Susan Atkins's Real Name: Susan Denise Atkins
Susan Atkins → Susan Denise Atkins
Quick answer: She was known as Susan Atkins. The Los Angeles Times obituary says she was born Susan Denise Atkins in San Gabriel, California, on May 7, 1948. Encyclopaedia Britannica independently lists Susan Denise Atkins and gives the same date and birthplace. Both sources record her death in 2009 at a women's prison in Chowchilla, California, while serving a life sentence.
Real name and early life
The Los Angeles Times, in an obituary by Elaine Woo, says she was born Susan Denise Atkins in San Gabriel on May 7, 1948, and grew up in San Jose, the middle of three children. Britannica gives the same full name, date, and birthplace. Both sources say her mother died of cancer when she was 15.
Britannica says she later left home and settled in San Francisco, where she met Charles Manson and joined the group known as the Manson Family. Britannica and the Library of Congress both record that within the group she was given the name Sadie Mae Glutz.
Career highlights
Atkins is known for crimes committed in 1969 as a Manson Family member.
Convictions and sentence
The Times says that in 1971 juries found Manson, Atkins, and other followers guilty on counts of first-degree murder, and that she was convicted of eight murders in total. Britannica independently says Atkins, Manson, and two other members were found guilty in January 1971. Both sources say she separately pleaded guilty to an earlier killing from July 1969, and the Times says she received another life sentence for it.
Both sources say she was sentenced to death and that the sentence was reduced to life in prison in 1972. They differ on the court: Britannica cites a U.S. Supreme Court ruling, while the Times says the California Supreme Court abolished the death penalty that year.
The Times says she was repeatedly denied parole, and that prison staff and clergy commended her behaviour in custody. Britannica says she became a born-again Christian, expressed remorse, and distanced herself from Manson.
Death
The Times says she was diagnosed with brain cancer in 2008 and died at 61 at the Central California Women's Facility in Chowchilla late on Thursday, September 24, 2009; a corrections spokeswoman attributed the death to natural causes. It says a parole panel unanimously turned down her final request on September 2, 2009. Britannica records her death on September 24, 2009, in Chowchilla, at 61.
Name notes for searchers
People looking up Susan Atkins, Susan Denise Atkins, Susan Atkins-Whitehouse, or Sadie Mae Glutz are looking for the same person. Whitehouse was her second husband's surname.
FAQ
What was Susan Atkins's full name?
The Los Angeles Times and Britannica both record Susan Denise Atkins.
When and where was she born?
Both give May 7, 1948, in San Gabriel, California.
What was the legal outcome?
She was convicted of murder in 1971 and sentenced to death, later reduced to life in prison.
When did she die?
Both record September 24, 2009, in Chowchilla, at age 61.