The LA Weekly recently took a peek at last month’s state Board of Parole Hearings transcript in which Manson follower and convicted murderer Susan Atkins was denied “compassionate release.” In May, Atkins’ husband asked for “compassionate release” for his wife because she is dying from brain cancer and has less than three months to live.

In the summer of 1969, Atkins stabbed pregnant actress Sharon Tate a gruesome 16 times at Tate’s Benedict Canyon mansion. After killing Tate, prosecutors said Atkins tasted the actress' blood and used it to scrawl “PIG” on her front door. On that dreadful August 9 night, the Manson Family also killed Abigail Ann Folger, Voytek Frykowski, Steven R. Parent, and Jay Sebring.

The following day, members of the Manson family bludgeoned to death Leno LaBianca and his wife Rosemary at their home in the Los Feliz hills. Atkins, then 22, was convicted of killing Tate and music teacher Gary Hinman. Charles Manson, Tex Watson, Patricia Krenwinkel and Leslie Van Houten were soon charged with the other grisly murders.

The 90-minute hearing included testimony from a crowd of Atkins’ supporters including her niece, younger brother, husband/attorney James Whitehouse as well as a Los Angeles filmmaker, a licensed social worker and a former inmate.

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Family and friends along with hundreds of law enforcement
officers attended a funeral today at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels in downtown L.A. for a sheriff’s deputy who was gunned down outside his home in Cypress Park.

Los Angeles County Sheriff's Deputy Juan Escalante, 27, was shot to death on August 2 as he was leaving to go to work at Men's Central Jail in downtown Los Angeles.

Officers carry out the flag-draped casket of Sheriff's Deputy Juan Escalante

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Over 100 family members, friends, neighbors, local politicians, police and firefighters attended a prayer vigil last night for a sheriff’s deputy who was gunned down outside his parent’s home in Cypress Park on August 2.

“It takes a lot of courage to be here,” said Councilman Ed Reyes who was surrounded by a handful of sheriff’s deputies and four Los Angeles firefighters who responded to the 911 call. “Cypress Park is a great community. We are going to get you. You are going to pay the price. United we are strong. We will have justice.”

The hour-long prayer vigil, which took place on the corner of Thorpe and Aragon avenues, was officiated by a local pastor who spoke to the mostly Hispanic neighbors and a small army of television reporters. The area was blocked off by yellow police tape.

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Los Angeles Police Department detectives still don’t have a clue as to why a Los Angeles County sheriff's deputy was gunned down outside his parent’s home in Cypress Park on August 2.

Deputy Juan Abel Escalante, who was assigned to guard the county’s most dangerous inmates at Men's Central Jail in downtown Los Angeles, was shot around 5:40 am as he was preparing to leave for work. A law enforcement official told the Weekly that Escalante was in the process of removing a kids car seat from his SUV that was parked on the street when he was shot around five times in the head and upper body with a 40-caliber pistol.

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A deputy shot and killed a 35-year-old Lennox man on Wednesday night. Deputies patrolling the area believed he was a drug dealer who was reaching for a gun, according to police reports.

Christian Portillo, 35, was shot twice in the chest and died at the scene.

With the fatal shooting of Portillo the number of deaths this year at the hands of law enforcement in Los Angeles County has reached 28 - or roughly four a month.

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The state Board of Parole Hearings on Tuesday denied a request for “compassionate release” to Charles Manson follower and convicted murderer Susan Atkins who is dying of brain cancer.

In the summer of 1969, Atkins stabbed to death a pregnant Sharon Tate a gruesome 16 times at Tate’s Benedict Canyon mansion. After killing Tate, prosecutors said Atkins tasted the actress' blood and used it to scrawl “PIG” on her front door. On that dreadful August 9 night, the Manson Family also killed Abigail Ann Folger, Voytek Frykowski, Steven R. Parent, and Jay Sebring.

The following day, members of the Manson family – excluding Atkins – bludgeoned to death Leno LaBianca and his wife Rosemary at their home in the Los Feliz hills. Atkins, then 22, was convicted of killing Tate and music teacher Gary Hinman. Charles Manson, Tex Watson, Patricia Krenwinkel and Leslie Van Houten were soon charged with the other grisly murders.

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Five fugitives have been apprehended since the Drew Street crackdown last month.

Raul Carbajal and Jose Aviles turned themselves in to the Los Angeles Police Department’s Northeast station on June 26. Two days later, LAPD officers arrested Carlos DeJesus Cervantes in the Drew Street area.

Raul Carbajal

Luis Esteban Vargas was arrested July 1 by LAPD officers while driving on a suspended license. Vargas was carrying rock cocaine at the time of his arrest, according to Sarah Pullen, a special agent with the Drug Enforcement Administration.

Luis Vargas

Juana Orrostieta, 23, was picked up on July 7 by LAPD officers while walking down Drew Street. When she saw officers she tried to cover her face with an infant she was carrying, said Pullen.

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Last month, the LA Weekly reported that a task force of 500 law enforcement officers picked up 32 members or associates of the “Drew Street” clique of the Avenues gangsters in an early morning raid.

The operation, which began at 4 a.m. on June 25, stemmed from a massive 157-page federal racketeering indictment targeting 70 members of the gang who lived on Drew Street in northeast Los Angeles. Twenty-six of the gang members who were indicted were already in local and federal custody including Maria “Chata” Leon who is reputed to be the matriarch of a large family of drug dealing gang members.

Since then, the Weekly has received numerous comments by apparent Avenues gangsters who are choked by the federal sweep and the press coverage of the arrests. Who knew the lads were so computer savvy? However, they might want to brush up on their spelling. Check out some of the responses:

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