Susan Atkins (Sexy Sadie)

Susan Denise Atkins was born on May 7, 1948, in San Gabriel, California. Her childhood was marked by instability following the death of her mother from cancer when Atkins was a teenager. She later left home, drifted through California and supported herself through a series of low-paying jobs before becoming involved in the counterculture of the late 1960s.

In 1967, Atkins met Charles Manson in the San Francisco Bay Area. Drawn to his charisma and promises of acceptance, she abandoned her previous life and joined what became known as the Manson Family. Within the group she became one of Manson's most loyal followers and was given the nickname "Sadie Mae Glutz." She lived with other Family members at locations including Spahn Ranch near Los Angeles, where Manson exercised increasing psychological control over his followers through drugs, isolation and his apocalyptic "Helter Skelter" ideology.

On the night of August 8–9, 1969, Charles Manson instructed Charles "Tex" Watson to take Susan Atkins, Patricia Krenwinkel and Linda Kasabian to 10050 Cielo Drive in Benedict Canyon. Actress Sharon Tate, who was eight-and-a-half months pregnant, was staying at the home with Jay Sebring, Abigail Folger and Wojciech Frykowski. Steven Parent was also present after visiting the property's caretaker.

After Watson entered the property, Atkins followed him into the residence. The occupants were gathered together and restrained before the attacks began. During the assault, Atkins held Sharon Tate while Tate pleaded for the life of her unborn child. Atkins later admitted repeatedly stabbing Tate after Watson initiated the attack. Before leaving the residence, Atkins used Tate's blood to write the word "Pig" on the front door, a deliberate act intended to advance Manson's plan of creating the appearance of revolutionary violence.

The following night, August 9–10, Atkins accompanied Manson, Watson, Patricia Krenwinkel, Leslie Van Houten, Linda Kasabian and Steve Grogan as they searched for another target. Manson selected the Los Feliz home of supermarket executive Leno LaBianca and his wife Rosemary. After Manson restrained the couple and departed, Watson, Krenwinkel and Van Houten carried out the murders. Atkins remained at the property and assisted the group after the killings, although she did not personally stab the LaBiancas.

In October 1969, while jailed on an unrelated charge, Atkins boasted about the Tate murders to fellow inmate Virginia Graham. Graham informed authorities, leading investigators to obtain Atkins' confession and exposing the Manson Family's involvement in the murders.

Atkins committed the murders collectively with other members of the Manson Family under Charles Manson's direction. The attacks involved entering victims' homes late at night, restraining occupants and killing them with knives and, in the Tate murders, a firearm carried by Watson.

During the Tate murders, Atkins actively participated in restraining victims and personally stabbed Sharon Tate. Following the attack she wrote "Pig" in blood on the front door. Prosecutors argued these actions were intended to promote Manson's "Helter Skelter" ideology by making the crimes appear politically motivated.

Although Atkins accompanied the group to the LaBianca residence the following night, her participation was less direct than at Cielo Drive. Nevertheless, her presence and assistance formed part of the conspiracy for which she was convicted.

Following the murders, Atkins continued travelling with the Manson Family until she was arrested in October 1969 on charges relating to the murder of ranch hand Donald "Shorty" Shea. While incarcerated in Sybil Brand Institute, she described the Tate murders in detail to fellow inmate Virginia Graham.

Graham reported Atkins' statements to authorities, providing investigators with their first major breakthrough linking Charles Manson and his followers to the Tate-LaBianca murders. Atkins later appeared before a grand jury and initially cooperated with prosecutors before withdrawing her testimony and returning to Manson's influence.

She was subsequently charged alongside Charles Manson, Patricia Krenwinkel and Leslie Van Houten in one of the most publicised murder prosecutions in American history.

The Tate-LaBianca trial began in 1970 and attracted worldwide media attention. Prosecutors relied heavily on Linda Kasabian's testimony together with physical evidence, witness statements and Atkins' earlier admissions to fellow inmates.

Throughout much of the proceedings Atkins remained publicly loyal to Manson. Along with Manson, Krenwinkel and Van Houten, she carved an "X" into her forehead to demonstrate loyalty and frequently disrupted courtroom proceedings.

In January 1971, Atkins was convicted of seven counts of first-degree murder and one count of conspiracy to commit murder. The murder convictions related to Sharon Tate, Jay Sebring, Abigail Folger, Wojciech Frykowski, Steven Parent, Leno LaBianca and Rosemary LaBianca. She was sentenced to death.

In 1972, the California Supreme Court invalidated the state's death penalty, automatically reducing Atkins' sentence to life imprisonment with the possibility of parole. During the following decades she appeared before the California Board of Parole Hearings numerous times but was denied release on every occasion.

In 2008, Atkins was diagnosed with terminal brain cancer. She sought compassionate release because of her deteriorating health, but the request was denied. Susan Atkins died at the Central California Women's Facility on September 24, 2009, becoming the first Manson Family member convicted of the Tate-LaBianca murders to die in prison.

Susan Atkins became one of the prosecution's most important early witnesses before ultimately refusing to cooperate. Her detailed admissions to fellow inmate Virginia Graham provided investigators with critical information linking the Manson Family to the Tate murders and significantly altered the direction of the investigation.

During her decades in prison, Atkins underwent a dramatic personal transformation. She became a born-again Christian in the mid-1970s, publicly renounced Charles Manson and expressed remorse for her crimes. She married twice while incarcerated, wrote an autobiography titled Child of Satan, Child of God, and participated extensively in religious and educational programs. Despite these changes, parole boards consistently concluded that the severity of the murders outweighed evidence of rehabilitation.

Atkins' terminal illness generated national debate over compassionate release for seriously ill prisoners. Although supporters argued she no longer posed a threat, California officials concluded that the brutality and notoriety of the crimes justified continued incarceration until her death.

• California Court of Appeal
• California Board of Parole Hearings
• California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation
• Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office
• Los Angeles Times
• Associated Press