Governor denies parole for Manson follower Leslie Van Houten
LOS ANGELES — The governor of California once again denied parole Friday for Leslie Van Houten, the youngest follower of murderous cult leader Charles Manson who blamed herself at her parole hearing for letting him control her life.
Gov. Jerry Brown said in his decision that Van Houten still lays too much of the blame on Manson, who died two months ago at 83.
Brown acknowledged that Van Houten's youth at the time of the crime, her more than four decades as a model prisoner and her abuse at the hands of Manson make it worth considering her release.
“However,” he wrote in his decision “these factors are outweighed by negative factors that demonstrate she remains unsuitable for parole.”
The 68-year-old Van Houten is serving life for the murders of wealthy grocer Leno Labianca and his wife, Rosemary, when Van Houten was 19. They were stabbed a day after other Manson followers killed pregnant actress Sharon Tate and four other people in Los Angeles.
Van Houten's attorney, Rich Pfeiffer, said Brown's decision shows an unprecedented and unlawful reliance to deny parole based on the circumstances of the crime, rather than the inmate's fitness.
“We're going to challenge this in court,” Pfeiffer said. “I expect the courts to uphold the law and allow her to be released.”
Pfeiffer added that he has “dozens of clients who have done much worse deeds than Leslie has done and they're out leading productive lives.”
Van Houten has long been considered among the most likely candidates among Manson “family” members to be paroled, But Brown, like Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger before him, has steadfastly refused to let anyone associated with Manson's killings go free.