Charles Manson follower released from prison 53 years after ‘Helter Skelter’ murders
Leslie Van Houten, a follower of notorious 1960s cult leader Charles Manson, was released from prison on parole.
Van Houten, 73, had served 53 years after being convicted on two counts of first-degree murder and one count of conspiracy for the deaths of Leno and Rosemary LaBianca in 1969.
Van Houten was only 19 when she fell in with the notorious Manson Family, and began living with the group at Spahn Ranch in Los Angeles.
Manson reportedly manipulated the group by using psychoactive and hallucinogenic drugs, including LSD. Prosecutors eventually convicted Manson for directing his followers to kill seven people in the late 1960s.
The LaBiancas were murdered on August 9, 1969 by seven members of the Family, including Van Houten and Manson himself.
Van Houten later admitted to holding a pillowcase on Rosemary’s head as other cult members stabbed her, then grabbing a knife and stabbing her over a dozen times.
The words ‘Death to Pigs’ and ‘Healter Skelter’ were written on the walls of the victims’ home in their own blood. Manson used the phrase, which he took from a 1968 Beatles song, to refer to an impending race war.
The murders happened only a day after other Manson Family members killed actress Sharon Tate alongside four others in a Los Angeles home.
Manson was convicted for all seven murders in 1971. He died at age 83 in 2017 while serving a life sentence.
Van Houten left the California Institution for Women in Corona early on Tuesday morning.
‘She’s still trying to get used to the idea that this real,’ her lawyer Nancy Tetreault said.
Parole boards have recommended her release a total of five times since 2016, but each request was rejected by California Governor Gavin Newsom or former Governor Jerry Brown.
Van Houten last became eligible for parole after a hearing in 2020, but Newsom again intervened to block her release.
Her lawyers appealed to an Appellate Court, which reversed the governor’s decision.
On Friday, Newsom signaled that he would not take the case to California’s Supreme Court and stop blocking Van Houten’s release.
‘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,’ his communications director Erin Mellon said.
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