Youngest Member of Notorious Manson “Family” Again Recommended for Parole

By Steve Gorman

LOS ANGELES – The California parole board has recommended that Leslie Van Houten, the youngest member of Charles Manson’s notorious group, be released early from her life sentence for her involvement in the cult’s killing spree in 1969.

The final decision on Van Houten’s parole lies with California Governor Gavin Newsom, who must consider the board’s recommendation. Her previous attempts at parole have been denied twice by Newsom’s predecessor, Jerry Brown.

Manson, who passed away in prison in 2017 at 83, orchestrated the murders of seven individuals, including actress Sharon Tate, in August 1969, an act prosecutors claimed was intended to provoke a race war. While he did not directly kill any of the victims, he was found guilty of orchestrating the murders, including the homicides of two others, music teacher Gary Hinman and stuntman Donald “Shorty” Shea.

The recent recommendation from the parole board marks Van Houten’s 22nd effort to gain release. She is currently incarcerated at the California Institute for Women in Corona.

The parole board’s decision initiates a review process that may take up to 150 days, during which the agency will evaluate all relevant facts and legal matters regarding the parole request. If the decision withstands scrutiny, it will be forwarded to the governor for further action. The governor has the option to approve, reject, modify the recommendation, or return it for additional review. If he takes no action, the parole will proceed.

Van Houten was convicted for the fatal stabbing of grocery store owner Leno LaBianca and his wife, Rosemary, in their Los Angeles home on August 10, 1969. The phrase “Death to Pigs” and “Healter Skelter,” a misspelled reference to a Beatles song, were found written in the victims’ blood at the crime scene.

The night prior, Manson’s followers invaded the home of Tate, who was 26 and eight months pregnant at the time, killing her and four of her friends, including coffee heiress Abigail Folger and hairstylist Jay Sebring.

Van Houten’s original conviction in 1971 and death sentence were overturned on appeal, but she was retried, found guilty, and sentenced to prison in 1978.

Earlier this month, it was reported that the board also recommended parole for another Manson follower, Robert Beausoleil, who has served nearly 50 years for the murder of Gary Hinman. Governor Newsom has yet to announce his decision regarding Beausoleil’s case.