Pardon Me?
I was surfing the internet ( yes instead of cooking dinner), and I saw an article on the Yahoo homepage regarding the notorious Charles Manson follower, Susan Atkins. Apparently, she is dying of brain cancer and can barely snap her fingers together. Her niece, husband and family asked the courts to pardon her so that she could come home for her final days. The Courts said…” Hell no”. According to the judge, her crimes were too horrific to be shown any mercy. Yahoo of course, had pictures of her husband (she got married???) teary eyed and upset when the decision was made.
If you don’t know, Susan Atkins was famous for her role in the murder of Sharon Tate ( and her unborn child). She was about 18 or so when the murders took place and according to her, she stabbed Sharon Tate over and over again, until she stopped screaming. Atkins, Manson, and the other two girls were sentenced to death in 1969 but got life in prison once California discontinued the death penalty.
Now she is dying and her family was asking for mercy. When I read the story I had a few questions. First of all, she’s married? How did that happen? Who marries a serial killer?? OK and now for the real questions…
Are there crimes that are so horrific that we as a society are incapable of feeling pity for those people? It has been almost 40 years and still we don’t feel like forgiving her. I personally am on the fence. I mean, she didn’t exactly show mercy to Sharon Tate and her UNBORN child. Those murders were some of the most grizzly in history and will be remembered as such. But then again, she was 18 and under the influence of one of the most notorious villains…Charles Manson. But all accounts say that Atkins never showed remorse for her crimes..a fact I find puzzling.
No matter what your feelings are on this subject ( and if you are like me, you might find there are conflicting ones), the fact remains that Susan Atkins will remain in prison until she dies. No Pardon..no mercy…no regrets.
I do agree with you. There is room for more compassion in our justice system.
Keep up the good blogging.
I hate to correct you but Susan Atkins was 21 during the murders of 1969. But the age is not the problem. Ms. Atkins had a criminal record long before meeting Manson. I find it silly that the blame is still dumped on Manson. Atkins, Krenwinkel, Watson, Beausoliel, Davis and Van Houten all had choices to make..to kill or not to kill. Only one member refused, Linda Kasabian. I am not going to judge Ms. Atkins on her conversion or her prison record. She chose to assist in cold blooded murder and was sentenced to die. In 1972 the Supreme Court put all on death row in prison for life with the eligibility for parole in 7 years. No guarantee for parole but the right to file for parole. The case will never go away and I believe that the controversy and brutality of the murders will keep all the killers in prison until they die. However i won’t lower myself to wisheing she suffer. No point in going to the low depths of a murderer. Just as all the victims have people who loved them, I am sure Atkins has people who love her. I feel if anyone has the right to say whether she is released it should be the families of the victims and the parole boards.