Leslie Van Houten spent 53 years in prison. Credit: AP
Leslie Van Houten, a student of notorious serial killer Charles Manson, has been released from prison after serving more than five decades for her part in two notorious murders.
Van Houten, now 73, was sentenced to life in prison for assisting Manson followers in the August 1969 murder of Leno LaBianca, a Los Angeles grocer and his wife Rosemary.
The double murder was one of the most at least nine horrific murders committed by members of the Manson cult in the city that summer, which had a chilling effect throughout southern California. .
Since then, state governors have repeatedly blocked all attempts to free Van Houten.
Her latest request for release, after a 2020 hearing found her eligible for parole, was blocked by current California Gov. Gavin Newsom, who claimed she continued to pose a threat to society.
Van Houten successfully appealed the decision to the US Court of Appeals, which overturned Mr. Newsom's denial.
Mr. Newsom had previously said he was disappointed with the decision but would not challenge her release.
Van Houten was released on «parole» by the California Institute for Women in Corona, east of Los Angeles, early Tuesday morning and taken to temporary housing, California prison officials said.
Leslie Van Houten pictured in a Los Angeles prison on March 29, 1971. Photo: AP Photo
No additional information was provided about the place of her release. for security reasons,” officials said.
Van Houten is expected to spend about a year in a nursing home learning the basic skills of modern life after more than half a century behind bars.
Her lawyer Nancy Tetro said: “She needs to learn how to use the Internet. She needs to learn how to buy things without cash.
«It's a very different world than when she entered it.»
Van Houten was a teenager when she joined the Manson «family». an apocalyptic cult that hatched a bizarre murder plot in Los Angeles in hopes of sparking a race war.
The LaBiancas were murdered in their home, and their blood was smeared on the walls.
Van Houten later described holding Rosemary LaBianca with a pillowcase over her head while others stabbed her.
Then, at the behest of another Manson follower to «do something,» Van Houten said, she took the knife and hit the woman about 16 times.
Charles Manson, pictured in 1980, was a cult leader whose crimes shocked the world. Photo: Getty
The murders took place the day after Manson's followers killed pregnant actress Sharon Tate and her friends. Van Houten, aged 19 at the time, was not involved in the Tate murders.
Van Houten has been recommended for parole five times since 2016, but former California Gov. Jerry Brown and incumbent Mr. Newsom have imposed veto each time.
Mr Newsom's latest veto in 2022 argued that Van Houten could still be a danger to society. The Governor said she did not fully explain how she fell under Manson's influence and committed horrific acts of violence.
But in May, the appeals judges voted 2-1 to override Mr. Newsom's veto, ruling that «no evidence supporting the Governor's findings.»
They noted Van Houten's exemplary behavior as a prisoner and found that Mr. Newsom's refusal to release her «does not explain the decades of therapy, self-help programs, and reflection that Van Houten has undergone for last 50 years.»
A popular former high school cheerleader, Van Houten saw her life spin out of control at age 14 after her parents' divorce.
>She started using drugs and got pregnant, but said that her mother forced her to have an abortion and bury it in the family's backyard.
Van Houten met Manson at an old movie ranch on the outskirts of Los Angeles, where he created his so-called «family» of followers .
Manson died in prison in 2017 of natural causes at the age of 83 after nearly half a century behind bars.
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