Charles Manson follower Leslie Van Houten is recommended for parole, 47 years after double murder
A California review board has recommended parole for former Charles Manson family member Leslie Van Houten, who was convicted of murder in the 1969 killings of Leno and Rosemary LaBianca.
The decision was issued Thursday after a hearing earlier in the day at the California Institution for Women in Chino. Van Houten had previously been denied parole 19 times since she was convicted of killing the wealthy grocer Leno LaBianca and his wife at their Los Feliz home.
After the ruling is reviewed by the parole board’s legal team, it will be forwarded to Governor Jerry Brown, who could decide to block Van Houten’s release.
The youngest of Manson’s followers, Van Houten, 66, has been considered the least blameworthy member of the group, portrayed by supporters as a misguided teen under the influence of LSD on the night of the killings.
But the following day, then-19-year-old Van Houten joined the random killing of the LaBiancas.
Van Houten and another woman held down Rosemary LaBianca as Charles “Tex” Watson stabbed Leno LaBianca. After Watson stabbed Rosemary LaBianca, he handed Van Houten a knife. She testified to stabbing Rosemary at least 14 more times.
The blood of the victims was used to scrawl messages on the walls, as had been done at the Benedict Canyon home.
In prior bids for parole, Van Houten’s attorneys have characterised her as a model inmate who has obtained a college degree behind bars and been active in self-help groups.
At a 2002 parole board hearing, Van Houten said she was “deeply ashamed” of what she had done, adding, “I take very seriously not just the murders but what made me make myself available to someone like Manson.”
Van Houten’s attorney Richard Pfeiffer said that the murder was the sole crime she committed in her life.
“She is just not a public safety risk, and when you are not a public safety risk, the law says you shall be released,” Pfeiffer said.
Last summer, a parole board recommended parole for Manson associate Bruce Davis, who was convicted in the 1969 killings of Gary Hinman and Donald “Shorty” Shea. But in January, Brown rejected parole for the 73-year-old, stating that “Davis’ own actions demonstrate that he had fully bought into the depraved Manson family beliefs.” Davis was not involved in the killings of the LaBiancas, Tate and four others.
