Jun 22 2008
Susan Atkins Has a Brain Tumor
CORONA, Calif. (AP) — California’s director of adult prisons is recommending that former Charles Manson follower and convicted murderer Susan Atkins be denied a compassionate release on the basis of terminal illness.
A prison spokeswoman says director Suzan Hubbard made the decision Wednesday.
Officials at the California Institution for Women had recommended that she be released to die in the care of her family.
The 60-year-old Atkins was held at the facility for decades before a move to a hospital to treat her brain cancer.
Hubbard’s recommendation is advisory. The Board of Parole Hearings must decide whether to take up Atkins’ case, and her original sentencing court in Los Angeles County would make the final decision.
Atkins confessed to killing pregnant actress Sharon Tate during a murderous rampage with other Manson followers in 1969. (Source)
It’s interesting to note that Atkins married twice while in prison. Her current husband graduated from Harvard law in ‘97. She has found God (yawn).
In a recent interview, Vincent Bugliosi, the Manson murders prosecutor, stated: ”Under these unique circumstances, told she has only about six months to live . . . . I don’t have any objection to her being released,” he said. “She has paid substantially, though not completely, for her horrendous crimes. Paying completely would mean imposing the death penalty.”
Bugliosi said his decision to support Atkins’ release wasn’t easy.
“She told me out of her own mouth that Sharon Tate begged for her life, ‘Please let me live, so I can have my baby,’ ” Bugliosi recalled. “And she said, ‘I don’t have mercy for you. . . . You’re going to die.’ And now, she wants mercy?”
Susan Atkins is where she needs to be and remain.
Yes, I agree. I find it interesting that Bugliosi thinks differently.
She wants to have the option/security/peace of dying with her family, a peace she denied another human being. Um, I think not, Susan!
I think God also responded, ‘Yawn.” She deserved to die in prison.
I’m a “hang’em high” sort of guy so I say let her rot and die in prison. She should have gotten the death penalty, now she is dying a painful death, maybe there is some justice after all.
Steve
She received the death penalty but it was commuted to life. Though I do believe she should stay in jail (I don’t believe that for Leslie Van Houten), I take no satisfaction in her suffering.
As an atheist, I don’t buy into the fact that God is punishing her. I also don’t believe in karma.
She should have gotten the death penalty for what she did. Sounds like she is getting some justice with the pain she caused others. Leave her there like she left Sharon.
Your reasoning is a head shaker. There are many people who have murdered and haven’t been strickened with cancer. If it makes you feel better to believe it’s “justice” so be it. But it doesn’t make it so.
For years I have listened to members of Manson’s group whine, moan and cry about their incarceration and refusal of parole. Boo hoo. Adkins deserves to die where she is. She has shown absolutely no remorse for cutting an 8 1/2 month fetus out of a woman who begged for her life and the life of her child. Yet she expects pity, mercy and to die in peace?
There are words to express my absolute disgust and revulsion with this maggot and all the others involved but manners prevent my using that kind of language in a public forum. If the powers that be release this vermin they may as well just open the doors and let everyone out. Sharon Tate, her baby and the other victims of this ‘group’ deserve justice and letting this thing out to die is NOT justice.
I hope Adkins rots exactly where she is. Good riddance Susan I hope your death is agonizingly painful and lonely.
Yes, I agree that it is justice (in terms of law) that she serve her term until she dies.
But because I like facts I want to clarify that the “cutting an 8 1/2 month fetus out of a woman” is not true. The murders are gruesome enough without adding lies into the mix.
I was stunned for a moment regarding the ‘lies’ remark until I reread my post. I meant to use the word ‘practically’ in the cutting fetus statement I made. My error I should have read my post more closely and slowly before I submitted it. I like facts also and I am fully aware Ms. Tate was stabbed numerous times and her child was not removed from her torso. Thanks though for referring to me as a liar I really appreciate it since I assume you have never made an grammatical error in the entirety of your life.
KC, I make grammatical errors every day. Too many too count.
If I thought it was a grammatical error, I wouldn’t have commented. As I do believe that is a low blow. Blogs are full of grammatical errors. Mine is no exception.
There is a myth out there regarding Atkins cutting out Sharon’s fetus. I thought that was what you were referring to.
I guess it was just a coincidence that your grammitical error is also a commonly spread myth.
Wow you’re fast!! My apologies also as I did not did not catch the error and did not know there were reports Ms. Tate’s baby was removed from her body. I read strictly non fiction from many sources and have never run across this. The crime itself was horrific enough without erroneous reports being printed as fact.
Again my apologies for my error I used to get nailed on that very thing in college - omitting words - mentally placing them in my papers even when reread a few times. Obviously this is STILL a problem LMAO!!
Have a wonderful day.
KC,
I have the same problem. I omitt words and sometimes half sentences. I used to be embarrassed by this, and some writers will say I should still be, but I’ve learned that’s what proofers are for.
I have read Vincent Bugliosi’ Helter Skelter and read extensively on the Manson murders and interviews after imprisonement and in my opinion Susan Atkins should not be aloud out of prison to die. She was after all originally sentenced to death, this isnt my only reason. I have also seen the lack of (genuine) remorse this women has shown through the years in interviews. No this women really needs to die in prison and a painful death through a brain tumour doesnt even come close to the suffering of the victims and their families. I have a different opinion of Van Houten and the fact she was the youngest of the girls being just one of the reasons why i think she is suitable for parole.
No comment on Susan Adkins she’s toast….However, on Van Houten, different story..Leslie will stay in prison. Her parole hearings are a formality. Better yet send her to the Georgia Corrctional Institute for Women. She would be serving some flat iron hard time..
Listen to Van Houten’s interview with Larry King part 1. Towards the end of the tape King asks her about her remorse/feelings and her immediate spontaneous reply was “NO” But then she realized what she said and tried to explain away her answer..she did not have to think, the question was asked and answered boom done..Most mentally ill people are not complete fools she’s F.O.S. and playing the system.. !!
Mackey,
I blogged about Leslie and the Larry King interview: http://auriacortes.com/?s=larry+king+live
Towards the end of the interview she is asked if she felt remorse for the Tate murder. Her response was no. That makes sense since she wasn’t involved in that particular murder.
Auria, Makes sense to who ? Murder is murder. I never said that she killed Tate etc..neither did she. The fact that she did not commit those specific murders is completely irrelevant..She was a self proclaimed Manson follower and her allegiance was to the Manson Family. Through her own statement she shows no remorse for the crime of murder.
When innocent people are literally butchered by extreme overkill, and your “friends” or “family” are involved as the perpetrators of the crime, at the very least most normal people should and most likely would be outraged and would immediately seperate themselves and even notify the police. Loyalty is out the window here. It’s all about HAVING to take responsibility for your choices..19 years old or not she made a bad decision and did neither. Instead, she chose to stay and did a little butchering of her own to the Labianca family the next night..
In retrospect the “Manson Family” advertised themselves as being a bunch of crazy whacked out fools.
So the state of California simply answered their ad, agreed, and put society’s trash in prison where it belongs. I bet their not laughing now !!.
Down south there’s a very old saying it goes like this..”If you gonna dance..You gotta pay the fiddler”. Now their paying.
Her response makes sense to me.
And yes, I know about the South. I’ll leave my statement at that…
ETA: Mackey, I realize you probably found this blog conducting an Internet search of some kind and are not a regular here.
FYI, on July 24th, I put the blog on hold to fulfill a book contract obligation. So as much as it may be fun to participate in banter, I don’t have the time. My publisher is waiting for my manuscript. Once the blog is active again, then we can continue.