LOS ANGELES (AP) — A California panel has recommended parole for Charles Manson follower Leslie Van Houten, who has spent nearly five decades in prison.
The recommendation was made Thursday, although Gov. Gavin Newsom could decide to deny it. Newsom blocked her release once previously, saying she is still a threat at age 70.
Newsom's predecessor, Jerry Brown, blocked Van Houten's parole recommendation twice. Brown has said in the past that she has not taken full responsibility for her actions and remains dangerous.
Van Houten is serving a life sentence for helping Manson and others kill Los Angeles grocer Leno LaBianca and his wife, Rosemary, in August 1969. Van Houten was 19 when she and other cult members fatally stabbed the LaBiancas and smeared the couple’s blood on the walls.
