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Leslie Van Houten

Manson Cult ‘Family’ Member Leslie Van Houten Free on Parole, Moves to Undisclosed Location
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Manson cult member Leslie Van Houten was granted parole Tuesday in California, after more than 50 years in prison.

According to The New York Times, Gov. Gavin Newsom, who had previously stopped Van Houten’s parole efforts, announced last week that he would not contest her  release in the state Supreme Court.

“The Governor is disappointed by the Court of Appeal’s decision to release Ms. Van Houten but will not pursue further action as efforts to further appeal are unlikely to succeed,” the governor’s spokesperson said.

On Tuesday, Van Houten’s lawyer, Nancy Tetreault, said she took Van Houton to transitional housing in a confidential location.

“She’s going to have to learn to live in the world after 53 years in prison…So that’s going to take some time,” Tetreault said.

FILE – Leslie Van Houten, 19, a member of Charles Manson’s “family” who is charged with the murders of Leno and Rosemary LaBianca, is escorted by two deputy sheriffs as she leaves the courtroom in Los Angeles, Dec. 19, 1969, after a brief hearing. Van Houten has been released from a California prison after serving 53 years for two infamous murders. The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation said Tuesday, July 11, 2023, that Van Houten “was released to parole supervision.” (AP Photo/George Brich, File)

As CrimeOnline previously reported, in August 1969, Van Houten, along with four other members of the notorious “family” cult led by Manson, entered a home at 3301 Waverly Drive in Los Angeles, owned by wealthy California couple, Leno LaBianca and his wife, Rosemary LaBianca.

Under Manson’s directions, the family members tortured and stabbed the couple to death before writing “Death to Pigs” on a wall in the home, using the victims’ blood.

During her trial, Van Houten admitted she stabbed Rosemary LaBianca at least 14 times in the back. During her sentencing in 1971, Van Houten said “Sorry is only a five-letter word” when asked if she felt remorse for taking part in the crime.

Van Houten apparently had a change of heart, or at least claimed she did while previously trying to get parole in 2017.

“I take responsibility for the entire crime. I take responsibility going back to Manson being able to do what he did to all of us. I allowed it,” Van Houten said during a previous parole hearing. “I learned that I was weak in character. I was easy to give over my belief system to someone else.”

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[Featured image: FILE – Leslie Van Houten reacts after hearing she is eligible for parole during a hearing on Wednesday, Sept. 6, 2017, at the California Institution for Women in Corona, Calif. Van Houten, the youngest of Charles Manson’s murderous followers, was granted parole by a California board Wednesday. (Stan Lim/Los Angeles Daily News via AP, Pool, File)]