A Second Member of the Manson Family Was Recommended for Parole
Charles Manson follower Patricia Krenwinkel, 77, who was among the people convicted of a murderous rampage that left seven Angelenos dead in the summer of 1969, could be released on parole upon the recommendation the California parole board.Krenwinkel, 77, the state's longest-serving female inmate, could become the the second member of the notoriously violent killer cult that went on a bloody crime spree that terrorized Los Angeles to be released, something that is being vehemently opposed by her victims' family members. She was convicted in the brutal slaying of Leno and Rosemary LaBianca, a grocery store owner and his wife whose grisly deaths bookended the infamous Manson Family rampage that took that also took the life of actress Sharon Tate (pregnant at the time with Roman Polanski's baby) as well as celebrity hairstylist Jay Sebring; coffee heiress Abigail Folger; Folger's boyfriend, Wojciech Frykowski; and Steven Parent, a friend of the estate's caretaker.Tate's sister Debra described Kreneinkel's actions in the slayings, how she personally carved the word "WAR" into Leno LaBianca's belly with a carving knife and decorated the walls of his family's home with political messages like "Death to Pigs" written in the blood of her victims in a Change.org petition.
"She has admitted that was not a direct order from Charles Manson or anyone else- it was her own idea," Tate wrote in the petition that urges California residents to demand that Governor Gavin Newsom keep Krenwinkel, now known as prisoner CDC# W-0831, behind bars. "For years this woman laughed about the murders in court and showed absolutely no remorse at all. She admits she was not on drugs the nights of the murders and committed them to ignite a race war."
Those murders came just one night after Manson Family members Krenwinkel, then 21, along with Charles 'Tex' Watson, Susan Atkins, and Linda Kasabian killed Tate and the others in a house on Cielo Drive in Benedict Canyon. Krenwinkel testified that she chased Folger down and stabbed her so many times her hand throbbed. The governor noted in his parole reversal that "Krenwinkel or one or more of her crime partners tied ropes around the necks of Mr. Sebring and Ms. Tate and her two crime partners stabbed them repeatedly, killing them. Ms. Tate was eight months pregnant when she was killed. The group wrote 'pig' in blood on the front door before fleeing," Newsom wrote. Manson, the governor noted, told Krenwinkel to do something 'witchy,' so she used blood to write 'Death to Pigs,' 'Rise,' and 'Healter [sic] Skelter' on the walls. The bodies and the grisly scene were found by the victims' son. Krenwinkel was granted parole on May 26, 2022, but the decision was reversed by Newsom on October 14, 2022, citing her horrific crimes and the continued threat she would pose to society if released. In all, the Parole Board has conducted 16 hearings for Krenwinkel since she became eligible for parole in 1977 after her death penalty sentence was deemed unconstitutional. But the elderly murderer might have a better chance at release now that her former Manson family sister is out on the streets. Her attorney, Keith Wattley told Los Angeles in a statement that his client "is living proof of both redemption and rehabilitation." Wattley said that she has spent 56 years in prison without "a single disciplinary infraction," and insists nine psychological evaluations suggest she is not longer a danger. to society."
In July 2023, to the surprise of virtually everyone, her fellow Manson family follower Leslie Van Houten, one of the most notorious killers in the history of Southern California, a woman who for the past five decades has been known as prisoner number W-13378 was released. Van Houten was not at the Tate murders, but joined the gang for a second round of mayhem, this time in Los Feliz, where cult leader Charles Manson randomly chose the LaBiancas as their next victims.
According to court records, Watson attacked Leno LaBianca with a bayonet, the two women went after his wife, Rosemary. Van Houten pulled a pillowcase over her head and wrapped a lamp cord around her neck while Krenwinkel plunged a knife so deep into her collarbone that it bent the blade.Atkins died in prison in 2009. Manson died in prison in 2017 at the age of 83. Watson, 79, remains in a prison in Los Angeles County. Kasbian, who became the prosecution's lead witness and testified against Manson, died in 2023. It remains unclear where Van Houten is living now. The most recent recommendation by the Parole Board is not a done deal for Krenwinkel. The board's legal division has up to 120 days to finalize the decision, and then Newsom has 30 days to review and potentially reverse it. His office has not commented on the recommendation.
This story was originally reported by L.A. Mag on Jun 3, 2025, where it first appeared.
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