Sadie Glutz Susan Denise Atkins (May 7, 1948 – September 24, 2009) was an American convicted murderer who was a member of Charles Manson's "Family".

At the time of her death, she was California's longest-serving female inmate,[1] long since surpassed by fellow Manson family members Leslie Van Houten and Patricia Krenwinkel.

Over the next three years, Susan's life was disrupted by the gradual breakup of her family, frequent relocations, and her leaving home to live independently.

Until she was 13 years old, Atkins and her family lived in a middle class home[2] in the Cambrian Park area of San Jose, California.

Two weeks before her mother was hospitalized for the final time, Susan arranged for members of the church choir to sing Christmas carols under her bedroom window.

[9] When the house was raided several weeks later by the police and Atkins was left homeless, Manson invited her to join his group, who were embarking on a summer road trip in a converted school bus painted completely black.

During the summer of 1969, Manson and his commune at Spahn's Ranch were attracting the attention of the police, who suspected them of auto thefts and were suspicious of the high number of underage runaways.

Purportedly, a botched drug scam by Family member Charles "Tex" Watson led Manson to confront and shoot a man named Bernard "Lotsapoppa" Crowe.

When Hinman still insisted that he had no inheritance, Manson showed up in person and swung at his head with a sword, slicing his face and severely cutting his ear.

[16] Beausoleil left a bloody hand print on the wall along with the words "Political Piggy" reportedly placed there in hopes of implicating the Black Panthers.

[18] In Atkins's grand jury testimony, she stated that while in the car, Watson told the group they were going to a home to get money from the people who lived there and to kill them.

[19] On the night of August 10, 1969, Manson, Atkins, Krenwinkel, Watson, Linda Kasabian, Leslie Van Houten, and Steve "Clem" Grogan, went to the home of Leno and Rosemary LaBianca.

[24] This, combined with information from other sources, led to the arrests of Atkins and others involved in the Tate/LaBianca murders (Van Houten, Krenwinkel, Kasabian, and Watson).

[25] Virginia Graham and Ronnie Howard later received the bulk of the $25,000 reward offered by Roman Polanski for solving the murder case.

"[28] Atkins's grand jury testimony was extremely lurid, and provides remarkable details concerning the Tate murders.

[19] Prior to the trial, Atkins repudiated her grand jury testimony in a written statement filed with the court, and discontinued her cooperation with the prosecution.

[29] Atkins alleged that the reason that she repudiated her grand jury testimony was that "Manson sent his followers to suggest that it might be better for me and my son if I decided not to testify against him".

In the book, Helter Skelter, the prosecutor, Vincent Bugliosi wrote that he viewed Atkins's testimony as "substantially truthful," with a few omissions concerning the events of the second night.

[32] In his 1978 memoir, Watson declared himself responsible for all of Tate's injuries,[33] characterizing Atkins's initial confessions as exaggeration, jail house bragging, and a bid for attention.

From the early 1970s onward however, Atkins had told parole boards that her original grand jury testimony was truthful and accurate as to what transpired in the Tate home; however, it didn't completely match the forensics and autopsy reports.

She became active in prison programs, teaching classes and received two commendations for assisting in emergency health interventions with other inmates, one of which was a suicide attempt.

[42] During Atkins's 2000 parole hearing, Sharon Tate's sister, Debra, read a statement written by their father, Paul, which said in part, "Thirty-one years ago I sat in a courtroom with a jury and watched with others.

"[43] In April 2002, Atkins told a Los Angeles Times reporter of her work to discourage teenagers from idolizing Manson and her hope of someday leaving prison to live in Laguna Beach, California.

[44] In 2003, Atkins filed a lawsuit in federal court claiming that she was a "political prisoner" due to the repeated denials of her parole requests regardless of her suitability.

[38] In April 2008, it was revealed that Atkins had been hospitalized for more than a month with an undisclosed illness that was subsequently reported to be terminal brain cancer.

[48] Vincent Bugliosi, who prosecuted Atkins, said he was not opposed to her release given her current condition, adding that she had paid "substantially, though not completely, for her horrendous crimes.

So I think it's a matter of principle that she should not be granted clemency.Kay also stated that he had attended about 60 parole hearings related to the murders and spent considerable time with the victims' families, witnessing their suffering.

"[47] Pam Turner, a niece of Sharon Tate, also opposed Atkins's release, stating, "If she were capable of comprehending what our family's been through, she would be ashamed to come before this parole board and ask such a request."

"[51] Ultimately, after final deliberations the 11 members of the California Board of Parole Hearings unanimously declined to refer Atkins's request for compassionate release to the sentencing court.

Prior to her 2009 parole hearing, a website maintained by Atkins's husband claimed that she was paralyzed over 85 percent of her body and unable to sit up or be transferred to a wheelchair.