Is it possible to be compassionate to one of them?
Charles Manson is one of the most iconic names to come out of 60’s and 70’s crime. Everyone should at least be able to recognize his name, if not for knowledge of the heinous acts he perpetrated, but because his name has wormed its way throughout pop culture to this day. Every so often, his name, or one of the names of his followers comes up in the news, whether locally or nationally, and people are reminded yet again of the horrors committed against those murdered at the Tate residence and the LaBianca family. For those who need a refresher course, Wikipedia has an extensive article about him and the acts he committed. I also recommend Vincent Bugliosi and Curt Gentry’s Helter Skelter: the True Story of the Manson Murders if you want a really good in depth look at what happened. Vincent Bugliosi was the chief prosecutor in this case, and the book is just incredibly well-written. I have this odd fascination with true crime (I call it an odd fascination because I don’t enjoy reading about true crime, I just seem to want to read about it) and I have read Helter Skelter many times over the years.
Recently, there have been some interesting events occurring surrounding Manson and his clan. In May, police went to the ranch in Death Valley, CA, used by Manson and his “family” to search for bodies (ABC news story), thinking that they might find other victims of Manson’s twisted idea of what the future would hold. They actually didn’t find anything, but that’s not surprising – it is the desert and the murders would have happened 40 years ago. To be honest, it wouldn’t have surprised me in the least if they had found something – I have no doubt that more murders were committed than what the family was convicted for. The other piece of news about Manson and his followers to reach headlines is different, and evokes very conflicting emotions in this observer’s mind and heart: Susan Atkins, known as Sadie Mae Glutz in the Manson family, is dying (Wikipedia article here). She has terminal brain cancer (ie. a malignant brain tumor), has been given less than 6 months to live and has requested “compassionate release” so that she may die out of prison. This request made national headlines, here is an article published June 13 when the news came out (Friday the 13th! Superstitious, anyone?). As I said before, this bit of news has evoked very conflicting emotions within me, and I will do my best to lay them out for the reader to interpret for themselves.
So the issue at hand, as one editorial I read about this was very quick to mention, is that the need for justice to be served wars with the need for humans to be merciful. Some may think this is a black and white issue – no gray area, but I don’t see it that way. And I’m sure the judge this comes before won’t think so, either. Or maybe he/she will. The whole point, though, is that this is a “compassionate release”, not a request for parole, or re-trial or anything, but the dying wish of a woman who has spent the majority of her life in prison, paying for her heinous actions.
Susan Atkins most certainly deserves every day of her life sentence. The only reason she isn’t on death row now is that all death penalty convictions before 1972 were commuted to life terms when the CA Supreme Court ruled the death penalty was unconstitutional. When CA re-instated the death penalty, the sentences couldn’t be changed back because, I believe (and correct me if I’m wrong) the law of habeas corpus prevented that. So, according to the original trial, and her original sentence, Susan Atkins shouldn’t even be alive today – she would have been executed long ago. Now she is truly dying - a painful death at the hands of cancer. She has asked for a compassionate release because she knows she is going to die and wants to endure that pain outside of prison. But then, just because she knows she is going to die doesn’t mean that she should be released to die at home. Don’t convicts die every day in jail – whether or not they know it is going to happen? And, while this may sound callous, technically it can be said that prison is her home – she has been in prison longer than not (37 years in jail, she went in when she was 23). And let us not forget – if it was Charles Manson asking for compassionate release, I don’t think anyone would allow it.
And then there is mercy. Mercy is a powerful word, and a powerful tool when used. Susan Atkins is asking for mercy from the California penal system, the family of the victims she murdered and from the same jury of peers who convicted her almost 40 years ago. I don’t think anyone would blame anyone else for denying her request. Even though she has repented and become active in prison reform programs, and has become a born-again Christian, she still brutally murdered an 8-month pregnant Sharon Tate, showing no remorse during the murder or during the trial. Yet, can something be said for true rehabilitation? Can we ever know the number of people she has helped with her work while in prison? Does that even matter? It’s easy for me to say that I would like for her to be released, but would I be able to say that if I was a surviving victim of these acts? I don’t know the answer to that (and I can only hope I never have to find out).
An act of mercy is one of the most important gifts one human can give to another. A case like this one really tests our ability to be merciful. For those of us who are Christians, isn’t this one of the ultimate Christian duties? Isn’t it our duty to give mercy to those who don’t deserve it? “Compassionate release” is just that – an act of compassion for a dying woman. But maybe the question is – should we feel moved to compassion and mercy for this woman?
A fascinating conundrum. One thing cannot be denied – Susan Atkins will die, and will die soon. When she does, it will be in the hands of God what happens to her next. I can only hope that our Savior knows the answer to this conundrum – for all our sakes. We ask for compassion and mercy every day, from family, friends, strangers – but do any of us really deserve it? And is the point whether we deserve it or not, or whether those being asked for mercy are compassionate enough to actually do so?
I leave you to draw your own conclusions and your own opinions.
