Hey Everyone!
Since I have nothing new to report, I decided to blog a little about an upcoming event I've been thinking about for a long time. I was scanning Amazon.com for a few books, and I ended up looking at Helter Skelter written by Vincent Buliosi (The Prosecuting Attorney in the Manson trial) and Curt Gentry. It is about The Infamous Tate-LaBianca murders that took place in Hollywood in August 1969. This year is a big year because it marks 40 years since the crime had been committed. Bugliosi pretty much put Charles Manson and a few of his followers from his cult, "The Family", behind bars. Manson himself never took part in the murders, he just gave instructions to go and "do something witchy". He did assist in binding the hands of Leno and Rosemary LaBianca because he thought his followers did a messy job at the Tate/Polanski Residence.
Anyway the killers are :
Charles "Tex" Watson
Susan Atkins
Leslie Van Houton
Patricia Krenwinkle
Linda Kasabian
All of them were sentenced to be executed, but conviniently, California abolished the Death Penalty after the trial, so they were then sentenced to life in prison. They are all still alive today and on May 28th, Susan Atkins is up for parole again. She is the only woman in California to be denied parole 17 times. This week will be her 18th attempt. She was diagnosed with brain cancer in 2002, and she was given 3 months to live, but she was denied parole once again in 2005. As of now, she can't sit up in bed and she has had a leg amputated. She has always been described as a "model prisoner".
After I read about this in the news I started thinking about it more. I know that she stabbed Sharon Tate to death while the actress was 8 1/2 months pregnant. Atkins was about 19 when she did it and completely brainwashed by Charles Manson and his crazy preaching. It still doesn't excuse her for what she did. I was starting to think she should be released, she has spent so much time in prison and she is dying. After I started reading Helter Skelter, I changed my mind. The book goes into great detail about the murders and the autopsies, even interviews with the Manson Family members at the time. Atkins was so disgusting and derranged. She showed NO emotion or remorse. She told the police that Sharon Tate begged for her and her son's life, and Atkins replied, "I have no mercy for you, you're going to die tonight".
In an interview with Dianne Sawyer a few years ago, she explains that she is a different person now and a born-again Christian. After nearly 40 years in prison, who wouldn't be a "born-again Christian"? Prison Facilities offer all kinds of programs to the inmates and some religious program is usually one of them. If that's all you have to keep you going, of course you're going to be like that. 40 years is a long time to sit and think about what you have done in your life, but does 40 years give justice to murder? Sharon Tate, Abigail Folger (the coffee heiress), Jay Serbring, Steve Parent, and Voytek Frykowski could have had 40 more years of their lives to live also. In the book, she would taunt the police officers and go on and on about Indian beliefs of Karma, always saying they would get what's coming for them down the road. Well I guess her karma beliefs came back and got her. She should be lucky she was granted life in prison and not executed like she was supposed to be. She's had a decent life in prison also, with a lot of privileges like wearing her own clothing, certain positions and duties and she has even been married twice in prison! Now the remaining family members of the victims attend the parole hearings and ask that the murderers be denied parole. In 1992, Sharon Tate's father passed away, but he wrote a letter to a judge before he died and said, "If Susan Atkins is released to rejoin her family, where is the justice?". I also feel so bad for the victim's families. Sharon Tate's father was a Colonel in the Army and left after she died. He grew his hair long and disguised himself as a hippie so he could go to their hangouts and try to find who murdered his daughter. Her mom lost her mind and her two younger sisters had to go through all of this. There is only one remaining relative who still plans on attending every parole hearing.
I'm really anxious to see what happens with this parole hearing. Vincent Bugliosi, who put her away, thinks she should be granted her compassionate release, but The Governator Arnold Schwarzenegger does not agree. You all know how I feel about it, what are some of your thoughts on the issue?
