Susan Atkins died in prison last night at 61. Atkins was sentenced to death in in 1971 for her role in the Tate/LeBianca murders. She was denied parole for the last time on September 2.

She was born to middle-class alcoholics. She dropped out of school at 18, moved to San Francisco, and become a stripper. In the late-'60s, she met Manson, who renamed her Sadie Mae Glutz.

After the murders of Gary Hinman, Sharon Tate, Steven Parent, Jay Sebring, Wojchiech Frtykowski, and Abigail Folger, most of the Manson family was picked up for auto theft charges. While in prison, Atkins supposedly bragged of killing Tate to cellmates, who promptly turned her in.

At the trial, a remorseless Atkins confessed to stabbing Tate over and over again. Prosecutors say Atkins is the one who wrote "PIG" on the front door of Sharon Tate 's home, in Tate's blood. (Tex Watson took credit for all the murders in his post-born again memoir.)

She died of brain cancer. She is perhaps survived by a son, Zezozose Zadfrack Glutz, whose whereabouts remain unknown.