51-Year-Old Nurse Turns The Tables On An Intruder With A Genius Maneuver
It was 6:37 p.m. on September 6th, 2006, and Susan Kuhnhausen lingered for a moment on her porch, flipping through the mail. The 51-year-old nurse had just come home from a long shift at the emergency room, and the warm autumn air was just what she needed to unwind. Behind her, malicious eyes peered from the darkness of her bedroom window. She didn't notice.
A Note
As Susan opened the back door to the mudroom, she noticed a note on the microwave that her estranged husband had left. "Sue, haven't been sleeping. Had to get away—Went to the beach," he'd written. Huh, she thought.
Quiet House
Aside from her husband's absence, nothing seemed out of place. Her security alarm beeped, as it should, since she'd unlocked the house. Susan entered the alarm code and kicked off her shoes, glad to be home — and then got a strange feeling.
An Unusually Dark Room
Susan's bedroom was on the main floor, and the door was open slightly — but it seemed darker than usual. For a moment, she stopped, confused: had she not remembered to open the curtains before leaving for work?
Intruder Alert
It was just a brief pause, but that instant would change everything. As Susan moved to turn the light on, the door swung open, and a giant figure rushed at her. She'd never seen him before, but he was holding a claw hammer aimed at her head.
Trained for Defense
In a flash, he was on her, hitting her. But Susan didn't run; he would catch her. Besides, she'd had experience with feisty ER patients, and knew if she stayed close and crowded him, his blows would have less force. "Who are you?!" she yelled.
Fear Sets In
The intruder didn't answer. As they grappled for control of the hammer, all Susan knew was that this man wanted to kill her. She never suspected that it was part of a dark plan that had been set into motion weeks prior.
Repeat Offender
Susan didn't know it, but her attacker was Ed Haffey. He was 59 years old, 5'9" tall, and 190 pounds. He'd served nine years in prison already for arranging the murder of his ex-girlfriend, he'd gotten out three years prior, and he had strange connections.
A Strange Link
What were those connections? Well, Haffey's first job out of the clink was a gig washing floors at Portland's Fantasy Adult Video store. It didn't pay well, but it was something. Who hired him? None other than Mike Kuhnhausen — Susan's husband.
Trouble in Paradise
Turns out, things hadn't been great between Mike and Susan. They'd gotten married eighteen years earlier, but almost instantly, things turned sour. Susan cared about him, but Mike had deep depression and wouldn't get help. She put up with it for a while, but wanted to be happy again.
Downward Spiral
She kicked him out in 2005, and Mike moved briefly into his father's house. Over the next year, he didn't get any better. He lost his job at the adult store, had nowhere to live, and needed money badly. He knew only one place to get it.
Valuable Asset
That blue house Susan lived in, and had kicked Mike out of, was paid off, and would go to Mike if she died. It was worth $300,000. Conveniently, she'd recently asked if Mike could house-sit for her cats, giving him access to the house.
Crafting a Scheme
It seemed like the perfect opportunity. Mike got in touch with his old pal Ed Haffey, who needed money again, and who had no problem with violence. They arranged a plot, Mike gave Haffey the alarm code, and he left Susan a note. Everything was ready.
Don't Mess With a Nurse
What neither Mike nor Haffey planned on was the sheer determination Susan had to stay alive. This was a woman who laughed heartily in the front row at comedy shows, was trained in self defense, and was a nurse. She was not giving up without a fight.
Using Her Strength
Susan was shorter than Haffey, but she outweighed him. She slammed her body into him, hoping to knock him over — but she failed, and he pinned her against the wall, uttering the only two words he'd say: "You're strong." Her blood went cold.
Survival Mode
She knew if she didn't do something soon, she'd be toast. Her adrenaline surged, and she managed to grab the hammer, swinging its claw into Haffey's skull. When he grabbed it away again, she snatched his throat with both hands.
Thinking Clearly
His face turned purple, and Susan got scared. When she turned to run, he grabbed her and began punching her. She bit him and clawed at him, and grabbed his pockets, searching for a wallet or ID to throw under the furniture for police to find.
Upper Hand
About 14 minutes into the fight, Susan got a stroke of luck. She managed to get her arm around Haffey's neck. "Tell me who sent you here, and I'll call you an [expletive] ambulance," she said. He didn't reply. She tightened her grip.
Calling for Help
When Haffey went limp in her chokehold, Susan fled next door, where an alarmed neighbor sheltered her and helped her call 911. Police quickly arrived and found Haffey's belonging, including a notebook that linked him to Mike. All that was left was Mike's trial.
Reckoning
Susan faced him in court, steely. “If I ever believed that you deserved to be dead, I’d have at least had the guts to kill you myself,” she said. Though she was concerned he'd retaliate, he died of cancer before the end of his eight-year sentence.
Moving Forward
Nowadays, the former Mrs. Kuhnhausen now goes by Susan Walters. She retired from nursing in 2014, and though she deals with PTSD, she continues to educate others on how they can survive similar scenarios. "You never feel more alive than when someone wants you dead," she said. "I chose to live.”
How It Happens
Everyone who heard the story was stunned by Susan's sheer determination — and incredible strength — but another aspect stood out: how does someone become so deranged they're willing to kill a stranger? The most alarming answer is, it's not as rare as we may think.
Lynette Fromme
We can better understand Ed Haffey by looking at one of history's most deranged assassins. Beachfront homes and the excitement of Los Angeles was the childhood backdrop for young Lynette Fromme, a future assassin. The daughter of an aeronautical engineer, she grew up enjoying the Santa Monica sun. But in the blink of an eye that would all change.
Redondo Beach
An experience dancer, Lynette eventually leaned away from traditional pursuits about the time the time the Fromme family moved to Redondo Beach, California, when she was 14 years old. That's when they noticed her behavior changing.
The Wrong Crowd
In her new town, Lynette's abrupt shift concerned her parents. They spouted the common line, that Lynette took up with "wrong crowd." Drinking and drugs became routine. By her first year of college, they'd kicked her out of the home.
Charles Manson
Lynette, homeless, head brimming with her family's criticism, sat on the beach to mull things over. Enter at stage right a wild-eyed, stringy-haired man who sat on the sand beside her and listened to her troubles — Charles Manson.
Freedom
From that first interaction, Lynette was starry-eyed for Manson. He told her to forget about normal structured life: "don't want and you're free," he said. "The want ties you up. Be where you are, you got to start someplace." These nonsensical encouragements struck a cord. Lynette joined the Manson Family.
Friends for Life
Following their ex-con leader, Lynette joined the ranks of Manson's other devotees, Susan Atkins and Mary Brunner. She was one of the many young women with middle-class roots to fall into the web of hallucinogenic drugs, theft, and eventually murder.
Spahn Movie Ranch
In 1968, the large band of Manson Family members found a new home base at the Spahn Movie Ranch. Foregoing rent payments, the cult compensated the 80-year-old landlord, George Spahn, via sexual arrangements with his pick of any of Manson's many "wives."
Squeaky
It was Spahn who christened Lynette with her new name, Squeaky, after the sound she made when he unexpectedly pinched her thighs. Later in life, she remembered fondly her contribution as unofficial wife to the ranch's owner, all to benefit the family.
On Guard
But like most cults, the honeymoon stage didn't last. In 1969, Manson was arrested for the Tate-Labianca murders. This time, Lynette wasn't connected to the crimes. She was free to stand guard outside the courthouse during the trial and support her homicidal leader.
X Marks the Spot
The most devoted of the Manson Family wore their loyalty literally on their foreheads. Carving a small X into the skin, similar to the hateful Nazi swastika that Charles Manson revered, showed their symbolic allegiance to the murderer.
Folsom
Many Manson Family members took Charles' incarceration as a lucky pass back into society. Lynette was one of the few still that remained loyal. After his death sentence, which was overturned to a life sentence after California nixed capital punishment, Manson was transferred to Folsom Prison.
Packing Up
When Manson moved, so did the family. Squeaky and Sandra Good moved to Sacramento to be closer to Charles. During this period, Squeaky penned an early draft of a memoir detailing her life as a member of the Manson Family.
Alice in Wonderland
Taken from a draft of the unpublished memoir, she described her teenage longing to "[shed] all the guilt feelings...to find something exciting and do something that felt good...I didn't, I wouldn't, adjust to society and the reality of things...I've made my own world...It may sound like an Alice in Wonderland world, but it makes sense."
Plans
After listening to the advice of another convicted Mason Family murderer, Steve "Clem" Grogan, Lynette agreed her memoir was potentially incriminating. So, she shelved it, for a few decades at least. Besides, she had other things on her mind...
Narrow Miss
By the skin of her teeth, Squeaky avoided a murder conviction in Sonoma County, California, with other Manson affiliates. You see, the bodies of James and Lauren Willett were found on the premises of a group of Manson Family and Aryan Brothers members.
Pleading Innocent
Never wavering, Squeaky insisted she was innocent. In what the group called a tragic misfire due to a Russian roulette style game, they claimed no responsibility. All the others connected to the deaths were convicted, but it wasn't Squeaky's time.
No Conviction
Police accepted her alibi that at the time of the murders she'd been on the road, traveling to visit Manson in prison. They let her go reluctantly after 2-and-a-half months in county jail. She fled back to Sacramento, right into the arms of Manson Family member Sandra Good.
Clinging On Tighter
Distance and iron bars only strengthened their faith in Manson. One major sign of their increased retreat from the rational world was when they changed their names. Red, for Squeaky's beloved California Redwood trees, and Blue, for Sandra's connection to the ocean.
A New Target
Flipping through channels one afternoon, Squeaky stopped on a news program. Her ears perked up at the mention of the California state capitol. President Gerald Ford would be speaking there, and at that moment, all the newly christened Red saw... was red.
Seen As An Enemy
At the time, President Ford requested Congress rollback provisions of the Clean Air Act, which was unpopular among environmentalists and hippies like Squeaky. The news listed the date, September 5th, 1975, and conveniently, the state capitol grounds were just a short ride down the road.
Extreme Plan
Cloaked in her trademark red hood with a red dress to match, Squeaky arrived in the crowd gathered outside on the 5th of September. Concealed on her left leg was an antique .45 caliber Colt pistol left leg.
Going Through With It
The red-caped Squeaky pushed through the onlookers until she found herself face to face with the man himself. Seconds ticked by and without emotion, she pulled the gun from her leg holster and pointed it right at Gerald Ford's stomach.
Misfire
Reports can't confirm it, but witnesses claim to have heard the faint click of a finger pulling a trigger. What they were certain of was Squeaky's confused muttering of "it didn't go off" as Secret Service agents threw her to the ground.
Not Gun Savvy
After years of lurking on the fringes of awful crimes, Squeaky was marched off in handcuffs. Immediate inspection of her weapon showed the gun was loaded with 4 rounds, but no bullet was in the chamber. Manson's most loyal follower had botched her plan from the outset.
Stoic and Steady
For Ford, the attempt on his life didn't have a visible effect. Most people confronted with def might be a tad rattled, but not Jerry. He continued on with the meeting, remarking after, "I thought I'd better get on with my day's schedule."
Making History
The justice system jumped into action, holding the trial less than two months after Squeaky's attempted assassination of a U.S. President. Ford himself submitted a videotaped witness testimony, marking the only time in history where a sitting U.S. president testified in a criminal trial.
Not Nice
Prosecutors made quick business of convincing a jury. She was caught red-handed and her courtroom etiquette didn't help her case; at one point she angrily threw an apple at attorney Dwayne Keyes.
Dragging Her Feet
Squeaky refused to cooperate at every level. She wouldn't walk, so U.S. Marshalls were forced to carry her into the courtroom each day. This behavior just fueled the flames, and her guilty verdict was delivered on November 19th, 1975.
Stubborn Girl
Handed a sentence of life in prison, you'd think that would close the book on Squeaky's criminal plots. But in 1987 she managed to escape, attempting to visit Manson after his testicular cancer diagnosis. She was captured after 2 days on the run.
Two Birds Of A Feather
The stunt resulted in added time to her sentence; somehow, though, she maintained eligibility for parole. So, in 2009, after 34 years in prison, Squeaky re-entered society as a free woman. Along with her boyfriend, another convicted felon, she retreated to the quiet town of Marcy in Upstate New York.
Memoir
Since then, she's kept a low profile. She's been spotted about town with her boyfriend, a man who plead guilty to manslaughter in 1988, Robert Valdner. Though she did end up publishing that long-awaited potentially incriminating memoir in 2018, titled Reflexion.
More Press
In 2019, the ABC documentary series 1969 interviewed Squeaky for their episode titled "Manson Girls." In her first statement in decades, she confirmed her allegiance remains strong, "Was I in love with Charlie? Yeah," "Oh yeah. Oh yeah. Oh, still am. Still, am. I don't think you fall out of love."
Rumors Still Fly
Neighbors say they keep to themselves, but still, the cars from curious passersby idle by and whisper about the woman who through murder, prison, and ample time to reconsider, still loves Charles Manson.
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