Charles Manson Follower Blocked From Being Released By California Governor

Charles Manson follower Leslie Van Houten will not be released following her latest parole hearing. This marks the fourth time that a California governor has blocked her release following her involvement in the murders of Leno LaBianca and his wife, Rosemary, in August 1969.

After a California panel recommended Van Houten for parole, Newsom blocked her release, stating, “evidence shows that she currently poses an unreasonable danger to society if released from prison,” according to the Associated Press.

This isn’t the first time Newsom has reversed Van Houten’s release. He denied her parole in 2019.

Former Gov. Jerry Brown blocked it twice.

Van Houten has been in prison for nearly five decades serving a life sentence after she and other members of the Manson family murdered the LeBianaca by stabbing the couple and smearing the blood of the victims on the walls of their home.

At the time of the murders, Van Houten was 19 years old. She testified that she and fellow Manson family member Patricia Krenwinkel placed a pillowcase over Rosemary’s head, gagged her with a lamp cord, and stabbed her about 15 times.

Van Houten was sentenced to death in 1971 but when California briefly abolished the death penalty, her sentence was overturned. After two trials, she was sentenced to life in prison with a possibility of parole.

Following her latest denial for release, Van Houten’s lawyer Rich Pfeiffer said he will appeal the decision. “This reversal will demonstrate to the courts that there is no way Newsom will let her out,” Pfeiffer said.

“So they have to enforce the law or it will never be enforced,” he added. Van Houten has appealed for her parole 23 times.