In a striking turn of events, Leslie Van Houten, once a dedicated follower of the notorious Charles Manson and a convicted murderer, has been set free from her confinement in a Californian correctional facility on Tuesday.
According to the esteemed spokesperson for the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, Mary Xjimenez, Van Houten has been released under the auspices of parole supervision. The California authorities have granted her a maximum parole term of three years, which will undergo a parole discharge review after the initial year of her release, as revealed by Xjimenez.
Now well into her seventies, Van Houten was merely nineteen when she was introduced to Manson, joining the ranks of the infamous “Manson family” cult responsible for a string of heinous acts.
Prior to her recent release, Van Houten was serving concurrent sentences of seven years to life after being convicted in 1971 for her complicity in the brutal slayings of supermarket executive Leno LaBianca and his wife, Rosemary, within the confines of their Los Angeles residence.
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In a significant development, the office of California Governor Gavin Newsom declared last Friday that it would abstain from challenging the state appellate court’s panel ruling in May, which paved the way for Van Houten’s potential parole and eventually facilitated her release.
Erin Mellon, the esteemed spokesperson for Governor Newsom, conveyed the following statement: “More than five decades after the Manson cult perpetrated these gruesome offenses, the families of the victims continue to endure the lasting impact, as do all Californians. Governor Newsom has opposed Ms. Van Houten’s parole grant on three separate occasions since assuming office, steadfastly defending his decisions in court against her challenges.”
Mellon continued, expressing disappointment in the Court of Appeal’s resolution to release Van Houten. However, she reiterated that further attempts at appeal were improbable due to the California Supreme Court’s limited acceptance of cases, especially those founded upon such intricately factual determinations.
An individual closely related to the late celebrity hairstylist Jay Sebring, who fell victim to the Manson cult’s atrocities in 1969, expressed his disagreement with the governor’s decision to abstain from challenging Van Houten’s parole.
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Anthony DiMaria, Sebring’s nephew, voiced his sentiments to CNN’s Laura Coates on Tuesday night, stating, “While I hold great respect for Governor Newsom and the attorney general, our families vehemently disagree with their choice to forgo an appeal.”
DiMaria asserted that Van Houten, as an active participant in one of the most infamous murder sprees in United States history, was unequivocally a “cold-blooded killer.” He further claimed that her release sets an unsettling and insidious precedent with potentially dire consequences.
Nancy Tetreault, the legal representative for Van Houten, conveyed to CNN’s John Berman on Tuesday night that her client has undergone extensive courses aimed at confronting and taking responsibility for her past actions. Moreover, Tetreault emphasized that Van Houten had been subjected to 40 years of psychological evaluation, which played a pivotal role in her attainment of parole.
While acknowledging the emotional turmoil experienced by the victims’ family members, Tetreault accentuated that the law provides Van Houten with the right to parole, contingent on her no longer posing a threat to society.
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Last week, Tetreault informed CNN that following her astonishing 53-year-long detention, Van Houten will partake in a transitional housing program, designed to assist her in acquiring employment training, job-seeking skills, and the means to support herself.
Tetreault expressed her contemplation on the challenges that Van Houten might face as she transitions back into routine daily activities, such as venturing to the supermarket, considering her lack of exposure to modern amenities like ATMs and cell phones.
The attorney stated that Van Houten, armed with her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in humanities earned during her imprisonment, plans to pursue employment that leverages her educational background. However, at present, she is focused on acclimatizing to her newfound freedom.
Tetreault conveyed Van Houten’s sentiments, saying, “She is currently grappling with the concept of no longer being confined after decades and is adjusting to her life outside of prison.”
It is crucial to note that the decision to grant parole to Van Houten had been overturned on five separate occasions by California’s governors, with former Governor Jerry Brown, on two occasions, citing the harrowing nature of the murders and Van Houten’s unwavering participation. Governor Gavin Newsom subsequently denied parole three times.
In a prison interview with CNN’s Larry King in 1994, Van Houten described her involvement in the killings, stating, “I approached Mrs. LaBianca, who was lying on the floor, and proceeded to stab her approximately sixteen times in the lower back.”
