An Associated Press story about the graying of the Manson Family says that convicted killer Susan Atkins, 61, is held at Chowchilla's Central California Women's Facility, where she is dying of brain cancer. A parole hearing is scheduled for Sept. 2. 
A Web site maintained by her husband says that Atkins is paralyzed over 85 percent of her body and is unable to sit up in bed. The site encourages visitors to write letters to the California Parole Board to support Atkins' release, four decades after she was convicted of killing actress Sharon Tate.
Though it fails to cite a source, Wikipedia says that Atkins has ties to Merced County. It notes that she lived in Los Banos and attended Los Banos High School while her father, Edward Atkins, was employed in a construction job on the San Luis Dam.
