Parole Denied for Ex-Manson Cultist
Former Manson family member Susan Atkins was denied parole for the 11th time Tuesday despite arguing that she had found God and seeks redemption.
“She’s unsuitable for parole at this point,” said Liz Tanaka, a spokeswoman for the state Board of Prison Terms in Sacramento.
Atkins, 48, attended the two-hour hearing at the California Institution for Women at Frontera, where she is serving a life sentence for eight murders.
“She denies that she ever stabbed anybody,” Tanaka said.
Atkins claims to have become a born-again Christian in prison.
In rejecting parole, a three-member panel cited the heinous nature of Atkins’ crimes, an unfavorable psychiatric report, and her history of trouble before joining the Manson family, Tanaka said. She and other members of Manson’s cult were convicted of the Aug. 8, 1969, murders of actress Sharon Tate and four others in Beverly Hills and the slaying a night later of wealthy market owners Leno and Rosemary LaBianca in their Los Feliz home.
Atkins will be eligible for parole again in four years.
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