The crimes of Charles Manson shocked the nation. What was perhaps even more shocking was those who were his accomplices. Now decades later, one of his most infamous accomplices is getting out of prison…
Keep reading to know more.
Leslie Van Houten was a young woman with a bright future. At 19 years old, she was the homecoming princess and destined for what seemed like wonderful things. This is why her conviction in 1971 for her role in the murder of Leno and Rosemary LaBianca in 1969 shocked the nation.
She was serving a life sentence for the killings, where she admitted to stabbing Rosemary more than a dozen times.
This week, Van Houten was released from prison, where she was serving her sentence, the news was confirmed by the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation the media.
Van Houten who is now 73 years old, “was released to parole supervision.” Her attorney, Nancy Tetreault, confirmed that Van Houten was released early morning on Tuesday, 11th July, 2023, and driven to a transitional housing facility.
“She’s still trying to get used to the idea that this real,” Tetreault shared, adding that Van Houten would likely spend a year in a halfway house. “She has to learn to use the internet. She has to learn to buy things without cash. It’s a very different world than when she went in.”
Van Houten earned a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in counseling while she was in prison. Her attorney Tetreault noted that she would likely be on parole for 3 years, and she hoped that Van Houten would find a job soon.
Van Houten has long said she is remorseful and regrets what happened and her involvement in it. She regrets letting Manson’s thoughts influence her and her “individual thinking”.
“I bought into it lock, stock and barrel,” she said of accepting his beliefs during a parole hearing in 2022. “I took it at face value.”
Her release came just days after California Governor Gavin Newsom said he would not be asking the state Supreme Court to block her parole after her last five appeals for parole had been rejected.
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The Charles Manson case is one of the most gruesome ones in modern history. His accomplice getting bail will result in mixed feelings for a lot of people. What do you think of Leslie Van Houten getting bail? Let us know in the comments.