Manson Family Member Recommended for Parole 55 Years After Grisly Murders

Newsweek

2 days ago

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A California prison panel has recommended Patricia Krenwinkel, a longtime imprisoned member of the Manson Family cult, who was convicted in the infamous 1969 Los Angeles murder spree, for parole on Friday.
Newsweek has reached out to the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation and the California governor's office for comment via email on Sunday.
Why It Matters
Krenwinkel is the longest-serving female inmate in California prisons. She was a member of Charles Manson's "family," a devoted group living communally on an abandoned movie set in California.
Manson was notorious for his ability to manipulate and control others, having quickly gained followers and convinced them to view him as a God-like figure, with testimonies emphasizing drug use and abuse. He led sermons, orchestrated orgies and fostered a cult-like environment, as well as directing his family members to kill.
Members of the "Manson Family," including Krenwinkel, stabbed and killed several people, including actress Sharon Tate who was pregnant at the time. Krenwinkel first met Manson at a party when she was 19 years old and immediately left her life for him.
What To Know
During a four-hour hearing Friday, panel members of the California Board of Parole found that Krenwinkel, 77, poses a low risk of reoffending due to her age and decades of good behavior in prison, and recommended her for parole, according to CBS News' San Diego affiliate.
Krenwinkel did not speak during the hearing, but several victims' family members, including Tate's younger sister, Debra Tate, spoke in opposition, according to CBS.
Krenwinkel, a Los Angeles native, is incarcerated at the California Institution for Women, and has been denied parole over a dozen times, most recently by Newsom in 2022.
She is serving a life sentence after being convicted of seven counts of murder in 1971. During her trial, she confessed to running down and repeatedly stabbing Abigail Anne Folger, who was at Tate's home that night, and assisted in killing the LaBiancas the following evening.
She says Manson told her to do something "witchy," and so after stabbing the LaBiancas with a fork, she used the victims' blood to write "Death to Pigs," "Rise," and "Healter [sic] Skelter" on the walls.
The disturbing murders were orchestrated by Manson, but not personally done by him. He died in prison in 2017.
Charles Manson follower Patricia Krenwinkel is seen on March 13, 2020.
Charles Manson follower Patricia Krenwinkel is seen on March 13, 2020.
California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation
What People Are Saying
California Governor Gavin Newsom said in reversal of Krenwinkel's parole in 2022: "Ms. Krenwinkel fully accepted Mr. Manson's racist, apocalyptical ideologies. Ms. Krenwinkel was not only a victim of Mr. Manson's abuse. She was also a significant contributor to the violence and tragedy that became the Manson Family's legacy... Beyond the brutal murders she committed, she played a leadership role in the cult, and an enforcer of Mr. Manson's tyranny. She forced the other women in the cult to obey Mr. Manson, and prevented them from escaping when they tried to leave"
Debra Tate, Sharon Tate's younger sister, said during Friday's hearing: "Releasing her to society puts society at risk. I don't accept any explanation for someone who has had 55 years to think of the many ways they impacted their victims, but still does not know their names. My life, the victims' families are forever affected."
Commissioner Gilbert Infante said during the hearing on Friday: "This decision does not minimize or forgive the criminal conduct or the loss your victims and their families have suffered. At the time of these crimes, you exhibited all the hallmark features of youth. When we look at subsequent growth, you have made strides, and this is evidenced in the work you have done."
What Happens Next
The panel's recommendation now goes to the full California Board of Parole Hearings for review, which must occur within 120 days. If approved, Governor Gavin Newsom will have 150 days to affirm, reverse or take no action on the decision.