Susan Atkins, Charles Manson, and Sharon Tate

If you were the family member of one of Charles Manson and his occult's victims, would you agree to compassionate release of one of the murderers who was dying of a disease? That is exactly what is going on out in California right now. One of the individuals (Susan Atkins) convicted of killing Sharon Tate is dying of brain cancer and they are trying to get her released. It is called compassionate release. According to Susan Atkins' husband (who is also acting as her attorney), she only has a few months to live. She has been in jail for about 37 years.

I can see why the family would want her out - supposedly she is dying. However, she has been alive for 37 years longer than her victim, Sharon Tate. She just didn't kill Tate (who was 8-1/2 months pregnant at the time!), they were also tried for the murders of six other people. They killed an innocent child while their mother begged to spare her baby's life so let's make that seven others in my eyes! According to the Associated Press, after stabbing Tate, Atkins tasted her blood and then used it to write "pig" on her wall.

Their killing spree doesn't leave any room for compassion in my eyes. She is lucky that when she was sentenced to the death penalty, that it had then been temporarily ruled unconstitutional and her life was spared. That's more than she did for the victims she helped kill.