On Tuesday, a California board recommended parole for Leslie Van Houten, a surviving Manson family follower who has been imprisoned since 1971.
CNN reported that this is the fifth time the Board of Parole Hearings recommended parole for Van Houten, 72.
Van Houten was 19 when she and fellow cult members fatally stabbed Los Angeles grocer Leno LaBianca and his wife, Rosemary, in 1969. The slayings occurred a day after other Manson followers killed pregnant actress Sharon Tate and four others at Tate’s Los Angeles home. Van Houten had no involvement in the Tate murders.
Van Houten was initially convicted to death for the LaBianca slayings, but her sentence was commuted to life in prison after the state outlawed the death penalty.
Former and current Governors Jerry Brown and Gavin Newsom have both denied Houten’s bid for parole on two instances. Last year, Newsom stated that he believed the convicted murderer still posed a danger to the public.
The board’s legal division will review the case in light of Tuesday’s decision. From there, the governor will have 30 days to decide whether he will approve Van Houten’s parole.
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[Featured image: Leslie Van Houten/Stan Lim/Los Angeles Daily News via AP, Pool]
