Manson killer Atkins denied parole

SACRAMENTO, July 15 (UPI) -- Convicted murderer Susan Atkins, an imprisoned Charles Manson cult follower said to have terminal brain cancer, was denied parole Tuesday in California.

"It's never a happy day, but as a prosecutor you feel that justice has been served," Patrick Sequeria, a prosecutor with the Los Angeles County District Attorney's office, said after the ruling by the California Board of Parole Hearings. "If she were to be released it would be an affront to the people of state of California, the criminal justice system, and most importantly, the many family members of the victims."

The San Francisco Chronicle reported the board considered the matter for several hours before deciding to keep Atkins behind bars.

Friends and relatives of Atkins say she has terminal cancer and likely will die before year's end, The Sacramento Bee reported.

The Bee said 18 of the 23 witnesses who testified at the Sacramento hearing urged her release while the others wanted her to remain locked up for the 1960s Manson murders that terrorized the Los Angeles area and much of the United States.

Atkins, 60, was convicted of personally stabbing actress Sharon Tate. She has been denied parole 12 times in the 37 years she has been in prison.