Sharon Tate's Killer Susan Atkins Dies

ABCNews.com:

Susan Atkins, the convicted murderer and onetime Charles Manson disciple, died late Thursday after being placed on hospice status earlier in the week.

Terry Thornton, spokeswoman for the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, told ABCNews.com that Atkins had been placed in the prison hospital's hospice a few days ago when death seemed "imminent."

She received round the clock pastoral care, a service provided to inmates at that hospital so they don't die alone.

"It's just an effort to bring some dignity to inmates in the last time they have on Earth," Thornton said.

Atkins, 61, was diagnosed with brain cancer last year. The disease spread and Atkins, whose left leg was subsequently amputated, was paralyzed over most of her body by the time she died.

She was wheeled into the parole hearing on a gurney Sept. 2, her head covered in a pink and purple knitted cap. The cross she once carved into her forehead as a sign of loyalty to Manson was no longer visible.

Her face bloated, Atkins slept through most of the hearing, but spoke a few words of the Bible's Psalm 23, chiming in when cued by her husband and attorney James Whitehouse.

Atkins' family had pleaded with the parole board to show her mercy and let her die at home. But hearing officials cited the "atrocious" and "dispassionate" nature of the murders committed in 1969.

Atkins was one of five people convicted of the murders of pregnant actress Sharon Tate and six others in a two-night murder spree ordered by cult-leader Manson.

Susan Atkins was a monster who stabbed to death an 8 1/2 months pregnant Sharon Tate. That she lived another 40 years, got married twice while in prison and died a painful death was too good for her. Hopefully Sharon Tate can now rest more easily.

Convicted Murderer Susan Atkins Denied Parole

This is good news:

Susan Atkins, the terminally ill Charles Manson follower who admitted stabbing actress Sharon Tate 40 years ago, lost what was likely to be her last bid for freedom Wednesday.

Atkins, who suffers from brain cancer, slept through most of the four-hour hearing during which her husband-lawyer pleaded for her release and families of victims of the Sharon Tate-Labianca killings urged that she be kept behind bars until she dies.

In a dramatic moment — one of the few in which Atkins opened her eyes — Atkins' husband, James Whitehouse, led her through a recitation of the 23rd Psalm, with Atkins concluding in a strong voice, "My God is an amazing God."

Debra Tate, sister of the actress who was 8 1/2 months pregnant when she was killed, told the parole commissioners that she would have a 40-year-old nephew if her sister had lived. She said of Atkins, "I will pray for her soul when she draws her last breath, but until then I think she should remain in this controlled situation."

Parole commissioner Tim O'Hare said that he and the other commissioner who presided over the hearing, Jan Enloe, based their decision heavily on the "atrocious nature" of the 1969 killings and said that Atkins never fully understood the magnitude of her crimes.

Susan Atkins didn't show any mercy when she killed Sharon Tate and her unborn baby, thus none should ever be given to her. She can die with dignity in prison.

Sharon Tate Killer Susan Atkins Denied Parole

In a unanimous decision yesterday the California Parole Board denied a request for compassionate release by convicted murderer Susan Atkins, now 60, and supposedly dying with three months to live:

The petition for Atkins' release ignited debate about what mercy is appropriate, particularly considering the grisly crimes for which she was convicted. With the rejection by the panel, the process is effectively over, making it highly likely that she will die in custody.

In opposing Atkins' release, some family members had to bring back painful memories. Pam Turner, a cousin of Sharon Tate, recalled the pregnant actress' return to the United States, and dreaming of helping her with her baby. Then she spoke about wanting to die after finding out that Tate and her unborn son had been stabbed to death.

"I was a child, but I was so sick with grief that I wished I too could die," Turner said, sobbing. She described how Tate's mother, her aunt, "howled like a wounded animal."

As to be expected, some leftwing loons are howling against this decision by the California Parole Board, arguing in part that Atkins was young and on drugs when she committed her heinous act, has served 37 years in jail, exhibited model behavior in prison, is in deteriorating health and is "no longer a threat to society". Of course, this kind of thinking is typical of so-called "progressives" who care more about the rights of criminals than the victims of violent acts and serves as yet another reminder of the damaging effect liberals are having on society as a whole. Then too, in displaying their compassion for Sharon Tate's killer, the loons fail to mention that most drug users don't join murderous gangs, Atkins didn't show any remorse for her deeds till after she was convicted, she murdered others besides Sharon Tate and she's outlived her victims by 40 years already. This isn't about revenge, this is about Susan Atkins serving a sentence commensurate to her crimes. Our criminal justice already has many serious flaws, releasing Susan Atkins our of jail would only add to the problem and it'd send a very dangerous precedent.

Let Murderer Susan Atkins Rot In Jail

As part of the infamous, racist and murderous Charles Manson gang of the late 60's, Susan Atkins shot to death a pregnant woman (Sharon Tate) and took part in numerous other acts of mayhem that led to the death of at least 9 people. Well, some 37 years later, after getting her death sentence commuted to life in prison and being denied parole numerous times (thanks in part to the pleas coming from relatives of the Manson gang's victims), Atkins is now begging the California penal system for a "compassionate release" due to the terminal cancer that's struck her recently, causing her to have six months to live:

Former Manson family member Susan Atkins has requested a "compassionate release" from prison because she has less than six months to live, a California prisons spokeswoman said Friday.

Atkins, 60, was convicted in the 1969 slayings of actress Sharon Tate and four others. She had been incarcerated at the California Institution for Women in Corona, California.

But Atkins, the state's longest- serving female inmate, has been hospitalized since March 18 and is listed in serious condition, state corrections department spokeswoman Terry Thornton said. Because of privacy laws, Thornton would not disclose the nature of Atkins' illness.

Atkins' husband and attorney, James Whitehouse, was quoted as saying she has been diagnosed with terminal brain cancer, according to a blog called Manson Family Today. She also has had a leg amputated, the Los Angeles Times reported Friday, citing sources close to the case.

The compassionate release request has been approved by the prison, which conducted an evaluation, and is under corrections department review, Thornton said.

Of course, some "screw the victims, it's the criminals we care about" liberals are taking up Atkins cause arguing that she's been rehabilitated and "found God" while ignoring the heinous nature of her crimes, Atkins commuted life-in-jail sentence, the feelings of relatives to the victims and the fact that Atkins' has never showed any remorse for her brutal acts. Bottom line, no matter what her current status is, the state of California should show Susan Atkins the same amount of compassion she showed for her victims . . . none. And let her ass die there.