A California appeals court on Tuesday ordered former Charles Manson follower Leslie Van Houten, convicted in the 1969 killings of supermarket executive Leno LaBianca and his wife Rosemary, to be released from prison, overturning a 2020 decision by Gov. Gavin Newsom that denied her parole.
In a 67-page opinion, the Second District Court of Appeals in Los Angeles ruled 2-1 to reverse Newsom's decision. In denying Van Houten parole, Newsom said Van Houten had shown "gaps in insight, candor, or both" and determined she was still a danger to the community.
"We review the Governor's decision under the highly deferential 'some evidence' standard, in which even a modicum of evidence is sufficient to uphold the reversal," justices Helen Bendix and Victoria Chaney wrote for the majority. "Even so, we hold on this record, there is no evidence to support the Governor's conclusions."
Van Houten, 73, was arrested and charged in connection with the brutal murders of the LaBiancas, in which both victims were stabbed dozens of times and their blood was used to scrawl words on the walls of their home. The murders occurred the day after pregnant actress Sharon Tate and four others were murdered by Manson family members. Van Houten, who was 19 at the time, was not involved in those murders.
Van Houten was convicted of murder and sentenced to death in 1971, becoming at 21 the youngest person ever sentenced to death in California. But capital punishment in California was overturned in 1972, and death sentences were commuted. With a first-degree murder charge, Van Houten was sentenced to life in prison, but was eligible for parole after seven years.
Since then, she had been up for parole 23 times. The California Board of Parole granted her release five times since 2016; but each time, California's governor (Newsom and Jerry Brown) blocked her release.
In dissent, Justice Frances Rothschild wrote: "The record contains some evidence Van Houten lacked insight into the commitment offense. Coupled with the heinous nature of that crime, this is sufficient ... to provide some evidence of current dangerousness and support the Governor's decision."
Van Houten's attorney, Nancy Tetreault, told CNN she expects California Attorney General Rob Bonta to file a petition for review to the state's Supreme Court, which can decide how to move forward. Tetreault said she also expects Bonta to file a motion for a stay to keep Van Houten in prison while the case is in review, which Tetreault said she would vigorously oppose.
When contacted by email, Bonta's office directed all questions to Newsom. Newsmax reached out to Newsom for comment.
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