Susan Atkins was born in 1948, and when she was 18 years old, she left home and settled in San Francisco. There she met Charles Manson and became a member of the Manson Family cult. On his orders she participated in the Tate-LaBianca murders in August 1969. Seven people were killed, including actress Sharon Tate, who was eight months pregnant. In October Atkins was arrested for her involvement in the July 1969 murder of Gary Hinman. While in jail Atkins told her cellmates about the Tate-LaBianca murders. In December she testified before a grand jury but later recanted her testimony. In 1971 Atkins, Manson, and three other Family members were convicted of the murders. Atkins later pleaded guilty to Hinman’s murder. She received the death penalty, which was later commuted to a life sentence after the existing capital punishment laws were declared unconstitutional. While in prison Atkins became a born-again Christian and expressed remorse for her actions. She also turned against Manson, accusing him of being “a thief, a dope pusher, a kidnapper, a child stealer, a pimp, a rapist and a child molester.” In 2008 Atkins was diagnosed with brain cancer. Several months after being denied compassionate release, she died in 2009 at age 61.
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