James W. Whitehouse was Susan Atkins’ second husband. They were married on September 1, 1987, in Chowchilla, California. Whitehouse was a Harvard Law School graduate who was 15 years younger than Atkins. He met Atkins while he was working as a law clerk at the California Department of Corrections.
Advertisement
Atkins and Whitehouse’s marriage was controversial. Some people felt that Whitehouse was exploiting Atkins, while others felt that he was genuinely trying to help her. However, the couple remained married until Atkins’ death in 2009.
His ex, Susan Denise Atkins was an American convicted murderer who was a member of Charles Manson’s “Family”. She was known within the Manson family as Sadie Mae Glutz or Sexy Sadie.
Advertisement
Atkins was convicted for her participation in eight of these killings, including the most notorious, the Tate murders in 1969. She was sentenced to death, which was subsequently commuted to life imprisonment when the California Supreme Court invalidated all death sentences issued prior to 1972.
Atkins was born in San Gabriel, California, in 1948. She had a troubled childhood, and was sexually abused by her stepfather. She dropped out of high school and became a prostitute. In 1967, she met Charles Manson and joined his “Family”.
In August 1969, Atkins and other members of the Family murdered five people at the home of Sharon Tate, the wife of film director Roman Polanski. Atkins wrote “Pig” in blood on the front door of the house. The next day, Atkins and other members of the Family murdered Leno and Rosemary LaBianca.
Atkins was arrested in November 1969, and she confessed to her involvement in the murders. She was convicted of murder and sentenced to death. Her sentence was later commuted to life imprisonment.
Leave a Reply