SUSAN ATKINS letter/envelope 2/2/1998 DECEASED

This auction is for a letter from deceased California serial killer and "Manson Family" member Mrs. Susan Atkins-Whitehouse, born Susan Denise Atkins (5/7/1948 – 9/24/2009). She also went by the names "Sexy Sadie" and "Sadie Mae Glutz." Atkins was 19 when she first met Mr. Charles Manson. She would later become his co-defendant for her roll in a series of crimes, the most notorious of becoming known as the "Tate/Labianca Murders." In 1971, after a circus of a trial, she was sentenced to death, which would later be reduced to life imprisonment with the possibility of parole when the death penalty was temporarily abolished in the State of California. For a while it was largely accepted that it was Atkins who delivered the fatal blow to Sharon Tate. After years of evidence reviews and media scrutiny it turns out, much like Manson, Atkins never actually killed anyone. The Manson case continue to captivate the public with documentary films and movies, literary works, and sensationalism in pop culture. On 9/24/2009 Atkins-Whitehouse passed away from natural causes. She was 61.

ITEM DESCRIPTION: The missive is two pages on one sheet, dated February 1998, and signed, "Susan." The original mailing envelope is postmarked 2/2/1998 with a black STATE PRISON stamp. The letter and envelope come inside a protective magazine sleeve with an acid free board and have been stored flat. Message me with any questions you might have. Thanks for having a look-see.

ABOUT THE MANSON FAMILY: The "Manson Family" was a environmentally consensus commune of sorts, consisting primarily of young adults, which was established in the late 1960's by Mr. Charles Manson. The group shared similarities with "hippie groups" of that era. In 1969, after a few members of the group were arrested in connection to a series of high profile California murders, the group became the focus of intense media scrutiny. The crimes became known as the "Tate/Labianca Murders." At the crime scenes messages were written in blood on the walls, such as "Helter Skelter" and "political piggy." Among the victims were Roman Polanski's wife/movie actress Mrs. Sharon Tate, who was over eight months pregnant and stabbed 16 times and coffee heiress Ms. Abigail Folger, who was stabbed 28 time. In total nine people were murdered from 7/25/1969 to 8/26/1969. The crimes had many residents of the City of Los Angeles in a state of fear. Manson, Mr, Charles Watson, Ms. Susan Atkins, Ms. Patricia Krenwinkel, Ms. Leslie Van Houten, Mr. Bobby Beausoleil, Mr. Bruce Davis, Mr. Steve Grogan,and Ms. Linda Kasabian were arrested and ultimately linked to the murders. During and after the trail Ms. Lynette Fromme and Ms. Sandra Good became the two most public voices from the group. Both women were arrested in 1975, Froome for the attempted assassination of President Ford. Prosecutors argued the crime spree was done in effort to start a race war, which was simply something cooked up to push for convictions. All the defendants were convicted. Despite never personally killing anyone Manson, Atkins, and Van Houten were each sentenced to death, along with Krenwinkel, Watson, and Grogan. Those death sentences would be commuted to life with the abolishment of the death penalty in 1972. Beausoleil and Davis received life sentences. Kasabian received immunity in exchange for her testimony. Grogan would be paroled in 1985. Atkins and Manson have since died in prison. In more recent years Manson supporters Mr. Craig "Gray Wolf" Hammond and Ms. Afton "Star" Burton became the group's face. The A.T.W.A. theme, an acronym of air, trees, water, and animals, has always been the message those closest to Manson have tried to conveyed. A common misconception is despite constantly being referred to as the "Manson Family," the term itself was actually coined by the lead prosecutor Mr. Vincent Bugliosi and was never something those in the group called themselves. There has also been an ongoing argument of guilty and responsibility, some claiming Manson was factual innocent of any wrong doing. The case remains one of the most celebrated true crime cases in modern times.