Manson Family member Leslie Van Houten in 2015 (Photo: CDCR.ca.gov)
Gov. Newsom Again Denies Parole for Manson Family Member Leslie Van Houten
Van Houten has now been denied parole 5 times since the death of Manson in 2017
By Evan Symon, March 30, 2022 4:13 pm
Convicted murderer and Manson Family member Leslie Van Houten was denied parole by Governor Gavin Newsom on Tuesday, saying that she is still an “unreasonable danger to society” if released.
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Van Houten was arrested at age 19 in 1969 for helping Manson Family leader Charles Manson murder Los Angeles grocer Leno LaBianca and his wife, Rosemary in August of that year. Van Houten personally held down and repeatedly stabbed Rosemary LaBianca during the murder, but did not participate in the more famed Sharon Tate murders that happened a few days before. In 1971, Van Houten was sentenced to death, but had her sentence blocked in 1972 when the death penalty was overturned. After several more years of legal wrangling, Van Houten was finally sentenced to life in jail in 1978.
Since then, Van Houten has tried for parole 25 times and had been up for parole the last four times due to the death of Manson in 2017. Former Governor Jerry Brown denied her twice, with Newsom rejecting her parole two times previously as well. Last month, the California Supreme Court held up her previous parole denial following Van Houten and her lawyer challenging the Governor’s last denial.
Van Houten’s most recent parole hearing in November 2021 led to her being recommended for parole again, despite her petition to reverse Newsom’s last denial still active in court. On Tuesday, with the last denial finally settled in Court, Newsom decided to reject the Board’s 2021 recommendation, marking the third time he has rejected her parole petitions, and the 5th time by a Governor since 2017.
“Van Houten currently poses an unreasonable danger to society if released from prison at this time,” Newsom said in his parole review. “Van Houten had undergone therapy, earned educational degrees and taken self-help classes in prison and had shown increased maturity and rehabilitation. But she also has gaps in insight that continue to make her a danger to society.”
While many applauded Newsom for his continual refusal to let Van Houten and other infamous murders in California’s prison system, such as RFK assassin Sirhan Sirhan, others pled that Van Houten had served her time for a crime that happened over 50 years ago. Van Houten’s attorney, Rich Pfeiffer, argued on Tuesday that Van Houten was unfairly denied parole by Newsom.
“Newsom rejected parole because he is worried about his political future,” said Pfeiffer on Tuesday. “Van Houten has a spotless prison disciplinary record. We’re not fighting over Leslie being a good person. She’s proven that through her actions for half a century.”
Many law and political experts have noted that the release of Van Houten is highly unlikely, even with continued parole board recommendations, due in part to many younger generations being made aware of the brutal murders in recent movies and TV shows, older generations remembering the murders when they happened, as well as political fallout arising from such a release of a notorious criminal. To date, despite hundreds of parole requests by Manson family members, including Charles Manson himself, dating back to the 1970’s, only one, Steve “Clem” Grogan, has been released. As of 2022, Grogan’s 1985 release has been the only time a Manson Family member ever walked out of prison a free person.
“The odds of Van Houten being released are very slim,” criminal law advisor Benny Forbes told the Globe on Wednesday. “There’s the political implications, especially with the elections this year. I mean, allowing the release of a Manson family murderer? Even her attorney pointed out how this is political.”
“But there is also justice to think about. Remove politics from this, and look past what she has done in prison. It still all comes down to what she did in 1969. People are worried about her being denied people parole? She denied someone life. Newsom, for all his faults, understands this. Brown knew it too. Nothing anyone can do can take away that fact.”
Pfeiffer has said that he plans to appeal Newsom’s parole decision soon.
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November 30, 2020
Somehow I find her less threatening than the Chowchilla Bus Kidnapper, and yet here we are…
Newsom’s “California Way”
Yes those kidnappers were some spoiled rich kids as I recall….just like himself? I guess he can relate to them more than to Leslie? She probably deserves a parole but Newsom couldn’t care less I suppose. Makes me wonder what he would do to redeem himself if he was in her place.
Leslie Van Houten was sentenced to die in the gas chamber and she should have along with Manson and the rest of his followers. Anyone who thinks she should be paroled ought to read “Helter Skelter” by Vincent Bugliosi the deputy DA who prosecuted these murderers. What they did to their victims would turn a slaughter house janitor’s stomach.
No one is denying or making light of the fact that Van Houten participated in a horrific crime at the age of 19. The notion that someone “should have been” executed for committing a heinous crime is specious. People can argue the pros and cons of the death penalty ad nauseam. But ask yourself this – Did O.J. Simpson deserve the judgement he received for committing the bloody massacre of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman? O.J. is a free man today. Why? Because he was rich and famous? People need to be aware of how social class affects outcomes.
Raymond please read Helter Skelter.
Sorry, John The Patriot. Books that sensationalize tragedies are not on my reading list. And besides, I think opportunist like Vincent Bugliosi have made enough money writing about this kind of horrific crime. I don’t have to read the book the appreciate it’s effect on the victims and the perpetrators.
The book was required reading in one of my Administration of Justice classes in college.
I’m on Leslie’s side on this one.
Leslie Van Houten has served half a century in prison! It’s time to let her go! I can’t imagine that a lady approaching her mid 70’s could be that much of a threat to society at this point! Time to set her free!
Leslie, you did a terrible deed in your younger days, and nobody is denying that. But you should be set free; you have more than served your time.
Leslie’s terrible deed in her younger days was cold blooded murder. It’s not that she is much of a threat to society it’s what she did which is the ultimate crime. Yes she was 19 at the time but 19 is an adult. She was tried as an adult and sentenced to death. We are all taught that it is wrong to kill and she knew what she was doing was wrong. She and others like her if not sentenced to death should spend the remainder of their lives behind bars period. I doubt you have read Helter Skelter. One of the more graphic parts of the book is when Leslie held Rosemary LaBianca while Tex Watson and Patricia Krenwinkel took turns stabbing her as she screamed for her life. After they were done Lelsie stabbed Mrs. LaBianca. The coroner testified at the trial that Mrs. LaBianca had over 47 stab wounds and her body was found in a pool of blood.
Well, John the Patriot. I guess my opinion of Bugliosi would be more positive if he wrote legal textbooks (as a former prosecutor) instead of crime books – https://www.goodreads.com/author/list/28828.Vincent_Bugliosi. One of my former students was a judge from a Southeast Asian country who came to study in the USA. He wrote a term paper about how the death penalty was done in his country. BLUF: He was opposed to it because the law once required him to sentence a man to death for stealing food to feed his family. How about if Vincent wrote a book about this kind of law? I might buy it.
Jerika2000- you sound like a moron. You must not have read up on these murders, the people who didn’t get to live half a century at all. She deserves every second spent behind bars. I’m sure if someone close to you was murdered you’d be rooting to set them free? Get real. Kick rocks.
Life without possibility of parole should be her sentence. After all, the victims of the Manson family got the death penalty.
let her out she will never make it