Susan Atkins

Last year, doctors diagnosed Susan Atkins with terminal cancer, prompting a failed bid by the Charles Manson follower and convicted murderer to receive a "compassionate release" from state prison. But Atkins, who gained infamy for her role in the 1969 slayings of pregnant actress Sharon Tate and others in a bloody two-night rampage in Los Angeles, may get one last chance to convince state parole officials she should no longer be kept behind bars.

For the second time in as many years, a state parole board voted unanimously Wednesday to deny one of Charles Manson's fiercest followers her request for a "compassionate release" so that she can die at home. Convicted murderer Susan Atkins, 61, is terminally ill with cancer and has only months to live, doctors say. The issue of mercy has long haunted Atkins. Nearly 40 years ago, actress Sharon Tate begged the knife-wielding Atkins to spare her life and that of her unborn child.

State corrections officials are considering a request by former Charles Manson follower and convicted murderer Susan Atkins to be released from prison because of an undisclosed terminal illness. Atkins' initial request for "compassionate release" consideration was made last month after a doctor determined that she had less than six months to live, said Terry Thornton, spokeswoman for the state Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.

To allow Susan Atkins to die at home would be an act of mercy -- but not of justice. By the terms of justice, she forfeited her claim to freedom on an August night in 1969 when she murdered Sharon Tate. Tate begged for her life; Atkins slit her throat and then wrote "PIG" on the front door in the slain woman's blood.

Susan Atkins, who committed one of modern history's most notorious crimes when she joined Charles Manson and his gang for a 1969 killing spree that terrorized Los Angeles and put her in prison for the rest of her life, has died. She was 61. Atkins was diagnosed in 2008 with brain cancer, which caused paralysis and the loss of one leg. She was receiving medical treatment at the Central California Women's Facility in Chowchilla and entered hospice care in recent days. She died there at 11:46 p.m. Thursday of natural causes, said Terry Thornton, spokeswoman for the state Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.

Re "Tables turn as a brutal killer asks for mercy," June 14 There are some crimes that are so egregious that there can be no mercy for their perpetrators. Susan Atkins' coldblooded murder, with a knife, of a mother who begged for the life of her unborn child is one such crime. There is a special circle in hell for Atkins. Perhaps dying of brain cancer in a cold prison cell is just a small taste of what's to come. Kristina Nielsen-Morris Agoura Hills -- We need to reevaluate our priorities.

Susan Atkins: Articles in the California section on June 13 and in the A section on Saturday about Susan Atkins, a former Charles Manson follower and convicted murderer who is seeking release from prison because of terminal brain cancer, gave her age as 59. She is 60.

A growing chorus of prosecutors and other critics is urging state prison officials to reject former Charles Manson follower and convicted murderer Susan Atkins' request for "compassionate release" because of a terminal illness. A state board will take up the issue today. Corrections officials say the state has spent more than $1.4 million providing medical care and security for Atkins since her diagnosis of terminal brain cancer in March. The state Board of Parole Hearings has received about 100 letters, most of them opposing her release.

Former Charles Manson follower Susan Atkins was denied parole for the 11th time Wednesday for her role in the 1969 murders of actress Sharon Tate and six others during a crime rampage that stunned the nation. Atkins, now 57, was one of cult leader Manson's "family" of young killers who burst into a Benedict Canyon home 36 years ago and killed Tate and four others. The following night, they stabbed to death a wealthy couple in their Los Angeles home.

A federal judge has dismissed portions of a lawsuit that contends former Manson family member Susan Atkins is a political prisoner because of the governor's policy opposing parole for most murderers. U.S. District Judge Robert J. Timlin ruled Wednesday that Atkins cannot sue the state, some agencies and commissioners because of their official actions, the Associated Press reported.