A former member of Charles Manson's notorious 1960s cult who has been serving more than 40 years in prison was denied parole on Tuesday despite testimonials that she was successfully rehabilitated.
This marks the third time that Leslie Van Houten was denied parole after being convicted for the1969 Los Angeles murder of grocer Leno LaBianca and his wife, Rosemary, The Hill reported.
In overruling a recommendation for parole, California Gov. Gavin Newsom expressed concern that the 69-year-old prisoner could still pose a threat to society.
"While I commend Ms. Van Houten for her efforts at rehabilitation and acknowledge her youth at the time of the crimes, I am concerned about her role in these killings and her potential for future violence," Newsom said. "Ms. Van Houten was an eager participant in the killing of the LaBiancas and played a significant role."
Newsom added that the "gruesome crimes perpetuated by Ms. Van Houten and other Manson Family members in an attempt to incite social chaos continue to inspire fear to this day," the Associated Press reported.
Van Houten was denied parole in 2016 and 2018 by Gov. Jerry Brown, who felt the convict was not taking full responsibility for the murders and was pinning too much of it on Manson, who died in prison in November 2017.
At the time, Van Houten expressed remorse for her involvement in the murders, which she said inspired her to reach out to counsel other inmates and help them seek out an education.
"I think most of what I do is out of guilt for what I've done," she told the board, according to ABC News.
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