Leslie Van Houten attends her parole listening to on the California Establishment for Ladies on Sept. 6, 2017 in Corona, Calif.. (Stan Lim/The Orange County Register through AP, Pool)
SACRAMENTO, CALIF. --
California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Tuesday blocked parole for Charles Manson follower Leslie Van Houten, reversing a panel's advice that she be freed after spending a half-century in jail.
Van Houten, 72, “at the moment poses an unreasonable hazard to society if launched from jail right now," Newsom mentioned in his parole evaluate. It was the fifth time that a California governor has rejected her launch.
Her lawyer, Wealthy Pfeiffer, disputed that view and mentioned the choice might be appealed in court docket. He accused Newsom of rejecting parole as a result of he's apprehensive about “his political future" and famous that Van Houten has a spotless jail disciplinary document.
“We're not combating (over) Leslie being a great particular person. She's confirmed that via her actions for half a century," he mentioned.
Van Houten is serving a life sentence for serving to Manson and others kill Los Angeles grocer Leno LaBianca and his spouse, Rosemary, in August 1969. Van Houten was 19 when she and different cult members fatally stabbed the LaBiancas and smeared the couple’s blood on the partitions.
The day earlier than, different Manson followers, not together with Van Houten, killed pregnant actress Sharon Tate and 4 others.
In his rejection letter, Newsom famous that Van Housen had undergone remedy, earned academic levels and brought self-help lessons in jail and had proven “elevated maturity and rehabilitation."
However Van Houten additionally has “gaps in perception" that proceed to make her a hazard to society, Newsom mentioned.
Van Houten has had 21 parole hearings since 1982. Most parole boards denied her bid for freedom. However 5 panels have really useful her launch since 2016, saying she had expressed regret and was now not a risk to public security.
Newsom rejected a advice made final November.
He beforehand reversed parole suggestions in 2019 and 2020. In February, the California Supreme Court docket refused to listen to Van Houten's attraction of the 2020 rejection.
Earlier Gov. Jerry Brown rejected Van Houten's parole in 2016 and 2018.
Manson died in 2017 of pure causes at a California hospital whereas serving a life sentence.
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