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Thread: Leslie Van Houten - California

  1. #11
    Administrator Helen's Avatar
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    Court denies Charles Manson follower Leslie Van Houten's bid for release

    By Louis Casiano
    Fox News

    Charles Manson follower Leslie Van Houten's latest bid for freedom was denied by a California appeals court Friday.

    Van Houten, 70, has been recommended for parole three times after serving more than four decades for her role in a pair of gruesome murders. Her release was blocked twice by former Gov. Jerry Brown, while the third was blocked by Gov. Gavin Newsom in June.

    Two of the three appellate judges upheld Brown's decision to block Van Houten's release last year.

    “The Governor’s determination that Van Houten has not taken full responsibility for her role in the crimes, and continues to pose a risk to the public, is supported by some evidence in the record,” the judges ruled. They did not adopt Brown's other conclusion that her crimes alone provided enough reason to keep her in prison at age 70.

    The third judge said “there is not a modicum of evidence” to support a conclusion that Van Houten is still a danger.

    Van Houten's attorney, Rich Pfeiffer, said he would appeal the decision to the state Supreme Court. He argued his client has been rehabilitated and no longer poses a threat.

    “I expected her to go home within a week or two, I really did," he said. "And that’s not happening. Two things you can bank on: She’s gonna get out, and I’m not giving up until she does.”

    Van Houten was 19 when she and followers of Charles Manson fatally stabbed Los Angeles grocer Leo LaBianca and his wife, Rosemary, in August 1969. The slayings were done at the direction of Manson and came a day after other Manson followers killed pregnant actress Sharon Tate and four others inside her home.

    Van Houten was not involved in the Tate killings.

    In addition to Van Houten, former Manson followers Patricia Krenwinkel, 71; Bobby Beausoleil, 71; Charles “Tex” Watson, 73; and Bruce Davis, 76; remain in prison, the Los Angeles Times reported.

    Pfeiffer has a separate appeal of Newsom's decision to deny Van Houten parole awaiting a lower court's consideration. He also plans to file a third lawsuit arguing corrections officials are required to recommend that Van Houten be resentenced because of her age at the time of the crime and her age now.

    Manson died from natural causes in 2017 at a California hospital while serving a life sentence.

    https://www.foxnews.com/us/charles-m...-court-hearing
    "I realize this may sound harsh, but as a father and former lawman, I really don't care if it's by lethal injection, by the electric chair, firing squad, hanging, the guillotine or being fed to the lions."
    - Oklahoma Rep. Mike Christian

    "There are some people who just do not deserve to live,"
    - Rev. Richard Hawke

    “There are lots of extremely smug and self-satisfied people in what would be deemed lower down in society, who also deserve to be pulled up. In a proper free society, you should be allowed to make jokes about absolutely anything.”
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  2. #12
    Administrator Heidi's Avatar
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    Manson follower recommended for parole for the 4th time but California governor has final say

    Charles Manson follower Leslie Van Houten has been found suitable for parole, but her fate will ultimately be decided by California Gov. Gavin Newsom, who previously denied her parole in 2019.

    The California Board of Parole Hearings recommended that an Houten be paroled at a hearing on Thursday, according to Luis Patino, a spokesman for the state Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.

    This is the 4th time the board has deemed Van Houten suitable for release. Her 3 previous approvals for release were blocked twice by former Gov. Jerry Brown and once by Newsom. It remains unclear what Newsom plans to do this time.

    The 70-year-old Van Houten "was very nervous going into the hearing, but she responded very well to all the questions," her attorney Rich Pfeiffer told CNN. "She and her friends and family remain hopeful that she will be released. We all think we are getting closer and closer to release," he said.

    The board's finding will undergo a 120-day legal review. Following that review, Newsom will have 30 days to act on the board's finding.

    "As with any parole suitability recommendation, when the case reaches the Governor's Office, it will be carefully reviewed on its merits," said Vicky Waters, a spokeswoman for Newsom.

    Thursday's hearing was her 23rd since she became eligible for parole in 1977. Van Houten has been in prison for nearly 5 decades.

    The review will be expedited for inmates who face the greatest risk or are at facilities with a Covid-19 outbreak, Patino said.

    Van Houten was 19 years old when she met Manson and became part of his murderous cult known as the "Manson Family." She was convicted of the 1969 stabbing deaths of Leno and Rosemary LaBianca in Los Angeles.

    Van Houten was convicted and sentenced to death in 1971, but one year later the death penalty was overturned. Her first conviction was overturned as well because her lawyer died before that trial ended. She was tried twice more -- one trial ended in a hung jury -- and was sentenced to life in prison following a 1978 guilty verdict.

    She is currently imprisoned at the California Institution for Women.

    Manson died in prison of natural causes in 2017 at the age of 83.

    (source: Erie News Now)
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  3. #13
    Administrator Helen's Avatar
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    California high court won't hear Manson follower parole case

    Associated Press

    SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. (AP) — The California Supreme Court has denied a potential bid for freedom by Charles Manson follower Leslie Van Houten following Gov. Gavin Newsom's rejection of her parole.

    The court on Wednesday refused to hear Van Houten's appeal of a lower court ruling last December that denied her petition for a review.


    That petition challenged what it termed a denial of due process by Newsom in reversing a 2020 parole board recommendation. It also said Newsom had refused to provide documents indicating when the board referred the case to him and argued that there was a “strong possibility"" that he exceeded a 30-day time limit for review.

    An email to Van Houten's attorney, Rich Pfeiffer, seeking comment wasn't immediately returned Thursday night.


    Van Houten, 72, is serving a life sentence for helping Manson and other cult members kill Los Angeles grocer Leno LaBianca and his wife, Rosemary, in August 1969. She was 19 when she and other followers fatally stabbed the LaBiancas and smeared their blood on the walls.


    The slayings came the day after other Manson followers, but not Van Houten, killed pregnant actress Sharon Tate and four others.


    In 2020, the parole panel recommended that Van Houten be freed from prison, saying that she “does not pose an unreasonable risk to public safety” and had shown remorse for her crimes. Newsom, however reversed the decision, saying she did pose an “unreasonable danger" if released.


    Since 2016, parole boards have recommended five times that Van Houten be freed from prison. Then-Gov. Jerry Brown and Newsom have blocked her parole four times. The fifth recommendation came last November and remains under procedural review.

    https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/crime/california-high-court-won-t-hear-manson-follower-parole-case/ar-AATICgI
    "I realize this may sound harsh, but as a father and former lawman, I really don't care if it's by lethal injection, by the electric chair, firing squad, hanging, the guillotine or being fed to the lions."
    - Oklahoma Rep. Mike Christian

    "There are some people who just do not deserve to live,"
    - Rev. Richard Hawke

    “There are lots of extremely smug and self-satisfied people in what would be deemed lower down in society, who also deserve to be pulled up. In a proper free society, you should be allowed to make jokes about absolutely anything.”
    - Rowan Atkinson

  4. #14
    Administrator Helen's Avatar
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    California governor rejects parole bid for Manson family killer

    Leslie Van Houten has had five parole bids rejected since 2016


    By Rebecca Rosenberg
    Fox News

    California Gov. Gavin Newsom Tuesday blocked parole for Charles Manson follower Leslie Van Houten, who is serving a life sentence for the 1969 murder of a Los Angeles couple who were stabbed to death with knives and a fork.

    Newsom's decision reversed a panel's recommendation that Van Houten, 72, be freed after spending half a century behind bars.

    She "currently poses an unreasonable danger to society if released from prison at this time," Newsom wrote in his rejection letter. The governor acknowledged that Van Houten had "shown increased maturity and rehabilitation" in prison but added that "gaps in insight" continue to make her a risk to the public.

    Van Houten was a 19-year-old teenage runaway when she helped other cult members fatally stab Los Angeles grocery store owner Leno LaBianca and his wife, Rosemary, at Manson's direction.

    The murderers used a carving fork to write the word "WAR" on Leno LaBianca's stomach as he lay dying from 26 stab wounds, according to trial testimony. The Manson acolytes then used the couple's blood to write "Death to pigs" on the walls.

    One day earlier, Manson followers, without Van Houten, had murdered pregnant actress Sharon Tate and four others at her home in Benedict Canyon.

    Van Houten has had 21 parole hearings since 1982, with five panels recommending her release since 2016. Newsom and previous Gov. Jerry Brown have shot down each of her bids for freedom.

    Van Houten's attorney, Rich Pfeiffer, said his client had a spotless prison record and accused Newsom of blocking her parole over concerns about his own "political future." He added that Van Houten was a "good person."

    Manson died of natural causes in 2017 while serving a life sentence.

    https://www.foxnews.com/us/californi...-family-killer
    "I realize this may sound harsh, but as a father and former lawman, I really don't care if it's by lethal injection, by the electric chair, firing squad, hanging, the guillotine or being fed to the lions."
    - Oklahoma Rep. Mike Christian

    "There are some people who just do not deserve to live,"
    - Rev. Richard Hawke

    “There are lots of extremely smug and self-satisfied people in what would be deemed lower down in society, who also deserve to be pulled up. In a proper free society, you should be allowed to make jokes about absolutely anything.”
    - Rowan Atkinson

  5. #15
    Administrator Helen's Avatar
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    This is so wrong.

    Leslie Van Houten, Manson family killer, to be released on parole after Newsom drops challenge

    Van Houten was 19 when she helped murder Leno LaBianca and his wife Rosemary, and their families said they're 'heartbroken' about her release

    By Chirs Eberhart
    Fox News

    A teenage Charles Manson follower, who was convicted of killing two people, will be a free woman at the age of 73 after five decades behind bars.

    Leslie Van Houten, who was 19 when she joined the murderous cult and helped kill Leno LaBianca and his wife Rosemary in 1969, will be paroled in the coming weeks, her lawyer Nancy Tetreault said on Friday.

    California Gov. Gavin Newsom, who stifled several previous efforts to free Houten, said, although he's disappointed, he won't ask the state Supreme Court to block parole this year.

    The governor’s office said it was unlikely that the state’s high court would consider an appeal of a lower court ruling that Van Houten should be released.

    "More than 50 years after the Manson cult committed these brutal killings, the victims’ families still feel the impact," Newsom said in the statement.

    Newsom and former Gov. Jerry Brown rejected five parole recommendations since 2016. The most recent was last February.

    But Van Houten's luck turned on May 31, when the state appeals court ruled 2-1 in favor of her parole.

    The court's decision noted her "extraordinary rehabilitative efforts, insight, remorse, realistic parole plans, support from family and friends" and favorable behavior reports while in prison in its decision.

    "She’s thrilled, and she’s overwhelmed," Treteault said. "She’s just grateful that people are recognizing that she’s not the same person that she was when she committed the murders."

    Van Houten could be freed in about two weeks, depending on how quickly the paperwork gets filed, and then she will go to a halfway house to learn basic life skills, such as using a cell phone, a computer, and ATM, among other new technology, according to her lawyer.

    Meanwhile, her upcoming release is re-traumatizing to the victims' families.

    "My family and I are heartbroken because we’re once again reminded of all the years that we have not had my father and my stepmother with us," Cory LaBianca, Leno LaBianca’s daughter, told The Associated Press in a telephone interview Friday.

    "My children and my grandchildren never got an opportunity to get to know either of them, which has been a huge void for my family," said Cory La Bianca, who is 75.

    When Van Houten was 19, she and other Manson followers fatally stabbed the LaBiancas in their home and smeared their blood on the walls.

    She later described holding Rosemary LaBianca down with a pillowcase over her head as others stabbed her, before she grabbed a knife and cut her victim more than a dozen times.

    Van Houten was convicted in 1971 and again after a retrial in 1978. She was sentenced to life in prison.

    Manson, the man behind the cult who orchestrated the murders, died of natural causes in prison in 2017 at the age of 83.

    The Associated Press contributed to this report.

    https://www.foxnews.com/us/leslie-va...rops-challenge
    "I realize this may sound harsh, but as a father and former lawman, I really don't care if it's by lethal injection, by the electric chair, firing squad, hanging, the guillotine or being fed to the lions."
    - Oklahoma Rep. Mike Christian

    "There are some people who just do not deserve to live,"
    - Rev. Richard Hawke

    “There are lots of extremely smug and self-satisfied people in what would be deemed lower down in society, who also deserve to be pulled up. In a proper free society, you should be allowed to make jokes about absolutely anything.”
    - Rowan Atkinson

  6. #16
    Moderator Bobsicles's Avatar
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    Leslie Van Houten, follower of cult leader Charles Manson, released from California prison

    BY CHRISTOPHER WEBER
    The Associated Press

    LOS ANGELES — Charles Manson follower Leslie Van Houten walked out of a California prison Tuesday after serving more than 50 years of a life sentence for her participation in two infamous murders.

    Van Houten “was released to parole supervision,” the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation said in a statement.

    She left the California Institution for Women in Corona, east of Los Angeles, in the early morning hours and was driven to transitional housing, her attorney Nancy Tetreault said.

    “She’s still trying to get used to the idea that this is real,” Tetreault told The Associated Press.

    Days earlier Gov. Gavin Newsom announced he would not fight a state appeals court ruling that Van Houten should be granted parole. He said it was unlikely the state Supreme Court would consider an appeal.

    She is expected to spend about a year at a halfway house, learning basic skills such as how to drive a car, go to the grocery store and get a debit card, according to her attorney.

    “She has to learn to use to use the internet. She has to learn to buy things without cash,” Tetreault said. “It’s a very different world than when she went in.”

    Van Houten, who will likely be on parole for about three years, hopes to get a job as soon as possible, Tetreault said. She earned a bachelors and a masters degree while in prison and worked as a tutor for other incarcerated people.

    Van Houten, now in her 70s, received a life sentence for helping Manson’s followers carry out the August 1969 killings of Leno LaBianca, a grocer in Los Angeles, and his wife, Rosemary.

    https://apnews.com/article/manson-fo...71ce8bd63a78e4
    Thank you for the adventure - Axol

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  7. #17
    Administrator Helen's Avatar
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    Gavin Newsom is a coward.
    "I realize this may sound harsh, but as a father and former lawman, I really don't care if it's by lethal injection, by the electric chair, firing squad, hanging, the guillotine or being fed to the lions."
    - Oklahoma Rep. Mike Christian

    "There are some people who just do not deserve to live,"
    - Rev. Richard Hawke

    “There are lots of extremely smug and self-satisfied people in what would be deemed lower down in society, who also deserve to be pulled up. In a proper free society, you should be allowed to make jokes about absolutely anything.”
    - Rowan Atkinson

  8. #18
    Senior Member Frequent Poster Fact's Avatar
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    In a just world, Leslie Van Houten would have gone to the gas chamber 50 years ago. However, if parole is available for people who commit such terrible crimes, I think it's hard to imagine a scenario where parole isn't appropriate.

    I'm opposed to parole for murderers as a matter of policy, but I think it's pretty tough to argue that Leslie Van Houten poses a threat to anyone at this point.

  9. #19
    Moderator Bobsicles's Avatar
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    LVH isn’t the worst case. Robert Rozier served 10 years of a 22 year sentence for four murders before he was paroled. He’s now serving 25-Life for check bouncing
    Thank you for the adventure - Axol

    Tried so hard and got so far, but in the end it doesn’t even matter - Linkin Park

    Hear me, my chiefs! I am tired. My heart is sick and sad. From where the sun now stands, I will fight no more forever. - Hin-mah-too-yah-lat-kekt

    I’m going to the ghost McDonalds - Garcello

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