susan bartell

AKA: Country Sue

DOB: 06/21/51

Susan Bartell joined the family after the Tate-Labianca murders. On October 12, 1969, the California Highway Patrol, together with the National Park Rangers, and the Inyo County Sheriffs Office, raided the Barker Ranch. Bartell, in a car full of groceries, arrived shortly after the raid, and was arrested. The following month, the Venice Police Department responded to a reported suicide at a house rented by a man named Mark Ross. A 22-year-old man, nicknamed "Zero", had killed himself playing Russian roulette with a fully loaded gun. When police arrived, they found a group of family members, including Bartell. Everyone there insisted that Zero had killed himself, even though the gun was wiped clean of prints. Susan eventually left the family before the mid 70's.