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California Governor Allows Parole for Charles Manson Follower Leslie Van Houten

In a significant development, California Governor Gavin Newsom announced on Friday that he will not seek to block parole for Leslie Van Houten, a follower of notorious cult leader Charles Manson. This paves the way for her release after spending 53 years in prison for her involvement in two infamous murders.

The governor’s office issued a brief statement, affirming that an appeal to prevent Van Houten’s parole was unlikely to succeed. Although Newsom expressed disappointment, he acknowledged that more than 50 years after the Manson cult’s brutal killings, the victims’ families continue to feel the impact of their actions.

Currently in her 70s, Van Houten has been serving a life sentence for her role in the 1969 murders of Leno LaBianca and his wife, Rosemary. Her attorney, Nancy Tetreault, revealed that Van Houten could be released in approximately two weeks, pending the parole board’s review of her record and completion of the necessary paperwork at the California Institution for Women in Corona.

Despite being recommended for parole five times since 2016, Van Houten’s release has been repeatedly blocked by Newsom and his predecessor, Jerry Brown. However, a state appeals court ruled in May that Van Houten should be set free. The court applauded her “extraordinary rehabilitative efforts, insight, remorse, realistic parole plans, support from family and friends,” and her positive behavior reports while incarcerated.

Tetreault expressed Van Houten’s joy and gratitude, stating that she is thrilled and overwhelmed by the recognition that she is no longer the same person who committed the gruesome murders. To aid Van Houten’s reintegration into society, she will spend approximately a year in a halfway house where she will learn essential life skills, including tasks as basic as grocery shopping and using a debit card. Having spent 53 years behind bars, Van Houten needs to acclimate to the technological advancements of the past five decades, such as ATMs, cell phones, and computers.

Van Houten and other followers of Manson brutally killed the LaBianca couple in their Los Angeles home in August 1969, after the infamous murder of actress Sharon Tate and four others the previous day. Van Houten herself recounted the horrific act of holding down Rosemary LaBianca with a pillowcase over her head while others stabbed her, before mercilessly stabbing her more than a dozen times.

Cory LaBianca, daughter of Leno LaBianca, expressed her family’s heartbreak in an interview with The Associated Press. She lamented the years they have missed with her father and stepmother and the void this has created for her children and grandchildren.

The parole grant reversal by Governor Newsom had previously attracted attention and legal challenges. However, Erin Mellon, communications director for the governor’s office, stated that despite being disheartened by the Court of Appeal’s decision to release Van Houten, Newsom will not pursue further action. The likelihood of success in appealing the decision is minimal, as the California Supreme Court seldom accepts appeals, and its selection of cases is not typically based on fact-specific determinations.

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