Manson Family Killer Asks For "Compassion"

[3113]

On an infamous summer night in 1969, young followers of Charles Manson entered a Benedict Canyon mansion and murdered five people gathered on the compound. Actress Sharon Tate, 8 1/2 months pregnant with the son of director Roman Polanski, begged one of the knife-wielding killers to spare her life. The attacker was Susan Atkins, and her response was cold and unequivocal.

"She asked me to let her baby live," Atkins told parole officials in 1993. "I told her I didn't have mercy for her."

Almost 40 years later, it's Atkins who is asking for mercy.

Diagnosed with terminal brain cancer and confined to state prison on a life sentence, the 59-year-old is asking to be released from state prison on "compassionate" grounds. By most accounts, Atkins, a former topless dancer who used to sing in her church choir, was one of Manson's fiercest disciples. After stabbing and killing Tate, prosecutors said Atkins tasted the actress' blood and used it to write "PIG" on the front door. During her trial, which took more than nine months, Atkins showed no remorse and maintained utter devotion to Manson, whom she called "Jesus Christ," "the devil" and "the soul." During sentencing, she taunted the court by saying, "You'd best lock your doors and watch your own kids."

...Behind bars, Atkins has been a model prisoner who for the last 21 years has been married to an Orange County attorney who represented her at her last parole hearing. She has been in state prison for 37 years, longer than any other female inmate. Debra Tate, the actress' sister and only surviving relative, strongly opposes the release of Atkins or any members of the Manson family. "They are serial killers and they were convicted to die and they need to stay incarcerated," she said. "People don't just become cured from being sociopaths. There's no deprogramming, no pills, no drugs that make that go away."

Margaret DiMaria, the sister of Jay Sebring, a hairdresser who was killed at the Benedict Canyon home, agreed. "It is most unfortunate that Ms. Atkins now suffers a terminal illness. However, in the eyes of the law and in memory of her victims, I fail to see how one thing correlates to the other," DiMaria and her son Anthony said in a statement Friday. "She repeatedly committed crimes requiring evil premeditation and executed them in a cavalier manner that afforded her victims no mercy. The sentence Ms. Atkins now serves should not be mitigated because fate has struck this blow."

But Atkins' petition has won some guarded support from unlikely quarters, including Vincent Bugliosi, the prosecutor who successfully sought the death penalty for Atkins. "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."

Rest of story here.

I know what I think. What do you think? Poll included.

 

[jomar]

My initial reaction was "Hell no! Keep her in prison." But after reading the article I'm not sure it matters in this case. Sounds like she'll be in a hospital either way.

 

[lesbiaphrodite]

The quality of a society is determined by the quality of the mercy it shows (to loosely paraphrase the Bard). I agree.

 

[Boxlicker101]

I say we should show the bitch the same mercy she showed to others, no more and no less. Especially no more. The whole crowd should have gone to the gas chamber decades ago. The vehicle that removes them from prison should be a garbage truck, because that's what they are. Failing that, a hearse.

 

[Stella_Omega]

I say she should end her illness in a prison hospital.

 

[rgraham666]

Nope, she can stay in prison.

 

[impressive]

I say she should end her illness in a prison hospital.

Agreed. Let the compassion shown be in the form of appropriate medical care & pain relief.

 

[Boxlicker101]

Agreed. Let the compassion shown be in the form of appropriate medical care & pain relief.

As a California taxpayer, I'd rather we didn't even have to provide that, but I suppose we must. Whatever you do, don't cut her loose.

 

[impressive]

As a California taxpayer, I'd rather we didn't even have to provide that, but I suppose we must. Whatever you do, don't cut her loose.

Well, as a taxpayer in general, I agree. However, once the ruling was made to "just" imprison her, that die was cast.

 

[Zeb_Carter]

No.

Just plain no.

 

[john-the-author]

Rest of story here.

I know what I think. What do you think? Poll included.

Fuck her. Keep her in jail where she can't do any more harm. How do we know that she's not going to do something like this again on the grounds that she can't be jailed further?

Treat her like the diseased organism she is.

 

[Boxlicker101]

Well, as a taxpayer in general, I agree. However, once the ruling was made to "just" imprison her, that die was cast.

The original sentence was Death but, at that time, California was plagued by a pack of lunatics on the state supreme court. They decided that, since defendants were not served tea during their trials, or something equally ridiculous, the death sentence was unconstitutional. The sentences were changed to Life with possibility of parole. That's why they are still alive.

A few years later, we had the chance to boot the justices off the court, and we did so with great alacrity. This was only one of the many stupid things they did, but probably the best known one.

 

[jomar]

As a California taxpayer, I'd rather we didn't even have to provide that, but I suppose we must. Whatever you do, don't cut her loose.

I have no idea how the money flows, but I'm cynical enough to think that might be the deciding factor - the pool of money her care comes from. Keep her in prison and it comes from prison medical funds; kick her out, from their funds. The prison shall argue compassion, the opponent shall argue the letter/intent of her conviction. Bureaucrats, draw swords!

 

[Guest]

Do they release other inmates serving life sentences when they are terminally ill?

Honestly, what is the protocol for this?

 

[Roxanne Appleby]

Anyone consider that the more dire punishment at this point might be to kick her butt out the door and let her figure things out on her own? Plus, isn't it the taxpayers who are being "punished" here the most at this point?

Call me ambivalent.

 

[Chantilyvamp]

Honestly I think she should stay in the prison hospital for the remainder of her time. Mercy is making sure she's comfortable in the end to the degree that serving her sentence will allow. That is more mercy than she showed.

Not to mention is she really safe outside of the prison? I swear I remember hearing my brothers talking all hush hush about newspapers saying there had been a large amount of death threats sent to the manson family.

 

[Pure]

note to box and some who agree:

boxI say we should show the bitch the same mercy she showed to others, no more and no less

what you and others are proposing is that we all copy the lack of "mercy" a murdering psycho killer showed.

 

[Weird Harold]

Do they release other inmates serving life sentences when they are terminally ill?

Honestly, what is the protocol for this?

Al Capone was paroled [from federal custody at Alcatraz] on compassionate grounds when he began to succumb to siphilitic dementia. He was NOT however serving a death sentence commuted to life withthe possibility of parole.

Box, I thought it was the US Supreme Court that overturned the death penalty and Gov. Brown who commuted the sentences rather than retry them under the new guidlelines.

 

[starrkers]

Do they release other inmates serving life sentences when they are terminally ill?

Honestly, what is the protocol for this?

I did a bit of a net search on this very question. Turns out in 2007 there were about 73 (I think) prisoners in California eligible to apply for compassionate release due to terminal illness.
To be able to apply they had to have less than six months to live and have family prepared to pay for their treatment/nursing.
Of these 20 got to the final phase of approval and only 10 were actually approved.

I'm not sure of the first figure (73), I wasn't expecting to need to remember it but I am sure the last two are accurate on what I read (which I now can't refind).

 

[colddiesel]

boxI say we should show the bitch the same mercy she showed to others, no more and no less

what you and others are proposing is that we all copy the lack of "mercy" a murdering psycho killer showed.

Wouldn't your opinion carry more weight if you showed the courage of your own convictions rather than jumping on Box for showing his?

I think the sentence should be carried out within the context of the applicable lawAn emotional decision(either way) is not appropriate.

 

[Liar]

I'm a firm believer in practical karma. Meaning you have to pay back your bad deeds with good deeds. Not to some cosmic balance, but because you owe that to the human race and the society.

She did something really bad. Has she done something really good to compensate for that? To the best of her abilitites, of course, being in prison is a bit limiting in terms of options.

Being a "model prisoner" doesn't cut it. That's just being sensible and staying out of trouble for your own selfish reasons. What a parole board, or whoever handles this, needs to ask is "What have you done for us lately? No really, what have you specifically done, other than behave? Bring a list."

And it better be one helluva list.

 

[Guest]

I'm a firm believer in practical karma. Meaning you have to pay back your bad deeds with good deeds. Not to some cosmic balance, but because you owe that to the human race and the society.

She did something really bad. Has she done something really good to compensate for that? To the best of her abilitites, of course, being in prison is a bit limiting in terms of options.

Being a "model prisoner" doesn't cut it. That's just being sensible and staying out of trouble for your own selfish reasons. What a parole board, or whoever handles this, needs to ask is "What have you done for us lately? No really, what have you specifically done, other than behave? Bring a list."

And it better be one helluva list.

Agreed.

If they don't automatically allow prisoners to go free when they are terminally ill then of course she shouldn't qualify. Why is her case even being considered?

It would be different if she were in prison for a non-violent crime.

 

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

A few years ago California released a prisoner who raped a teenager and amputated her arms with an axe. He was in prison for life, but everyone felt sorry for him, and he was released.

So he came to Florida and murdered a woman and went back to prison.

 

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

ROXANNE

The bitch will be on Oprah 10 minutes after she's released. She and OJ will do a quest for the real killers.

 

[Roxanne Appleby]

ROXANNE

The bitch will be on Oprah 10 minutes after she's released. She and OJ will do a quest for the real killers.

Crikey, you're exactly right.

Keep her in.

My previous post only applies in the case of one who is not notorious and so has no Oprah potential.