Who was Susan Atkins and did she get paroled?
SUSAN Atkins was known for being a member of Charles Manson’s “family”.
Throughout two nights in August 1969, in Los Angeles, Manson ordered a number of his followers — including Susan Atkins, to kill seven people.
Who was Susan Atkins?
Susan Atkins, born May 7, 1948, was a convicted murderer.
In the 1960s, she was part of a group of runaways and castaways Manson assembled known as the Manson Family.
In the summer of 1969, he directed his mostly young, female followers to murder seven people in what prosecutors said was part of a plan to incite a race war.
Manson reportedly intended to frame the murders on the Black Panthers.
On August 8, 1969, Manson ordered Atkins, Linda Kasabian, Patricia Krenwinkel and Charles “Tex” Watson – to the Beverly Hills address of movie actress Sharon Tate.
Manson sent four of his disciples there with the instructions to kill everyone in the house.
As well as Tate, who was married to director Roman Polanski and eight months pregnant, Manson’s followers murdered four other people at the property.
Supermarket executive Leno LaBianc and his wife Rosemary were also killed by the deadly gang, which included Leslie Van Houten and Steve “Clem” Grogan – in their home the following night.
The cult leader and his followers also killed two others – musician Gary Hinman and Hollywood stuntman Donald “Shorty” Shea – in separate, unrelated attacks.
Atkins was convicted for her participation in eight of these killings.
Atkins, along with Manson and his other accomplices were all convicted of the murders, apart from Kasabian who testified against them and played no direct part in the killings.
Manson, Susan Atkins, Leslie Van Houten, Patricia Krenwinkel and Tex Watson were all found guilty and received life sentences.
Atkins and her co-defendants were originally sentenced to death but their sentences were reduced to life in prison when capital punishment was briefly outlawed by the US supreme court in the 1970s.
Between 1976 and 2009, Atkins was denied parole a total of 13 times.
Who was Susan Atkins’ husband?
Atkins married twice while in prison.
Her first marriage was to Donald Lee Laisure in 1981.
After divorcing Laisure, Atkins went on to marry James W. Whitehouse, a graduate of Harvard Law School, in 1987.
He represented Atkins at her 2000 and 2005 parole hearings and maintained a website dedicated to her legal representation.
What did Susan Atkins say to Sharon Tate?
Manson’s accomplice Watson claimed that Sharon begged him to let her live long enough to have her son.
He said her final words were: “Mother, mother” and they carved a cross into her stomach.
A former cellmate of Atkin’s, Virginia Graham, gave testimony at the trial.
Graham revealed that Atkins had replied: “Look, b**ch, you might as well face it right now, you’re going to die, and I don’t feel a thing behind it.”
Is Susan Atkins still alive?
Susan Atkins died in prison in 2009.
She was 61 and had been suffering from brain cancer.
Atkins’ death came less than a month after a parole board turned down her last chance at freedom on September 2, 2009.