Board OKs parole for ex-Manson Family member convicted in 'Helter Skelter' slayings
After 19 denials, a review board in California on Thursday recommended parole for convicted murderer Leslie Van Houten, 66, a former member of the so-called Charles Manson family.
Although she was not responsible for the slaying of pregnant actress Sharon Tate and four others, probably the most notorious of the Manson family murders, Leslie Van Houten was convicted and initially sentenced to death in the next-day 1969 homicides of Leno LaBianca, a wealthy grocer, and his wife, Rosemary. The killing spree terrorized the Los Angeles area and was the subject of a book, Helter Skelter, by prosecutor Vincent Bugliosi.
“She is just not a public safety risk, and when you are not a public safety risk, the law says you shall be released,” her lawyer, Richard Pfeiffer, told the Associated Press earlier, explaining: “The only violent thing she has ever done in her entire life was this crime and that was under the control of Charles Manson.”
Despite the review board’s recommendation, parole for Van Houten could still be blocked by the Board of Parole Hearings and, if it gives a green light, California’s governor, according to the AP and the Los Angeles Times (sub. req.).
According to a San Jose Mercury News story published in 2013, at least two other Manson associates have previously been paroled. However, unlike Van Houten, neither was convicted in the LaBianca murders.
Manson, who is in his early eighties, remains in prison. His next parole hearing is reportedly scheduled in 2027.
Related coverage:
ABAJournal.com: “Admittedly Very Dangerous, Charles Manson, Architect of ‘Helter Skelter’ Slayings, Is Denied Parole”
KABC: “Manson Family murders: Key players in the Tate-LaBianca killings”
