Susan Atkins died years ago. If you were looking for a quick "yes" or "no," there it is. She passed away on September 24, 2009.
People still search for her name constantly. Maybe it’s the fascination with the 1960s counterculture gone wrong, or maybe it’s because her fellow "Manson girls," Leslie Van Houten and Patricia Krenwinkel, have been in the news lately regarding parole. But Susan, once known by the alias "Sadie Mae Glutz," has been gone for over fifteen years.
She was 61.
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The end of her life wasn't nearly as dramatic as the crimes that put her behind bars, but it was drawn out and, honestly, pretty grim. She spent her final months fighting a losing battle with brain cancer while her husband and lawyer, James Whitehouse, fought an equally losing battle to get her released so she could die at home. It didn't happen.
The Reality of Her Final Days
When the question is Susan Atkins still alive pops up, it usually stems from the fact that her name is synonymous with the Tate-LaBianca murders, a case that refuses to leave the American consciousness. Atkins was the one who admitted to stabbing Sharon Tate, who was eight and a half months pregnant at the time. That kind of notoriety doesn't just fade.
By the time 2008 rolled around, Atkins was in bad shape. She was diagnosed with terminal brain cancer. The state moved her from the California Institution for Women in Corona to a skilled nursing facility at the Central California Women's Facility in Chowchilla.
It wasn't a secret. The media covered her decline quite closely.
She had a leg amputated. She was partially paralyzed. By her last parole hearing in September 2009, she couldn't even sit up. She was brought into the room on a gurney. She slept through almost the entire four-hour proceeding, only waking up briefly at the end to recite the 23rd Psalm with her husband.
The Fight for Compassionate Release
There’s this thing called "compassionate release." Basically, if a prisoner is dying and no longer a threat to society, the state can let them go. Atkins’ legal team pushed hard for this. They argued she was a "bedbound, non-responsive" woman who couldn't hurt a fly, let alone commit a cult-ordered murder.
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The victims' families weren't having it.
Debra Tate, Sharon’s sister, was a fixture at these hearings. She argued that Atkins' "mercy" should match the mercy she showed her victims—which was none. The parole board agreed. They denied her release, citing the "atrocious" nature of her crimes. She died in prison just a few weeks after that final denial.
Why People Think She Might Still Be Around
It’s easy to get confused. The Manson Family is a sprawling, tangled web of names and faces.
- Leslie Van Houten was released on parole in July 2023. This was a massive news story.
- Patricia Krenwinkel is still alive and remains incarcerated.
- Charles Manson himself lived until 2017.
Because some of these figures lived so long—and because Van Houten is now walking free—it's natural to wonder if Susan Atkins is still alive and tucked away in a medical wing somewhere. But no. She was actually the first of the high-profile Manson defendants to die.
At the time of her death, she was the longest-serving female inmate in California history. She had spent 38 years behind bars. That title eventually passed to Krenwinkel.
Life Inside: From "Sadie" to a Born-Again Christian
Susan Atkins' life in prison was actually pretty quiet compared to her wild years at Spahn Ranch. She claimed to have found religion in 1974. She became a born-again Christian and wrote an autobiography titled Child of Satan, Child of God.
She spent decades trying to distance herself from the "Sadie Mae Glutz" persona. She worked in the prison laundry, took classes, and generally stayed out of trouble. She even got married twice while incarcerated. Her second husband, James Whitehouse, stayed with her until the very end.
Did she actually change? That's the million-dollar question.
To the parole board, it didn't really matter. In California, for crimes as high-profile as the Tate-LaBianca murders, "rehabilitation" often takes a backseat to the "gravity of the offense." Every time she came up for parole—and she was denied 13 times—the board pointed back to that night in August 1969. They pointed to the fact that she told a pregnant woman, "Look, bitch, I don't care about you," before killing her.
Those words followed her for 40 years. They were still there when she took her last breath in a prison hospital bed.
Facts to Set the Record Straight
If you’re settling a bet or just curious, here are the hard facts about her passing:
- Date of Death: September 24, 2009.
- Location: Central California Women's Facility, Chowchilla.
- Cause: Natural causes resulting from brain cancer.
- Age: 61 years old.
- Status of her remains: She was cremated, and her ashes were given to her husband.
It’s a closed chapter. While the legacy of the Manson Family continues to spawn movies, books, and endless podcasts, Susan Atkins' personal story ended in a hospital wing in the Central Valley.
What This Means for the Remaining Members
The death of Atkins and eventually Manson changed the math for the remaining followers. With the "leaders" and the most "vocal" members gone, the focus shifted to people like Van Houten and Krenwinkel.
Van Houten’s release in 2023 proved that "life with the possibility of parole" could actually mean release, even for a Manson follower. But for Susan Atkins, the clock simply ran out before the political or legal climate shifted enough to let her go.
If you’re looking into this because you’re interested in the legalities of parole or the history of the case, the best next step is to look into the current status of Patricia Krenwinkel. She is now the person holding the records Susan once held, and her parole hearings are the current frontline for these decades-old legal battles. You can also research the California "Compassionate Release" laws, which have been updated significantly since Atkins was denied in 2009.
Final word: Susan Atkins is not alive. She hasn't been for a long time. The "Longest Serving" title she once held has moved on, and so has the world.
Next Steps for Research:
- Review the 2023 Parole of Leslie Van Houten: Compare her case to Atkins' to see how California's parole standards have evolved regarding "elderly parole."
- Check the status of Patricia Krenwinkel: As the last remaining female member of the original conviction group still in prison, her case is the direct successor to Atkins'.
- Examine the 2022 California Compassionate Release updates: New legislation (AB 960) has changed how terminally ill inmates are evaluated, making it much easier for people in Atkins' former position to be released today.