Dying Manson Killer Pleads Today for 'Sympathy' Parole

The Charles Manson cult member who held down pregnant actress Sharon Tate and stabbed her 16 times will plead for sympathy today at her 13th parole hearing, reports CNN. Susan Atkins, 61, is suffering from brain cancer and is 85% paralyzed, according to her husband. The hearing may be held at her bedside at Chochilla prison in central California, officials said.

Gov. Arnold Schwazenegger earlier this summer denied Atkins' request for compassionate release. Tate's sister, Debra, wants Atkins behind bars. "The Manson Family murderers are sociopaths, and they can never be rehabilitated," she said. "They should all stay right where they are—in prison—until they die." (More Susan Atkins stories.)