex.
Whatever the case, there is no information regarding her family or even life before 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.
How Svege Met Her Serial Killer Ex-Husband
Following the incarceration of Watson, he converted to Christianity in 1975. He and Svege wrote to each other and somehow along the line, they developed an interest.
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 the internet has different narrations. To some, she married him because he manipulated her, and she was very young. 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 change him or win his soul.
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.)
See Also: Judith Lorraine Lynch Is The Ex-wife Of Serial Killer, Gary Ridgway- Marriage And Divorce
They are Parents of 4 Children
Despite being in prison, Tex has fathered 4 children (three boys and a girl) with his ex-wife Svege. They conceived the children through conjugal visits before inmates facing life were stopped in 1996.
The children have been kept away from the public. Regardless, 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.
This was also accompanied by the investigation that the couple was using funds from nonprofit organizations for personal use.
Tex’s children are aware of their father’s crimes. He told them about his crimes and why he was put in jail.
Where is Kristin Joan Svege Now?
Svege lives a private life and 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.
