Susan Atkins dies at 61; imprisoned Charles Manson follower Susan Atkins looks back as Charles Manson arrives in court in 1970. She was convicted on seven counts of first-degree murder in the Tate-LaBianca killings, including the death of pregnant actress Sharon Tate. (Associated Press) Print Susan Atkins, who committed one of modern history’s most notorious crimes when she joined Charles Manson and his gang for a string of killings in 1969 that terrorized Los Angeles and put her in prison for the rest of her life, has died. She was 61. Atkins was diagnosed in 2008 with brain cancer and was receiving medical treatment at the Central California Women’s Facility in Chowchilla, where she died at 11:46 p.m. Thursday, said Terry Thornton, a spokeswoman for the state Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.