1. Susan Atkins ( )

2. Background Born on May 7, 1948 in San Gabriel California.
Second of three children born to alcoholic parents.
Known as quiet, self-conscious, member of school glee club and church choir.
Dropped out of high school, reasons were her mother died of cancer and her father abandoned the family, she was fifteen.
Her father left to find a job out of state.
Then Atkins moved to San Francisco leaving her siblings behind.
She needed to leave because her grades were not great causing the dropout and she had to support herself and her siblings as much as she could.

3. Background
She then worked as a Topless dancer to get cash, she was also a secretary.
Joined The Church of Satan.
In 1967, Charles Manson meets her at a house where she lived with her friends.
After a few weeks the house was raided with robbery, so Manson asks her to join the group.
At this point she said Manson reminded her of an angel, so she joins the Manson Family on their summer road trip.

4. Crimes and sentences CRIME DATE VICTIMS PUNISHMENT Murder
August 8, 1969
Sharon Tate,
Wojciech Frykowski
Death Penalty; due to change in laws in California. The death penalty was no more a punishment, so her punishment changed to life in prison. As in 2009 she dies in prison.
First-Degree Murder: “an unlawful killing that is both willful and premeditated, meaning that it was committed after planning or "lying in wait" for the victim.” According to FindLaw.

5. Evidence “PIG” written on the door with Actress Sharon Tate’s blood
She was also stabbed sixteen times at the back
Frykowski was shot twice, stabbed 51 times and
was hit over the head with more than a dozen
strikes with a pistol butt

6. Additional Info Nickname: Sadie Mae Glutz and/or Sexy Sadie
She only shows up in documentaries
Quotes: “Charles Manson not a God or prophet. He is a mean, bitter, evil little man, rightly behind bars. He is a liar and a thief. I have seen him terrorize, brutalize, beat and threaten teenage boys and girls...Manson only wrecks lives." Responding to a fan letter,
"I don't have to just make amends to the victims and families. I have to make amends to society. But I can never undo what I was part of, and any repayment will never erase the pain inflicted by these crimes. I sinned against God and everything this country stands for." Addressing the California Board of Parole, December 29, 2000.

7. Additional Info
She wrote her own book called Child of Satan, Child of God
She also wrote another book called Women and the Law with another
author named Brenda Hoggett.
Then a song was written about Atkins named “Sadie” by Akaline Trio.
Lyrics: "He represented a God to me that was so beautiful that I'd do anything for him. I'd do anything for God. Even murder, if I believed it was right. How could it not be right if it is done with love? I have no remorse for doing what was right to me. I have no guilt in me."

8. Differential-Association Theory
Susan Atkins only learned how to kill with the Manson Family. She allegedly was not a “murderer” before Manson popped up on her life. She was only influenced by being drugged by Manson in his cult. Her crime was by influence of those around her. It was practically like a gang, in other words a group with danger. She probably had no thought on what she was going to go though that summer. She was obviously not the leader but she was manipulated. None of it was her fault! Susan could have been perfect with her life as a normal human being not as a criminal if Manson never appeared in her life. She had no one to control her and I think with her she had a lot of loneliness issues. She always wanted people around her, maybe having a bit of attention was what she needed. If her mother survived with cancer, and if only her father was not an alcoholic, everything would have been different for her.