Charles Manson Family Member Leslie Van Houten, Who Killed 2 People for Cult Leader, Released on Parole

Leslie Van Houten, who was once a teen follower of notorious cult leader Charles Manson, is now a free woman after serving over 50 years in prison for the murder of a Los Angeles couple in 1969. She was released on parole last Tuesday.

Nancy Tetreault, the former Manson Family cult member's attorney, told the New York Times that Leslie Van Houten was taken to transitional housing at an undisclosed location on Tuesday morning.

"She's going to have to learn to live in the world after 53 years in prison," the lawyer said. "So that's going to take some time."

Her release was confirmed by the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, with a department spokeswoman stating that Van Houten will have a "three-year maximum parole term."

Leslie Van Houten Completely Honest About Her Grisly Killings for Charles Manson

Now 73, Leslie Van Houten was an avid follower of Charles Manson in the 1960s when she was still a teen. She had been completely honest about her role in the murders that were ordered by Charles Manson.

According to the Associated Press, during a 2016 parole hearing, she admitted that the murders were the start of what Manson believed was a coming race war he called "Helter Skelter." This was named after the popular Beatles song.

She also talked about how the infamous cult leader manipulated members of his so-called family to commit heinous acts. In Van Houten's case, she and others were tasked with killing Los Angeles grocer Leno LaBianca and his wife, Rosemary.

Van Houten stated that Manson urged his followers to "prepare to fight and learn to can food so they could go underground and live in a hole in the desert" because a race war between Blacks and Whites was inevitable.

In a previous parole hearing, she admitted that she was the one who held Rosemary LaBianca down with a pillowcase over her head as the others stabbed the victim, before taking part in the stabbing. She and the other Manson Family members then smeared the couple's blood on the walls.

In 1971, just a few years after the LaBianca murders, Leslie Van Houten was sentenced to death. However, the California Supreme Court commuted this to a life sentence after it overturned the death penalty in 1972. The death sentence was reinstated in the state, though her commutation was not applied retroactively.

She is now the first Manson follower to take part in the killings to walk free.

Gov. Gavin Newsom Disappointed in Decision To Free Charles Manson Follower Leslie Van Houten

Given the heinous nature of her crimes, a lot of people were not happy with Leslie Van Houten's release. This includes California Gov. Gavin Newsom, who rejected her parole earlier, citing that she still posed a danger to society, according to The Hill.

However, the appeals court sided with the former Manson family member, with Newsom saying that he will not appeal the court's ruling to the California Supreme Court. This paved the way for Van Houten's eventual release.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Rick Martin

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