Newsom will no longer contest parole of Charles Manson ‘family’ member

California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) will no longer contest the parole of Leslie Van Houten, a member of the infamous Charles Manson “family” that carried out multiple murders in 1969. 

Van Houten took part in the killings of Los Angeles grocer Leno LaBianca and his wife Rosemary, while other members of the cult had killed actress Sharon Tate and four others the day before. She has been serving a life sentence but was recommended for parole after serving more than 53 years in prison. 

Newsom rejected her parole, finding that Van Houten still posed a danger to society and provided an inconsistent and inadequate explanation of her involvement with Manson. But the state appeals court ruled in May that Van Houten should be released, reversing Newsom’s decision. 

Newsom has now decided that he will not appeal the court’s ruling to the California Supreme Court, likely paving the way for Van Houten to be released. 

Erin Mellon, the communications director for Newsom’s office, said in a statement that Newsom is “disappointed” with the appeals court’s decision but decided against further efforts to prevent her release as they seem unlikely to succeed. 

Mellon said the state’s top court accepts appeals in few cases and usually does not take cases based on this “fact-specific determination.” 

“More than 50 years after the Manson cult committed these brutal offenses, the victims’ families still feel the impact, as do all Californians,” she said. 

The appeals court ruled 2-1 that no evidence existed to support Newsom’s conclusion about Van Houten. Newsom had previously rejected her parole three times, and former Gov. Jerry Brown (D) did the same twice. 

Van Houten’s attorney, Nancy Tetreault, said her client could be released in about two weeks after the parole board reviews her record and processes the paperwork. 

“She’s just grateful that people are recognizing that she’s not the same person that she was when she committed the murders,” Tetreault said about Van Houten. 

She said Van Houten will spend about a year in a halfway house to learn basic skills like going to a grocery store and getting a debit card. 

Manson died in prison in 2017 from natural causes. Another Manson “family” member, Susan Atkins, died from cancer in 2009. Members Tex Watson and Patricia Krenwinkel remain in prison. 

The Associated Press contributed to this report.