Susan Atkins
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Susan Denise Atkins aka Sadie Mae Glutz (born May 7, 1948) is an American murderer and former member of the Charles Manson "Family". She swore before a Grand Jury to have stabbed actress Sharon Tate to death, and to have been present at, or an accomplice to, several other murders.
Born in San Gabriel, California, Atkins had a difficult childhood and grew up in an abusive household and both of her parents were alcoholics. Her mother died of cancer when Atkins was 15 years old and her father gave her and a brother to their aunt. She left the home, finally living in San Francisco, where she supported herself as a topless dancer and by selling narcotics. It was there, while living in a hippie commune, that Atkins met Charles Manson. She said that she believed he was Jesus and travelled with him and other members of his growing family to the Spahn Movie Ranch in California. In 1968 she bore him a son, naming him Zezozose Zadfrack Glutz.
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The Sharon Tate Murders and Atkins' claims
On August 9, 1969 Sharon Tate who was eight months pregnant, Jay Sebring, Abigail Folger, Wojciech Frykowski and Steven Parent were murdered at Tate's Beverly Hills home. The following night in Los Feliz, a suburb of Los Angeles, grocery store owner Leno LaBianca and his wife Rosemary were murdered. The two murders were not immediately linked but each was the subject of wide media coverage.
By November 1969, Atkins along with Manson and a number of "Family" members had been incarcerated for car theft and arson. While in prison Atkins began bragging to a fellow inmate that she had been involved in a murder. She described how she had personally stabbed Sharon Tate to death after ignoring her pleas for mercy. By coincidence the other inmate Virginia Graham had known Jay Sebring and had dated him for a short period of time. Also by coincidence, Graham had attended a party at the Tate residence a few years earlier when the house was occupied by different tenants. Atkins' descriptions of both Sebring and the house were accurate, and Graham began to believe she was telling her the truth. She would later prove to be a valuable prosecution witness.
Grand Jury
By this time Manson and the "Family" had been linked to the murders, but the prosecution case was not considered to be strong. Atkins was therefore offered immunity from prosecution in exchage for her continued cooperation and was called before a Grand Jury. She described how Charles Manson had instructed her along with Charles "Tex" Watson, Patricia Krenwinkel and Linda Kasabian to go to that particular house and kill everyone there. The motive was to incite a race war which was to be called Helter Skelter. The song of the same name by the group The Beatles was interpreted by Manson and his followers as being an instruction to start this war. She said she had not known any of the victims and had not cared who would be killed. She restated what she had previously told Graham and added details which lost her the sympathy she had been trying to attract. When asked to identify the body of Steven Parent from a photograph she said "yes that's the thing I saw in the car". Later, when describing the death of Sharon Tate, she told how Tate had begged for the life of her unborn child. Atkins said she had replied "look bitch, I have no mercy for you. You're going to die and you'd better get used to it". According to Atkins' testimony it was then that she began stabbing Tate because she was "sick of listening to her". She also showed no emotion as she described taking a towel and smearing it with Tate's blood and then using it to write the word "PIG" on the front door.
Describing the sequence of events, she stated that Watson had shot Steven Parent in his car in the driveway because Parent had seen them enter the grounds of the residence. Linda Kasabian had been horrified by Parent's murder and had waited outside the house while the others entered. Watson shot Jay Sebring when he attempted to defend Sharon Tate. Krenwinkel and Atkins had both stabbed Frykowski but he'd struggled and had fled outside where Watson had then stabbed him until he stopped moving. Abigail Folger had then broken free and had fled out the back door with Krenwinkel in pursuit. Krenwinkel had stabbed her a number of times before being joined by Watson who had just finished killing Frykowski. He continued to stab Folger until she was dead. Tate, according to Atkins had been the last to die because "she had to see the others die first".
Atkins said she had not entered the LaBianca residence the following night, and incriminated another "Family" member Leslie Van Houten, who had not been present at the Tate residence.
Atkins also admitted that she had participated in the murder of music teacher Gary Hinman, once again at the instruction of Charles Manson, in 1968.
Trial and Sentence
Atkins refused to cooperate any further and the offer of immunity was withdrawn. Immunity was then offered to Linda Kasabian, and this was seen to be a more reasonable compromise as Kasabian had not entered either the Tate or LaBianca residences and had confronted Manson after the murders, telling him that she could not kill somebody. Manson, Krenwinkel, Van Houten and Atkins were sent to trial on June 15, 1970. Watson was later tried separately as he was at this time in Texas attempting to fight extradition. Throughout the trial all defendants caused disruptions to proceedings and were all noted for both their lack of remorse for their victims, and their lack of concern for their own fates.
Atkins and the other defendants were found guilty and sentenced to death on March 29, 1971. The death sentence was later automatically commuted to life in prison after the California Supreme Court's People v. Anderson decision resulted in the invalidation of all death sentences imposed in California prior to 1972.
Atkins' life since being sentenced
In 1974 Atkins claimed to have become a "born-again Christian", and since her incarceration has studied art, and has married a lawyer. She now uses her married name Susan Atkins-Whitehouse and has set up a website where her admirers and supporters can communicate with her. She has applied unsuccessfully for parole on eleven occasions. She began to recant her earlier testimony in 1991. Since then she has maintained that she was present during the murders but did not participate. During each hearing she demonstrated no remorse and no willingness to accept responsibility. Her prison records have otherwise described her as a model prisoner. Her husband represented her at her 2000 hearing. In 2003 she petitioned the state against her sentence on the grounds that she has become over the years a political prisoner but her petition was denied.
Since receiving their sentences, Atkins, Krenwinkel and Van Houten have been housed at the California Institution for Women in Corona, California.
Atkins is next eligible for parole in 2005, with her hearing scheduled for July 1.