Susan Atkins spent the last 37 years in a California state prison for the murders of the actress Sharon Tate and musician Gary Hinman. Tate, who was 8 1/2 months pregnant with director Roman Polanski's son, unsuccessfully begged Atkins for mercy stating, according to prosecutor Vincent Bugliosi, "please let me live so I can have my baby."
Atkins, however, showed no compassion and replied to Tate, "look bitch I do not have any mercy on you, you are going to die," before stabbing her to death.
Now Atkins, who suffers from brain cancer, has had her leg amputated and has been given six months to live, is requesting that the state parole board grant her a "compassionate release". Surprisingly Bugliosi, who sought the death penalty for the entire Manson Family and opposes parole for of all of its members, supports Atkins' petition.
"I'm not sure that you can say that just because she was this monster that 37 years later under these new conditions that it necessarily follows that we cannot give her whatever little mercy it is," Bugliosi said. "I think it's a non-sequiter to say that," he continued before adding, "and if she were not in the condition she's in obviously I would be against her ever being released on parole."
The state parole board will also likely consider the testimony of the surviving relatives of Atkins' victims, many of whom oppose any mercy, before issuing it's ruling in the coming months.
UPDATE: Bugliosi appears to be in the minority when it comes to Atkins compassionate release.

"Helter Skelter: The True Story of the Manson Murders" (Vincent Bugliosi, Curt Gentry)

















