Former member of the Manson family and convicted murderer Susan Atkins, aka Sadie Mae Glutz, has requested a “compassionate release” from her home of the last 37 years, a state prison in Corona, CA.

Atkins, now 60, has little time to live as she is dying from terminal brain cancer. A supervising board will look over the request, though no timetable has been set. The sister of deceased actress Sharon Tate (whom Atkins held down while being stabbed and later wrote “PIG” on a door in Tate’s blood) had this to say:

“I don’t want to seem like a heartless creature, but in all my years, I never considered this could happen. She showed no compassion. She told my sister as she slit her throat that she didn’t (care) for her or her unborn baby.”

Atkins, who is apparently now a born-again Christian, has an estimated one month to live.

A Georgia elementary school teacher was in for a surprise last Friday when 8-9 of her students, both boys and girls, planned to bind and stab her after being angered over the scolding of a fellow student for standing on a chair. The extent of the students’ planning and premeditated preparation is astonishing:

Police Chief Tony Tanner said the students apparently planned to knock the teacher unconscious with a glass paperweight, bind her with handcuffs and duct tape and then stab her with a broken steak knife.

The scheme involved a division of roles, Tanner said. One child’s job was to cover windows so no one could see outside, and another was supposed to clean up after the attack. Associated Press

It’s not clear how many of the students really knew of the intent to harm the teacher as some said they simply thought it was a joke. Nevertheless two students were arrested on juvenile charges, and a third arrest is expected. In the end the no one was harmed, but things could have been worse. Even if the students hadn’t intended to kill their teacher, who can really say how it all would’ve turned out. One thing’s for sure though, stories like this aren’t really going help fulfill any shortage of teachers in the US. Molding young minds seems to be more dangerous than ever.

-Handcuffs and Knife the children planned to use.